Should I buy it?

FenrysWulf

Evil Norse Wolf
Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
373
Location
Naperville, IL
I just found out this game had been released and I was reading some reviews on Amazon, and most people seemed to be panning it. Some of the most frequently mentioned things are that the game gets over too quickly, that if you are successful, you get overwhelmed by the expeditionary force, and the game installs some software to verify the disk that apparently can cause other problems. I loved the original Colonization back in 1990 or so. Is this worth it and can the problems be fixed? For example, I modified Civ IV to give myself more time by adjusting the marathon rules. I'm curious if you can make this game fun and if it really has as many problems as I read.
 
I did not play the original one so I guess it is different. You can read that by looking at some other threads. I don't think it is too bad, but then I have not played it enough yet, perhaps. The game can be modded just like Civ IV since it is of the same design and all of that, so perhaps that is what will be done. I think the game was made harder, perhaps, like Civ IV was, but again, there may be exploits that people use whereas I do not. I think you have to strike a balance with the game and it may be more narrow focused. I suppose you can read other people's review from game magazines some listed on the front page now of this Civfanatics website. Otherwise I am playing the game and focusing on how to play the game better right now. There is double clicking of the mouse and the graphics blend into the game sometimes so you have to try clicking everywhere (or double click) and read the manual perhaps to get a better idea on how to play it.

Being modable I sure it will be.
 
I just found out this game had been released and I was reading some reviews on Amazon, and most people seemed to be panning it. Some of the most frequently mentioned things are that the game gets over too quickly, that if you are successful, you get overwhelmed by the expeditionary force, and the game installs some software to verify the disk that apparently can cause other problems. I loved the original Colonization back in 1990 or so. Is this worth it and can the problems be fixed? For example, I modified Civ IV to give myself more time by adjusting the marathon rules. I'm curious if you can make this game fun and if it really has as many problems as I read.

Yes buy it.

I was a real fan of the original game, played it for 15 years, now I'm having a lot of fun playing Col2. Just don't go in thinking you will be playing the same game. There are a lot of differences, some for the better, some not. The community is making changes through mods to improve the game balance.

The game is generally limited to 300 turns in a standard game but there are ways to make it longer. Most maps are on the small size but there is one (Western Hemisphere (huge)) that is as big as maps in Col1.

Yes the expeditionary force can be a monster but as in the original game they only land a few at a time so if you have prepared well enough you can beat them.

I haven't heard of any installation software problems.
 
If you have to old version, don't buy it. At least not at full price without a decent patch out.

I'm too annoyed by all the missing details and the Beta level game mechanisms that I don't play it until it has been much much more improved. :badcomp:
 
What I think I won't like about it is, I'm someone who likes to get the most out of the game. I don't rush through Civ and beat it in 200 B.C.; most of my games end in the 1800s. I want to build all the cities and control the whole map and get all the buildings and units. It doesn't sound like Colonization caters to that style of play. It seems like it appeals more to those who like to beat the game as soon as they can with a few cities. I think I'd find that frustrating.
 
The game can also be played that way, but if you saw the map you would realize that to fight everyone (Indians mainly) that you may not have the means to do that early. In fact by the time you do have the means, then you would have to probably declare Indenpendence from Europe (one of the Kings) and fight them. Fighting them all may not lead to anything except your defeat, and it is well known that you play the game the way that you want to. Usually, most of the time you will be losing except for a possible exploit that I only learned by coming here. I still don't play the game that way, because the way that it is described does not seem to be true for the game. I think some players are exaggerating what they really do in the game. I think it is or can be harder than what they claim perhaps. In the end just like Civ IV you can play it the way that you want to - you may not win the game though, or according to them, playing a certain way will make it easy to win. But whatever happens, the game will be modded and already on the front page of the website there are graphics and modding already that has been done to the game.
So basically it is in the same vein as Civilization IV hence the title of the game "Civ IV:Colonization and just not Colonization.
Whatever........??????
 
Me... after several months of playing.

I've enjoyed it, somewhat. But, it still needs some help. Modders are working on it. My advice is buy it after Christmas.
 
Note that I've only been playing for a week or so and have not actually completed a game (never declared independence). So take this opinion with a grain of salt....

I keep starting new games to play with new starting strategies and with the different nations. Trying to figure out the mechanics... how to build up quickly and such. What happens is that I get bored. Plain and simple. There's just nothing going on for the first half of the game except micromanaging resources and colonists. There's nobody to fight. The natives are completely docile as far as I can tell. Hell, they keep giving me gifts! At worst, they just get in your way when you're trying to settle land. They are too well defended to bother trying to conquer their cities. What woudl be the point? I just expand around them because they don't have cultural borders and a city only needs a 3x3 block as opposed to the huge "fat cross" off Civilization. So you can really cram settlements in there.

The AI players are generally too far away to be of much consequence. It is just you against the King. That's it. Everything else seems completely inconsequential.

You might like Colonization if you enjoy the laid back nature of a Civ IV cultural/diplomatic victories (I don't). If you like Civ IV for the war strategy and taking over the world, Colonization probably isn't for you.
 
I did buy it, played 2 or three games, and shelved it, back to regular CIV.

Not even sure what I expected of the game, but it seems to be just a fancier version of col. I really liked col and I had hoped that this could be to col what civ II was to civ. They could have added so much, like a more sophisticated relation with europe and between the mother countries (eg always have the navy / small exp. force of the mother country as an ally, need permission of king to declare way in colony (or at least need to convince king to allow use of his force, while force of other country will defend)), options in colonial governance (eg like civics), religion like in civ4 (with dutch being protestant, english anglican, french and spain catholic) more realistic resource prices (raw colonial goods more expensive in beginning, dropping sharply, manufactured goods staying more expensive).

If I can think so so many things in 5 minutes, why coulnd't they? Not saying they are all great ideas, but they could have done a lot more than what they did.

If the mod community can create a succesful game out of this: good for them. But then they are doing the hard work for firaxis...
 
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