Roland Johansen
Deity
You may make more than one choice, you may vote more than once!
If Civilization IV is a great success, then maybe there is an interest to revive some other turn based strategy games. A poll might help developers (like Firaxis) decide which games are wanted. I just picked four of the turn-based games that I like, but if people like other TBS (Turn Based Strategy) games they can vote other and mention it in the thread.
Some further information about these games (in case you don't know about them):
Alpha Centauri was released in 1999.
Alpha Centauri setting: You play one of the factions from Earth that strive to gain control over a strange planet (Alpha Centauri). In addition to the opposition from the various factions, the planet itself seems to resist your colonization. While your factions power and technological level increases, you start to discover more about this strange planet.
Alpha Centauri Gameplay:The game is similar to the civilization series with cities, buildings that improve cities, terrain improvements, units and technologies that allow better units, buildings and civics. One of the main differences is that units in the game are fully customizable in any of five different categories: chassis, weapon, shielding, reactor, and special abilities. Another difference is that the world actively resist your colonization attempts by attacking you with strange creatures. As this game plays in the future, more destructive weapons come into play that can destroy the land. But also better terraforming options exist and options to colonize the seas can be invented.
Colonization was released in 1994.
Colonization setting: You play one of the main European Powers that colonized North and South America. The objective is to colonize the new world and then become independent from the mother country. At first the natives will be your main concern, but as you become more powerful, you will get into armed conflict with the other European powers. When you become very powerful and relations with the home country deteriorate, you need to fight a war of independence with the mother country.
Colonization gameplay: You start the game with a colonist on a ship, trying to find a good spot to found your colony. A colony is much like a city in civilization, with a difference that each population point of a colony is a colonist. These colonists can be trained to become specialists in various professions that allows your cities to become more productive in certain areas (farmers, weapon smiths, teachers, preachers, soldiers). Some of the colonists work in the various buildings in the colony and some on the land. Some of them become soldiers that can be used to attack enemies. Throughout the game, you will have contact with the mothercountry by ship. This allows you to obtain new colonists and specialists and allows you to sell the various goods that are produced at your colonies and buy other goods that are needed. The trading ships to your home country can be pirated and you can also build pirates to steal from other nations. The economic model in the game lets the market prices of various goods vary depending on the amounts that you and the other colonizing states sell to the mother countries.
Technologies are replaced by founding fathers that give you certain bonuses.
Master of Magic was released in 1994.
Master of Magic setting: In Master of Magic, you play a wizard with the objective of destroying the competing wizards. You play on a fantasy world which is inhabited by cities of various races and wandering monsters and monster lairs. You try to overcome the opposition by a combination of units, monsters and magic spells.
Master of Magic gameplay: In Master of Magic, you start with a city of a race of your choice (humans, elves, dwarves, lizarions, trolls, etc.). The buildings in the cities have a sort of tech tree where the more primitive buildings need to be build before the more advanced buildings can be build. Each race has a different building tree. Cities in Master of Magic produce mana (instead of research) that can be used to research new spells, cast spells and increase the strength of your wizard. Spread over the land are power nodes which can produce large amounts of mana, but are guarded by powerful monsters. The map also contains neutral cities of various races that can be captured and monsters lairs that contain treasures if you are able to defeat the defending monsters. Wizards have various characteristics that can be chosen at the start of the game that allow you to have advantages in a certain area (cheaper summoned monsters, citizens in the cities are more content, cities produce more mana, etc.). Also the choice of spell books at the start of the game determines which spells can be researched ingame. Spells can strengthen or damage cities, strengthen or damage units, change the land, summon monsters or heroes, create items for heroes, etc. Battles are fought on a 2D map where the various units in combat each take their turn. You can win by capturing the capitals of the other wizards where their wizard towers are or by casting the spell of mastery.
Master of Orion I was released in 1992, Master of Orion II in 1996, Master of Orion III in 2003.
Master of Orion setting: In Master of Orion, you play the leader of an interstellar empire. You start with on your home planet and can colonize new star systems and wage war against your opponents on the various planets and in space. The goal is to destroy the other empires or be crowned emperor of the galaxy by a vote similar to the UN vote in civ3.
Master of Orion and Master of Orion II were successful games, but the last sequel of the series, Master of Orion III was not very successful.
Master of Orion II gameplay: In Master of Orion the cities are replaces by planets, but there's no fundamental difference between governing cities or planets. Planets produce money, research, production and food and can produce buildings like in civilization. Instead of units, Master of Orion II has ships. Colony ships can colonize new worlds and other ships are used for combat. Ships can be designed to carry a certain combination of weapons, shields, armor, engines and special systems that enhance the ship in various ways. Combat takes place around planets (most of which have build star bases) and are fought out on a 2D map where the various ships in combat each take their turn. Research is divided in various fields and this allows you to specialize in a certain fields of research. The various races in the game each have special bonuses (increased population growth, increases production, better spies, better combat ships, know the whole galaxy map from start of the game, etc.). Some planets might not be colonizable at start but become available after certain technologies have been invented. There are also technologies that allow you to terraform a planet so that it becomes more hospitable.
If Civilization IV is a great success, then maybe there is an interest to revive some other turn based strategy games. A poll might help developers (like Firaxis) decide which games are wanted. I just picked four of the turn-based games that I like, but if people like other TBS (Turn Based Strategy) games they can vote other and mention it in the thread.
Some further information about these games (in case you don't know about them):
Alpha Centauri was released in 1999.
Alpha Centauri setting: You play one of the factions from Earth that strive to gain control over a strange planet (Alpha Centauri). In addition to the opposition from the various factions, the planet itself seems to resist your colonization. While your factions power and technological level increases, you start to discover more about this strange planet.
Alpha Centauri Gameplay:The game is similar to the civilization series with cities, buildings that improve cities, terrain improvements, units and technologies that allow better units, buildings and civics. One of the main differences is that units in the game are fully customizable in any of five different categories: chassis, weapon, shielding, reactor, and special abilities. Another difference is that the world actively resist your colonization attempts by attacking you with strange creatures. As this game plays in the future, more destructive weapons come into play that can destroy the land. But also better terraforming options exist and options to colonize the seas can be invented.
Colonization was released in 1994.
Colonization setting: You play one of the main European Powers that colonized North and South America. The objective is to colonize the new world and then become independent from the mother country. At first the natives will be your main concern, but as you become more powerful, you will get into armed conflict with the other European powers. When you become very powerful and relations with the home country deteriorate, you need to fight a war of independence with the mother country.
Colonization gameplay: You start the game with a colonist on a ship, trying to find a good spot to found your colony. A colony is much like a city in civilization, with a difference that each population point of a colony is a colonist. These colonists can be trained to become specialists in various professions that allows your cities to become more productive in certain areas (farmers, weapon smiths, teachers, preachers, soldiers). Some of the colonists work in the various buildings in the colony and some on the land. Some of them become soldiers that can be used to attack enemies. Throughout the game, you will have contact with the mothercountry by ship. This allows you to obtain new colonists and specialists and allows you to sell the various goods that are produced at your colonies and buy other goods that are needed. The trading ships to your home country can be pirated and you can also build pirates to steal from other nations. The economic model in the game lets the market prices of various goods vary depending on the amounts that you and the other colonizing states sell to the mother countries.
Technologies are replaced by founding fathers that give you certain bonuses.
Master of Magic was released in 1994.
Master of Magic setting: In Master of Magic, you play a wizard with the objective of destroying the competing wizards. You play on a fantasy world which is inhabited by cities of various races and wandering monsters and monster lairs. You try to overcome the opposition by a combination of units, monsters and magic spells.
Master of Magic gameplay: In Master of Magic, you start with a city of a race of your choice (humans, elves, dwarves, lizarions, trolls, etc.). The buildings in the cities have a sort of tech tree where the more primitive buildings need to be build before the more advanced buildings can be build. Each race has a different building tree. Cities in Master of Magic produce mana (instead of research) that can be used to research new spells, cast spells and increase the strength of your wizard. Spread over the land are power nodes which can produce large amounts of mana, but are guarded by powerful monsters. The map also contains neutral cities of various races that can be captured and monsters lairs that contain treasures if you are able to defeat the defending monsters. Wizards have various characteristics that can be chosen at the start of the game that allow you to have advantages in a certain area (cheaper summoned monsters, citizens in the cities are more content, cities produce more mana, etc.). Also the choice of spell books at the start of the game determines which spells can be researched ingame. Spells can strengthen or damage cities, strengthen or damage units, change the land, summon monsters or heroes, create items for heroes, etc. Battles are fought on a 2D map where the various units in combat each take their turn. You can win by capturing the capitals of the other wizards where their wizard towers are or by casting the spell of mastery.
Master of Orion I was released in 1992, Master of Orion II in 1996, Master of Orion III in 2003.
Master of Orion setting: In Master of Orion, you play the leader of an interstellar empire. You start with on your home planet and can colonize new star systems and wage war against your opponents on the various planets and in space. The goal is to destroy the other empires or be crowned emperor of the galaxy by a vote similar to the UN vote in civ3.
Master of Orion and Master of Orion II were successful games, but the last sequel of the series, Master of Orion III was not very successful.
Master of Orion II gameplay: In Master of Orion the cities are replaces by planets, but there's no fundamental difference between governing cities or planets. Planets produce money, research, production and food and can produce buildings like in civilization. Instead of units, Master of Orion II has ships. Colony ships can colonize new worlds and other ships are used for combat. Ships can be designed to carry a certain combination of weapons, shields, armor, engines and special systems that enhance the ship in various ways. Combat takes place around planets (most of which have build star bases) and are fought out on a 2D map where the various ships in combat each take their turn. Research is divided in various fields and this allows you to specialize in a certain fields of research. The various races in the game each have special bonuses (increased population growth, increases production, better spies, better combat ships, know the whole galaxy map from start of the game, etc.). Some planets might not be colonizable at start but become available after certain technologies have been invented. There are also technologies that allow you to terraform a planet so that it becomes more hospitable.
