So now that Civ IV: Beyond The Sword (http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=16) has been announced, we know that we'll get at least one future patch to bring vanilla Civ IV and Warlords in line with the new expansion. The question is, will we get any patches before then to specifically address issues in Warlords? If not, (as I believe) I hope someone can explain why.

Interesting. No specific mention of naval & air force improvements, but at least it promises more late game units, so I can't rule it out.

So now that Civ IV: Beyond The Sword (http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=16) has been announced, we know that we'll get at least one future patch to bring vanilla Civ IV and Warlords in line with the new expansion.

How do you know that there will be a patch for vanilla & warlords? I have not seen any announcement.

vanilla still has significant differences from warlords, not just game-changing decisions (CS slingshot, wealth/research/culture production are different and such) but also bugs (research overflow not counting right so 0%/100% slider is still "best", pop-rush loopholes and such). i don't know the reason for that, could be that the bug fixes would need fundamental changes that can't be done in a patch, but it shows you can't assume anything as far as patches because of an expansion.

How do you know that there will be a patch for vanilla & warlords? I have not seen any announcement.

Well, I don't "know" with any facts, I'm just going by past history. When an expansion gets released for most games (at least for all games I've seen including Civ IV) the developers usually release a patch to bring the previous version partly in line with the expansion's balance.

No features get added, but sometimes it's balance changes, text errors, scenario reworking, etc. For vanilla Civ IV we got the Pitboss and a bunch of balance changes just before Warlords hit the streets.

I'd guess it is low priority. I bet they are throwing all their bodies into getting "Beyond the Sword" out the door.

I doubt that anymore patches will be released for vanilla or warlords. This is just a feeling I get from how Firaxis releases the expansions for a game like civ (where several balancing things in warlords wouldn't work in vanilla) and thus requiring more play testing then needed to ensure game balance is kept.

As for the expansion, it looks like they are trying to address the issues I've read on these forums. The focus being put in the post-gunpowder era was something that is needed. And hopefully something is added so that during this time period, the AI will still be a challenge. The addition of corporations is something I think will be interesting. This is mainly because I think that the corporation/free trade world of modern history should give larger in game benefits, and this looks like a way of doing that. Even the mention of earlier spies, is something I have heard many times on these forums. And the last big point on there is the specific mention of improved AI, it basically sounds like they are taking the Better AI mod and incorporating it into the next expansion.

I can't wait.

I doubt that anymore patches will be released for vanilla or warlords. This is just a feeling I get from how Firaxis releases the expansions for a game like civ (where several balancing things in warlords wouldn't work in vanilla) and thus requiring more play testing then needed to ensure game balance is kept.

Which is exactly what I believe is going to happen, unfortunately.

As for the expansion, it looks like they are trying to address the issues I've read on these forums. The focus being put in the post-gunpowder era was something that is needed. And hopefully something is added so that during this time period, the AI will still be a challenge. The addition of corporations is something I think will be interesting. This is mainly because I think that the corporation/free trade world of modern history should give larger in game benefits, and this looks like a way of doing that. Even the mention of earlier spies, is something I have heard many times on these forums. And the last big point on there is the specific mention of improved AI, it basically sounds like they are taking the Better AI mod and incorporating it into the next expansion.


All great news if you want to pay for things that should be addressed in a patch.

Well, I don't "know" with any facts, I'm just going by past history. When an expansion gets released for most games (at least for all games I've seen including Civ IV) the developers usually release a patch to bring the previous version partly in line with the expansion's balance.

No features get added, but sometimes it's balance changes, text errors, scenario reworking, etc. For vanilla Civ IV we got the Pitboss and a bunch of balance changes just before Warlords hit the streets.Hmmm. The gameplay changes like Chariots having a big bonus against Axemen and what not were apart of the Warlords expansion. So I would imagine they will release the BtS expansion with a whole lot of rebalances with the game. But I don't think it would be a seperate patch. You'd need to buy the xp first. That's my understanding based on how Warlords was released. Technically speaking, if you were playing Civ vanilla still, wouldn't you still be playing it with no Chariot bonus against Axemen (and thus Axemen having still a rather big advantage in the game)?

If there is coming a patch, it will be a bug-fix. I don't believe anything will added.

Is Firaxis the new EA?

Is Firaxis the new EA?

I definitely wouldn't put them that low yet, but sadly, they are headed down that path, and if things don't start improving then that statement could be true. It bugs me when instead of releasing patches for current versions, they'd rather have you throw down thirty bucks for an expasion pack full of unready beta-features (*cough* vassal states *cough*). Picking on Vassal states for a minute, sure they patched some bugs, but most people would agree there's lots of loopholes in the system and oddities in the way it works, and I doubt there will be another patch for Warlords. 1.61 is pretty good, but there still are quirks and irritating things. For example, this is from a thread yesterday (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=216988):

Weird thing happened.

I'm playing a 6 civ 6 continent game, so every civ is relatively a neighbour to every other.I play as catherine, Roosevelt and MehmedII share my religion, with both i am on friendly and with both i have a defensive pact.
Together they also like each other.
The other 3 civs, with which 2 of them mehmed is furious (he is also the most powerfull by far, hence the DP)

Now he suddenly declares war...on roosevelt, which is weird in the first place, so i have to honour my DP to amerika and declare war on Mehmed,but roosevelt still keeps a pleased diplomacy with M2, so my diplomacy with roosevelt goes down a point for "declaring war to a friend"!!!???

I'm only honouring the DP to protect roosevelt and now he dislikes me for it...

:crazyeye: Enough said