Comparing it to Civ 4..

[Humakty]

I agree with Zeldor, the improved graphics killed the modding frenzy you had with civ 2 (hundreds of scenario).
I play mostly SP in most games, and I think civ 4 is no match to dom 3 on this point of view.( currently taking dust in its box...)
As the MP part as mutch fans, it is a good bonus !

[Edratman]

Civ 1 is the greatest game ever. It is the founding father of the entire genre of 4X games and the great-great grandfather of Dom 3.

Civ 2,3 and 4 are upgrades of Civ 1, but the same strategy that I used in Civ 1 was still successful in the three subsequent versions, requiring only minor adaptions to the details that changed.

Dom 3 is vastly superior to Civ 2,3 and 4. (Sorry KO & JO, but nothing but an entirely new game type can knock Civ 1 off the top perch on the pantheon.) Dom 3 has vastly more complexities and is much more challenging than the Civ series. Dom 3 is a paper/scissors/rock game with unending variables and the Civ series are merely about power and research and all stem from the number of cities.

In Civ, if you have the biggest guns you win. In Dom 3, your big guns can be turned into limp noodles in front of your unbelieving eyes.

Dom 3 also has a greater variety of sites that have a chance of significently altering the game. While some probably curse their bad luck and the unfairness of the game in not getting a great site and others rejoice when they are blessed, I think these are great variables that dwarf the influence of a coal/horse/banana site in Civ.

In Civ, there is limited stratgic differences between nations. In Dom, you need a different strategy not only for every nation, but also for which nations are your immediate neighbors.

All in all, I am a major Civ fan. My Civ playing was cited in my divorce. (Guilty as charged, and the major factor why I will not MP; a smart Polack doesn't get burnt by hot Kielbasa twice.) But I find Dom 3 preferable by a wide margin to Civ 4. I played Civ 4 for about 3 months, but it really was the same game I've been playing for 20 some odd years. I've been playing Dom3 for 9 months now and still haven't figured it out.

[Folket]

hmm... I can't believe that people are so negative about civ 4.

Civ 4 is just such a great improvment on earlier versions.

[Zeldor]

It is impossible to like Civ4 if you played Alpha Centauri... if they made Civ4 on that I would play that again. In Civ4 every game comes down to 2-3 opponents [some nations plus their vassals] + some weak nations that are smaller challange than indies in Dom3. Civ4 is like Dom3 with research and gem income based only on number of your provinces. Imagine playing that.

[Meglobob]

I like Civ4, I loved Alpha Centauri but dominions beats them both. I cant believe I am still playing Dom3 after nearly a year and enjoying it.

Even other much loved games such as GC2 and MOO2 never held my interest for so long.

The patches help alot to keep my interest.

The 'new project' that Illwinter is working on will after be fantastic to compare with Dom3.

[Shuma]

I'm with Folket, Civ 4 is an excellent game. The best in the series, certainly.

Any beefs you have with that game specifially are more due to the genre than anything else. The gameplay has gotten to be so polished and streamlined that I don't understand where the gripes are coming from.

[Edratman]

Shuma said:
I'm with Folket, Civ 4 is an excellent game. The best in the series, certainly.

Any beefs you have with that game specifially are more due to the genre than anything else. The gameplay has gotten to be so polished and streamlined that I don't understand where the gripes are coming from.

I am not saying Civ 4 is a bad game. But look at it from my perspective. I'm a few weeks short of 56, so I played all the Civ games the day they were released and when they were state of the art. I am still a major Civ fan. Civ 1 broke new ground in the gaming world. The others 3 were the same game with improvements, many in gameplay, but mostly in graphics.

Dom 3 is Civ 1 with an increase of complexity by several magnitudes. Civ 2, 3 and 4 are Civ 1 with an increase of complexity of several multiples. Therein lies the difference.

By saying I like Dom 3 more than Civ 4 I am not downgrading the Civ 4.

[sector24]

Yeah, Civ 4 is highly polished but very derivative. It's great, but very familiar. Sometimes familiar is what you want, but Dominions is like a brand new adventure every time.

[Velusion]

Edratman said:

I am not saying Civ 4 is a bad game. But look at it from my perspective. I'm a few weeks short of 56, so I played all the Civ games the day they were released and when they were state of the art. I am still a major Civ fan. Civ 1 broke new ground in the gaming world. The others 3 were the same game with improvements, many in gameplay, but mostly in graphics.

Dom 3 is Civ 1 with an increase of complexity by several magnitudes. Civ 2, 3 and 4 are Civ 1 with an increase of complexity of several multiples. Therein lies the difference.

By saying I like Dom 3 more than Civ 4 I am not downgrading the Civ 4.

I pretty much agree with everything here. Civ4 is a wonderful, polished, fairly deep 4x turn based game. It's glaring problems are it's lack of originality (it doesn't really change much from its originals) and it's horrible MP play.

I played civ4 for awhile and admired it but I tired of it quickly because I felt as if I'd already played "that game" to death.

Of course - you could say the same thing about Dom3 just being an updated Dom2, but then I never really played Dom2 so the whole game feels fresher to me.

[thejeff]

That was my experience. I loved Civ I and Civ II. Played Alpha Centauri, then tried both Civ III & IV and was left cold.

Dominions scratches the same itch, but is even deeper.

I'd still go back to play Alpha Centauri, if some upgrade hadn't broken it's compatibility with Linux install.