PCGamer article on Fall from Heaven
- Thread starter Kael
- Start date
QES
Court Jester
It strikes me that many of the people who write these articles (as im recalling the last one i remember) dont actually KNOW any thing about FfH. I know they're refering to FfH 1.0, not the current 2.15 or any 2.anything.
FfH2 is nigh infantely superior as well. But i suppose, that FfH 1 is most likely the coolest thing ON the warlords disk. But, then again, Firaxis did a phenominal job in creating an engine and community that has one of the most superb forms of entertainment to date. Kael and co, seem to me, to be simply "refining" that glory to a honed state of sublime tranquility.
Excuse me while I enter a Zen State and have my vamipres eat a few cities.
-Qes
FfH2 is nigh infantely superior as well. But i suppose, that FfH 1 is most likely the coolest thing ON the warlords disk. But, then again, Firaxis did a phenominal job in creating an engine and community that has one of the most superb forms of entertainment to date. Kael and co, seem to me, to be simply "refining" that glory to a honed state of sublime tranquility.
Excuse me while I enter a Zen State and have my vamipres eat a few cities.
-Qes
Bad Player
Deity
Ouch!
Did they include FFH1 on the Warlords CD QES?
QES
Court Jester
Bad Player said:Ouch!
Did they include FFH1 on the Warlords CD QES?
That's what the article implies - I've not bought Warlords, dont plan to.
FfH is why i still play Civ, and Mods do more than warlords apparently did. So, im quite happy with the communities contributions.
Now, if Firaxis came out with whole new engines, and multilayered contexts, along with subsequent Civilization enhancements (more diplomatic options, better mid/late game feel. MORE early industrial and modern (1939) scenarios), i definately might.
I also LOVE events. I remember when the Civ-creators came out with Fantastic Worlds. I LOVED that expansion. It was simply the most suprerior. They need to remember what they did there and repeat it, coupled with smoother "technics and plumbing" of the game.
-Qes
QES
Court Jester
Kael said:
I sit corrected.
-Qes
loki1232
Loki
Really? That's amusing. (how many downloads of FfH 2 have there been compared to the sales of Warlords?)
Nikis-Knight
Deity
Yeah, the article is sort of contradictory there... "superlative FfH," but the difference between fan made and firaxis made is "considerable work and obvious talent" but then they don't seem all that excited about any of the scenarios (though that may change as the review continues onto the next page.).
Anyway, I wouldn't bad mouth warlords or the magazine, but the difference between FfH and warlords is that Firaxis has people working on their products full time, and so have a finished product to review.
Anyway, I wouldn't bad mouth warlords or the magazine, but the difference between FfH and warlords is that Firaxis has people working on their products full time, and so have a finished product to review.
Magazines and comic books usually have a date on them two months later than they are actually released. I don't remember if it's a legal or a marketing reason, though.
QES
Court Jester
Kael said:
Actually i got the impression that they were insinuating that the warlords was NOT as good as the mods. THe scenarios are nice, but the way they said it - I got the impression that they were complementing the mod community over Firaxis? Maybe i read it wrong.
-Qes
Nikis-Knight
Deity
It seems to give the message that the mods are better inspired, the Expansion better polished.
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bah! No mention of CFC in either article? 
Or did they assume their readers already know where to get the mods? 
But congrats for getting the mag mentions, Kael!
Or did they assume their readers already know where to get the mods? But congrats for getting the mag mentions, Kael!
Thunderfall said:bah! No mention of CFC in either article?
But congrats for getting the mag mentions, Kael!
Firaxis should update their Website, and make a really clear and good visible "you really should click"-link to CFC
Unser Giftzwerg
UgLe Game Promoter
It's hard to think they slammed FfH when their adjective of choice was "superlative". 
After the paragraph break I believe they do a slight gear-shift from 'the superlative FfH' to all fan-created mods in general. They say Warlords is much more polished than the fan-based stuf considdered as a whole.
But yeah, for all the rave about te polish, the don't seem to excited in teh scenarios description.
I guess I could find out for myself. I bought the damn thing about a week ago... haven't even opened the box yet. Oy!
After the paragraph break I believe they do a slight gear-shift from 'the superlative FfH' to all fan-created mods in general. They say Warlords is much more polished than the fan-based stuf considdered as a whole.
But yeah, for all the rave about te polish, the don't seem to excited in teh scenarios description.
I guess I could find out for myself. I bought the damn thing about a week ago... haven't even opened the box yet. Oy!
Unser Giftzwerg said:It's hard to think they slammed FfH when their adjective of choice was "superlative".
After the paragraph break I believe they do a slight gear-shift from 'the superlative FfH' to all fan-created mods in general. They say Warlords is much more polished than the fan-based stuf considdered as a whole.
But yeah, for all the rave about te polish, the don't seem to excited in teh scenarios description.
I guess I could find out for myself. I bought the damn thing about a week ago... haven't even opened the box yet. Oy!
hell i am working my @§§ of to get this mod polished... but dont blame me for Kael putting in sooo many units and asking me for joining the team in such a late phase of the mod....
I dont mind getting dinged for polish at this stage. The FfH design is ambicious and we have a long way to go before everything is done.
And to be honest I dont know that we will ever be as polished as Firaxis products. I dont mean that from an art standpoint, Id put the FfH art team members against firaxis guys anyday. But from a game balance perspective. Firaxis is awesome at that and tend to prioritize balance over flavor. I tend to work from the opposite direction and try to balance out things I think are fun.
An example: a big part of that is their design philosophy of patterns. Every leader has 2 traits, every civ has 1 unique building, every civ has one unique unit, etc etc. Real balance is difficult but possible in that system. But of course we follow a different methodolgy. The good part is I feel like the "no patterns" provides a lot more flavor. The bad part is... if you thought it was hard to balance two civs that have a different building and unit, try balancing one with 4 unique buildings and 1 unique unit with another with no unique buildings, 8 unique units and 4 traits. Then add the fact that some shared units are blocked to some civs and the effect of things like the sprawling and barbarian trait and your head will explode.
Firaxis isn't stupid, anything we do different than them has a downside. And we will probably always be less polished from a balance perspective because of our design choices. But what we lose in balance I think we make up for in fun factor and replayability.
And to be honest I dont know that we will ever be as polished as Firaxis products. I dont mean that from an art standpoint, Id put the FfH art team members against firaxis guys anyday. But from a game balance perspective. Firaxis is awesome at that and tend to prioritize balance over flavor. I tend to work from the opposite direction and try to balance out things I think are fun.
An example: a big part of that is their design philosophy of patterns. Every leader has 2 traits, every civ has 1 unique building, every civ has one unique unit, etc etc. Real balance is difficult but possible in that system. But of course we follow a different methodolgy. The good part is I feel like the "no patterns" provides a lot more flavor. The bad part is... if you thought it was hard to balance two civs that have a different building and unit, try balancing one with 4 unique buildings and 1 unique unit with another with no unique buildings, 8 unique units and 4 traits. Then add the fact that some shared units are blocked to some civs and the effect of things like the sprawling and barbarian trait and your head will explode.
Firaxis isn't stupid, anything we do different than them has a downside. And we will probably always be less polished from a balance perspective because of our design choices. But what we lose in balance I think we make up for in fun factor and replayability.
Moon Hunter
FfH2 addict
Kael said:
I agree that the FFH mod favours flavour over balance.. and that is the feature that makes me play FFH over vanilla.
Even Warlords, which i played at the campus isnt that good...
IMO if FFH was payable and Warlords downloadable... i would have my ca$h ready for this masterpiece of a mod...
As for firaxis prioritizing balance over anything else, i understand that they should have a equal for all principle, like for example the religions in vanilla.
But there was this one article, i know i found it on civfanatics, where someone wrote about the lack of strategy in balanced games, e.g. pen, paper, scissors... its based on a 1:3 chance of applying the correct option, there is no strategy.
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