CTP was a disappointment

[Higher Game]

I bought it when it came out, thinking that it was the real Civ 3. I never played a full game of it.

Have the CTP2 fans even played the original? I did, and it was so bad that I didn't even bother with buying the second one. A few people recommend mods, but most mods are for future units and new techs, and have very little emphasis on actual game balance.

Is a modded CTP2 worth my $50?

 

[Martin Gühmann]

First CTP1 and CTP2 are not Civ2, there are better, so indeed for me CTP1 is still the real Civ3. CTP1 has much better graphics then Civ3, it has real armies, it has PW, that prevents me from moving every turn 200 settlers. That are only some features of CTP1. CTP2 is much more moddable then CTP1. The main problem of CTP2 is the weak AI, but fortunatly also the AI can be modded. So to play CTP2 you need a good mod installed to play it. Yes most mods are for more techs and units, but you should try GoodMod for ApolytonPack, in this mod you will find new city graphics, new goods and new concepts and an improved AI. It doesn't contain any new tech or new unit. If you want such stuff then you should play Cradle, MedPack2 or WAW. But note none of these mods focus on the future.

One last thing, today you won't see CTP2 for $50, actual no game is worth $50 it should cost $45 if it is new. That was one thing that was wrong with Civ3. Today CTP2 is much cheaper I heard something of $19 but I am shure you can get it cheaper. For more information visit Apolyton and read his frist impressions.

-Martin

 

[Centrifuge]

Originally posted by Higher Game

Is a modded CTP2 worth my $50?

I got it for $9.99... and yes it was definitely worth it, it has paid for itself 100 fold already

 

[Higher Game]

Hey, I bought CTP for $50 when it came out. I thought it was the real sequel to Civ 2. Then I discover that it's a horrible game, and then I see the second one that looks identical except with better graphics. Do you think that I would get it? No, of course not! Back then, I didn't have the internet, so mods were out of the question. Now, I do, but now I play Civ 3.

 

[Energumen]

I bought it for £9.99 (US$15) on the Activision Value label, and enjoy it immensely. At the moment, I'm giving equal time (when game playing) between CTP2 and The Thing...

 

[Joeb WK]

I agree with Higher Game Call to Power just lived of Civ2s good name.

 

[Maquiladora]

CtP1 sold more because of the civ name but its wrong to say its a bad game because of that, its an excellent game in its own right. As Martin touched on, if you approach CtP1 (or 2) as another civ sequel you WILL be disappointed. The Call to Power games introduced new concepts like Public Works and Stacked Combat, which at the time were frowned upon by civ fanatics, but now you ask players what they want for civ4 they overwhelming vote for SOME form of stacked combat and a less tedious form of land improvement than the settler/worker system.

 

[Joeb WK]

I suppose so the underwater cities were pretty good as well but I found the game play far too slow and some units too unconventional e.g lawyers.

 

[Lozzy_Ozzy]

I think, if anything, that CTP has just made people think poorly of the real civ games, thinking they are all so bad! At first t hought it was alright but it really is boring and doen't seem to get anywhere.

 

[Davidizer13]

I have the CTP1, and my friend has borrowed it! He seems to like it! However, I considered it WAY TOO EASY! On my best game, I had spacecraft and colonies while the ground denizens had been puttering around in tanks! This kept going on til 2250! So do yourself a favor: Don't get it unless you like an easy game. Fugeddaboudit!

 

[Maquiladora]

Yeah the unmodded AI in both CtP1 and 2 is easy once you understand how the game works. There are mods at apolyton.net for both games that VASTLY improve the AI, for CtP2 especially, because apolyton has the source code to CtP2 they can improve everything about the AI.

 

[Tintoretto]

I belong with the fools that bought CTP thinking it was a Civ

It is an interesting game but I do prefer the Civ series.
Now I just play Civ 3 and do not even touch my CTP

I think there are too many units and the game evolves way
too fast. i don't feel like I am building an empire or such

The units and techs are too much of a fantasy... microengines
that chew up nukes? Diamond age? Space marine? Ladder to
the stars?

Well, that's not for me

 

[Gato Loco]

Never played CTP2, but I do remember CTP1. If you think of it as Civ3, you'll be disappointed, but if you think of it as a Civ parody, it's good for a few laughs.

 

[Martin Gühmann]

Never played CTP2, but I do remember CTP1. If you think of it as Civ3, you'll be disappointed, but if you think of it as a Civ parody, it's good for a few laughs.

When I heard that you still have to move around 200 or more settlers or whatever just to improve your terrain in Civ3 I was disappointed. Limited moddabilty, no scripting language, instead of armies just single units, managing a bunch of city states, the tech tree ends in the past, come on this is three or four years behind the art. They have to come with something more than new graphics and some new concepts that don't remove the game tedium, in this case I can play Civ2.

Enough of the complaints about Civ3, so tell me what in particular is wrong with with CivCTP?

-Martin

 

[Gato Loco]

My roblem with CTP is that it seems like a rushed job that was rushed out the door before it was finished. There are plenty of good ideas but time wasn't taken to implement them.

Public works sysyem: Good idea
Making improved sea squares better than land squares: Bad idea

Sci-fi techs: Good idea
Hundreds of improvements and units that you don't know what to do with: Bad idea

Special units: Good idea
Lawyers: Bad idea

Trading bonus resources: Good idea
Not being able to control your trade routes: Bad idea

Cities in space: Good idea
AI that doesn't build cities in space: Bad idea

Artillery bombards: Good idea
Lack of combat balance: Bad idea


I just can't help thinking that if they'd spent less time thinking of new techs and city improvements and more time playtesting it would have been much better. For example, I remember that there was a SAM missile unit. There was also a giant robot unit that made the SAM obsolete and which I always researched before the SAM because it came along with better terrain improvements. So why include the SAM missile in the first place? The fact that the missile is still there means that nobody bothered to test the game. Now of course Civ3 has problems like this too (e.g. PTW Republic vs. Democracy), but they don't jump out and stare you in the face every five seconds. Of course I'm talking about unmodded CTP1. If CTP fans have actually taken it upon themselves to playtest and re-balance CTP2 then it may in fact be very good.

 

[Ekmek]

A lot of your dislikes can be modded, and some mods already deal with it. But even better is that the source code has been released so many more fixes can be made!

 

[Gif Warrior]

I also prefer CTP over the regular Civ's but mainly because of the incresed units and going into the future. I do find the AI's starting to get easy though. I might find some mods in the future, but for know I will just wait for Civ 4 and see what it is like.

 

[Newbunkle]

I was getting a little bored of Civ 3, so I recently bought CTP and CTP2 second hand from a local game shop for £5. I now play Civ 3 all the time. Thanks to CTP 1 & 2 for reminding me how great Civ 3 is, but I may have well just burnt that £5. The combat is terrible in both games is terrible and some of the unit ideas are just stupid (televangelists???). CTP is too filthy to use as a coaster, so I binned them.

 

[Martin Gühmann]

I was getting a little bored of Civ 3, so I recently bought CTP and CTP2 second hand from a local game shop for £5. I now play Civ 3 all the time. Thanks to CTP 1 & 2 for reminding me how great Civ 3 is, but I may have well just burnt that £5. The combat is terrible in both games is terrible and some of the unit ideas are just stupid (televangelists???). CTP is too filthy to use as a coaster, so I binned them.

So combat is terrible, then you are now lukey with your one-by-one combat. A unit is killed even if there are other units that could help. Very realistic.

Televangelists are really stupid, well at least in good old Europe, but if I look at America I can understand why they got this idea. In particular there seem really some sort of televangelists. But if you really think there are useless then don't use them.

And now come up with some valid points. I heard it often enough this: "CTP sucks." So you have to tell us now what in particular is bad about stacked combat.

Then you have to explain why you didn't try any mods.

-Martin

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Allow me to comment on how frustrating and terrible combat is in Civ3. Bring back the old Civ2 combat style at least for Civ4!

Anyway how could one hate combat in the CTP series? You've got true army stacks that are composed of frontline units, flankers, and long range fire units. I find it hard to find a reason for hating this.

One thing that I do like about Civ3 is the air combat model. That would be a neat addition to the CTP series I think.