Less free knowledge about the other civs

[Loppan Torkel]

I think they should do something about the charts you have access to during the plays. As it is now if you know the civ you have access to how powerful civ are, how much culture it have, it's score, it's techs for trade, a rough comparsion between your militaries, etc.
Maybe it's not necessary to take away all this info, but I think it would be more fun to play without all this knowledge, espescially the charts even though they're handy. I you want some specific info about a certain civ some you should be able to get a it, not necessarily exact, for a fee from some researched spionage tech depending on how far you've come. Hopefully this will come with a further developed espionage system.
This would increase the immersiveness of the game rather than reading off charts and percentages all the time.

The charts, percentages and numbers should all come when you've retired instead.

 

[riadsala]

I think they should do something about the charts you have access to during the plays. As it is now if you know the civ you have access to how powerful civ are, how much culture it have, it's score, it's techs for trade, a rough comparsion between your militaries, etc.
Maybe it's not necessary to take away all this info, but I think it would be more fun to play without all this knowledge, espescially the charts even though they're handy. I you want some specific info about a certain civ some you should be able to get a it, not necessarily exact, for a fee from some researched spionage tech depending on how far you've come. Hopefully this will come with a further developed espionage system.
This would increase the immersiveness of the game rather than reading off charts and percentages all the time.

The charts, percentages and numbers should all come when you've retired instead.

I reckon you should slowly get access to the data and charts as your relations with the other civ's develops. If you've got a embassy with another country, then they're going to have a rough idea about popluation size, culture, etc.

If you're allies with somebody, you're basically going to know all the data, inculding military and so on.

And in the modern ages, as communication technology increases, everybody knows all the info in the charts. I'm pretty sure our goverment (UK) knows roughly how big a military every other country has. likewise, most people know, or can find out (library, internet) a lot about the culture of other places.

But then, back in medival times, we would have known a lot less about the strengh of France for example.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

What about having some scout or spy telling you the requested info at the early stages then, and letting the exact numbers and charts wait until the modern times?

It wouldn't be too hard to give let the info you need and should have access to come in a more time-appropriate form.

It's not a big deal, but having access to all this info at the early stages in such forms take away some nerve and feeling from the game I think.

 

[Bartleby]

I actually like having access to that info. I hope this doesn't sound arsey but if you don't want to know you don't have to look

 

[Jon Shafer]

I like the info also, though making it so that you have to work for it might be a good idea. I'm a stats junkie so I would probably spend plenty of my gold figuring out where I stand.

 

[sealman]

I actually like having access to that info. I hope this doesn't sound arsey but if you don't want to know you don't have to look

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Sirian]

Too much free info dumbs down the game. When you can request an audience with an opponent in multiplayer without ANY intent of negotiating, but just to sucker the opponent into revealing where he stands compared to you on tech...

Pull that trick enough times, a human opponent would stop trusting you and stop talking to you. Yet we expect the AI to be a complete bleeding idiot and keep falling for the same stupid pet trick over and over?

What happens if they put in a real AI who "figures out" that you're being a jerk and then all the AIs in the game gang up on you if you pull tricks like that too often? Would that be fun?

Maybe they should tone down the amount of free intelligence a wee bit, or put it more into context.


- Sirian

 

[Offa]

In civ2 the AI would become annoyed with you if you contacted them too often, and would send you away. I don't think that made it a better game, and obviously neither did the developers, as they changed it for civ3.

 

[rhialto]

In civ 2, you could just ask your diplomatic advisor what techs the enemy had, with no need to chat to him in the diplomatic screen. I miss the dipomatic advisor terrbly.

 

[menwia]

I actually like having access to that info. I hope this doesn't sound arsey but if you don't want to know you don't have to look

I'd like to know the winning lottery numbers - doesn't mean I should be able to . . .

 

[Mgoering]

I have to agree with both opinions. Bartleby is right in some way when he says "You don't want to know, don't look at it.". However, when you're a new player, you explore the game from A to Z. And you'll see, sooner or later, that little square with a V on the side of your board. And then you'll know that those information exist and are certainly going to see them frequently.

Hopefully, it doesn't give the information (if it is the best) of a civ you don't know about. That diplomacy screen really should change. How can you possibly know which tech they have more than you and espacially, how much money they have ! Damn, at first contact, you can't even know which city they have or who they had contact with !!!

When you contact them, you can ask for a tech, money, cities, workers or contact. But you shouldn't be able to ask for "that" tech. Clicking on Technoligy should only make you ask the question "Is there any technology that you canexchange ?. Then, they will tell you "We have Industrialisation. Here is what we want for it." or "We have some tech you don't, but wont exchange them." or "You probably are technologicaly advanced.". Then, they propose you a certain tech (Industrialisation for example), but refuse it. Next turn, when (if) you contact them, you know they have it and you don't, so it will apear and you can ask for this specific tech. Same for money. They proposed you 200 Gold, so you know they had at least 200 Gold last turn and that's what it would be written.

So that's first part of the deal. My next reply will talk about that Victory screen.

 

[rhialto]

Assuming you have an embassy, the knowledge that they have any tech should be freely available, rpovided they have built an improvement that requires that tech.