I downloaded the demo, and it seems really good. Can someone tell me basically why I should or shouldn't get this game?

Well, I just bought this game a few weeks ago and I am liking it. I don't know if my interest in it will last as long as it has for Civ3, but it's fun. There are quick battles which only take about 1 hour, and a Conquer the World campaign which plays like a Risk map where battles are fought over each section. The expansion pack has some better Conquer the World campaigns which are much better and have specific scenarios (Alexander uniting/conquering the tribes of Greece).

A good reason to get the game would be if you can find RoN Gold. It has the original game and the expansion pack and it was only $30. I don't know where you live but if you shop around you might get a better deal.

It"s Very Fun

Even though I hate to admit this about RTS games, here goes: It's a good game. :)

I'ts an enjoyable game, but I sort of got tired of it after a few weeks.

I played the demo of it, and didn't really appeal to me. The techs (eras) just seem too linear and short for a main game. I found myself just clicking them from top to bottom and watching them scroll across.

I'd actually like a game where the object isn't "Whoever gets to the first nuke wins!". (granted, there's a game limit on nukes, but still... it's a gripe I have about RTS games, especially MP.)

When there is a RTS that you can play at your own pace and have atleast a few battles in each "era", then I'll play it. "At your own pace" means maybe spending a couple of hours in each era building up, watching your civilization grow, and attacking, not a few minutes or seconds.

It's a great game, I'd definitely recommend it.
I'd actually like a game where the object isn't "Whoever gets to the first nuke wins!". (granted, there's a game limit on nukes, but still... it's a gripe I have about RTS games, especially MP.)

When there is a RTS that you can play at your own pace and have atleast a few battles in each "era", then I'll play it. "At your own pace" means maybe spending a couple of hours in each era building up, watching your civilization grow, and attacking, not a few minutes or seconds.All of those things can be changed, the tech pace by modifying job times in the editor (or in the techrules.xml file directly) and nuclear weapons can be disabled with some simple scripting.

It's a fun game, but keep in mind that at its core, it's still and RTS game.

Alot of gamers buy into the notion (advertised by the makers of the game) that it's a blend of civ and risk...umm no it's not. It's more like Empire Earth with improvements and touch-ups.

And for $30 it's not a bad deal at all.

It's kind of addictive to play multi-player. Usually I play with friends and we just stick with a certain age, we almost never use the age where you can get nukes.

The generals/cavalry advantages make it very strategical and that is what makes the game so cool.

I just bought it today, played it.......
it's fun. Buy it.

When there is a RTS that you can play at your own pace and have atleast a few battles in each "era", then I'll play it. "At your own pace" means maybe spending a couple of hours in each era building up, watching your civilization grow, and attacking, not a few minutes or seconds.

Chieftess, have you played any of the Paradox titles (EU2, HOI, HOI2, Victoria, or Crusader Kings)? They are great RTS games, that ARE NOT anything like the mainstream RTS games. Very deep

I will say this about RoN, it is very fun in the Diplomacy mode, where you start the game at peace and create trade routes w/ other nations. Of course, war does eventually break out, but there is not the anxious race to begin fighting. I don't enjoy that.

Chieftess, have you played any of the Paradox titles (EU2, HOI, HOI2, Victoria, or Crusader Kings)? They are great RTS games, that ARE NOT anything like the mainstream RTS games. Very deep

I will say this about RoN, it is very fun in the Diplomacy mode, where you start the game at peace and create trade routes w/ other nations. Of course, war does eventually break out, but there is not the anxious race to begin fighting. I don't enjoy that.

What's HOI?

I've heared of the others, but haven't played them. Maybe I'll download a demo... (if they have demos)

Rise of Nations is one of the games I recommend in the marketplace: http://www.civfanatics.com/marketplace/

:)

The first RTS game I spent lots of time on is Total Annihilation and Rise of Nations is the second one.

What's HOI?

I've heared of the others, but haven't played them. Maybe I'll download a demo... (if they have demos)

HOI = Hearts of Iron

It is a WWII grand stratgey game. HOI2 is also out now on the PC, the mac version is coming soon.

Honestly, I cannot put into words how good they are. I have tried, maybe I'll go get one of my "reviews" and PM it to you. But, I can say this, they are the games that broke my fixation on Civ3. :eek: Never did I ever think that could happen.

I often play RoN Gold. It's great fun, and I can easily get in a number of games over a few days to get my fix.

I'm downlading the Knights of Honor demo right now. I've also took a look at the HoI/HoI II sites, too. I like medieval-era games better than industrial/atomic era games. :)

EDIT: Well, the download's done, and I'm installing it right now. (maybe this should be split off into its' own topic....)

i played a lot of RTS games before, AOE and starcraft... it's a lot of fun if you like that type of game. however you won't play it well unless you spend a lot of time and energy (learning with those professional players will help tremendously)...
however very often the game becomes very 'routine'. especially if you play multiplayer game, you have to adopt a certain strategy such as how many cizitens should be assigned to whatever job... for hardcore players, it's a lot of fun to decide which strategy to use because it requires a lot of wisdom and experience. but for most players who play for fun, it'll get boring very soon. i've developed certain strategies for AOE and starcraft after more than 1000 games for each of them. but i really feel tired to learn such thing again for another RTS game. so i just played the domo and had a lot of fun with nukes and won't really buy it.
all this being said, civilization III isn't that easy to get tired about. :) of course there're still some routine opening moves such as build granary to get settler's factory. but there're too many choices and you just cannot run out of them. my $.02