1.21g vs. 1.29b2

[JoAT]

Hi all, newcomer to these boards.

I just recieved the Mac version of Civ3 (not GoTY edition) for Christmas (been a long time player on my wife's PC, but we got tired of having to take turns playing ). Upon initial installation, the version is 1.16.

I was curious what the main differences between the 1.21g and 1.29 beta 2 updates were. I read almost all of the 1.29b2 thread, which gave me a pretty good idea what problems and features were addressed there, but couldn't find much about bugs or added features in 1.21g on the boards. I've already upgraded to 1.21g, but have some questions:

1.) I read in the other thread of a performance improvement in 1.29b2. I saw the performance improve greatly going from 1.16 to 1.21 on my B&W G3. Will I see even more going from 1.21 to 1.29?

2.) Other that keeping compatibiliy with GOTM games and PC 1.29 scenarios/saves, is there some major bug(s) in 1.21 that makes 1.29 a must have?

3.) I've gotten pretty used to the advanced action buttons such as "Build Road To" and "Irrigate To Nearest City" on Conquests. Does 1.21 or 1.29 add these button options? (Can't find it in the preferences after updating to 1.21).

Anything else that can be shared about the differences between 1.21 and 1.29 would be helpful. Thanks.

Jack_of_All_Trades

 

[AlanH]

Hello

There are a few definite enhancements that come with 1.29b2. Its stability is certainly better on my system, PC file compatibility, stack move command, and small changes in game play (tech rates?). The only downside I know of is that the editor is only compatible with 1.21g, so if you want to edit you keep two copies on your hard drive.

I've no idea if you can automate workers in the way you are suggesting, as I never automate workers. I just don't trust 'em to make good use of their time.

I don't know about "Must have", but I'd suggest it's a case of "Why not have?".

 

[JoAT]

Thanks AlanH, I'm downloading 1.29b2 now. I haven't had any stability problems w/ 1.21 under Mac OS 9.2.2, but the possiblity of another little speed boost for the game is too tantalizing to pass up, especially on a 400MHz G3.

As far as workers, I only really ever us the "Build Road To" automation, as it's simple enough that the computer can't screw it up too much. It's very handy...

JoAT

 

[AlanH]

I've no experience of Civ under OS 9. I only launch OS 9 in classic mode on very rare occasions. Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[tig3001]

Hey Alan H, Civ runs great (abet slow) on my G3 with OS 9.2.2.

Just thought you would like to know

 

[AlanH]

Good stuff How about trying the GOTM, then? We need to see more Mac OS icons in those results tables.

 

[JoAT]

Well, I installed 1.29b2 and played for a while last night. I couldn't perceive any real bump in speed, but it may be a bit faster. (The speed up from 1.16 --> 1.21 was quite dramatic however.) It seems very stable outside a couple visual glitches noted by some people in the 1.29b2 thread.

As far as using Mac OS 9, it occurs to me that it is a must for Mac owners that are at or near the minimum system requirements. While Jaguar (10.2.8) runs nicely on my G3 (400MHz, 288MB Ram, ATI Rage128), the OS overhead is too much for running games real well. Running Civ 3 under OS 9 feels almost as fast as C3C on my wife's 1GHz PIII Dell, where-as under OS X it's very sluggish and choppy st times...

JoAT

 

[dojoboy]

Also, 1.29b2 requires more RAM, double the amount from 64 to 128. So, a switch to OSX while playing 1.29b2 would really increase the need for more RAM.

 

[AlanH]

Memory is pretty cheap, and is the way to get more life out of your G3. Panther is also a speed bump given enough RAM. However, you may not want to upgrade a 5 year old(?) system.

BTW when you run Civ3 under OS X make sure you switch off the Quartz thingie in the startup dialog, as that slows it down horribly if you have no hardware graphics acceleration

 

[RABicle]

Im pretty sure the automate workers functions your speaking of are thre but only as key strokes. 1.29b2 doesn't add any buttons but check the appendix of the game manual for the keystrokes.

 

[JoAT]

BTW, just thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone comes looking for the same thing:

RABicle is right; the "Build Road To..." function is there as a keyboard shortcut. The shortcut is Apple-R.

JoAT