Does anyone else out there get the feeling...

[sabo]

Do ya get the feeling that BTS is actually the game firaxis meant to put out as vanilla CIV 4? Basically Warlords and BTS are better versions of Vanilla Civ. I thought BTS was going to be a game that started in the mid-evil age but you can start at 4000 BC. So what I'm thinking is that we as the customers, had to go and buy Vanilla Civ 4, AND Warlords, AND BTS, just to get the game that they originally meant to put out to begin with!

I'm not blaming the programmers and most of the staff at Firaxis, I'm sure they feel the same as me, but it's a pretty slick way for the 'bean counters' (accountants) at Firaxis to turn a $40.00 game into a $90.00 game (let's squeeze as much as we can out of our customer base)

At least now I enjoy this game, I wasn't ever too crazy about vanilla and Warlords. By the way, does anyone even PLAY Warlords anymore???

 

[TheLastOne36]

i bought Civ 4 + BTS alone for 90$ plus tax 115$.

And the stupid guy that sold my BTS said, Oh you won't be able to run bts without the first expansion Warlords.

I was like WTF? Are you trying to cheat me of a sale? Lol.

I said i already have Warlords from another store cause of the cheaper price. <You know just an excuse to get away from buying extra for nothing.

 

[Danielos]

The question is if BtS if released as Civ 4 in the first place would have been too cheap for the same price as Civ 4. Also, you have to take into account two additional years of work and programming to squeeze the new features of Warlords and BtS into the game. But I guess they "held back" stuff to release later in expansion packs, yes. They make and sell these games for a living, after all...

 

[sabo]

. But I guess they "held back" stuff to release later in expansion packs, yes. They make and sell these games for a living, after all...

That's my point, I know there are some people who wait until the "gold" pack comes out with all the xpansions and bug fixes included, and there are even some I know of who stopped playing civ all together ending with Civ II or III for this reason. If it happens enough, they won't have much of a customer base to make a living from. I know other games do this too but not to the extent that Firaxis does, where you really don't get anything 'new' you just get 'better.'

 

[slobberinbear]

Posts like this drive me crazy ... as if the developers are evilly rubbing their hands together, twirling their waxed moustaches ... "Yes, how can we screw the gamer THIS time?" Time for a reality check.

Are you saying you'd rather have *not* been able to play Civ IV for the last two years until BtS was released as a "finished" game?

Are you saying that $90 for two years of quality gaming entertainment is overpriced? That's $3.75 per month ...

The simple fact is that the money generated from selling Civ IV provided the funds to develop the Warlords and BtS code and content. If the new releases contain new content and update things that need updating, then they're worthwhile. IMO, the new content and updates in Warlords and BtS were worth my $24.95.

Complain about bugs. Complain about gameplay issues. But not this. Please.

 

[Goombaz]

I got that feeling very strongly, especially after I re-enabled the original opening screen I don't read sinister undertones into it though, it's just the final result of tons of incremental improvement.

 

[largedarryl]

As long as an expansion pack includes as much as BtS, I would never complain.

What about the Sims? That is an attempt to get as much money out of two games as possible.

 

[Soneji]

I would argue they needed to cook it in the oven a bit longer.

I loved Civ4 and everything new that came with it (from a CivII player, I skipped III), but it didn't take long to get repitative (I was shocked how few units were available compared to CivII), but Warlords was enough to padden out the game to make it properly enjoyable.

How anyone had fun playing vanilla on standard map and speed is beyond me ,imo.

All in, all three cost me £80.00. I don't regret them, but with both expansion packs I have got the feeling that this is how it should have been from the off.

 

[Grey Fox]

It's getting pretty standard that these games get 2 expansions.

And I think that since they got time restrictions by their Publishers, they intentionally hold of with some stuff to the expansions just so they can make the first vanilla version feel complete as it is. And then add what they intended to add to the core game with the expansions.

 

[tbarg86]

I would argue they needed to cook it in the oven a bit longer.

Are you saying that $90 for two years of quality gaming entertainment is overpriced? That's $3.75 per month ...

idk y I even read these kind of forums.... $3.75 per month but yet you want them to "cook it a big longer" y then don't buy the game, and w8 3 years for civ 5 to come out then you can complain that your playing civ 3 and it's not as cool as civ 5 and why didn't they w8 until they had civ 5 ready...It's the same concept...

Do you remeber the orginal perfect dark for n64 that game was awsome!!! Then they w8ed 10 years for the next one because they wanted it to be a launch game with amazing graphics, well the graphics were cool BUT THE GAME PLAY SUCKED They release this stuff to make money yet because that's what companies do, but as someone stated earlier if they didn't release vallina and warlords then they probably wouldn't have had enough money for BtS AND BtS WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN BEEN MADE!!!!

I don't know man....like I said maybe you should just w8 until civ 8 comes out until you buy an other game

 

[Soneji]

I never knew they were planning two expansions when i bought the vanilla game on release.

With hindsight, they had the shell of the game down and out. They were just going to use stocking fillers to bring the content.

 

[dh_epic]

I don't think they could have put BTS out as regular civ because it's too complicated to learn in one shot. The average player can only add some complexity. I imagine that Firaxis probably made vanilla civ the way they wanted it, and then asked themselves "okay, now that they're used to that, how much more can we add?"

 

[Zhahz]

Civ IV and it's two expansions, combined, give you more game content and replayability than almost all other games. $90 total is a bargain.

My (minor) problems with Firaxis is that they don't seem to communicate much with their rabid and huge fanbase, their Civ website sucks beyond measure, and considering how much money they do make off of Civ, they aren't that great about producing patches in a timely manner, or at all at times.

 

[vodlaian]

Hey, at least they aren't as bad as ea! (looks at sims 2)

 

[Danielos]

I don´t see any faults in EA Sims expansion policy. Sure, there are LOTS of expansions, but mostly they add good stuff that expand the game and make it bigger, richer and more fun. As long as the expansions are good and worth the price, I don´t see any problem with it.

 

[vodlaian]

I don´t see any faults in EA Sims expansion policy. Sure, there are LOTS of expansions, but mostly they add good stuff that expand the game and make it bigger, richer and more fun. As long as the expansions are good and worth the price, I don´t see any problem with it.

The faults are the fact that many of the 'features' which the expansions add are what was originally advertised for sims 2. It appears to many people that they stripped these features from the game (even leaving traces) and then released them as expansions and "stuff packs".

 

[Lurking Liu]

Vanilla was a fully-playable, fleshed out game. That's the game that Firaxis "intended" to make. I'll admit that all the expansions are just ways in which they're milking their cash cow. BUT, they're GOOD expansions. Completely solid and well worth the $30 I paid for each.

Although I wish I'd bought Warlords when it came out... As it stands, I got it about 3 months ago, only to find out that if I'd waited until BTS, I could have saved some cash. Ah well, it happens =P

 

[Ammar]

I disagree. If BTS has a weakness it is that is feels put on top of Civ 4 a bit roughly. Espionage feels especially strange, since it does not really tie in with Diplomacy.

 

[Lucky The Fox]

What about the Sims? That is an attempt to get as much money out of two games as possible.

You obviously have no idea how much new substance those expansions have (in most cases) added. It wouldn't have been possible to release all it in one package.

 

[Ashbery76]

I have'nt enjoyed a civ game this much since the CIV2.BTS is for the hardcore.