Disappointed with the Patch

[cephyn]

Firaxis, let me preface this with the statement that I respect you guys and I know you have a hard job and you work hard. Civ3 is a good game and I do enjoy playing, and will continue to play.

That said, I'm very let down by the patch.

I am very very frustrated with this patch. I stood by patiently, never complained once before this. But now, i have to vent.

1) Guys. How could you NOT fix the bug where your own fortified troops attack your own troops/workers trying to enter the city?!?! I have a wonderful game going where I now can't help half my cities if they come under attack -- not to mention the DOZENS of workers i've lost since theyre automated -- once they try and enter a city, they get killed by the defenders. I'm sorry, but this is a MAJOR screwup bug that NEEDED to be fixed. 8(

2) You said corruption would be lessened. I waited patiently. I dealt with it as best i could in the games i was playing. Today, after patching...no change. Guys!!! What!??! HOW!?!?

3) I have 2 CD-ROMs on my computer. I installed from the top run, but ive been running civ3 off the bottom one for some random reasons. Convenience mostly. After the patch, I now HAVE to run it off the top one. How could you mess up this!?!

4) Guys, the city population numbers -- what the hell is up with those? How did graphics get messed up, especially those? That needs to be fixed, it looks horrendous. I mean really really bad. I know this game isn't about graphics, but I know you guys take pride in the look&feel of the game -- which i like too. But now, these numbers are a blight.

Sorry Firaxis. You seriously let me down. 8( I hope some of these issues get addressed in the next patch. I just wish I didn't have to wait -- again.

That said, thanks for the other fixes, thanks for the hard work and thanks for trying. I would have rather waited another week for the patch if the above issues could have been dealt with. I don't know where the problem is -- maybe you guys should review QA. I honestly don't know how the ugly city numbers slipped through.

 

[No.Dice]

I'm probably in the minority but i liked the pre-patch corruption levels the way they were. I'm new to the civ series though so i guess i'm not carrying around bad habits from past civ games.

Everything else was a welcome change, though my foriegn advisor window is not working quite right.

 

[godot]

Originally posted by cephyn

4) Guys, the city population numbers -- what the hell is up with those? How did graphics get messed up, especially those? That needs to be fixed, it looks horrendous. I mean really really bad. I know this game isn't about graphics, but I know you guys take pride in the look&feel of the game -- which i like too. But now, these numbers are a blight.

I'm don't know if this is the cure or the cause, but the problem might be that the new pref to help colorblind folks is turned.

Just a thought.

 

[PolarisXP]

There seems to be like a black shading around the numbers. The colour blind help only puts the name of the nation next to the city name.

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by No.Dice
I'm probably in the minority but i liked the pre-patch corruption levels the way they were. I'm new to the civ series though so i guess i'm not carrying around bad habits from past civ games.

Everything else was a welcome change, though my foriegn advisor window is not working quite right.

You are in the minority, but never fear! -- i havent noticed a shred of difference in corruption levels.

Godot...thanks for the tip, ill check it out. I hope youre right, and if so, my apologies to Firaxis.

 

[Northstar5757]

No Dice I like corruption too levels the playing feild.

But i definantly understand why some people dislike it.

 

[LKendter]

The comments I have seen on corruption -

You don't see the effects until you start a NEW game.

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by lkendter
The comments I have seen on corruption -

You don't see the effects until you start a NEW game.

Thanks for the tip. Ill be looking forward to the difference -- i just hope its noticeable.

 

[Jezner]

3) I have 2 CD-ROMs on my computer. I installed from the top run, but ive been running civ3 off the bottom one for some random reasons. Convenience mostly. After the patch, I now HAVE to run it off the top one. How could you mess up this!?![

I just got off the phone with Sid and the boys at Firaxis and they said that they are developing a new patch to address the fact you alone cannot run your cd rom off your bottom drive. Sid apologized profusely about the fact that you now have to exert the major muscles in your arm to press open on your bottom tray, put the cd in the top, then press close. He was really a mess about this. I mean, the Firaxis team tried so hard to prevent you from putting down you big gulp soda to actually do something physical. Sid said he'd send you a chair with toilet built into it as an apology, but we know that won't cut it. If I were you, I'd put the game down until they resolve this issue. But that's just me.

 

[civzombie]

Get BENT Jenzer!

Some of us have only one drive, like me, and it doesn't work after the patch. He was clearly trying to help Firaxis get their **** together by posting a bug he found.

And you make fun of him?

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Jezner


I just got off the phone with Sid and the boys at Firaxis and they said that they are developing a new patch to address the fact you alone cannot run your cd rom off your bottom drive. Sid apologized profusely about the fact that you now have to exert the major muscles in your arm to press open on your bottom tray, put the cd in the top, then press close. He was really a mess about this. I mean, the Firaxis team tried so hard to prevent you from putting down you big gulp soda to actually do something physical. Sid said he'd send you a chair with toilet built into it as an apology, but we know that won't cut it. If I were you, I'd put the game down until they resolve this issue. But that's just me.

you ever heard of multitasking? there are certain things i can only do with 1 drive, and would like to do them while playing.

Im glad you think youre funny. why dont you go try and make some money with that talent instead of posting here.

 

[cephyn]

5) My diplomatic advisor screen doesnt work...i dont know who's at war with who.

this got missed in QA too? 8/

 

[Jezner]

Originally posted by civzombie
Get BENT Jenzer!

Some of us have only one drive, like me, and it doesn't work after the patch. He was clearly trying to help Firaxis get their **** together by posting a bug he found.

And you make fun of him?

Ahh - but he doesn't have one drive. He has two. If both his drives wouldn't work with Civ3, then I'd say he has a point and hence, you too. But being all that he has to do is move the CD from one drive to the other, this "bug" is really just an inconvience and chance for him to complain like he has been doing all over the board. Information regarding system info, configuration, and nature of the problem helps Firaxis get their **** together, not uninformative rants.

Just my two pennies.

Oh, you can catch me at the Improv in downtown Hollywood this Saturday night at 8 pm. Buy tickets now

 

[cephyn]

So youre telling me jezner that you dont find it weird at all that something like this, something so completely unrelated to what is listed in the read.me file as being fixed, would break?

I think it points to some serious problems with this patch. I thought Firaxis could do better than this. But strange things have broken in this patch. Some strange things are:

1)the goofy graphics problems alot of people have been having, not just the strange ways the pop numbers show up, but also ghost images of city locations/resource outlines on other screens

2)the disappearance of the diplomatic screen -- i mean, its there, but no lines are drawn...lot of help it is now -- its a major problem. not just me whining.

3)The CDROM drive problem. Why should it suddenly not know to look at all the drives in my system instead of only looking to the instal from drive?

This is not me ranting mindlessly. These are real problems with the patch. I think Firaxis would like to know about these and other problems. You sir, are just a cranky guy. You think youre funny. But youre not. So go be funny somewhere else, and don't clog message boards with your funny little rants about people you think are lazy.

 

[Eliezar]

I think Jezner was adequately replying to the idea that switching the cd between drives was just so terrible. I kinda felt the same way he did, but if the author had wanted a solution he could have said "i have XX operating system with XX cd rom and after the patch the cd doesn't work in it". Ya know?

I'm also glad I've never seen the bug where fortified troops kill my own guys 8)

Eliezar

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Eliezar
I think Jezner was adequately replying to the idea that switching the cd between drives was just so terrible. I kinda felt the same way he did, but if the author had wanted a solution he could have said "i have XX operating system with XX cd rom and after the patch the cd doesn't work in it". Ya know?

I'm also glad I've never seen the bug where fortified troops kill my own guys 8)

Eliezar

Had 1 CD drive. Old. Slow. Getting unreliable.

Installed Civ 3.

Bought new CD drive. Fast. Reliable.

Put Civ 3 disc in new drive. Worked. Im happy.

Patch Civ 3.

Forced back to old, slow, unreliable drive. Not happy. Sometimes takes a two or 3 tries to get the game started.

Would like to use new spiffy drive.

It IS an inconvenience to have the "fix" be "reinstall Civ3 from new drive and repatch" in order to FIX something that worked fine BEFORE.

So you tell me...is he really justified in being a complete idiot? The point is the PATCH broke something that frankly, was important to me. And like i said, I think it points to some greater problems with the patch. It is not, and never was, the main complaint i had with the patch. However, the patch seems to have a lot of problems -- maybe this tiny little problem can help Firaxis figure out whats wrong with the patch, and why it does goofy graphics things, screws up the foreign advisor screen, and completely breaks the game under win2k and winxp.

oh, and FYI, i have Win98. Maybe the problems are related, maybe they arent -- but just because you and Jezner think its a minor problem, doesn't mean it shouldnt be mentioned. Kapiche? Sometimes minor problems, taken together, can point towards the major one.

 

[Eliezar]

I didn't say I had a problem with it.

You said the problem was "convenience mostly" and I thought the complaint in itself was silly. Like I stated above if you said that for some reason X style of disc drive on Y operating system doesn't work that is a well stated complaint. Instead you said that the patch "inconvienced" you.

Get my point? It is his point too if you think about it.

Eliezar

 

[cephyn]

Originally posted by Eliezar
I didn't say I had a problem with it.

You said the problem was "convenience mostly" and I thought the complaint in itself was silly. Like I stated above if you said that for some reason X style of disc drive on Y operating system doesn't work that is a well stated complaint. Instead you said that the patch "inconvienced" you.

Get my point? It is his point too if you think about it.

Eliezar

It is convenience, mostly. The reason for pointing it out is that the patch changed something. It was not in the changelog, hence it was unintended. This is called a bug. Firaxis probably wants to know about bugs. I can see how this would slip through QA. It's not a common situation.

What is inconvenient is having to use my crappy drive OR having to completely reinstall. Don't you see that im not pissed about having to move the CD up one slot, but im upset that the patch is having all sorts -- not just this -- of unintended effects. Since this easily and understandably could slip through QA, but may still point to the greater problems of the patch, Im mentioning it. If you find it silly fine. If Jezner finds it silly, fine. Its unnecessary for him to try and be a funny guy and write his little satire. He wants to be funny, there's better forums for it.

 

[Dillo]

Originally posted by cephyn


You are in the minority, but never fear! -- i havent noticed a shred of difference in corruption levels.

Godot...thanks for the tip, ill check it out. I hope youre right, and if so, my apologies to Firaxis.

Have you been reading the forums? Umm Its quickly comeing a Majority. The pacth is quickly proving to be worse than the problems.

 

[Patchmaster]

What is inconvenient is having to use my crappy drive OR having to completely reinstall.

One of the registry entries for Civ3 is the letter of the install drive. If you know how to edit the registry you can change this to your new drive and the game should now play in the new drive.

I don't think this issue is something that was necessarily introduced with the patch. I had a problem with this prior to the patch. The CD-ROM I installed from flaked out on me and I had to use my other drive. If the game booted up from the CD-ROM (due to autostart when I inserted the CD) it would work fine from the alternate drive. If I started the game from the desktop icon it would just complain about the CD not being in the drive. I edited the registry to point to the alternate drive and everything works fine now.