Cherokee158
Chieftain
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2002
- Messages
- 15
Is anyone else becoming frustrated by game releases that offer more potential fun than actual fun right out of the box? I see more and more games, Civ IV being an example, that seem to offer a POTENTIALLY great experience...but only after a year of patches and fan-authored content hit the web.
Am I the only one who would like to see more realistic and historic scenarios out of the box? Much to do has been made about the authoring tools provided with this version of Civ...but what seems to be overlooked is that less than rabid fans lacking a background in programming (that is, most buyers, if you compare the number of copies sold to the number of posters you might find on websites like these) will find these noteworthy additions completely unusable. How many game players honestly know XML and Python? How many people can even get the map editor to work predictably? (Would it kill them to add an undo button?)
It seems to me more and more game designers aren't designing games, but designing game kits...and expecting us to build the game.
I didn't pay fifty bucks for a class in XML, or the rare priviledge of spending fifty hours to design a map I kinda wished had been in the box to begin with. Civilization has always been about replaying history. So why do I have to bring all the history to the table?
Don't get me wrong: I am grateful to the developers for giving me the tools to breathe future life into the game, even if I find them difficult to use. But let's not forget that designing these tools is, after all, in their best interest, since it gives them the ability to easily modify the game, too. Which is, after all, their job.
Given that there is a visible push by the Firaxis marketing team to put Civ IV into the classroom, I would hope that they would pay a little more than just lip service to history this time around, and start cranking out some nice historical what-if scenarios so obviously desired by their customers.
The handful of scenarios in Civ IV are a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough to be satisfying.
Anyone else feel that way?
Am I the only one who would like to see more realistic and historic scenarios out of the box? Much to do has been made about the authoring tools provided with this version of Civ...but what seems to be overlooked is that less than rabid fans lacking a background in programming (that is, most buyers, if you compare the number of copies sold to the number of posters you might find on websites like these) will find these noteworthy additions completely unusable. How many game players honestly know XML and Python? How many people can even get the map editor to work predictably? (Would it kill them to add an undo button?)
It seems to me more and more game designers aren't designing games, but designing game kits...and expecting us to build the game.
I didn't pay fifty bucks for a class in XML, or the rare priviledge of spending fifty hours to design a map I kinda wished had been in the box to begin with. Civilization has always been about replaying history. So why do I have to bring all the history to the table?
Don't get me wrong: I am grateful to the developers for giving me the tools to breathe future life into the game, even if I find them difficult to use. But let's not forget that designing these tools is, after all, in their best interest, since it gives them the ability to easily modify the game, too. Which is, after all, their job.
Given that there is a visible push by the Firaxis marketing team to put Civ IV into the classroom, I would hope that they would pay a little more than just lip service to history this time around, and start cranking out some nice historical what-if scenarios so obviously desired by their customers.
The handful of scenarios in Civ IV are a step in the right direction, but not nearly enough to be satisfying.
Anyone else feel that way?