PTW mood test: which do you want?

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

This level of polish seemed prevalent throughout our time playtesting Play The World, and is no doubt a by-product of the excitement Morris and his team have for the game

I read about PTW and was shocked! They focus on polish (opening animation!!!! ) instead of lots of other things (or at least they never name the ones that are the biggies here).

So I'd like to know how you all feel: What is more important to you: 'polish' (smooth scrolling, opening animation) or an On/Off switch for Culture Flipping?

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

to explain to all newbies: culture flipping can absolutely ruin any WWI or WWII scenario aside from being a MAJOR issue for some players.

opening animation and smooth scrolling are the two 'polish' things named, smooth scrolling is said to address 'game speed perception' (means you *think* it runs faster???)

 

[ainwood]

What? They're putting in a Polish civ!


( )



Ummmmm......

There was also something about "they are ahead of schedule and doing lots of play-testing". All I want is a pack that is bug-free and stable, and works as-designed. I guess stable and bug-free comes under "polish".

Personally, I don't mind culture flipping, at least now that you don't tend to lose your entire invading force (unless you do something stupid...)

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

ainwood: 'polish' is opening animation and stuff, bug-free and stable is minimun requirements

 

[Shabbaman]

Killer, always love voting on your polls, and I know that you love my constructive comments...

So this time, I'll give a more content-based comment:
polish smolish.
It's about the game, innit? More options i.e. power to the player! Opening animations are nice the first time, but I've bought civ3 a long time ago, and I've seen enough opening animations. I've bought a game which was crippled by bugs (and some other things) but I like it enough to buy PTW. But if they invest in 'polishing', I'm the one who pays for it! To make sure they make some money out of it, they'll probably make it a 'stand alone', so my original civ3 is worthless. That sucks.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Shabbaman! You sick?????

1) You vote the same way I do!

2) You explain why!

3) You missed the in my reply to your reply to the last poll!!!!

 

[Shabbaman]

Shame on me...

 

[ainwood]

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.
ainwood: 'polish' is opening animation and stuff, bug-free and stable is minimun requirements

I don't disagree with you - in an ideal world.

However, in the original Civ III release, there were so many bugs to make most believe that the release had been hurried, and not play-tested properly.

I guess I should have voted in the spirit of what you were saying (which I agree with) rather than just putting "my" slant on it.

To summarise: I'd sooner have the culture flipping switch than lots of nice animated movies.

However, I'd sooner have a bug-free game than either of the above.



P.S. I hardly think that completing the opening animation should be thought of as "polish" from the Firaxis viewpoint! If I was Jeff Morris, and I gave people a deadline, I would expect them to meet it. They did have 6 months after all.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Originally posted by ainwood
To summarise: I'd sooner have the culture flipping switch than lots of nice animated movies.

However, I'd sooner have a bug-free game than either of the above.

I think this summarizes all there is to say about it!

 

[Level]

the 'polish' is things they don't need but make the game more user frendly and funner to play (smooth scrolling, opening animation, more buttons, better help, game options, scenaio manager, more units, etc.).

They already will have the on/off switch, whould you rather them not add 'polish' because of this?

 

[Pygzilla]

On/OFF

I'll probably never use it but maybe the switch will turn off the CF rants

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

level: I do NOT interpret the atricle that way! They say Civ flipping will be on/off, but city flipping isn't even mentioned! So let us assume it does NOT get a switch - wouldn't it suck to get an awesome intro movie, but still no switch? And no wonder movies, and no leader creation ones, btw, that would maek sense, but a nice into?????? I'll watch it once, when I get bored....

 

[Pygzilla]

Killer, I think CIV flipping is the same as CF. Whole civs don't flip.

That would save time on my cultural assimulation of MAO though. :<

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Pygzilla: read the stuff again! i think it is a bit ridiculous, but they do put ridiculous stuff in Civ3, so why not? and it DOES read like Civ Flipping to me!

 

[rangers85]

Originally posted by Lt. 'Killer' M.
level: I do NOT interpret the atricle that way! They say Civ flipping will be on/off, but city flipping isn't even mentioned! So let us assume it does NOT get a switch - wouldn't it suck to get an awesome intro movie, but still no switch? And no wonder movies, and no leader creation ones, btw, that would maek sense, but a nice into?????? I'll watch it once, when I get bored....

So you want wonder movie and leader creation movies, but don't want polish? Wouldn't wonder & leader creation movies be polish as well? That's what confuses me about your last post.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

rangers85: No, I do want polsih, but IF they give us polish, at least give us nice polish, not a stupid intro movie and scrolling that 'seems' to make the game faster!

priorities are: (and you understood my post very well!!!!)

1) bug-free

2) user-friendly (this is where on/off-switches come in, and stack moves and so on)

3) nice to look at (movies and so on

4) extra presentation (intro movies and so on)

 

[Pygzilla]

"If you're a major cultural power with a lot of libraries or wonders, things that generate a lot of cultures, next to a culturally weak civ, that civ might 'flip' to your side and defect."

From the gamespy article.
If it is talking about the whole Civ it wouldn't be defection IMHO. Although it could be argued they defected from their leader.

They also say that players either love or hate Civ flipping. I think it is City flips because it's the only one that exists at this time to love or hate.

In my current game China's flippin me a city every 10 to 15 turns. and were allies against the Aztecs. I think it A CF should affect a civs attitude toward me. I'm angry when a city flips so should the AI.

Hope I don't get band for Culture flip disc.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

Pygzilla:

(whispers so mods do not hear) they do get angry, it just doesn't show sometimes when there's thing making them happy.

 

[jpowers]

From a software development background, I'd say that although 'polish' might sound like cool graphics and spell-checking the help files, in reality, it means that the programmers have a chance to test some of the options in the game before it goes out the door. If you want a game with minimal bugs and fewer than 8 patches per year, let them 'polish' to their hearts' content.

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

jpowers: why the f*** do they then call the opening animation 'polish'???????

Hey, if they'd tell us: "uh, we's gonna playtest that baby a LOT before we release it, especially now that we are ahead of schedule, y'know?" - man would we love them!!!!