First off, I'm a loyal Civ fan and I've been playing since the original Colonization game came out in 1994. I just purchased a new computer and bought CIV4 Col the other day and had a chance to play it this week after patching. My questions / comments / complaints / observations.
Dislikes:
1) I'm not a fan of the absence of the custom house. This was an integral part of the first game and the "warehouse expansion" doesn't sell overflow the way it describes in
the game guide. For example I was producing nearly 40 guns / turn and the computer would only sell the "overflow" (I had over 600 in stock) at something like 4 guns every third turn. As a result, many of my boycotting items reached ~700 in the warehouse and were more like to be "wasted" every turn rather than sold.
2) The fiddle / violin music is absolutely terrible. I know they were trying to go for a period piece but as someone with a decent amount of musical education the sharp stringed instruments are like nails on a chalkboard. However, I thoroughly enjoy the CIV4 music and would like to find out how to import it.
3) No foreign interdiction. Makes sinking the kings MOW's nearly impossible and makes the revolutionary war very difficult.
4) Very difficult to tell guns and tools apart in the commodities menu. I'd suggest a new graphic.
5) No way to train planters, ore miners, etc... In the original game I could always stick a planter in the college and specialize my colonies to produce alot of 1 good. Also, there's virtually no way to turn a "militia" into a veteran soldier I've discovered yet (I could send them to college in the original).
6) Seems like there are very few squares that produce sugar compared to any other commodity (except silver of course).
7) Ships return to really strange locations after you purchase them. Sometimes 9-10 turns away.
8) I've read the game manual and don't like how you can't purchase less than 100 of a good. Typically I'd just spend my leftover money on some trade goods but you can't purchase only 45 units. Also, seems like the natives don't give as much for trade goods as they did in Col1. I'll buy it for 300 and barely get 400.
9) I always counted on the unit promotion when you declared independence. "In New Amsterdam 10 Veteran Dragoons have been promoted to Continental Dragoon." It was based on the % rebel sentiment of the colonies and allowed you to be more competitive with the King's forces.
10) The bombard effect of attacking with cannon (and damage to all units) seems hard to overcome without foreign interdiction and unit upgrades.
11) Why does it seem that the Dutch (my favorite) always start at the bottom of the "random" map?
12) Seems the best strategy is just to build 1 port city and the rest inland. In the old game you'd get random Tory militias attacking your settlements inland if you tried this strategy. Now, I just pool all my soldiers to 1 city because it's very difficult to defend more than 1 against the king.
13) Dragging goods into and out of cargo holds, and colonists into buildings, require near surgical precision.
14) No way to plant forests or otherwise terraform once you remove a tile's resources.
15) I don't like how free colonists don't randomly become experts anymore. In freecol (freecol.org) they had a system where units built up experience based on how long they've worked growing, whether the tile was a bonus tile, etc... I think that system is superior.
16) Don't like how if, say for example, I have a colonist producing 4 tobacco and I have a tobacconist who can produce 6 cigars that every single turn I'm reminded that "New Amsterdam has run out of [tobacco icon]." It's not that it ran out, I'm just not producing enough!
17) Not really a dislike, more of a neutral, because I like that there are other resources on the map (bananas, iron, etc) but I would love it there were more resources to cultivate (incense, dye, etc).
Likes:
1) The graphics and engine. The Civ4 engine is solid.
2) Like the enhanced trade with the indians and europeans.
3) The battle engine is excellent. Although I was a bit shocked to discover that units are no longer "routed' and lose horses after an unsuccessful attack. Lost my first game this way
4) I like what they did with the founding fathers. Makes the game much more playable not having to wait for Peter Minuit, Hernan Cortes, George Washington, and Peter howeveryouspellitvant before you can really play the game.
5) Goody huts and gaining experience is great. Also love that "your expedition vanishes without a trace!" is gone.
6) Like how you can train more than 1 colonist at a native settlement. (ie: "sorry we have already taught our skills to a European" is gone)
7) Like the cultural border expansion from CIV4, and that the native settlements disappear after awhile.
8) Like that the natives will train petty criminals in this version, also that you can train Elder Statesmen without a University. Additionally, I like how you can stick a native in the schoolhouse and "educate" them.
Overall, I really appreciate SM's attempt at bringing this game back. The original is a cult classic and had/has alot of devoted followers still left and I snatched the game up as soon as I was able.
Dislikes:
1) I'm not a fan of the absence of the custom house. This was an integral part of the first game and the "warehouse expansion" doesn't sell overflow the way it describes in
the game guide. For example I was producing nearly 40 guns / turn and the computer would only sell the "overflow" (I had over 600 in stock) at something like 4 guns every third turn. As a result, many of my boycotting items reached ~700 in the warehouse and were more like to be "wasted" every turn rather than sold.
2) The fiddle / violin music is absolutely terrible. I know they were trying to go for a period piece but as someone with a decent amount of musical education the sharp stringed instruments are like nails on a chalkboard. However, I thoroughly enjoy the CIV4 music and would like to find out how to import it.
3) No foreign interdiction. Makes sinking the kings MOW's nearly impossible and makes the revolutionary war very difficult.
4) Very difficult to tell guns and tools apart in the commodities menu. I'd suggest a new graphic.
5) No way to train planters, ore miners, etc... In the original game I could always stick a planter in the college and specialize my colonies to produce alot of 1 good. Also, there's virtually no way to turn a "militia" into a veteran soldier I've discovered yet (I could send them to college in the original).
6) Seems like there are very few squares that produce sugar compared to any other commodity (except silver of course).
7) Ships return to really strange locations after you purchase them. Sometimes 9-10 turns away.
8) I've read the game manual and don't like how you can't purchase less than 100 of a good. Typically I'd just spend my leftover money on some trade goods but you can't purchase only 45 units. Also, seems like the natives don't give as much for trade goods as they did in Col1. I'll buy it for 300 and barely get 400.
9) I always counted on the unit promotion when you declared independence. "In New Amsterdam 10 Veteran Dragoons have been promoted to Continental Dragoon." It was based on the % rebel sentiment of the colonies and allowed you to be more competitive with the King's forces.
10) The bombard effect of attacking with cannon (and damage to all units) seems hard to overcome without foreign interdiction and unit upgrades.
11) Why does it seem that the Dutch (my favorite) always start at the bottom of the "random" map?
12) Seems the best strategy is just to build 1 port city and the rest inland. In the old game you'd get random Tory militias attacking your settlements inland if you tried this strategy. Now, I just pool all my soldiers to 1 city because it's very difficult to defend more than 1 against the king.
13) Dragging goods into and out of cargo holds, and colonists into buildings, require near surgical precision.
14) No way to plant forests or otherwise terraform once you remove a tile's resources.
15) I don't like how free colonists don't randomly become experts anymore. In freecol (freecol.org) they had a system where units built up experience based on how long they've worked growing, whether the tile was a bonus tile, etc... I think that system is superior.
16) Don't like how if, say for example, I have a colonist producing 4 tobacco and I have a tobacconist who can produce 6 cigars that every single turn I'm reminded that "New Amsterdam has run out of [tobacco icon]." It's not that it ran out, I'm just not producing enough!
17) Not really a dislike, more of a neutral, because I like that there are other resources on the map (bananas, iron, etc) but I would love it there were more resources to cultivate (incense, dye, etc).
Likes:
1) The graphics and engine. The Civ4 engine is solid.
2) Like the enhanced trade with the indians and europeans.
3) The battle engine is excellent. Although I was a bit shocked to discover that units are no longer "routed' and lose horses after an unsuccessful attack. Lost my first game this way
4) I like what they did with the founding fathers. Makes the game much more playable not having to wait for Peter Minuit, Hernan Cortes, George Washington, and Peter howeveryouspellitvant before you can really play the game.
5) Goody huts and gaining experience is great. Also love that "your expedition vanishes without a trace!" is gone.
6) Like how you can train more than 1 colonist at a native settlement. (ie: "sorry we have already taught our skills to a European" is gone)
7) Like the cultural border expansion from CIV4, and that the native settlements disappear after awhile.
8) Like that the natives will train petty criminals in this version, also that you can train Elder Statesmen without a University. Additionally, I like how you can stick a native in the schoolhouse and "educate" them.
Overall, I really appreciate SM's attempt at bringing this game back. The original is a cult classic and had/has alot of devoted followers still left and I snatched the game up as soon as I was able.
