Yeah Alpha Centauri was better than Civ3 by leaps and bounds. I thought that the automation preferences and all the good stuff from Alpha Centauri would carry over into Civ3. Hell, I would've been happy if they slapped new pictures onto the old engine.
Of course, they totally blew it. I don't even go near Civ3 -- it's somewhat fun at the beginning, but when each turn takes fifteen minutes and you have to babysit every minute detail of your empire...
I'd rather shoot Hubologists.
Cheating
Civ 3 expansion pack should improve and modify the game in many ways, not just new units/races, at least that's what they promise. :roll:
True, waiting periods between turns became too long after a while. I remember waiting several minutes for the AI to perform their moves. That eliminates the fun when playing on large maps. And the AI seems to move their units back and forth without no reason, that sucks. And the map tileset is just too... boring. I look forward to mods.
True, waiting periods between turns became too long after a while. I remember waiting several minutes for the AI to perform their moves. That eliminates the fun when playing on large maps. And the AI seems to move their units back and forth without no reason, that sucks. And the map tileset is just too... boring. I look forward to mods.
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Kashluk
Yup... You never get bored to Alpha Centauri... In fact I made a website for it some time ago:
http://www.planetac.20m.com
It's old and out-dated... No info 'bout the addon-disc, but still it's worth to take a look at.
http://www.planetac.20m.com
It's old and out-dated... No info 'bout the addon-disc, but still it's worth to take a look at.
I think MOO is the game I played more then any other game.
For the last 6 years i'm playing it whenever i'm bored and I never get tired of it.
I always play the psilons (as they are the best) and always take red.
I also liked MOM a lot but it makes all kind of wierd errors.
MOO2 sucked, in my opinion.
For the last 6 years i'm playing it whenever i'm bored and I never get tired of it.
I always play the psilons (as they are the best) and always take red.
I also liked MOM a lot but it makes all kind of wierd errors.
MOO2 sucked, in my opinion.
The races were terribly balanced. Psilons were too powerful compared to others, so were klackons too. Meklars and Silicoids(small maps) were OK, the rest was nothing. If you didn't want challenge, that is... 
Oh yes, MOO2 sucked. It introduced micromanagement to the series. Why control single planets? Why build structures? It was messy, I liked the slider system to balance things from MOO more.
And to bring this thread on-topic, MOO cheated as well.
Oh yes, MOO2 sucked. It introduced micromanagement to the series. Why control single planets? Why build structures? It was messy, I liked the slider system to balance things from MOO more.
And to bring this thread on-topic, MOO cheated as well.
MOO was the best. I just bought a copy (I lost my original copy) and was amazed I could still find it.
MOO2 was good for multiple plantes, but like you said, bogging the game down with micromanagement was a huge mistake. I really don't understand why there aren't more strategy games out there that use sliders!
It's pathetic when you're playing some strategy game and have a supposedly free-market system, but you're making the decisions as to what gets built!
Any developers out there that read this post -- give us a slider-based, MOO-style strategy game again! I'll buy it.
MOO2 was good for multiple plantes, but like you said, bogging the game down with micromanagement was a huge mistake. I really don't understand why there aren't more strategy games out there that use sliders!
It's pathetic when you're playing some strategy game and have a supposedly free-market system, but you're making the decisions as to what gets built!
Any developers out there that read this post -- give us a slider-based, MOO-style strategy game again! I'll buy it.
The best thing with sliders is that it's fun to try balance them and it keeps management simple. MOO3 looks nice but it has totally different style of gameplay than original MOO. More complicated diplomacy, micromanagement and a lot of (useless) features stuffed into it. I dunno, but that doesn't sound good to me. 
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Warlord
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But why to micromanage the planets when you don't have to?
The same thing is in Civs and Alpha. Just use the comp. There is the option of AUTOBUILD in MoO2 and Civs and Alpha can be automated as well. And it works, I know, 'coz I always play almost fully automated. You don't have to micromanage if you don't want.
The same thing is in Civs and Alpha. Just use the comp. There is the option of AUTOBUILD in MoO2 and Civs and Alpha can be automated as well. And it works, I know, 'coz I always play almost fully automated. You don't have to micromanage if you don't want.
- May the blood of thine enemies stain the ground -
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Warlord
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I think they worked just fine.
Put on the governor and select from his work list all but unit building. When he can do only base improvements and secret projects as well as handle the people, you are fine. Just manually produce units you need (this has never been much for me, I'm such a pacifist ).
Use Autoimprove base for formers and they do their work nicely.
The baddest mistake you can do with the autosystem is to put military units under automate. Now that sucks, but who would even want to do that?
Put on the governor and select from his work list all but unit building. When he can do only base improvements and secret projects as well as handle the people, you are fine. Just manually produce units you need (this has never been much for me, I'm such a pacifist
).Use Autoimprove base for formers and they do their work nicely.
The baddest mistake you can do with the autosystem is to put military units under automate. Now that sucks, but who would even want to do that?
- May the blood of thine enemies stain the ground -
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Red
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Yeah, there was a similar problem in Alpha (I think it would builf an infantry unit even on totally sea towns...
The problem with formers (in addition to making weird decisions) was that once they'd be done they'd just wasdt your time running in circles. Heck, sometimes even when NOT done they'd do that.
Anyway, playing it over and over, you find that doing it yourself will always lead to a more streamlined (and more appropriate) solution for you. Course you have to deal with all that micromanagement.
What annoyed me most personally was when you put a town to build production satellites, once done the town would always revert back to stockpile energy (if you had nothing else to build anyhow), and I don't remember getting warnings abovut them being finished. I'm not sure exactly how it worked anymore though it's beena while, but I do remember there's somethign wrong with that
The problem with formers (in addition to making weird decisions) was that once they'd be done they'd just wasdt your time running in circles. Heck, sometimes even when NOT done they'd do that.
Anyway, playing it over and over, you find that doing it yourself will always lead to a more streamlined (and more appropriate) solution for you. Course you have to deal with all that micromanagement.
What annoyed me most personally was when you put a town to build production satellites, once done the town would always revert back to stockpile energy (if you had nothing else to build anyhow), and I don't remember getting warnings abovut them being finished. I'm not sure exactly how it worked anymore though it's beena while, but I do remember there's somethign wrong with that
...
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Kashluk
In AC you could tell your formers not to perform certain tasks. Maybe I was oing it all wrong, but I'd tell 90% not to build roads (and a few other things). I'd set the remainder to autobuild roads, and voila -- one snazzy looking empire.
By the way, I know I just returned from the bar and it's 5 am (drunk), but isn't this supposed to be a rant against the cheating swine?
By the way, I know I just returned from the bar and it's 5 am (drunk), but isn't this supposed to be a rant against the cheating swine?
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Warlord
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In AC I make the automation options so that formers acan do every terraforming, and then I set once build to Autoimprove Homebase.
One or two formers I set to automatic roads, another to automatic sensors etc..
Works like a charm.
In building, if you don't want to micromanage build when governor is off, use build queue (spelling?)...
I can play an AC map (standard size) to technology victory in 2 hours when using automation options. Without, it takes about 5 hours.
One or two formers I set to automatic roads, another to automatic sensors etc..
Works like a charm.
In building, if you don't want to micromanage build when governor is off, use build queue (spelling?)...
I can play an AC map (standard size) to technology victory in 2 hours when using automation options. Without, it takes about 5 hours.
- May the blood of thine enemies stain the ground -
The thing is, in MOO, when a new breakthrough occured, you could bump the underlying slider in every system under your control. One clicked button and every system was on the job.
When you wanted to invade an enemy (or relocate colonists), you could just send transports, which killed the logistical hassle of MOO2.
Finally, and most importantly, every colony wasn't working on one thing at a time. Science was researching all of the fields at once (depending on how you adjusted their sliders).
I hate that in most strategy games, whole cities are devoting their entire production to one thing! How realistic is that?
When you wanted to invade an enemy (or relocate colonists), you could just send transports, which killed the logistical hassle of MOO2.
Finally, and most importantly, every colony wasn't working on one thing at a time. Science was researching all of the fields at once (depending on how you adjusted their sliders).
I hate that in most strategy games, whole cities are devoting their entire production to one thing! How realistic is that?
Good point, and it usually lasts for several turns/years to build an unit. In Civ/AC, cities build one unit possibly for several turns. I know it's a game balancing issue, but ah, I loved controlling swarms of small ships in MOO though you could only build one type of ship at a time. Sliders enable you to do several things in one turn(and finding a good balance is important) instead of devoting a whole turn into one thing.Beren wrote:I hate that in most strategy games, whole cities are devoting their entire production to one thing! How realistic is that?
Personally, I'm waiting (and experimenting myself, but that's top secret) for someone to write a game where your citizens build for themselves, given the right economic conditions. Even minor government buildings, like post offices and revenue agencies should appear automatically as long as enough money is budgeted for them. Is it hard to imagine a bank and a supermarket and a factory being built in the same year? Of course not!
If the demand for a product or service is there, someone will supply it. Even if it is illegal, it will be supplied. This is the way of the world. So why, in a supposedly free market, are people waiting for me to say, "Yes, you may have a supermarket (unless I need to convert it into the SETI project)."
Also, I think formers and settlers are just as much a crock. My family owns a farm, and when it gets improved, it is by our hands with our money. George W. doesn't put his finger on the map and say, "Go to southeastern Missouri and fix them fences, boys!"
If the demand for a product or service is there, someone will supply it. Even if it is illegal, it will be supplied. This is the way of the world. So why, in a supposedly free market, are people waiting for me to say, "Yes, you may have a supermarket (unless I need to convert it into the SETI project)."
Also, I think formers and settlers are just as much a crock. My family owns a farm, and when it gets improved, it is by our hands with our money. George W. doesn't put his finger on the map and say, "Go to southeastern Missouri and fix them fences, boys!"
