yeah, first civ5 game was a huge game, slowest speed. boring. and that's how I usually like to play, largest map possible slowest speed possible. ended up abandoning that game.
so then I decide to do something different. Tiny map, standard speed. Not nearly as boring, but way way too easy.
need better AI. and I don't mean bonuses to enemies to make up for bad AI. I don't want to play a puzzle game where its my job to figure out how to beat an unfairly advantaged enemy. That is challenging but not the kind of challenge I want. I want to have to out-think an opponent on an equal playing field. I mean *smarter* AI.
Some say its dumbed down. That don't even matter to me, a non-issue for me. I don't mind less or more. A game w/fewer elements can still be challenging. W/*smart* opponents, a simple game is still a challenge to win. Loved warlords 2/3 multiplayer, for instance. Would love a warlords V (didn't like IV).
No pitboss, boo.
I like the 1upt. I like the new look. Even the interface has grown on me.
But each of the new things I like, has a problem. I like the 1upt, but the AI can't seem to cope w/it. I like the new look, but I miss being able to zoom out to see a spherical planet, its superficial of me, but maps just feel like artificially cut off sandboxes now rather than entire worlds. And when I build a world wonder its now almost a non-event. The interface ain't bad, but I'm always finding myself wishing there was a screen somewhere that I could find such and such info. Doesn't have to be on the main screen, I don't mind if its a buried window somewhere, but let me get to the info.
And steam. why oh why? For people who like steam its cool. For everyone else, it leaves 'em in the cold since its like the bible belt's 'love it or leave it'. Unlike w/d2d, or stardock's impulse, I have to run steam to run the game. I have to be online to run steam. I can tell steam to run in offline mode, but I have to get online w/steam to tell it to run offline (that's like having a new vcr w/vcr setup instructions included on a vcr tape). So if my internet goes out, I can't get on to steam to tell it I now want to temporarily run in offline mode until my internet comes back up, because my internet is out hehe. Only when my internet comes back up can I can tell it I want to run it offline, but then I don't want to run it offline because my internet is up. Of course, people who've pirated the game dont' have to worry about any of this, they in effect, have a better version of the game than I, the paying customer, do. I'd take d2d or impulse any day over steam. Not to mention patches coming late, etc... Digital delivery, fine, just don't be exclusive w/steam.
If the game had a pitboss or a pitboss like thing I could get around the bad AI with by playing MP games w/my friends I'd still be able to have fun w/it while I waited for the single player game to get up to par (I work nights so pbem is the way to go for me). But there is no such thing, so that is not an option.
That being said, I don't regret buying this game. I'm hoping and expecting some good mods. I hope i"m not let down. In the meantime, however, I'm temporarily shelving the game. My regret is only in buying this game so soon, in letting myself expect too much too early. I hope they don't take the $ I gave them as a sign that I approve. I do not approve, I just mistakenly expected more than what was delivered due to past iterations. 100% my fault. I don't mean to say otherwise.
There's still hope to turn this around. Civ5 still seems like a great base to build off of, and I"m hoping this is what will happen.
