No downloadable content

[da_Vinci]

As a rule, the only data source I regularly consult is the "Deal History" screen, so that I can force RAs to give me the techs I want, know when I can expect more cash, and know when to fund new Research Agreements.

How do you "force" an RA to give you the tech you want? Isn't it a random selection from what is available? Or are there selections rules I don't know about?

I am sure you can constrain the range of what you might get, but force a particular one?

On a related note ... I often self-research the cheap techs so that the RA has to give me a more expensive tech ... but if the RA were always going to give me the most expensive tech, then I'd research to open up the ones I really need. So the nuances of this mechanic have big implications.

dV

 

[Robert Smith]

How do you "force" an RA to give you the tech you want? Isn't it a random selection from what is available? Or are there selections rules I don't know about?

Research blocking

 

[ShadeSigma]

I don't think it should be much of a big deal. Like if the creators of the official game comes out with exp. Brennos Leader of the Celts DLC, that's a part of the game. I'm pretty sure everyone would want to use them. It's the other ones made by users that should be excluded. Mongolia, Babylon, and Polynesia should stay in. IMO

 

[da_Vinci]

Research blocking

That's a win for "selection rules I don't know about?"

Thanks.

OK, so some of the blocking strategeis talk about signing 5 RA at once. Where is everyone getting the cash to have 5x cash yourself, and assure that the AI all have 1x cash each times five? I often have to give the AI cash so we can cut a deal.

I have managed two or three at once by selling off resources, maybe at really high diff the AI are rich enough that 5 will work?

dV

 

[Sun Tzu Wu]

I don't think it should be much of a big deal. Like if the creators of the official game comes out with exp. Brennos Leader of the Celts DLC, that's a part of the game. I'm pretty sure everyone would want to use them. It's the other ones made by users that should be excluded. Mongolia, Babylon, and Polynesia should stay in. IMO

DLC should be Free:

DLC should be free, but with Civ V it rarely is. If the game developers/marketers make a real substantial improvement to the game similar to how "Warlords" and "Beyond the Sword" made huge changes to the underlying game system, that would be worth paying for. So far, DLC adds only a new Leader/Civ. Such a trivial addition to the game deserves no payment.

Poor Game Balance in DLC:

Some of these DLC Leaders/Civs are extremely unbalanced with respect to the other Leaders/Civs. I frankly think that the best modders may provide better balanced Leaders/Civ for free than what the "official" channels seem to put out for a fee.

Steal (Steam):

I'm still unhappy about Firaxis using Steal (Steam) for distribution. An application should never require registration with a third party. Software should never, ever make changes to a user's system without their permission and never do so automatically without the user's express permission and must allow a manual update method for those users that insist upon full control over their own systems. I'm still steaming mad about Steal (Steam) using what amounts to a overt Trojan exploit to get on my system.

There should be a Stealless (Steamless) Civ V for those players that prefer or insist on it. All Steal (Steam) has been good for so far is steal (steam) money from naive players for practically worthless (overpowered) DLC Leaders/Civs.

Sun Tzu Wu

 

[Firvulag]

I really don't get the Steam hate. It's a free thing. Not like we haven't had Gamespy and other MP helper things shoved into games for ever. This is an all in one place and has great specials for stuff you might want to try.

I don't get why DLC should 'all' be free. When in the past have we gotten some more Civs thrown at us for free? They've all been saved up and shoved onto expansion disks.

I agree though that some of the DLC are rather unbalanced, which to me is the only real reason to ban them totally. Having them separated since they're a premium content makes sense though. Not everyone bought expansions to previous Civ games, not everyone will have all the DLC either.

Oh, and afaik, steam only updates your files when you tell it to if you disable the auto-update.

And you can always just kill the steam install after it's registered it and play single player off line for the rest of time...

 

[Neuro]

Honestly, the DLC is no worse balance-wise than the standard civs. Only Babylon qualifies as a power-civ, and it's no worse than Siam or some of the other common civs.

 

[ShadeSigma]

Especially Siam! LOL

But I don't really capture what's so wrong about the DLCs. Is it really that bad to have them in?

 

[iggymnrr]

I'll stick with Steam to manage things. There are enough achievements to satisfy a person, DLC or not. Until an HoF mod becomes available this whole discussion is moot.

Apparently, even the civfanatics staff doesn't take the HoF seriously. There isn't even a link to it on the home page.