What's RIGHT About Colonization

warroom said:

So let me see if I get this right: You don't like the game. You put it "on a shelf int he closet" (not a wise place to put your games) and are done playing. But you're not done complaining. You are still going to give your time to complaining, even though you're not giving any time to playing.

There are lots of places to talk about how you hate the game, but you are so ticked you even have to post in a thread titled "what's right" what you think is wrong. like you missed the other 30 threads on what's wrong with the game! Why not put the complaining on the shelf with the box. take deep normal breaths . . . it's just a game.

As for the tax rate being messed up -- don't pay taxes. Build a big warehouse extension and sell to europe. 50% less to Europe is better than a 51% tax.

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You seem to have a bad attitude when it comes to people criticizing this game. Every criticism is either met with glib, sarcastic responses or "whoa calm down man just a game just a game."

As for the game, I did like the new pioneer interface. Constantly reequipping pioneers with tools kind of became a hassle. Additionally, the new combat system is a welcome change, especially since now combat is more than just crossing your fingers and hoping the caravel doesn't inexplicably sink your privateer.

I also like the Continental Congress. It's a neat idea, although I wish there was more emphasis on earning the points rather than just building them.

Antilogic said:

I have gotten used to playing on Normal mode with fewer turns as well, something I never thought possible. With Dale and Snoopy's fix, I love the game. Anybody who hasn't tried it with the Dale and Snoopy's patch should really consider that before disparaging the game on the boards.

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I have tried it with the path you mention. It's better, but still not good.

Posted by Aquilifer:

"As for the game, I did like the new pioneer interface. Constantly reequipping pioneers with tools kind of became a hassle."

I agree. As I have said from the first post I made about this game, that is definitely an improvement.

Let's get back on topic and stay there. What's RIGHT About Colonization?

I have to agree about the Pioneers and tools. I do a lot more terrain improvements, especially building roads, now that Pioneers don't burn tools.

That they've left the game so open to improvement is great, especially with the lively modding community that Civ has. I also agree with the bit about pioneers, and very much about how dragoons are different from just superior soldiers now, that really adds a new dimension to combat, like how the relative strengths and weaknesses in Civ promote combined arms.

Aquilifer said:

You seem to have a bad attitude when it comes to people criticizing this game. Every criticism is either met with glib, sarcastic responses or "whoa calm down man just a game just a game."

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Actually, I weary of people spending LOT of time to complain about a GAME. Has nothing to do with this board, just an outlook on life. If you don't like a game, I don't really see the point in spending a lot of time whining. Life is pretty short, so why give time to something you don't like? I don't spend a lot of time complaining on The Sims bulletin board about how incredibly dull I think the game is. It has its fans (uh, my wife), but I'm not wsating time figuring out every reason I feel cheated out of my money because I don't like the game.

The reason you are able to chart so many responses by me concerning the criticism is because there's just SO MUCH of it. Wow.

Bad attitude on my end? Maybe. Probably. Okay, yep.

What I like about Colonization:

- Watching a convoy of english citizens flee from the Cherokee, and seeing colonies reduced to ruins behind them. Meeting at the Capital, regrouping, retaliating, rebuilding.

- Natives can only move 1 tile, despite their promotions and despite roads. I actually have a logistical advantage if I build infrastructure.

- Combat and heroic/sacrificial units. Even the strongest Man-O-War will sink, if it strays from the formation (tile) and is weakened by a privateer/frigate before it's attacked by my Ship of the Line, which can return to dock to fight another day.

- Drafting petty criminals into the army, read above Beating strength with numbers and logistics.

- Centralized economy, no endless tech trees and building chains.

- Quite distinctive national leaders.

Welcome to the Forums Ethan211.

dalgo said:

The only downside to this strategy is a very large REF. But by the time I declare I have a very strong military with free promotions and the independence % bonus. I find I can routinely clear each turn's landing for only one or two losses so my colonies are never threatened. In fact if anything the WoI is the most routine and the least interesting part of the game for me.

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I'm impressed that you can play the way you describe and still win the game of independence.

Your last point is one I can wholeheartedly agree with. It was true of Col I too. I enjoy playing Colonization as a sort of Sim game, with the War of Independence basically just an inevitable ending after a lot of fun. So the original game, despite its glitches and clunkiness, provided me with much more fun. The most important one was that it lasted longer, but I also think it had more variability, and truly large maps.

I won't post in this thread again since it obviously makes some posters (I'm not referring to you) very annoyed.

-Multi-production tiles. I like this quite a bit, because it gives much more flexibility in colony design since tiles can produce so many things.
-Someone already mentioned it, but refined resources. I almost wish there was a third tier of goods, or maybe something to do with silver. Or make trade goods a "wildcard" of some sort-- I'm a trade whore, the more resources the merrier.
-The non-fat cross, but get annoyed when I have to use rebel sentiment to push my culture out to keep other colonies away (since it adds to REF). Might be better if it never got pushed in, but so it goes.
-Indian traits that are beneficial to the player. It's fun to craft your foreign policy based on who your neighbors are (convert, kill, or buy).

Thanks Supr49er. This forum is so much more civilized [curse my limited vocabulary] than pbnation.

Things I like:

As a Civ4 fan, I like the fact that they did a very thorough mod of the original Colonization, in a deep way. I especially like what was done to the tech tree.

Gameplay is not simply an economic builder game with raging inertial gameplay, where victory is a foregone conclusion. Victory is tough to achieve. The best path to victory is relatively subtle.

I like that tons of choices and options are presented, with no absolutely clear path, and following a compulsive builder path is actually not a good path to the primary victory type. Just like Civ4, you can, but shouldn't necessarily build everything in every city.

The music is fair. At least it's a change of pace from typical game music, and sets a decent thematic mood.

I like that they dropped some of the sillier aspects of the original Colonization.

I like that they *attempted* to reduce the wagon train/ship micromanagement with automated trade routes.

Ah yes, the music. The music in this one is prety good, but I loved the music from the original game.
I wish they had brought the original tunes back, except that they could've had it recorded by a band this time [as opposed to midi] if they wanted.
I think I heard somewhere that the music from the first one was all composed by one of the lead designers; can anyone confirm this?

I don't know what some people are complaining about. Guess I am not that far into the game as of yet - have not finished a game yet but one and that one I lost due to not knowing the game. Yes, the game will move colonists around sometimes in the settlement, and do things I do not like, that is why I check it each turn and tell the game to do what I want it to do.

Someone stated that they may take a Elder Statesman and make it a military unit (soldier). I had one game that did that when Sitting Bull went bezerk for some reason I missed. But then I had a Great General attached to another unit and some promotions for a cannon unit. I think anyone who thinks the map is too small, should play the Huge version scenario game of Western Hemisphere game. So far, I am just learning how to play the game and did not play the original. I guess I lost out on the Liberty Bell thingy cheat because like crosses I just do not use it that much yet. The King complains from that point on even worse then he did before (but so far I am only playing the English.)

So in the end I like the game, and use double click when I have to - any colonist can be made into a soldier unit by double clicking the colonist in the settlement screen in the first place. Maybe some people are missing some things to play the game, as in double-clicking the mouse. Experts are better than regular colonists, it depends on how much you want it to all flow in the settlement together.

If you have enough guns, then everyone can become a soldier in the game from the settlement, and with horses that makes the other unit possible.

I like that you really can not have the settlement too far apart so that adds to the game also, and in a custom game, you have no idea how the map really is, although I like a large land mass, I have started up when it was just islands also for a game.

So the Options before starting a game varies the game and so far I am just playing the game. Started a Patriot level game, just to see what it would be like. The King is there more, so annoying him is just going to happen.

I have heard no mention of building a college as of yet of what I have read in other threads, but then I usually been playing a lower level of difficulty so far and been buying usually the Experts or Masters that I want to.

Well, the game is fun for me so far and as of yet, I have not played it so much as to have learnt everything there is to know about the game so far.
Well, it is late, time to go, as I have other things to do also.

Just like Civ IV, I guess I am coming a little earlier to the ball game with this game of Colonization. I still have Civ IV to play also, but only so much time so I am playing Colonization more then I may play Civ IV.

Also it takes two turns longer to get to Europe if you use the left side of the map to go to Europe vs. using the right side of the map. Found that out tonight.

Did I mention the Great General I had attached to one of my soldier units when Sitting Bull threw Brave after Brave after Brave after Brave after Brave at me? I really did not have anything as a fort either. I built it while it was all going on. So land near Sitting Bull and have at it!

Right now I will be busy playing the game more not looking for exploits to win the game. There is a way to really play the game, but it takes learning the interface I guess for some people.

The only improvements for me are:

1. cultural borders
2. Native settlements tell us what they train and what trade goods they want
3. Horses are no longer used as hit points
4. shortcut for loading goods
5. One AI does not drop out when you reach 50% rebel

These few improvements do not even come close to making up for all the horrible mistakes made. I would gladly pay $50 for Colonization I with those five changes made.

I remember that when I played the original on viceroy, the rival european powers [even if we was down] would sometimes attack me for one turn without declaring war, then everything would be cool again the next turn. It drove me right up the wall, and I'm glad that doesn't happen anymore.
I did love how often the indians would raid you in the first one though, because it just felt authentic to me.

Ethan211 said:

I remember that when I played the original on viceroy, the rival european powers [even if we was down] would sometimes attack me for one turn without declaring war, then everything would be cool again the next turn. It drove me right up the wall, and I'm glad that doesn't happen anymore.
I did love how often the indians would raid you in the first one though, because it just felt authentic to me.

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I agree with you about this and with your previous post, and about the music, and with the previous poster.

I wish everyone who enjoys they new game without reservations well; but I think that it could have been much betetr by paying a bit more of attention to the new game, and also by removing some fairly annoying bugs and imbalances.

thehouse1 said:

The only improvements for me are:

1. cultural borders
2. Native settlements tell us what they train and what trade goods they want
3. Horses are no longer used as hit points
4. shortcut for loading goods
5. One AI does not drop out when you reach 50% rebel

These few improvements do not even come close to making up for all the horrible mistakes made. I would gladly pay $50 for Colonization I with those five changes made.

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I can't resist making a special post to add my emphatic agreement. A game may be enjoyable to some, but when it could easily have been made stunning by mostly compying the original while adding the obvious improvements, the negligence to do so is just cause for complaint.

What's RIGHT about Civilization IV: Colonization?