What do you do with patch notes?

[James T]

In tough economic times, I really like to maximize the value of each dollar I spend on entertainment. When a patch comes out, I consider the patch notes to be part of the content that I've purchased. I read them thoroughly, but that doesn't feel like enough. With the last patch, I tried printing them out and highlighting them. That was fun the first 5 or 6 times, but eventually got stale (plus i ran out of yellow highlighter, and I can't bring myself to use blue).

In search of inspiration, I decided to call a meeting of the minds. I don't have any friends, and as you can tell from this post, the cupboard is pretty bare in the "mind" department around here. The meeting was fairly awkward and unproductive - a lot of pregnant pauses and uncomfortable silence. I was going to give it up as a bad job when I remembered I had all those freshly printed patch notes. I made quick work of cutting them into paper dolls, set them up around the council table, and poured some tea. Problem solved.

Perhaps a little chagrined that nobody had thought to bring cookies, I may have put a little too much edge in my voice when I made it very clear that I wanted to stay focused on the topic at hand. That may have started things off on the wrong foot, because the conversation quickly devolved into bickering about the relative benefits and drawbacks of starting with a scout as build #1. As I ushered my guests out after a fruitless 3-hour session, my favorite, Annie, hung back. (I tell them I love them equally and am proud of them all, but it's hard not to rank Annie a notch higher. She's just so bright!) She suggested I save up my patch notes until the modern era and use them to chain-bulb the last 8 techs for a space victory. I thanked her, but inwardly shook my head.... Like I hadn't thought of that!

So now I turn to you, civfanatics. Please give me some new, creative ideas to help me further maximize the value I can get out of the patch notes I paid so much money for.

 

[ShunNakamura]

I had to say I don't read patch notes. At least not for CiV. See I don't have CiV(not desperate enough to tango with Steam), I only play on my friend's computer when I get the chance. As such he is the one who knows when it is patched up. I suppose I could try to follow harder. . . but meh. Also auto-patching in other games tends to cause me to miss patch notes.


However, back in the day with manual 'opt-in' patching I always checked the notes with at least a quick glance. However, I recall them not being the most user friendly of things when it came to finding 'atrocious' changes. So I also would look up the changes online to see if I overlooked a secondary effect of a change that would 'break' the game. I do recall often opting out of patches in single player games though(or even hunting down player hacks/mods(or trying to make my own) that put in the 'good' and left out the 'bad'). Another minus for Steam in my book.


Err. . . anyways so on automated systems with forced opt-in. . . no I don't bother much. Maybe a quick skim at most(to see if I want to bother even continue playing the game). Not like I got a choice in the matter anyways, right?

 

[Ellye]

Patch notes day for any game I play is a happy day! Stuff to read while at work!

 

[Mesix]

Doesn't Civfanatics give you enough to read at work?

 

[KM]

I allaways read patch notes with one thing in mind. What will be the new optimized build. What will be overpowered, what will not be worth building. Do I have to change where to settle cities etc. all the small things count in MP.

Right now the build is like this in ancient start, and that is pretty much everyone in MP, at least top players who win.

Build order, monument, scout, worker, settler settler settler settler settler settler....

Get liberty, extra settler then extra production, then worker...

Continue to secure lux and strat resources, settle on hill and work hill. pop capital 3 ish pop second 2 city ish pop the rest cities 1 ish.

Cram out swords, attack, .. after that it starts to vary a bit. if the oponent seems to hold off well and u r a bit short on iron get horsebackriding and continue to cram out units. Go production heavy. workshops up.... try to get the GA to survive economic crises during midleages... etc


This might change with a patch note. theefore I read them.

 

[eris]

I always read the patch notes in hopeful anticipation of new and interesting features or fixes, along with deep secret dread they will nerf the one strategy I have been able to find. For me, it has always been part of the Civ experience. If I read the multiple threads of speculation of what is going to happen, of course I am going to read the official word.

 

[qalsip1977]

Sometimes I scan them, sometimes I don't, but I never read them all. Generally speaking I just don't have the time...

 

[KevinTMC]

I love this post so much. (Maybe because it hits a little close to home. I've spent an hour or two myself compiling and formatting patch notes so I'd have a nice little omnibus printout.)

Well done. Though I would recommend you toss caution to the wind and use that blue highlighter next time. Life is short...live a little!