Civ3 v1.16f (R.Dec.7,2001)
About 100+ hours logged, always Regent.
PIII 500
256 MB RAM
Diamond Viper V770 Ultra 32 MB
Win98SE
All in no particular order...
PROBLEMS
~~~~~~~~
A1) Sound stutters when moving units, usually when
it's the first unit for that turn. Waiting a few
seconds at start of turn before moving first unit
reduces the problem.
A2) Cultural boundaries are not showing up in
vegetation squares.
A3) [Several reports of this already] In diplomacy
if an AI proposes a deal and you try to make the
deal better *for them*, they will not accept it (and
the Foreign Advisor warns of such). Clear the table
and restore the original deal and the AI will take it.
A4) In diplomacy, AI won't return bids if I offer cities.
A5) [Many reports of this already] Some relationship
lines are not appearing on the Foreign Advisor screen
(i.e., in-contact AI are not showing as connected to
each other).
A6) [Some reports of this already] One of the civs in
a game of 8 civs total does not appear on the Foreign
Advisor screen. When putting the mouse over the "blank
spot", a large yellow circle appears, and the advisor
text indicates it's someone other than the missing
civ. Clicking on that circle doesn't go to the missing
civ. However the missing civ can be contacted through
the other methods in the game.
A7) [Some reports of this already] Notice not being
received of availability of Palace improvements. In
addition, all Palace improvements sometimes disappear
and have to be rebuilt when next available. This is
visible both on the Palace screen, and in the bird's-eye
view of the capital city.
A8) [Some reports of this already] I captured the only
2 cities an AI had. That exact same turn (1100BC) a
new city for that Civ appeared clear across the
continent behind another Civ's territory. 3 turns later
in 1025BC, a second city appeared next to it.
A9) [Mixed reports of this already] With regards to
corruption, the effects of Democracy are identical to
those of Republic (as compared immediately before and
after revolution).
STRANGE OBSERVATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
B1) [Already reported] AI's don't build fortresses
(extreme opposite of Civ2!).
B2) [Already reported] Several AI in one game are
not buildings harbors (it's AD1500), while all others
have one in almost every coastal city.
B3) This simply for amusement: it's AD1500 and there
hasn't been a single war in my game. Anywhere. Ever
QUESTIONS/REQUESTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C1) Does leftover research from a tech discovery
carry-over into the next tech? Is research progress
lost when switching between techs?
C2) Does garrison strength affect the likelihood a
city will defect?
C3) Why are there many more bizarre combat outcomes
in Civ3 than in Civ2? (Outcomes are highly random;
Civ3 seems more like Civ.)
C4) It would be nice to be able to toggle on/off
a display of city radii on the map. This was a
(patched-in) feature in either SMAC or Civ2 (can't
remember which). It helps immensely when placing new
cities.
C5) A better method than mouse-over would be good for
checking AI reports in the Foreign Advisor screen. Single
click on the AI's face to cycle reports, CTRL-click,
anything.
C6) An option to disable mouse scrolling of the main
map would be greatly appreciated! (Didn't SMAC have
that?)
C7) There is no way to check on the details of trade
relations without contacting the AI in question. I
want to know item/money details, durations, etc.
Intuitively one would expect all of this info to be
accessible on the Trade Advisor screen.
COMMENTS
~~~~~~~~
I was disappointed by the manual and the L.E. box
contents. No useful reference cards. Not worthy of
the Sid line. Rate contents 5/10.
I like Civ3's simplicity compared to SMAC and Civ2, which
were just too tedious. It's much more remniscient of Civ.
But with it's present issues, I couldn't rate it much
more than a 7/10. Strategy games are too easily
imbalanced by a small number of problems. It's a tough
project, but I am liking what I've seen so far! I hope
the fixes keep coming..., well, I hope they stop
eventually...
Thanx,
KDJ
