I have to say I got elemental after the big december patch (mainly because walmart had it for 30 bucks and since I regestered it before the end of the year I got a free expansion pack) and I have to say I have not run into any bugs yet and have found it to be a extreamly fun game, although I have never played a fantsy tbs game.
Where are ciV competitors?
- Thread starter Ermak-
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I don't know of any 4X ones, no. That's not to say they don't exist, I just don't know about 'em. I'd love to find out if they do exist, though!
EU3 is real time, but you can slow it to a virtual crawl so that it's easily manageable the same way a turn-based game is. Plus, you can pause it, issue orders, etc. So, I suppose that the more accurate description is that it doesn't have distinctive "turns" because each side is "moving" at the same time, but you can make the game move incredibly slowly. The game models each individual day in each individual year, and pretty much any activity usually takes at least 3 days to accomplish, and most of the time takes a lot more than that. You can make each day take something like 10 seconds, or even pause the game entirely to issue orders. That said, if you want absolute TURNS, then yeah, EU3 ain't your game.
I never played EU2, so I can't really say how close to it EU3 is. I will say that each successive expansion of EU3 has made the game more interesting by adding new features and layers to the game.
For example, in all versions prior to Divine Wind, when you declared war on an enemy, the game automatically requested your allies to join you in the war. However, the game DIDN'T always automatically request that YOU join an ALLY when THEY went to war. The problem was that, if you declared and the ally said "No thanks", your relationship with them takes a major hit. Plus, saying "No thanks," (1) terminates ALL agreements (royal marriages, trade agreements, and I think even military access agreements), and (2) gives you a casus belli against them for breaking the truce. Plus, if the AI said YES, then sometimes, even as the "junior" partner in a war, they could end up nabbing provinces that you were trying to conquer. In several early games as the English, I'd have Portuguese allies landing troops in the Scottish highlands -- lands that I wanted for MYSELF -- which they'd then capture for themselves. So, now I've got to deal with subduing the Scots AND at some point kicking the Portuguese out. Thanks guys. Next time, just stay home and send us a bottle of port, ok?
Divine Wind changed that so that now you can specifically request that an ally join you in a war. Meaning that you won't take the negative hit to relations/agreements if they say "no", and you won't have to deal with them nabbing lands you want if they say "yes."
I still haven't picked up Divine Wind, but I plan to.
Oh, side note: I found out that there is apparently a "Freeware" version of Master of Orion in development, called "FreeOrion." It doesn't use any code or, I believe, graphics from the previous games, but it uses the same design concepts as, I think, MOO2.
That's one of the best parts about Divine Wind I think. Calling in Allies only when you want them improves the game a lot.
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On another note, I just picked up Master of Magic (a classic turn based fantasy strategy game) for $5.99 off of GOG.com (Good old games) They have a pretty good selection of the classics.
I also picked up the Age of Wonder Trilogy with soundtrack for $19.99 off of impulse. Supposedly this will be available on GOG and Steam soon as well. This is another excellent turn based fantasy strategy game. There's lots of cool mods and a pretty cool website called Ages of Wonders II Heaven. http://aow2.heavengames.com/
Although these games aren't new, they are still highly entertaining after all these years.
If you like Elemental (I certainly do and it's going to get a lot, lot better with Fallen Enchantress the first expansion/stand alone game) then you'll love the inspiration for making Elemental. That inspiration was Master of Magic and Age of Wonders I and II.
You can see some info on that in my above post.
Glad you like Elemental. Stardock has really turned that game around.
blind biker
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On the same note - so did I
GOG.com is a Gogsend, IMHO. And they do have AOW, don't they?
*logs into GOG.com*
Yes, here they are:
AGE OF WONDERS
AGE OF WONDERS 2: THE WIZARD'S THRONE
AGE OF WONDERS: SHADOW MAGIC
*looks at total price*
Ooohhh.... now I see.....
The AOW trilogy on Impulse, is it DRM-protected?
On the same note - so did I
GOG.com is a Gogsend, IMHO. And they do have AOW, don't they?
*logs into GOG.com*
Yes, here they are:
AGE OF WONDERS
AGE OF WONDERS 2: THE WIZARD'S THRONE
AGE OF WONDERS: SHADOW MAGIC
*looks at total price*
Ooohhh.... now I see.....
The AOW trilogy on Impulse, is it DRM-protected?
Not sure about that.
I fired out AOW II SM last night anyway. Pretty fun stuff.
I assume it's $19.95 on GOG for the trilogy as well?
blind biker
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It's 9.99 + 9.99 + 5.99
So, you're saying you don't know if the AOW from Impulse has DRM or not? Does Impulse typically use DRM for the games they sell? I know GOG doesn't, ever. And I know Steam does, always. I know nothing about Impulse.
It's 9.99 + 9.99 + 5.99
So, you're saying you don't know if the AOW from Impulse has DRM or not? Does Impulse typically use DRM for the games they sell? I know GOG doesn't, ever. And I know Steam does, always. I know nothing about Impulse.
Impulse does not have DRM.
Stardock (the owners of Impulse) don't believe in DRM. They've been pretty vocal about it. I respect them for their stance although some unscrupulous people are taking advantage of it.
Interesting article here:
http://www.neowin.net/news/stardock-anti-drm-stance-not-working
Here Stardock explains why they have no DRM:
http://gametheoryonline.com/2010/09/08/drm-video-game-pirate-piracy/
just thought i would throw this in here
stardock is a great company and i wish them the best of luck. A couple of years ago they released the "gamers bill of rights"
doesnt mean bugger all, but it is a great way to build a loyal following
* Gamers shall have the right to return games that dont work with their computers for a full refund.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a games release.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect that games wont install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
* Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
* Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
* Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.
stardock is a great company and i wish them the best of luck. A couple of years ago they released the "gamers bill of rights"
doesnt mean bugger all, but it is a great way to build a loyal following
* Gamers shall have the right to return games that dont work with their computers for a full refund.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a games release.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.
* Gamers shall have the right to expect that games wont install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
* Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
* Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
* Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
* Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.
Great stuff. Also, when they violated one of these rights by the disastrous launch of Elemental, they issued a sincere apology and are doing everything in their power to fix it. They have hired some excellent talent and are willing to take a potential loss in order to make it up to their fans. They are also offering the first two expansions for free to anyone who bought the game before October and the first expansion free if you bought the game before the new year. Even now, if you buy the game you'll get the first expansion at a big discount.
It's refreshing to see a company that clearly gives a damn about their customers.
Anthropoid
Grognard fantome
About that story, I thought this comment seemed like a reasonable explanation
Impulse does not have DRM.
Stardock (the owners of Impulse) don't believe in DRM. They've been pretty vocal about it. I respect them for their stance although some unscrupulous people are taking advantage of it.
Interesting article here:
http://www.neowin.net/news/stardock-anti-drm-stance-not-working
Here Stardock explains why they have no DRM:
http://gametheoryonline.com/2010/09/08/drm-video-game-pirate-piracy/
Ah ok. Well that sounds good. I'd hate to see Stardock get screwed over by pirates like that. Thanks for that.
blind biker
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Basically: DRM doesn't stop piracy (at all!!!!) and lack of DRM doesn't encourage it.
I know games that were DRM-ed through the wazoo, and they appeared nicely cracked and downloadable in a matter of days after release. Of course, the cracked game was much, much, much more convenient to use than the DRM-ed-to-death, official version.
I know games that were DRM-ed through the wazoo, and they appeared nicely cracked and downloadable in a matter of days after release. Of course, the cracked game was much, much, much more convenient to use than the DRM-ed-to-death, official version.
Anthropoid
Grognard fantome
Based on what I know, I doubt that anything more than a serial key achieves anything other than to promote piracy and indeed to undermine good relations between a game firm and its customers. There will always be criminals, and no amount of security measures will eliminate all of them. However, a system largely based on honor, respect, reciprocity and good relations generally does wonders for reducing criminal exploitation.
Would love to have a 2K marketing research analyst come on here and provide me with some actual data contradicting my thoughts, but I doubt that any of these companies that have used or are contemplating using more intrusive forms of DRM have even bothered to think about it in an open-minded fashion, much less to conduct research to address whether it is effective or not. Defensiveness is instinctive when you feel alienated and vulnerable, as I believe many of the execs in firms like 2K feel with respect to their consumers.
Would love to have a 2K marketing research analyst come on here and provide me with some actual data contradicting my thoughts, but I doubt that any of these companies that have used or are contemplating using more intrusive forms of DRM have even bothered to think about it in an open-minded fashion, much less to conduct research to address whether it is effective or not. Defensiveness is instinctive when you feel alienated and vulnerable, as I believe many of the execs in firms like 2K feel with respect to their consumers.
For what it's worth, it got excellent reviews. Of course we all know reviews are pretty well worthless since Civilization 5 got such glowing reviews.
So...
It is kind of a nice blend of a TBS and an RTS. Somewhat unique in that aspect. It's got very nice graphics and a decent AI with very nice music. The AI is competent enough and will provide you with a decent challenge.
I haven't personally played it too much lately but the people on the Stardock forums quite like it. Space games aren't my favourite thing (I'm more of a Fantasy fan.) but this one won me ever.
Since it's a Stardock product, you won't have intrusive DRM to worry about and the product will be updated fairly regularly.
There is a demo available so that you can try it out yourself.
A good down to earth review is found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY-NSNhgydY
I'd recommend it personally.
j51
Blue Star Cadet
It's a shame; it seems all the turn-based alternatives are either fantasy or sci-fi.
blind biker
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Most of the universe is vacuum. You can interpret that twofold: the intergalactic, interstellar space is all vacuum (pretty much) and... atoms are mostly vacuum (99.99%). Does this mean that no enterprising company will step in and make a Civ alternative?
Maybe.
Most of the universe is vacuum. You can interpret that twofold: the intergalactic, interstellar space is all vacuum (pretty much) and... atoms are mostly vacuum (99.99%). Does this mean that no enterprising company will step in and make a Civ alternative?
Maybe.
Well...if you really want to get technical about it. I didn't make up the idiom.
Anyway:
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/nature+abhors+a+vacuum.html
As stated by j51, there is a need for a good new historical TBS game. Since nothing of that sort has come out for awhile, I'm sure someone will step in and fill the void. Not having a good Civ game is unnatural.
I hope...
blind biker
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As stated by j51, there is a need for a good new historical TBS game. Since nothing of that sort has come out for awhile, I'm sure someone will step in and fill the void. Not having a good Civ game is unnatural.
I hope...
I am 100% sure that we all hope you're right
And here's even a better answer
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