Matrix Games Forums

I liked CIV1, but I hated the isometric view on Civ2... I think I'll give this one a pass too

Hate to be a naysayer....but this series has been there done that. It looks like all they have done is rehash the same old thing with new 3D graphics. New graphics are always nice....but no breakthroughs here.

I also don't like the new spying system and stealing technologies of CIV III, the fun of CIV II was sending spies out and doing it yourself, not paying for it only to have 10 attempts in a row yield nothing but a loss of gold.

LOL! I finaly did find a use for that useless small CIA wonder. When ever you want to wipe out a tuff AI that is under mutual protection with everyone else, I suggest use an exploit to get around another exploit.

First I give the same agreement with EVERYONE BUT that one AI. Then I try to use that stupid espionage building to plant a spy. Of course it always fails, this is CIV III and the spying stuff never works a damn. And because it will fail, the AI will automaticaly declare war on you. In doing so, he is the one starting the war, so suddenly everyone had to protect YOU! Oh, and if by accident the spy you plant into the AI happens to be succesfull, just try to steal a tech, and it will automaticaly get caught anyway. So no worries there.

Another exploit with that retarded spy building, is build it, then just before it's built, shift to building a big wonder just after you buy the tech for it. You will get a huge shield jump.

The only 3 AI's I play today that give me any challenge come from games like Civilization/Alpha Centauri, Combat Mission (with advantages) and Spartan. Most AI's today are so simple even on their highest difficulties, they aren't even worth playing against. I took Rome Total War, very first day, put it on most difficult (very hard) level on everything and proceeded to just pound it silly. The very first day!!! Now, that's an AI that suks badly. Oh and this new, Civil War: Battle of Bull Run, haven't played it much, but, the AI has kicked my butt every game so far.

I don't know if I've just gotten smarter in the last 20 years or the AI has gotten dumber, but, I can sure see a difference from 20 years ago when all AI's were challenging and fun to me.

In the Koios thread of Caesar I've asked twice now why games can't be made with difficulty sliders/option settings for combat/defensive stats of the AI units from -10 to +10 and both times the devs and one matrix official have come back with "how we made the AI", and/or have you played it since patch 1.1. But, neither have answered MY QUESTION, why can't you put in a slider/option to put the AI difficulty more into the players hands?

Combat Mission, Steel Panthers, even Madden Football gives these abilities to increase the difficulty of the AI. This is what makes these games good and/or great. I can go past the hard-coded AI difficulty and make it even more difficult by increasing it's advantages, which I have no problem with, overcoming the odds has been part of warfare for centuries, so I don't see it as a problem in wargames to have overcoming the odds difficulties part of the game OPTIONS.

Merely creating a difficult level by design of a developer is no way close to comparing what difficulties others out here can play against. That developer might not even be a good or experienced advanced wargame grog, so what is difficult for him by design is merely easy or normal for the average grog wargamer out here.

I think Sid Meier was a wargamer and a darn good one, he certainly made some damn difficult settings for me as far as Civilization an Alpha Centauri goes, in fact the only complaints I've ever heard about the Civilization/Alpha Centauri AI is how it CHEATS. lol People want an intelligent smarter AI on harder difficulties and that's just not possible, so, it takes cheats and advantages and handicaps to make the AI's continue to be a challenge "the overcoming the odds factor". That's what makes them fun, and maintain longevity.

ORIGINAL: 33Vyper

Hate to be a naysayer....but this series has been there done that. It looks like all they have done is rehash the same old thing with new 3D graphics. New graphics are always nice....but no breakthroughs here.

I think that is the case throughout the series actually. Sure there's a difference here and there, but I've been playing CIV3 for like the last 1 1/2 off and on, and this weekend decided to try CIV2 again. I just hate the spies in CIV2. Anyway, there really isn't much of a difference and I was somewhat amazed how much knowing CIV3 got me IMO playing better on CIV2. I'm probably still no good on CIV2, but I at least can see where I can find ways to break through the stalemates I used to go through so much.

One thing I like about CIV2, is that your Allies will probably actually stay on your side, as opposed to the constant backstabbing of CIV3. I just wish I could jack that thing to around 1000 turns like I can with CIV3. Perhaps I can go back to the file in CIV3 and see if there's a similar file in CIV2 and adjust it.

ORIGINAL: Charles_22


I just wish I could jack that thing to around 1000 turns like I can with CIV3. Perhaps I can go back to the file in CIV3 and see if there's a similar file in CIV2 and adjust it.

You can easily make the default game in civ2 1000 turns and more if you want.

If you are playing the long game, then set up the paramaters for the scenario, load it up and then pull down the "Cheat" menu (found at the top of the map screen).

In the cheat menu you will be able to change lots of game settings: tech length, game turns, pollution, give more money to all AI players (makes for a tougher game), etc...

When you are done, then save the game as a scenario.

Then when you want to play it, just select this scenario as you would any other scenario.

And civ2 is still number one in my book... [&o]

ORIGINAL: Warfare1
If you are playing the long game, then set up the paramaters for the scenario, load it up and then pull down the "Cheat" menu (found at the top of the map screen).

In the cheat menu you will be able to change lots of game settings: tech length, game turns, pollution, give more money to all AI players (makes for a tougher game), etc...

Problem is, when you enable cheat, you turn the game into another version of "t-ball for retards." It doesn't keep score anymore.

It should still keep score. The only addition will be the fact that you will be told that you cheated. lol

However, enabling the cheat mode allows you to change things in a scenario to give yourself a tougher game. I do it all the time for the longer game and scenarios.

When you finish making the changes, save the game as a scenario, then turn off the cheat function.

ORIGINAL: Warfare1

ORIGINAL: Charles_22


I just wish I could jack that thing to around 1000 turns like I can with CIV3. Perhaps I can go back to the file in CIV3 and see if there's a similar file in CIV2 and adjust it.

You can easily make the default game in civ2 1000 turns and more if you want.

If you are playing the long game, then set up the paramaters for the scenario, load it up and then pull down the "Cheat" menu (found at the top of the map screen).

In the cheat menu you will be able to change lots of game settings: tech length, game turns, pollution, give more money to all AI players (makes for a tougher game), etc...

When you are done, then save the game as a scenario.

Then when you want to play it, just select this scenario as you would any other scenario.

Will this cost you any ranking in the HoF? It does in CIV3 if do any tampering (though the adjustment I was talking about doesn't affect it).

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

ORIGINAL: Warfare1

ORIGINAL: Charles_22


I just wish I could jack that thing to around 1000 turns like I can with CIV3. Perhaps I can go back to the file in CIV3 and see if there's a similar file in CIV2 and adjust it.

You can easily make the default game in civ2 1000 turns and more if you want.

If you are playing the long game, then set up the paramaters for the scenario, load it up and then pull down the "Cheat" menu (found at the top of the map screen).

In the cheat menu you will be able to change lots of game settings: tech length, game turns, pollution, give more money to all AI players (makes for a tougher game), etc...

When you are done, then save the game as a scenario.

Then when you want to play it, just select this scenario as you would any other scenario.

Will this cost you any ranking in the HoF? It does in CIV3 if do any tampering (though the adjustment I was talking about doesn't affect it).

It's been a while since I played the long game (I tend to mod a lot of the scenarios I play).

But after you make the changes via the cheat menu, save the game as a scenario (also found at the bottom of the cheat menu).

If you extend the turn limit don't forget to lengthen the research time (the higher the number, the longer research takes - for example, 7/10 makes for longer research versus 2/10).

While I was going to say that while you did provide me more information you didn't answer my question, your answer does answer it between the lines. IOW, if you have extended the game, even just that, then naturally your HoF score would be higher, and since HoF is based on a set game, it's obvious that even if it does allow HoF scoring it would be basically a cheat to allow altered games to be in there since they're based on but a set length of game alongside the other set conditions.

Awww who cares about a HOF, I just play for the enjoyment the game brings. More turns equals more fun, slower techs means longer play periods with the same combat units (I like this most). I play it mostly for the combat game and the fun of real spying and stealing techs. And then of course when it's finally over, launching all my ICBM's as I take off for Alpha Centauri. hehe If only I were president. (sinister grin).

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

While I was going to say that while you did provide me more information you didn't answer my question, your answer does answer it between the lines. IOW, if you have extended the game, even just that, then naturally your HoF score would be higher, and since HoF is based on a set game, it's obvious that even if it does allow HoF scoring it would be basically a cheat to allow altered games to be in there since they're based on but a set length of game alongside the other set conditions.

I wouldn't worry too much about that.

You can give yourself a 1000 or 2000 turn game (experiment a little), and you'll have a blast.

You can also give the other civs more money, additional units (and you can edit them), etc...

I have spent hundreds of years fighting with just the legions...