Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is a pretty crappy decision. It couldn't have increased time to save the game by very much, and would be well worth the marginal increase in saving time.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL. If you are a computer, you are a very poorly made one. How can you make such a statement with absolutely no facts? You have already established that you cannot program yourself out of a paper bag. Now, you are making inferences about an extremely complicated piece of code with which you have absolutely no experience?</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey, Stop tweaking I.F.! That's my job!

I can usually play about an hour every morning. So the Cultural Save and Ship Bonus save problems are really nasty bugs for me.

[ May 12, 2003, 17:15: Message edited by: Wardad ]

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

If you can only play an hour at a time, why play Gal Civ? You might as well be playing SEIV PBW. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Didn't you know that Gal Civ is only for those folks who can sit down and play the game for ten hours at one sitting? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

That would be a great indication of some bad game design decisions. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Blatant lie. Working for Quicksilver?

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The main things you can't control at all are DEA and infrastructure building. You can ask the Viceroy to build a DEA at a certain region and it'll say "Planned", but often, even if you jack up Economic Development spending real high, the DEA will stay at the "Planned" phase forever.

You also can't decide to build regional improvements (like Space Ports) at all. The Viceroy does that. In any case there are many bugs with the improvements (Astro University not giving bonuses, Planetary Shields not reducing piracy etc.)

Also, you have no control of which planets get Imperial Grants. For some players, this really messes up their strategy.

Finally, even for those things that the player can control, it feels like the player doesn't control them because of the lack of immediate feedback makes it next to impossible for the player to predict the effects of his decisions.

That said, except for the above things (and maybe to a lesser extent auto-migration but that's in the game design), once you uncheck the Econ AI box, I don't believe the AI actually changes anything.

[ May 13, 2003, 04:51: Message edited by: deccan ]

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

Raynor and Wardad, thanks for the info on GalCiv. Since I, too, only have about an hour a day to play games, I should probably not get into GalCiv. I'm in a couple of SE4 PBW games at the moment, which count toward that hour, so I probably don't have enough time left over each day to really get to know GalCiv. I'll just continue the Hearts of Iron game I'm working on. Perhaps I'll be done sometime this year... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PS. Raynor, I would highly recommend PBW. It's light years more challenging than any single player game I've played.

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The main things you can't control at all are DEA and infrastructure building. You can ask the Viceroy to build a DEA at a certain region and it'll say "Planned", but often, even if you jack up Economic Development spending real high, the DEA will stay at the "Planned" phase forever.

You also can't decide to build regional improvements (like Space Ports) at all. The Viceroy does that. In any case there are many bugs with the improvements (Astro University not giving bonuses, Planetary Shields not reducing piracy etc.)

Also, you have no control of which planets get Imperial Grants. For some players, this really messes up their strategy.

Finally, even for those things that the player can control, it feels like the player doesn't control them because of the lack of immediate feedback makes it next to impossible for the player to predict the effects of his decisions.

That said, except for the above things (and maybe to a lesser extent auto-migration but that's in the game design), once you uncheck the Econ AI box, I don't believe the AI actually changes anything.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the games I play I can tear down DEAS & build new ones. For example; Military DEAS to help curb "unrest". It does require some in game time which sort of reflects a realistic approach.
To hinder & stop "piracy" I build ships. This does work, at least for me.
I also can build the available buildings when they come up. This has not been a prob.
I am not sure what you mean by receiving immediate feedback.
This game is not perfect "yet", but I am hopeful http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif !

[ May 13, 2003, 07:43: Message edited by: eddieballgame ]

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

I thought someone had said there was a user contributed mod that would actually let you manually build DEA enhancing facilities like the space port?

Regarding PBW... I'm afraid! I'm so afraid. The least talented human opponent is 1000x more competent a player than the feeble AI. I'm gonna die! :-)

That "Dirty Tricks" thread is awesome. I can't wait to try some of that out. But... waiting 150+ days for a game to complete... Oh, the pain, the pain...

I'm really wondering if I won't get over my current disappointement with some of Gal Civ's quirks after waiting 24 hours between turns of an SEIV game. Hmm... gonna create a new topic with a question about game length.

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

Chronone

I hope you try galciv in near future.
It is a great great GAME and very easy to access.
It is very different from SE IV, no ship custominzation for example.
However it is very intuitive and addicting.
For me, it felt more like a 'Game' which means a lot to me since I am looking for a fun while entertained by some interesting events in the game
(try to look at designer's gameplay example
in galciv.com encyclophedia section.
It also got nice professional review. Today my copy of computer games magazine and CGW (I am subscribing all three including PC Gamer) arrived and the reviewers there seems to be impressed

If we can combine the best part of SE IV and galciv, it would be a real bLast!

[ May 13, 2003, 07:12: Message edited by: bostonrpgmania ]

Re: Recycle Old Threads Drive Canceled!
 

I have tried them all. In fact I had stopped playing SEIV awaiting the MOO3. Had it on preorder...Couldnt wait to install it! Then I saw it.....After the initial graphic's shock, I started playing it....then I hit the bugs....read the forums, try to bypass them only to find.....nothing! no game play, no depth, only turn after turns of boring "build fleet, send fleet"....And the combat leaves so much to be desired! Yeah its real-time, so?? Cant pause it, by the time i get my fleet on the screen and understand which TF is what they all go down in a hail of missiles! No battle tactics, just clickfest! I spent most of my time on clicking the turn button that anything else! Research, diplomancy and intelligence and vague and abstruct to the point of not worth bothering about! And after all this, I realised how much I missed the complexity of SEIV. Yes it was micro, and lots of detail.So? Thats why i like it! I also created a system to enhance the time i spent on a turn, so i do more things quicker! And GIVE ME THE GUI OF SEIV instead of MOO3 anyday! The person that invented the MOO3 gui must have been on drugs or something! At the moment I am playing the borg on the Atrocities MOD (thank u so much man!) and I am having the time of my life! I even worked out a few formulae to calculate costs for remote mining and bonus structures (posted in this forum). By far, i would say SEIV is the best strategy game I have EVER played! The options you have at your disposal are the BIGGEST PLUS for me! I mean, how many space strategy games you know where you can manipulate the actual map, create or destroy wormholes, planets, etc? The possibilities are endless! If I wanted fast action, I would choose an RTS over MOO3. I want startegy to take time, think carefully and at my pace, strategise and develope plans that go 10, 20 turns in the future! And i love that kinda game! SEIV is the choice for me! Is the king so far, and CANT wait till SEV!!!!!