[Lisif Deoral]

I bought the original Civ3 (the 2001 edition, that is) and no other expansions/rereleases/whatever and I must say I preferred it over Civ2 (I bought the "ultimate civ2 classic collection" or whatever it was called in the US, the box with all scenarios and multiplayer support).

I think the only change over Civ2 I didn't like much was special units (such as hoplites, chariots, musketeers, etc.), but the new diplomacy system, culture ratings, resources etc. were nice.

Also, I was glad they removed caravans and the other tricks for building a wonder in 1 turn!

I missed the custom unit system of Alpha Centauri, but it only worked if you managed to keep some unit design slots empty (that is, if you actually did not use it!). I always filled up all the slots quite soon, and from then onwards unit design became a really boring routine of tracking down every single one-of-a-kind unit on the map and then retrofitting or disbanding it to be able to use its slot for another unit.

As for multiplayer support, I never managed to complete a MP game with Civ2 and I soon lost interest in it. Simply tooooooo slow, it badly needed true simultaneous turns.

This said, I was really disappointed by Civ2 and its scenario discs. It didn't improve much over Civ1 and the only scenarios I played more than once were "East wind, rain" and "World War: 1979". :\