O.O. Howard
Chieftain
Okay, i am at work now. Played the game last night and stayed up a little late. Thats a good sign, isnt it my gamer friends? Yes that 'one more turn' thing in my brain got turned on last night.
But now, while I look forward to playing some more tonight, i am not leaving work early to do it. And i didnt find myself imagining strategy in between work jobs. That gives you a good idea of how this review will go. I like the game but dont love it. At least not yet.
Lets start with a negative. The game has way too much help which gets in your face. It is like trying to guzzle a cold Pepsi but the bubbles make you hesitate. Tastes good? yes. Pleasant experience? not so much.
Now the 'help' could probably be turned down with an option here and there, which by the way i resolve to figure out before i play the game tonight, but you will find that the game's philosophy of 'helpfulness' cannot be turned down. Parts of the screen help that should be small(reminders, city info, data) are ballooned and rather too large. Some of it literally bubbles up on the side of the screen and is like a laundry list of things to do. As if I am a truant child who needs to be told to put matching socks on. I find it annoying. But it can be turned down i am certain.
The real problem with so much helpfulness is that some other info has to be minimized. For example, it is a little hard to see some details which in Civ IV were easy to spot. The worst offender in the category is looking at the city screen and trying to figure out how much the tiles are producing. This is microscopic information... two or three pixels. i dont know why.
Meanwhile the natural culture of a city spreads slowly, one tile at a time but the computer does it for you.
I suppose the game design is telling me not to worry about the little details. But i like the details! i like the huge anvils and moneybags and loaves of bread of Civ IV. I felt like i was reaping a rich harvest. i like the culture pushing out with great force pretty much whenever i wanted it to.
The details in this game work differently. You work a tile(hexagon... which by the way is long overdue change to the clunky squares of the past) and it takes forever to build the tile improvement, so then you look in the city to see how the tile is producing, and what you see is the tiny pinhead detail, which itself shows only ONE MORE production than before. This makes your effect on the world seem microscopic, if you understand what I mean. I had the feeling at first that it isnt really important to improve the tiles.
But that feeling passes. This is a different system and it DOES matter that you work the land. River or road links between your well founded cities, well worked tiles, and diplomacy with the minor one town 'city states' (which adds a strategic layer to the game that i love), and you will find things start to hum.
I especially like the roads now. they cost some money to maintain so you have to think about it. i find this strategically and aesthetically pleasing. roads should have names and not just be a tangled web of ramps and off ramps! So Civ V gets it right in my book
I really like the stategy which should develop from one unit per hex. the mega stacks of units and detail work of middle and end game Civ IV was too much work, too boring. But will the one unit per hex rule work? Well, in the very early game it is different but not necessarily much better than civ IV. But i think mid and especially late game Civ V is very cool, and you will find it blows away civ IV for military strategy.
there is much more to say. Not all of it good, either.
OK. so you have my partial review. If you like what you are reading ask me questions and i will write more.
But now, while I look forward to playing some more tonight, i am not leaving work early to do it. And i didnt find myself imagining strategy in between work jobs. That gives you a good idea of how this review will go. I like the game but dont love it. At least not yet.
Lets start with a negative. The game has way too much help which gets in your face. It is like trying to guzzle a cold Pepsi but the bubbles make you hesitate. Tastes good? yes. Pleasant experience? not so much.
Now the 'help' could probably be turned down with an option here and there, which by the way i resolve to figure out before i play the game tonight, but you will find that the game's philosophy of 'helpfulness' cannot be turned down. Parts of the screen help that should be small(reminders, city info, data) are ballooned and rather too large. Some of it literally bubbles up on the side of the screen and is like a laundry list of things to do. As if I am a truant child who needs to be told to put matching socks on. I find it annoying. But it can be turned down i am certain.
The real problem with so much helpfulness is that some other info has to be minimized. For example, it is a little hard to see some details which in Civ IV were easy to spot. The worst offender in the category is looking at the city screen and trying to figure out how much the tiles are producing. This is microscopic information... two or three pixels. i dont know why.
Meanwhile the natural culture of a city spreads slowly, one tile at a time but the computer does it for you.
I suppose the game design is telling me not to worry about the little details. But i like the details! i like the huge anvils and moneybags and loaves of bread of Civ IV. I felt like i was reaping a rich harvest. i like the culture pushing out with great force pretty much whenever i wanted it to.
The details in this game work differently. You work a tile(hexagon... which by the way is long overdue change to the clunky squares of the past) and it takes forever to build the tile improvement, so then you look in the city to see how the tile is producing, and what you see is the tiny pinhead detail, which itself shows only ONE MORE production than before. This makes your effect on the world seem microscopic, if you understand what I mean. I had the feeling at first that it isnt really important to improve the tiles.
But that feeling passes. This is a different system and it DOES matter that you work the land. River or road links between your well founded cities, well worked tiles, and diplomacy with the minor one town 'city states' (which adds a strategic layer to the game that i love), and you will find things start to hum.
I especially like the roads now. they cost some money to maintain so you have to think about it. i find this strategically and aesthetically pleasing. roads should have names and not just be a tangled web of ramps and off ramps! So Civ V gets it right in my book
I really like the stategy which should develop from one unit per hex. the mega stacks of units and detail work of middle and end game Civ IV was too much work, too boring. But will the one unit per hex rule work? Well, in the very early game it is different but not necessarily much better than civ IV. But i think mid and especially late game Civ V is very cool, and you will find it blows away civ IV for military strategy.
there is much more to say. Not all of it good, either.
OK. so you have my partial review. If you like what you are reading ask me questions and i will write more.
