Civ3's Golden Age has begun

[Bjornlo]

I think there is too much attention and worry spent on how much or little of a golden age this is.
It doesn't matter.
What matters is: Are you playing a game you enjoy? If yes, then who cares what version number it is.
For me, Civ3 is still fun. I play it as often as my limited schedule (for now) allows me. I have Civ4. I have high end hardware, and no problem playing it. It is not a MOO3 (which may have killed that franchise). But neither (in my opinion) is Civ4 a winner. Civ4 is fun to play, just not as fun. It has some interesting features, which I wish I could add to Civ3. But, ultimately is lacks too much in game play. The barrier to modding is too high. I have the programming (etc) skills to overcome this, but so long as the base game isn't worth it, why should I? Lastly, civ3 plays faster on most systems. Looks as good or better (especially the units are better).
But, despite the general superior game play, civ3 is ultimately doomed. But, I don't care. Because the Civ4Dummies makes game play easier on new players, and the basic game is faster and simpler to learn. Also, most new civ players are getting the newest version.
Thus this can hardly be called a golden age, renaissance or anything of the sort. The fact is that alot of us who played both Civ3 & Civ4 prefer Civ3. This is especially true of many of those that have mod'ed Civ3.
Until Civ3 finds someway to grow the user base and not just retain parts of what it once had, it can not be considered more than a really good but older game with a limited audience. Do I care? Should you? nope.
Once I get more settled in my new home, I intend to get back to making a few things for my own use in Civ3 (which I will naturally share here, if it is of at least middling quality). But, my loyalty to Civ3 ends the same day a real successor comes out.
I suspect that this will eventually be some version of Civ4. Because I can live with the ugly units and other issues, once a few other issues are resolved (easier to MOD, better game play (ie: artillary, ZOC, etc).
But if Civ4 continues to be bleech, I'm content to play Civ3 for a few more years until Stephan finishes his take on it.

 

[W.i.n.t.e.r]

Well spoken Bjorn, and welcome back

 

[Stormrage]

I wonder what CiV will look like. I hope they go back to basics

 

[T.A JONES]

I think there is too much attention and worry spent on how much or little of a golden age this is.
It doesn't matter.
What matters is: Are you playing a game you enjoy? If yes, then who cares what version number it is..

Who cares?? I sure do. The amount of quilty work being put out, 'or lack of' DIRECTLY effects how much "I am playing a game I enjoy. SO.. yes I'll be happy with my sence of a approaching renasounace and will enjoy it with communit,y helping with whatever I can

I Know that Civ3 time, as long as it continuess to grow, will be much longer then Civ4's time after the realese of V Why do I care?, cause I know then, I was right.
The game I gave so much of my time (playing Disscusing-Civ3 forum, was the better crafted of the series all along. In my own weird way I was utalizing(sp) my time correctly capiltalizing on the better product(not giving in wasting time on hype). Enjoying a classic stratagy game with amazing artists/modders and the coolest community behind it

 

[Stormrage]

Slow down your typing, this isn`t a chat, you have time to reply

 

[Bjornlo]

T.A. Jones, I hope you're an ESL guy (english as a second language). Because despite you taking the time to edit your post, I still can't understand what you were trying to say.
All I got out of your message was you care if Civ3 was having a golden age because you will know you were right. I should hope that I misunderstood you and that you have better reasons than such a shallow one for selecting which game you enjoy.
"the civ3 time continues to grow"... huh? You mean the length of time Civ3 is being played by someone continues to grow? So what? Do you mean that the civ3 audience is growing?? It is not. It is shrinking but still quite significant. Again so what. If you enjoy something, enjoy it because you enjoy it not because of its popularity (or lack there of).
The Civ3 sun is setting. But sunsets can be beautiful too. After all, the largest, comprehensive ww2 mod ever is just about to be released. But just because cool stuff is happening, doesn't make this some rebirth. It just means that cool stuff is still happening. I suspect that the body of work available for Civ3 is such that few will ever have the time to play all the variations and mods even once let alone to boredom.

 

[T.A JONES]

T.A. Jones, I hope you're an ESL guy (english as a second language). Because despite you taking the time to edit your post, I still can't understand what you were trying to say.

Just a lil sloppy, I erased the last quote tag and a few of the words I was using when I was slicing your quote, so the edit was for proper representation bud

All I got out of your message was you care if Civ3 was having a golden age because you will know you were right. I should hope that I misunderstood you and that you have better reasons than such a shallow one for selecting which game you enjoy.

I could have moved around and got into CIv4. but I felt the place was here and it was time to get comfotable and enjoy the renasaince. I utilized my time getting a better understsanding and deeper outlook of the game, figuring how best to adapt and fix flaws instead of running to Civ4, a lesser alternative as answer to solving them.

Ivesat back and watched The modding levels in graphics animations even soundtracks, leaderheads, terrain, pedias script, all set new bench marks. Player who jumped ship to Civ4 back in October never realized after they left the level of quilty through specifics I mentioned created a conquests of far higher quality. I was rewarded in being right, in this way.

"the civ3 time continues to grow"... huh? You mean the length of time Civ3 is being played by someone continues to grow? So what? Do you mean that the civ3 audience is growing?? It is not. It is shrinking but still quite significant. Again so what. If you enjoy something, enjoy it because you enjoy it not because of its popularity (or lack there of).

theres a renasounce going down what kind of reponse is SO WHAT?, no better then my original statement!......So the MAC players got a taste this year. Players picking up Civ Complete after being dsiapointed by the nastiest I mean newest release,
My conclusions were going from the forum numbers,there not shrinking, its stable, even beating Civ4 C+C forum certains every week.proof of the Ren, and like I said the more modders doing there thing, the better selection your going to have, along the chance of more "new level" masterpiece(s) ariseing.

The sun is high in the sky. You say who cares about the popularity, or Why should I care? I already told you. THe level Of partcipation on Civ3 C+C forums makes the quality and quantity go up over time. The proof is in the pudding What so hard to understand, don't you see improvments over the years. More selction? Can't you see popuartity is important and is fueling Civ3 life through mod development. Mods are Exactly what we all play now . its the mods that carry this game and the reason the title of longest lasting in the series belongs to Conquests ala mod. It'l be around longer cause its powered with a sleeker, faster, more responive, more attractive, more invloving gameplay, easier to use mod design basickly a engine that was made for this genre thats been upgraded by the modding crew to last

 

[Stormrage]

My head hurts Guys, slow down.

 

[T.A JONES]

Ya stormy thanks for never sinking your teeth into my all to common grammical disasters
You know, Not every "edited by T.A" you see is my attempt to clean up what I had just written, Sometimes Im even adding to it
Cheers man!
Edit: say Bjorno I hope SOE is to your likeing when she hits the shelfs, just from what I read on the thread it seems you were never seeing eye to eye ( and publicly stated it) with the big man behind the project, something about never being able to be his friend,... ahh I'll drop it, I m just hoping thats all water under the bridge ,cause I hate seeing memebers chew out others on their own thread

 

[Heretic_Cata]

It's not a golden age if there are moments when there is only 1 registered user online (me) in the C&C forum and some guests. This happened to me several times.

(Sorry to rain on everyone's parade ... it looks like i've brought my depressive atitute from the OT Forum )

EDIT: Btw, i didn't read all the stuff you posted. I must have thought i was in OT when i saw such huge posts per page.

 

[Civinator]

T.A JONES, don´t let discourage you. Sometimes you write more with your heart than other posters, but most times I think I know what you want to say . I remember, that it was not so long ago, when a moderator said, that nobody in these forums should be condemned about his skills in English - and this must be true for all people over the world, even for "EFL´s". You started a good thread with more replies than I got in nearly all my threads together.

I said the same about a Golden Age for C3C in this thread (post 49):
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=177063&page=3

Interesting is, that a lot of posters in this thread are saying "the Golden Age has passed long ago, or it comes" or something like that and don´t define what is the "Golden Age of C3C" for them.

If the "Golden Age of C3C" is the position of a game on the market by selling copies of that game, I would share so nice statements about the "sunset of C3C". But I define the "Golden Age of C3C" as a new level of gameplay with
C3C and I feel we are on a step to reach that new level. One of my contributions to reach the new level in gameplay for C3C is the "enhanced techtree". Some other concepts I have to improve the gameplay of C3C are not posted yet.

It seems, T.A JONES, that you define a good part of the "Golden Age of C3C" as a majority of C3C-posters in the CFC-forums over the Civ 4-posters, which is also an interesting side of the definition of the "Golden Age of
C3C.

Edited: p.s. Bjornlo had contact with the SOE-team

 

[El Justo]

i always enjoy reading these types of threads

however, i feel that civ3's "golden age" has indeed passed. i remember thinking to myself at around this time last summer that we were then at the apex in terms of user created material. and furthermore, that w/ the dawning of civ4, we'd essentially be starting over from scratch in terms of the aforementioned user created material. little did i know at the time how bunk the new version of civ would be. that's immaterial to this discussion though...

imho, i'd have to consider it a pleasant surprise that civ3 has sustained itself for so long after the release of civ4. i've had this discussion w/ a few modding compatriots. specifically, how well some of our scenarios are doing so long after the release of the new civ game. so from a gratification standpoint, it's nice to know that others still enjoy C3C.

i should state though that i personally would still be playing civ3 (and modding it as usual) even if there weren't such a great holdover. i mean, i enjoy it and nobody could take that away from me. so, considering that, i know that i've recently found new and innovative schemes to make my own C3C experience an even better one.

as a sidenote - i've got 2 humongous projects in the pipeline for civ3 and they're not far off from a public release (AoI and a WW1 scenario). after that, i intend to update TCW and there's the possibility that i could even revisit the Vietnam files i put down long ago (unknown crash bug which may be curable now).

 

[T.A JONES]

Yes I'll close my this thread now I should have mentioned the word renasounce instead of Golden age. I should have mentioned earlier I agree with you guys on the golden age being long gone.
The age right after Conquest was released, when Civ4 had yet to be develped and everyone was concentrating on making Civ3 what it is today,That obviosouly was thCIv3 the golden age.

Here's my explanation for the majority of disagreement in my thread. Simply mistaking the word GOLDEN AGE with the word renaissance has caused a major misunderstanding and quite frankly made me a lil embarresed by my behavior.

Thanks Civinator for putting a few things in perspective. All the new works by selected artists, projects such as SOE, warhammer 2.5, a new one called the GREAT EPIC are what get me exicted. For others its something else. To see the monthly contests all churning out new animatons and other originals is uplifting. it all equals, in my mind that other time of innovation , the "Golden Age" we all agree was in the past.

So Im talking a reawakening, not a golden age. I gave some example on this thread of the events and reasons that have supported my opinion, A lil misunderstood, as per usual its been a good read all the same

 

[Civinator]

as a sidenote - i've got 2 humongous projects in the pipeline for civ3 and they're not far off from a public release (AoI and a WW1 scenario).

Hi El Justo,

your two projects are one of the reasons, why I said, I feel we (the civ-community) reach the next level in improving C3C. The possibility for a better naval "system" -also it seems that naval battles in C3C are still better than in Civ 4 - and a lot more units and cities on the map by cutting down some trade calculations and a simultanous gain in strategic options - all this are cornerstones you have set for allowing us a better gameplay in our Civ 3 scenarios and mods.

 

[Civinator]

the "Golden Age" we all agree was in the past

No, I don´t agree. I think it´s in the near future (from my perspective)

 

[Stormrage]

WH 2.5 is coming out, SOE, Fallout, alot of Betas, Scenarios, plus, everyone has to stick around for atleast 10 years so they can see my mods!

But alot of thigs similar to those listed above were released recently. And some time ago. And waaay back then. I`d say we are constantly having a Golden Age

 

[BadKharma]

I dont know if this is a golden age or the golden age is past I think its more important to concentrate on what you enjoy for me that is Civ3. I feel that their are many more things that can be done as mods and scenarios and as long as people continue to play the interest for the game will live on.

 

[tjedge1]

The GA will probably last till the price for Civ 4 goes way down. I think that has a little something to do with it among other things. Civ3 is much more affordable and is less taxing on pc's, due to lower requirements.

 

[I_batman]

I just don't think you can say a golden age can exist when the successor is already here.
Ask the Civ II fans if the golden age of Civ II occurred after Civ III was released.

And though I am no fan of Civ IV in its current form, it will get easier to mod the game, and more and more player-friendly mods will be created.

It is only a matter of time, as as far as I can see, almost every trick that can be squeezed out of the lousy Civ III game engine has been squeezed out.
(Kudo's to El Justo with about 2 or 3 ground-breaking concepts in the last year).

The Civ IV game engine currently is lousy as well. But the source code is available to be modified.

Now, if the Civ III code could be procured, then you would have the golden age of Civ III. But that has been done to death (different thread), and I have a better chance of dating Jennifer Aniston than any of us getting a hold of the Civ III source code.

 

[T.A JONES]

The GA will probably last till the price for Civ 4 goes way down. I think that has a little something to do with it among other things. Civ3 is much more affordable and is less taxing on pc's, due to lower requirements.

I
m not sure but respect your opinion. Im one that could afford Civ4 and just perferred the work coming out of C=C forums better.

an example I coundn't stand the look and feel of the Civ4 terrains . But also I could never go back to playing on the old Civ3 vanilla terrain ( plain ol ugly IMO)
I needed Rhye's greener( A mix with snoops an another artist's Jungle rendition)

Ive heard a large group speak both ways One guy saying they packed it up ( Civ4) cause of techinical insufficancies and others who can't be bothered with the gizmos, time wastimg gadgets and perfer empire size not mini type gamestyle,

IMO Its a closer split(dif in opinion) then the forum lets on

Congrats on your new princess