Patch v1.21f ReadMe is here!!!!!!!!!

[GIDustin]

* Fixed bug that caused icons to disappear from techs on Science Advisor screen.

Does this mean that you no longer lose the last tech icon for each tech added? I personally hated renaming 82 files just because I added 4 techs and wanted the civilopedia to look right. . .

Overall, big thumbs up. I would like to see a mini-map in the editor, but the map that comes with my mod is one of the things i very rarely change . . .

GIDustin

 

[planetfall]

I can't believe I am typing this. Rescend the RFE request for fresh seed number. Their solution will work.

Bigger question is how is the seed number used?
Are the combat results effected by the time of the
combat event? I would think they should be differing for the same combat source type and target if the timing is a bit different. But by some posts it seems like they keep on getting the
same results. I thought a reseed each turn would solve this problem by forcing a results change. You are definitely right, that if you reseed too frequently there is a right of unramdonizing the random number.

Ok, forget random seed number. Now back to fixing that aircraft range problem......

 

[grand titan]

Overall, this patch looks outstanding. I hope it is as good as promised (though I do not doubt that it will be.:rocket:

 

[Sirian]

I didn't read anything about either the tech devaluation system or the matter of always able to buy tech at HALF price in coin vs what it would take in beakers to research for yourself (which makes research wholly undesirable and often useless and neglected on higher difficulties).

Is there anything on this in the 1.21 patch?

If not, are these matters on the table for future patches? Does Firaxis see them as "problems" or "features"?

I for one have played and won a "builders" Deity game in 1.17f on a large map. Didn't fire a shot until the modern age, skipped all the wonders and bent everything to expansion, and kept up with the insane tech tree advancement by ignoring all research and research infrastructure in favor of markets and banks, and buying all my tech at the most deflated prices. Sure, I had warriors in my cities while the AI's marched armies of cavalry across my lands, but I laid low until my production could catch up to theirs, as they wasted all their surplusses on wars with one another.

Just as "poprushing" in 1.16 and prior was "too good to pass up" for most players because the results obtainable were leaps and bounds above "playing the game as it was meant to be", so it is with tech purchasing. I'm playing all high difficulty level games, and find every last one of them (regardless of map, situation, or additional "voluntary rules and restrictions") to fall into the same tech-purchasing pattern, game after game. Buying deflated tech in 1.17 is like crack cocaine: once you get hooked, you can't stop! It's just too "good" not to do even though, overall, it's threatening my enjoyment of the game.

Maybe if the AI's advance up the tech tree a little slower in the 1.21 patch, and other changes work to rebalance that aspect, it will all work out. But I am very much interested in seeing if this matter has been corrected.


Another point of concern: communism. Is its corruption handling still broken? Do the AI's still ENDLESSLY whip all their cities to death? The winning move is always to get them into communism, because they self-destruct there. Never fails. Their governments collapse from war weariness and they go communist, and that's all she wrote. I'm rather certain that if the only change was to reduce the penalty duration back to 20 turns... that won't be enough to fix this.


- Sirian

 

[EMan]

To the Firaxis Team:

Looking forward to THE DAY when the GOTM Administrator (Matrix) says: "Okay, we're playing with Civ 3, Version 1.xx, AS IS, NO EXCEPTIONS, NO SPECIAL RULES!!".

We're getting there with 1.21f.
BUT, 2 Big areas of reconciliation still required:

1. Adding Workers to a city to Pop-Rush a unit/improvement. Firaxis says YES, Matrix says NO.

2. This is a BIG ONE:
A "Championship Mode" (aka GOTM Mode) such that you cannot Reload a game unless it's the one you just saved. (viz. Reloading of different positions in Championship Mode would be impossible.)

Firaxis, is this change POSSIBLE?
AND, what do you think about item 1.?

 

[fRisKy]

Originally posted by HomeAir
The game is improving, but I will do my usual improvements to get me back to where I am right now. No more AI trading BS. that ruins a game in a hurry. Wouldn't be so bad if they would trade with you too, but they don't then you end up getting a butt-whoopin.

They do trade with you. Am playing a diety standard map game with 5 AI civs and am only only a tech behind the leaders half-way through the middle ages... have been trading with the AIs HEAPS.

 

[papajohns]

argh...i was hoping for the build airstrip ability for the settler..

 

[Ed O'War]

Originally posted by Dan Magaha FIRAXIS


Basically you have to replace the science advisor backgrounds for any eras that you've modified.

The upside of this is that for most mods that don't touch the techs, they don't have to put up with the weird gray lines anymore.

Obviously the downside is that mods with more than basic changes to the tech tree will have to come up with their own art for the science advisor backgrounds.

Dan

Is there any way to make this optional instead? Frankly, the gray lines don't bother me, and they make life a lot easier for switching around the tech tree when doing scenarios/mods. I'm no graphic artist, so having to do my own art for the science advisor background would be a big hassle for me. Also, it's just one more file that has to be downloaded and replaced, on top of all the rest that already have to be replaced in any substantial mod (like the civilopedia, pediaicons, units_32.pcx plus any newly added buildings, wonders, and units).

 

[warpstorm]

Originally posted by Sirian
I didn't read anything about either the tech devaluation system or the matter of always able to buy tech at HALF price in coin vs what it would take in beakers to research for yourself (which makes research wholly undesirable and often useless and neglected on higher difficulties).

Is there anything on this in the 1.21 patch?

Tech no longer devalues so much as more players learn it. This makes techs more expensive to buy. It also keeps the 1.17 "everyone knows all techs on the same turn" effect from happening as civs often don't have the cash or goods to trade for it (driving the price down further). Can it still be exploited? Of course it can. Players who want to exploit the system will find new ways (or use old ways with less effectiveness).

 

[Emmet Samms]

Just a thought . . .

What if FIRAXIS put out their READ ME file a month in advance of the patch release; that way it could be 'constructively' critiqued in time to possibly perform a few positive tweaks.

Just a thought . . . ES

 

[Capitalist]

Okay, so.... Nice work Firaxis, but does Tanks beat warrior, and does xx beat ccc.. You get the point Im sure. Personally I gave up playing after a couple of warriors beat upon my tanks and beat them.. I thought, what crap! If I advance far enough to get tanks, and my competition only has warriors, obviously that would be like the U.S. beating down upon a army of zulu warriors with sticks against cannons, mortar shells, etc. Obviously not in the game that I play, want to play, should be playing!!!!!!!

 

[Thunderfall]

Originally posted by Emmet Samms
Just a thought . . .

What if FIRAXIS put out their READ ME file a month in advance of the patch release; that way it could be 'constructively' critiqued in time to possibly perform a few positive tweaks.

Just a thought . . . ES

The problem is Firaxis won't have much to put in the readme if they release the list a month before its actual release date. The last Civ3 patch was only two months ago.

Few game companies release the ReadMe file ahead of the patch, so we should be happy.

 

[J-S]

WAY TO GO FIREAXIS!!!
There's still some things hanging... but at least they got the picture & are starting to walk in the right direction now

 

[George-W-Ceaser]

I still dont really know why the 1.7f patch f'd up my game i hope this one doesnt. plus who in the world uses the editor that much?

 

[LaRo]

Originally posted by George-W-Ceaser
:who in the world uses the editor that much?

There are people here with lot of skills that are just waiting for a decent editor to create scenarios like they do with this old civ2.

 

[Higis]

"The maximum food a tile with a city on it can produce has been changed to 2. "

If I interpret this change correctly, what would be the advantage of building a city on a bonus resource.

Yet again, I might be wrong. I clarification would help

 

[hzm]

Why haven't they figured out people like cheats? It must somehow make them loose money to have people using them.

 

[chiefpaco]

Originally posted by Higis
"The maximum food a tile with a city on it can produce has been changed to 2. "

If I interpret this change correctly, what would be the advantage of building a city on a bonus resource.

Yet again, I might be wrong. I clarification would help

It doesn't rule out the shield or gold bonus, perhaps. Maybe they feel it isn't realistic to found a city directly on something like wheat, since the urban development would cover it. Or, maybe they want to slow ICS a tiny tiny tiny bit.

 

[Beer Engine]

Originally posted by George-W-Ceaser
plus who in the world uses the editor that much?

I do. And there are others working their asses off as well. Right now I'm just making maps, but as the tools become available, I'm hoping to do more.

Some really excellent mods are in the works right now, just waiting for a time when game mechanics catch up with imagination. I can't say that my own efforts will amount to much, but with the number of people we have working on it, some really cool civ3 mods and scenarios are definitely possible.

 

[Flak]

Originally posted by Thunderfall
Enjoy!

* Added Preserve Random Seed rule. Turning this off will allow random seeds to be changed when a saved game is reloaded (which makes combat different...).

Does this apply to the Espionage at all? It would be nice to have this sorely missed aspect brought back into the game.

Changes v1.21f:

* Game settings are now stored in any save file that uses them. This prevents players from altering their BIC file and using it in an existing game.

This may be a bit restricting. I like being able to explore my world in just the first few turns and then go back to normal units. Is there going to be any way we can view our world now before we waste time playing a game that was over before it began?

* Draft anger and hurrying unhappiness reduced to 20 turns.

It seemed like it lasted the entire length of the game before. I wish they would put the previous values when they state things like "reduced to" and "increased from".

* Removed "God mode" save cheat.

What was this?

* Fixed stack movement bug involving armies.

* Fixed bug involving stack movement and combat.

Well I think everybody enjoyed the fundamental ability of being able to exchange units of an Army and upgrade them. This just makes common sense. Is this still possible?

* Fixed forest planting on enemy territory exploit.

Does this do what I think it does? Shield exploitation on someone else's territory?

* Fixed building prerequisites to allow buildings to require buildings that are bestowed by other buildings but only if 1 is required....

Hunh?

* Updated water unit movement to take into account the cost of the terrain type.

Does this mean that different types of water have different movements? Very strange...

I'll wait to hear the feedback before I install the patch. It will be awesome when the editor is full power and multiplayer comes into the picture.