Why is FFH2 special?

[[to_xp]Gekko]

just curious to know you guys' opinions on what it is in particular about FFH2 that makes you ( us ) like it so much

I'll have a go at #1:

1) it doesn't follow the usual fantasy clichè that ALL ( and I may repeat ad nauseam, ALL ) fantasy games have. you know, humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, undead etc. always being exactly the same in every game I played ( and I played lots of 'em btw ) . FFH2 , despite being a fantasy-based title itself, doesn't necessarily follow all of that overused stuff, and many, many units in the game have a unit feel instead of having boring factions in which all the units pretty much have the same abilities. but it's not just that, it's the feel of it. it feels original, not just the usual elves vs dwarves, knights vs undead stuff. it's more complex, more deep and more intriguing. well, enough rambling on for now, I'll leave it to ya

 

[Kael]

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

good one. I don't think I've seen guys like those in other games. well the warlords series ( loved that ) had the 4 horsemen of famine, death, war and plague, but they were very different indeed

 

[KillerClowns]

Taking Kael's response to be #2... and continuing on it...
#3: Even when it takes the fantasy prototypes, they end up suitably warped. Elves, for instance. Merciful, long-lived, philosophical wood elves, gently contemplating nature? A good read of Amelchier's [sp?] 'pedia or the one for the Disciple of Leaves will destroy that image. Holy knights of goodness and righteousness, destroying evil wherever it rises up? That sums up the Bannor pretty well. Just add in a healthy dose of fascism and a side of potential genocide to taste.

 

[Ahriman]

To be honest, the original setting (though nice) isn't really what does it for me; I could still have tons of fun with just cookie-cutter-generic tolkeinesque fantasy. (And, actually, I would absolutely *love* a Middle-earth modmod based on the Fall From Heaven engine).

What does it for me is:
a) Genuinely different factions. The most boring part of vanilla civ is that all the factions still play pretty much the same.
b) Genuinely alternative tech paths. Again, in vanilla civ every faction follows the same basic order through history, so every faction is getting the same techs and is using the same units. Here, the wide tech path means that you'll be facing different units from different factions, and that you get replayability from playing with different units each time.
c) Magic and religions. Magic is just tons of fun. And the Religions are fantastic, and their different benefits again adds a ton of variety and replayability.
d) A roleplay element I can get into. I couldn't care less whether my neighbors are French, German or Chinese, but I'm definitely much more likely to support someone who shares my alignment and ethos. It makes me actually care about building sustainable alliances.

The main weaknesses of FFH for me are:
i) Poor victory conditions. I abandon almost every game before I "win" because there is such a big distance between becoming the biggest and most powerful faction by far and actually winning the game. Also, the AI is never any threat at all for any of these victory conditions. There's no lategame tension of fighting your way across a continent in a race against time to try to stop another faction from finishing their spaceship.
ii) Lack of interesting Wonders. There aren't that many wonders seriously worth building (Guild of Hammers, Great Library, the +2 culture per specialist one, the free techs ones.) One of things I love most about civ is the wide variety of interesting and powerful Wonders to build.
iii) Weakness of culture. The lack of culture makes city flipping almost impossible (and a cultural victory a near joke), making military conquest basically the only way to play.

 

[Pernodboi]

Would this be #7?

I like the 'in' jokes/references. HP Lovecraft, muppets and fables, oh my!

Whenever I run across a story or word I'm not familiar with - the research into finding the meaning is fun.

Where else would a Cthulu mythos run up against a nation who's female leader is based on the origins of Gautama Buddha?

 

[reverend oats]

#8
Extra xp and heroes make your units unique and powerful, and it's fun to see your starting warrior go on to become a civilization-destroying immortal.

 

[fuzzy_bunnies]

Layer upon layer of strategy. Seriously... they weren't joking when they said each civ plays different depending on which religion and which specialization you choose. I keep getting myself killed because I still can't wrap my brain around all the options and nuances.

 

[thewyrm]

Civilization is my favorite video game of all time. Ever since the very first one on my old 486, I have been playing it for hours at a time. I would slave over the game, devour every aspect of it. Every single sequel, every expansion, played for hours on end. I LOVE Civilization. Love it.

I have not played a single game of vanilla Civ since the day I downloaded FFH2 for the first time. That is how great this game is.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

well from the look of these first posts it seems to be common consensus that a very important asset of FFH2 is that all civilizations have a REALLY different playstyle, while in BTS you had a couple UU, a UB and a couple traits. not bad, but after a while it starts to feel the same. Replayability is the name of the game in FFH2

 

[Caradoc]

FFH starts with the exemplary mechanics of Civilization, perfected over four major versions. The map is clear and crisp. Everything you need to know is right in front of you. The Civilopedia is the best online doc ever. The mouse interface is complete and convenient. Saves and loads are fast and reliable. The AI is extremely fast.

FFH builds on that with an elaborate system of promotions and upgrades that makes unit development more interesting than the base game, and then adds magic and religion.

Add to this a prolific dev team that keeps the game evolving and group of modmodders to add even more variety and you get a game that never grows old.

And I suppose I should mention that it is free!

 

[Ahriman]

And I suppose I should mention that it is free!

Not really, I had to pay 20 bucks for it.

Oh, wait, you mean BTS also came with other content you could use by itself?

 

[Nikis-Knight]

just curious to know you guys' opinions on what it is in particular about FFH2 that makes you ( us ) like it so much

Kael has put a ton of hard work, intricate backstory, and a talent for game design together with an extremely helpful testing community and team members skilled at and excited with our project--and has maintained that over years and more than a dozen versions. Bugs are fixed with amazing speed and features that don't improve the game are ruthlessly eliminated.
The result is a free game mod that I've played more than any game I've ever bought, which is pretty impressive. Civ 4 was great, but FfH 2 takes the ultimate in addictive gameplay to a whole new level.

 

[Avahz Darkwood]

*looks around the room that smells of stale food and body odor* Humm didn't I have a wife and two kids at one time?!? Oh well back to the game....

 

[westamastaflash]

I love the flavor units. I can be a Lurchip Golem Mechanist Powerhouse, and then the next game a Cthulhu worshiping Pirate, and then an evil Vampire. Not to mention a hot evil elven girl.

If only late game wasn't so slow... Darn AI taking 30 seconds per turn!

 

[civ_king]

*looks around the room that smells of stale food and body odor* Humm didn't I have a wife and two kids at one time?!?(playing as calabim) Oh well back to the game.... and my pint o blood

 

[orangelex44]

Because you cacn build a city called Death Fort.

 

[Amerigo Arturo]

Its the best game ever. Period.

 

[seZereth]

Kael has put a ton of hard work, intricate backstory, and a talent for game design together with an extremely helpful testing community and team members skilled at and excited with our project--and has maintained that over years and more than a dozen versions. Bugs are fixed with amazing speed and features that don't improve the game are ruthlessly eliminated.
The result is a free game mod that I've played more than any game I've ever bought, which is pretty impressive. Civ 4 was great, but FfH 2 takes the ultimate in addictive gameplay to a whole new level.

I think it is the big passion of the team members (and the clear vision of our masterchief) combined with the possibility to work with the community and without pressure from any producers or money concerns. That comes because it is "free" and thats why it stays free.

 

[Jabie]

More polish than Warsaw.