Civilization V- Might actually be good now. Stay tuned.

[Lantyssa]

His trolling is much better when based on an actual position.  I thought someone ganked his account since there was a point behind it.

[WayAbvPar]

Last warning. STFU about trolls and trollees and talk about the game.

[Trippy]

Last warning. STFU about trolls and trollees and talk about the game.

[Paelos]

I'd buy it day one if only for the addition of non-stacking units. That kind of change makes my mind spin with the possibilities. The fact that it will likely be modded to make it not bland six months later for replay value makes it also worthwhile.

[dusematic]

I'm excited most by the online functionality with Steamworks.  If they pull off a slick online interface/interoperability then that will be pretty awesome and a long time coming.  Single player Civ got boring to me like 6 years ago.  But I still fire up a multiplayer game of Civ 4 every now and again.

[WayAbvPar]

I'm excited most by the online functionality with Steamworks.  If they pull off a slick online interface/interoperability then that will be pretty awesome and a long time coming.  Single player Civ got boring to me like 6 years ago.  But I still fire up a multiplayer game of Civ 4 every now and again.

Definitely- it will be nice to see which friends are playing; much easier to get a MP game that way.

[dusematic]

Also, they're gonna have an in-game mod/map searcher sort of like SC2.  No longer will you have to scour the bowels of the internet to find cool maps and mods, it can all be found without even having to alt-tab.  

Sounds good, but I'm nervous the online component is going to be a fiasco like it always has been with this series.  


The ultimate question for online play is really whether or not they'll have some sort of anti-abuse measures incorporated.  Presently, the online scene breaks down to mongoloids constantly spewing hate speech in the GameSpy lobby, (the standard trifecta of nigger, Jew, and Hitler) and guys who sit in the lobby all day joining games in progress and ruining them through a variety of means.  Typically they just continuously pause the game until someone gets pissed and leaves, and then they refuse to vote to continue the game, though other ways to ruin a game exist.  But there are people who will LITERALLY sit in the lobby all day and just ruin games.  To the point where nobody will make any games or people have to password their games and selectively invite people in secret because the word is out that "FluffyPillow" or whoever else is on a game ruining spree that day is on the prowl.

There needs to be ways to see how often someone quits in the first 5 minutes of a game, (a chronic problem since people who don't like their starts will just quit, which causes a snowball effect to everyone else quitting)  disconnects, etc.  Sort of like in HoN how you could check a player's leave percentage, and then nobody wanted to play with that guy.  Worked like a charm.

[Musashi]

Well, they really need to balance their random generator so that you get a terrible start less often, if at all.  Or at least give the option to regenerate in multi-player like there is in single-player.

[LK]

I've opted to download this on Steam and play it over starting up FFXIV. Hope that was a wise decision, I imagine both games could involve a similar time investment.

[Malakili]

New podcast up on their website today about combat, it seems like they've addressed basically every concern people have had in this thread about combat in previous Civ games.

[dusematic]

I've opted to download this on Steam and play it over starting up FFXIV. Hope that was a wise decision, I imagine both games could involve a similar time investment.

It was.  Did you play FF14 Beta?  Laaaaaaame.  I played it for 20 minutes before puking in my mouth and furiously beating off.  It's difficult to explain why it sucked.  For one, the combat is ultra-slow.  For another, the controls aren't intuitive, you had to press like three keystrokes to enter attack mode and fight someone.  I'm a fucking MMO veteran and I was sort of at a loss for a few minutes trying to figure out how to engage in basic combat.  For three, it's EXACTLY the same as FF11. 

[Tannhauser]

I'm going to download this from Steam.  I have a fetish about game boxes, they look so nice on a shelf, but Steam is just so damn handy.

[Malakili]

I think I am going to go boxed, though the Digital Deluxe edition is tempting, I must admit.

[WayAbvPar]

I'm going to download this from Steam.  I have a fetish about game boxes, they look so nice on a shelf, but Steam is just so damn handy.

It is tied to Steam either way (Steamworks is integrated into the client). I am going to get a box so I have a manual and don't have to fight the masses trying to download it on release day. Hopefully the servers will work long enough for me to get authenticated 

[dusematic]

Don't need a manual as it's just going to regurgitate the Civilopedia.  Online pre-order is the way to go, they're giving out free bonus content at different distributors, like maps and civs.  I believe the Babylonian Civ comes with Steam pre-order.

[Merusk]

Babylonians aren't a standard civ? 

What else.. tanks are DLC?  Fuck this trend.

[dusematic]

The list of Civs changes with each version.  They're still launching with 18, a typical amount.  For instance, Spain isn't a civ in Civ 5, but was in Civ 4 (and wasn't in Civ 3).  Although, in Civ 3, Spain was added via an expansion pack.


I'm by no means a DLC apologist, but I wouldn't say that because the Songhai are a civ instead of the Babylonians in Civ 5 that it will be in any way less complete.  In prior years they'd simply release it as one of many other civs in an expansion pack.

[Merusk]

It's more that Babylonians have always been one of the "iconic" civs, to me.  They caused more "wtf, assholes" moments over the years of playing than any civ other than the Zulus.  Losing them feels as significant a change as losing stacks or roads.   It's nearly as if it were a different game entirely.  Not a bad thing, per se but more and more it feels like they're taking this new game and just using the Civs name to market it.  Like that X-com shooter bullshit.

[Velorath]

Don't need a manual as it's just going to regurgitate the Civilopedia.  Online pre-order is the way to go, they're giving out free bonus content at different distributors, like maps and civs.  I believe the Babylonian Civ comes with Steam pre-order.

The Babylonian Civ comes with the Digital Deluxe version.  The Mesopotamia map pack is the pre-order bonus (for the standard and the deluxe version).  Amazon has a different map pack for their pre-order, and I haven't seen any pre-order bonuses at any other retailers yet.

[WayAbvPar]

I am betting (actually am, since I am gambling by not buying a deluxe set or preorder) that the DLC price will dwarf the price of the deluxe versions. I don't need artbooks and CDs of the soundtrack; I just want the extra gameplay stuff. So I will just buy it when it is available.

[Malakili]

I am betting (actually am, since I am gambling by not buying a deluxe set or preorder) that the DLC price will dwarf the price of the deluxe versions. I don't need artbooks and CDs of the soundtrack; I just want the extra gameplay stuff. So I will just buy it when it is available.

Yeah, I'm hoping for the same.

[MrHat]

This game is still modable right?  Not sure what the "this civ isn't in it" problem is.

[dusematic]

It's more that Babylonians have always been one of the "iconic" civs, to me.  They caused more "wtf, assholes" moments over the years of playing than any civ other than the Zulus.  Losing them feels as significant a change as losing stacks or roads.   It's nearly as if it were a different game entirely.  Not a bad thing, per se but more and more it feels like they're taking this new game and just using the Civs name to market it.  Like that X-com shooter bullshit.

Um.  So when Babylon wasn't in Civ 4, or the first expansion for it, did you feel the same way?  Has this discontent been quietly brewing inside you for the past 5 years?  Roads are still in Civ 5, they simply cost upkeep now to prevent one from simply covering every tile on the map in roads and to make road-building into a strategic element.  

I really have no idea what you're even talking about.  Seems like you don't either.

[dusematic]

This game is still modable right?  Not sure what the "this civ isn't in it" problem is.

Yea it's supposed to be the most mod friendly Civ game ever.

[Stormwaltz]

Yea it's supposed to be the most mod friendly Civ game ever.

The guy in the cubicle next to me (a former Firaxis QA and scenario designer) says all the senior people on Civ5 were hired from the mod community.

I saw the underlying tech at a IGDA presentation. They say all the memory problems in Civ4 are gone, and they showed the game running equally well on an Alienware ubermachine and "my mom's laptop."

[dusematic]

Yea it's supposed to be the most mod friendly Civ game ever.

The guy in the cubicle next to me (a former Firaxis QA and scenario designer) says all the senior people on Civ5 were hired from the mod community.

I saw the underlying tech at a IGDA presentation. They say all the memory problems in Civ4 are gone, and they showed the game running equally well on an Alienware ubermachine and "my mom's laptop."

That's good to hear.  Civ4 had some pretty beefy engine requirements considering the game didn't look all that great.

[WayAbvPar]

Hopefully that means any games that get to the modern era won't completely bog down. That was definitely my least favorite 'feature'.

[rk47]

Whatever it is, I do hope they tweaked the defensive bonuses a little. I don't really enjoy games where you grind out results by sending suicide siege machines to have any hope of overcoming enemies with equal tech. Heck, even with a tier tech down, if they plop that city on a hill, it's going to take a bit to chew through. I had a game where I sieged Japan for over 10 turns per city to whittle down their 100% defense bonus to nothing. Ridiculous.

[Ingmar]

I don't mind that except for the fact that it makes the time scale of the game kind of stupid. "We sieged this city for 150 years!"

[dusematic]

Cities falling too easily would be bad.  You can permanently cripple someone who turtles by pillaging the countryside.  The gold you get from this is not insubstantial.  The enemy can then either come out, or sit tight.  If they sit tight, they're done.  You'll eventually get the cities because they'll never recover.


In Civ 4 you can demand they become your vassal.  That's another good solution.

[dusematic]

Found a sweet ass Civ 5 site.  Collates all known date about the game and organizes it in a nice way.  http://well-of-souls.com/civ/

[dusematic]

Don't need a manual as it's just going to regurgitate the Civilopedia.  Online pre-order is the way to go, they're giving out free bonus content at different distributors, like maps and civs.  I believe the Babylonian Civ comes with Steam pre-order.

The Babylonian Civ comes with the Digital Deluxe version.  The Mesopotamia map pack is the pre-order bonus (for the standard and the deluxe version).  Amazon has a different map pack for their pre-order, and I haven't seen any pre-order bonuses at any other retailers yet.

Dude check out all these different bundles and versions.  Three versions: regular, deluxe, and special edition.  Then there's all sorts of different bundling of scenarios, map packs, and whatnot from different retailers.  Fucking horrific.  http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9393360&postcount=6

Notice there is no one option to get EVERYTHING.  Unbelievable.

[dusematic]

Also, the game won't have a manual, they just posted something on their site about being more eco-friendly.  Instead they're rolling with an "interactive" PDF manual, that they pledge to update as the game changes.  I like this move, mainly because I don't care about manuals.  I can see how manual nerds will be miffed.

[Velorath]

Don't need a manual as it's just going to regurgitate the Civilopedia.  Online pre-order is the way to go, they're giving out free bonus content at different distributors, like maps and civs.  I believe the Babylonian Civ comes with Steam pre-order.

The Babylonian Civ comes with the Digital Deluxe version.  The Mesopotamia map pack is the pre-order bonus (for the standard and the deluxe version).  Amazon has a different map pack for their pre-order, and I haven't seen any pre-order bonuses at any other retailers yet.

Dude check out all these different bundles and versions.  Three versions: regular, deluxe, and special edition.  Then there's all sorts of different bundling of scenarios, map packs, and whatnot from different retailers.  Fucking horrific.  http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9393360&postcount=6

Notice there is no one option to get EVERYTHING.  Unbelievable.

Just going to get the standard edition on Steam anyway.  Not like there's a shortage of Civilizations to play or maps to use.

[Ingmar]

The only thing you miss out on mostly appears to be extra maps, I'm not sure I'd pay for those even if they were offered as DLC anyway. 99% of the time most people just play random maps anyway.