Colonization Excitement

[thelibra]

I'm technically more excited about Col2, because I've had Civ4 for years now. Doesn't mean I don't love Civ4, it's just that Col2 is newer. When Civ5 comes out, I'm sure I'll be more excited about it.

 

[Zhahz]

I think I'm excited about the release of Civ4Col as much as I was about the release of Civ4 back then.

Same. I love Civ but I always loved colonization.

Colonization is my most anticipated title for the rest of the year, with fallout 3 not really being fallout and wotlk just being more of the (good but still) same.

 

[bhoffarth]

I certainly have enjoyed playing Civ IV, but I wonder if the detailed economic system will put Colonization over the top? It was this unanswered question that forced me to say I am equally excited between these two games. The enhanced graphics certainly will help make Colonization an enjoyable experience.

The imminent release has created one of those rare times when I would actually like the weekend to end sooner rather than later.

 

[Lord Shadow]

The imminent release has created one of those rare times when I would actually like the weekend to end sooner rather than later.

Same here!

 

[Seen]

How excited am I? Excited enough to finally sign up for this site so I could discuss the old & new game with like-minded individuals.

Same here

Been lurking for years but this was the final push. Also for some reason I missed that civ IV was to be released ( ) so didnt have to sit trough the agony of waiting with that one.

 

[Apocalypto]

I'm more excited about Colonization 2, although I have to say that BtS was the perfect Civ experience. Colonization is my all time favorite game, and it's the game I've always wanted them to remake or follow up on. I didn't expect that it would ever happen, so I was extremely happy to hear that they would.

At this point my blood is pretty much boiling over with expectation, can't wait!

 

[bhoffarth]

The poll is showing a trend where more people were excited about the release of Civilization IV than the immenant release of Colonization. Yet, we have not really heard from any of these poll voters. I'd love to know why they feel the way they do.

 

[TheDS]

1) He makes intuitive and easy to use interfaces. They allow you to learn how to play the game in very little time, but not easily master the strategy needed to win.

I would have to disagree. I'd say that Sid's team designs the minimum interface needed to do the job, and that's it. Any intuitiveness is an accident. The game concept and mechanics are what make it easy to win, hard to master.

Civ4 is rife with poor interface design! Firaxis has shunned simple innovations left and right, just to get it out the door, simply because they felt that modders could fix all their mistakes. Modders can't fix these mistakes.

Railroad Tycoon required a separate Macro program to cut the wasted time building late-game station buildings to under 5 minutes. WTH? I hear that Railroads was a step backwards, making people think that even RT3 was good in comparison. WTH? I won't touch it. Alpha Centauri got almost unmanageable in the late game. Colonization spins out of control in just 100 turns! I like most of Sid's games, but for the love of pizza, man, hire someone who can do an interface!

I will therefore wait, and try a demo before laying out any cash. I don't feel like rewarding laziness and stupidity any more.

 

[Lord Shadow]

I really haven't had any problem with the interfaces of Sid's games. I haven't played the latest Railroad Tycoon, but that's not my cup of tea.

 

[Apocalypto]

I would have to disagree. I'd say that Sid's team designs the minimum interface needed to do the job, and that's it. Any intuitiveness is an accident. The game concept and mechanics are what make it easy to win, hard to master.

Civ4 is rife with poor interface design! Firaxis has shunned simple innovations left and right, just to get it out the door, simply because they felt that modders could fix all their mistakes. Modders can't fix these mistakes.

Railroad Tycoon required a separate Macro program to cut the wasted time building late-game station buildings to under 5 minutes. WTH? I hear that Railroads was a step backwards, making people think that even RT3 was good in comparison. WTH? I won't touch it. Alpha Centauri got almost unmanageable in the late game. Colonization spins out of control in just 100 turns! I like most of Sid's games, but for the love of pizza, man, hire someone who can do an interface!

I will therefore wait, and try a demo before laying out any cash. I don't feel like rewarding laziness and stupidity any more.

I haven't really had any problems with the interface. After we got building queues and some sort of automation, things got a lot better. The old colonization gets pretty tiresome late in the game, having to run through 20-30 alerts and building selections before each turn, but that's been fixed now in newer games.

What I find has ruined some games for me, more so than the interface, is the lack of attention paid to the power of exponential functions over time. Effects increasing over time, as you get more cities and buildings then increase those effects by some percentile, for example the way pollution was in Civ3. Having to send 20-30 guys out to clean up pullution every turn ruined the game in later stages. And in Alpha Centauri, having to get rid of all those "indigenous lifeforms" every turn would be another example.

It seems much of that has been addressed in later games. BtS not only removed those problems, but it further enhanced later game stages by introducing new concepts like corporations etc. In my view, the most important part of game testing would be to make sure that the later stages work just as well and are just as fun as the early stages in the game. BtS was great in that regard, and I'm hoping the late stages of Col2 will be a lot more fun than they were in the origianl Col.

 

[Ellestar]

I didn't like Civ 3 so i didn't expect much from Civ 4, but i ended playing Civ 4 more than any other game i played. But i prefered Colonization to Civilization so i'm more excited about Col2 than about Civ 4.

 

[cephalo]

One more day... hell ya I'm excited.

 

[much2much]

Its hard to explain why I remember Colonization as being great fun. I think it was partly the supply chain which Civ4 doesn't have at all.

As an Aussie American history doesn't really interest me so their is no grab factor there.

These days my nostalgia for the original helps but I also prefer the objective. Civ4 is too sandbox and spammable I think. The objectives are so far off it becomes about just getting yourself a bit of a tip of the balance. Colonization's balancing aspect of taxation going up as you sell more means you will have to manage trading with natives and other powers well.

 

[Lord Chambers]

The poll is showing a trend where more people were excited about the release of Civilization IV than the immenant release of Colonization. Yet, we have not really heard from any of these poll voters. I'd love to know why they feel the way they do.

I am not one such voter, but perhaps it's because Civ4 was a new game in the series and Colonization is a remake. We've already played Colonization. I look forward to playing it again, but I'm not excited.