CIV 4 vs SMAC

[Good Ash]

What do you think? Which is a better game. Civ 4 looks like a tweaked version of Civ 3. With slightly better politics/economy options. Still no unit customization.

Civ 3 originally scored around 8.5 on Gamespot and did honestly point of the problems and that it seemed like CIV 2.5. It seems Gamespot is whoring themselves out to the highest bidder with their rating system. Civ 3's rating was changed to a 9.3 I think. That's higher than SMAC!!

Too bad Civ 3 did nothing to improve the genre with the exception of "culture". But I digress, what do you think is SMAC still king or is Civ 4 better.

I'm afraid to touch Civ 4 after being burned by Civ 3.

 

[Good Ash]

Isn't Civ 4 what Civ 3 should have been all along?

 

[MjM]

Civ 3 > Civ 4.

 

[The Person]

Since Civ4 came out I've still played more SMAC than Civ4.

Other than that I can't really say anything more, as I haven't played Civ4 very much.

 

[Corlindale]

Civ 4 does have a unit customization system, although it doesn't work excactly like the AC system.

Stuff that makes AC better than Civ 4:

- Factions have more personality
- More unit customization
- Far superior wonder/project movies
- Mind worms > Barbarians
- Better tech quotes
- Voice acting
- Pollution has nastier consequences

Stuff that makes Civ 4 better than AC:

- more civics than AC had social engineering options.
- Better AI
- More diplomatic options
- Culture
- Resources
- Graphics
- Great People
- Unhappyness is less annoying

Stuff that was adopted for Civ 4 from AC:

- More terraforming options
- Barbarians are a larger threat
- Civics/social engineering
- U.N. resolutions

To sum up: Play both games, and enjoy both games. That's what I do.

 

[Cuivienen]

Considering that Civ4 is 6 years more advanced than SMAC, an immense amount of time in the computer industry, SMAC is far superior. However, Civ4 is better than SMAC as a game though only just slightly.

 

[Sim_One]

Haven't played Civ4, but I know one way SMAC is better is that I don't need a beefy machine to play it.

 

[Perfection]

SMAC is cooler, come on, probe teams, cargo pods, supply crawers, customizable unit and Morgan. Morgan kicks ass.

 

[Horizon]

For me SMAC/SMAX remains better than Civ4

I have certainly played only the demo version of Civ4 that is limited, but the gaming pleasure i had years ago with the (as limited) SMAC demo was already superior and sold me the game.

But that said Civ4 is not a bad game, at least the demo is showing some good things. But just not enough for me to buy it.
Even Civ3 that i bought was very enjoyable despite being inferior in interest to SMAC.
But in the end i always come back to SMAC when it comes to play a Civ-like game.

I bought SMAC in 1999 and i continue to play it , let's see if the people thinking Civ4 is better than SMAC will continue to play Civ4 in 6/7 years counting from now .

 

[Maniac]

- more civics than AC had social engineering options.

But the AC SE options with all the different possible SE factor values seem to affect more aspects of the game than the Civ civics. More synergy etc.

 

[LupusCanis]

Quite bluntly, SMAC is the best game of its genre to date, although Civ IV is certainly an improvement upon Civ III, which I really didn't like.

So, yes, even though I like Civ IV, SMAC wins every time.

 

[Silibili]

I recently got Civ IV (and the obligatory new computer!) just to discover how much I missed SMAC

Civ IV seems to rush me to a Space Race Victory and trying to assemble a decent up-to-date balanced military is almost impossible in the later game.

I admit I have only played up to Noble level.

My main gripe with SMAC is that it is too easy if you use the standard MP strategies of rushing to crawlers and F'n'F.

I find that I have to modify my play to keep the game interesting (and not always winnable) on Transcend level
I like to play as Deirdre and restrict my social choices to Green, Democracy, Knowledge and Cybernetics, changing to these as soon as I get the tech.
I NEVER build crawlers now and only allow 1 former per base all of which I automate after a few years.

I enjoyed Civ 3 and never played Civ 2 again after I got it, but SMAC is unique in my collection as the oldest game that I still play fanatically.

 

[Drakan]

SMACX is by far superior than C4.

I myself like better C3 than C4 despite some of it's already highlighted flaws.

But from the standpoint of a strategy empire-building game, SMACX still rules supreme as of today.

That just shows the passion the whole group put into it, specially Bryan Reynolds.

The depth of SMACX is just incredible. The worst flaw being the graphics, not being able to stack the units or upgrade all the units at once. Nothing much really.

 

[chanman]

you can upgrade all units at once.

Go to the unit designer (U), find your obsolete design, hit 'Upgrade' and pick the new design to upgrade to.

Provided you've already created the new design and have the credits, this should simultaneously upgrade all of that unit type.

 

[Silibili]

A game which takes time to learn but then allows much replayability (e.g. SMAC) is not a good deal for the gemes companies - how can they sell you new games and new computers if you are still happy playing a 7 year old game?
That's why I do not expect a SMAC2 unless it is dumbed down for the hard of thinking (like Civ IV).

 

[Drakan]

you can upgrade all units at once.

Go to the unit designer (U), find your obsolete design, hit 'Upgrade' and pick the new design to upgrade to.

Provided you've already created the new design and have the credits, this should simultaneously upgrade all of that unit type.

Thanks Chanman !