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Author Topic:   Why do _you_ like to play SMAC?

OhWell posted 05-07-99 08:40 AM ET
Why do _you_ like to play games like SMAC? There is an addictive JOMT quality to games like CIV, SMAC and MOO. But why do _you_ keep coming back for more, turn after turn? What is it that keeps _you_ glued to the keyboard for hours, ignoring mundane chores like eating and sleeping?
MikeH II posted 05-07-99 08:49 AM ET
Rewards, things like getting pictures on the monolith in SMAC or improving your throne room in CivI/II it's not really one more turn for me, it's I'll just capture that city or I'll just finish that project.
LoD posted 05-07-99 10:00 AM ET
Well, as any other game, it provides a challenge. Only in this case, it's *the* Challenge (except for the cheating AI, of course), and beating the game provides a significant amount of satisfaction. Also, as MikeH II points out, there are other rewards.
LoD
Corvus Corax posted 05-07-99 10:21 AM ET
Same long term motivation as with Civ II & MOOII - beat my high score. AKA 'when I manage a 1000% score, I shall die a happy man' syndrome. Beyond that, playing different factions with radically diggerent styles of play, e.g. 'endless war' / Believers, completely pacifist builder game / PK.
umbra1 posted 05-07-99 10:49 AM ET
For me it's the whole empire building thing... Starting off with a lone colony pod and growing a world spanning utopia.
(There is also the smaller joy of whooping Miriams sorry, god-bothing arse.)
MikeH II posted 05-07-99 11:04 AM ET
Yeah and the challenge and conquering the world. Bwah ha ha ha!
umbra1 posted 05-07-99 11:20 AM ET
Not realy Mike, I tend to play a builder game. I only go on the warpath if another faction provokes me; by calling vendetta on me, building cities on land that I want, building SPs I want, having techs I need, having no retaliatory capabilites, being foreign...

MikeH II posted 05-07-99 11:25 AM ET
Ah yes but I'm a Spartan and war is what we live for.
MikeH II posted 05-07-99 11:26 AM ET
ie I will fight a war for less reason than that and if all the other factions are gone I'll fight myself.
umbra1 posted 05-07-99 11:28 AM ET
So the easiest way to defeat those pesky spartans is to lock them in a room by themselves ?
(Appologies to Douglas Adams)
ejrolon posted 05-07-99 11:30 AM ET
i usually start on a builders game, expanding and always trying to be as far ahead in technology as i can. there is no greater pleasure that in civ II get railroads and atomic theory at the turn of the first millenium, while everybody else is still using chariots and you are cruisin in your tanks, subverting bases when you can and invading them when you cannot.
i have never played MOO but on the civ games and SMAC what it does it for me is achieving that point of positive feedback in the game where you start pulling away from the other factions and you can change strategies from builder to conqueror, or trascend. My goal is to achieve that point as early as possible in the game as i can at all levels
Bingmann posted 05-07-99 11:47 AM ET
I keep coming back to try new strategies with different factions. In fact I like doing this so much that I only actually finish about half the games I start since I always have something new I want to try once I'm satisfied with the results of the current strategy being played.
OhWell posted 05-07-99 12:18 PM ET
To me there are several levels to enjoying this type of game. One is the challenge of developing a strategy that can win the game using a given race/faction. To win, is the long range goal and ultimate satisfaction from game play. However, there is lot of fun between "start new game" and "game over". There is much satisfaction to be had in the mechanics of game play. There has to be a lot of "fun" things to do in the game. Handling short term or tactical situations, like developing a new unit design to counter a threat or handling a diplomatic situation, keeps the game interesting along the way.
I guess that my (obvious) point is that a game needs a balance of several elements to be an enjoyable experience. After all, if the mechanics of game play are a drag, you probably will not enjoy the game.
I used to play MOO2 a lot. I really enjoyed tweaking the ship designs and got fairly good at it. That really saved my butt in one long game; During mid game, there was a big war which left only my race and one ally. We existed in "harmony" for quite a long time and I did not build many new ships. I researched to Advanced 7 level of the tech tree (where your ship design benefits stop) and started to design some brand new ships. Then I found that I could not BUILD my new designs because the game had a limit of about 500 ships total (all players). So I was outnumbered about 7 to 1 in ship quantity. I designed a new class of ship (BOLO) which, I calculated, could win at least 3 to 1 odds. I scrapped many of my old ships and added BOLOs to my planets build queues. After I had converted my fleet to BOLOs, I held my breath and picked a fight with the AI. The first battle had about 10 of my BOLOs against as many enemy ships as the screen would hold! I was very happy when I wiped out the enemy in ONE turn using only 4 BOLOs expending only 2/3 of their first turn offensive capabilities! That was a rush. Killer design! However it did point out an unbalancing situation in MOO2 end game; Available offensive systems greatly out perform defensive systems. Therefore he who shoots first shoots last! Anyway, that was "fun"...

HolyWarrior posted 05-08-99 01:34 AM ET
It's a power trip--the closest thing to playing God--to impose your will upon a universe.
Besides, there's nothing like seeing my army of fanatics smash the last Hive base and seeing that commie bastard in the punishment sphere.
Umbra1--Believers Rule!
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Author	Topic: Why do _you_ like to play SMAC?
OhWell	posted 05-07-99 08:40 AM ET Why do _you_ like to play games like SMAC? There is an addictive JOMT quality to games like CIV, SMAC and MOO. But why do _you_ keep coming back for more, turn after turn? What is it that keeps _you_ glued to the keyboard for hours, ignoring mundane chores like eating and sleeping?
MikeH II	posted 05-07-99 08:49 AM ET Rewards, things like getting pictures on the monolith in SMAC or improving your throne room in CivI/II it's not really one more turn for me, it's I'll just capture that city or I'll just finish that project.
LoD	posted 05-07-99 10:00 AM ET Well, as any other game, it provides a challenge. Only in this case, it's the Challenge (except for the cheating AI, of course), and beating the game provides a significant amount of satisfaction. Also, as MikeH II points out, there are other rewards. LoD
Corvus Corax	posted 05-07-99 10:21 AM ET Same long term motivation as with Civ II & MOOII - beat my high score. AKA 'when I manage a 1000% score, I shall die a happy man' syndrome. Beyond that, playing different factions with radically diggerent styles of play, e.g. 'endless war' / Believers, completely pacifist builder game / PK.
umbra1	posted 05-07-99 10:49 AM ET For me it's the whole empire building thing... Starting off with a lone colony pod and growing a world spanning utopia. (There is also the smaller joy of whooping Miriams sorry, god-bothing arse.)
MikeH II	posted 05-07-99 11:04 AM ET Yeah and the challenge and conquering the world. Bwah ha ha ha!
umbra1	posted 05-07-99 11:20 AM ET Not realy Mike, I tend to play a builder game. I only go on the warpath if another faction provokes me; by calling vendetta on me, building cities on land that I want, building SPs I want, having techs I need, having no retaliatory capabilites, being foreign...
MikeH II	posted 05-07-99 11:25 AM ET Ah yes but I'm a Spartan and war is what we live for.
MikeH II	posted 05-07-99 11:26 AM ET ie I will fight a war for less reason than that and if all the other factions are gone I'll fight myself.
umbra1	posted 05-07-99 11:28 AM ET So the easiest way to defeat those pesky spartans is to lock them in a room by themselves ? (Appologies to Douglas Adams)
ejrolon	posted 05-07-99 11:30 AM ET i usually start on a builders game, expanding and always trying to be as far ahead in technology as i can. there is no greater pleasure that in civ II get railroads and atomic theory at the turn of the first millenium, while everybody else is still using chariots and you are cruisin in your tanks, subverting bases when you can and invading them when you cannot. i have never played MOO but on the civ games and SMAC what it does it for me is achieving that point of positive feedback in the game where you start pulling away from the other factions and you can change strategies from builder to conqueror, or trascend. My goal is to achieve that point as early as possible in the game as i can at all levels
Bingmann	posted 05-07-99 11:47 AM ET I keep coming back to try new strategies with different factions. In fact I like doing this so much that I only actually finish about half the games I start since I always have something new I want to try once I'm satisfied with the results of the current strategy being played.
OhWell	posted 05-07-99 12:18 PM ET To me there are several levels to enjoying this type of game. One is the challenge of developing a strategy that can win the game using a given race/faction. To win, is the long range goal and ultimate satisfaction from game play. However, there is lot of fun between "start new game" and "game over". There is much satisfaction to be had in the mechanics of game play. There has to be a lot of "fun" things to do in the game. Handling short term or tactical situations, like developing a new unit design to counter a threat or handling a diplomatic situation, keeps the game interesting along the way. I guess that my (obvious) point is that a game needs a balance of several elements to be an enjoyable experience. After all, if the mechanics of game play are a drag, you probably will not enjoy the game. I used to play MOO2 a lot. I really enjoyed tweaking the ship designs and got fairly good at it. That really saved my butt in one long game; During mid game, there was a big war which left only my race and one ally. We existed in "harmony" for quite a long time and I did not build many new ships. I researched to Advanced 7 level of the tech tree (where your ship design benefits stop) and started to design some brand new ships. Then I found that I could not BUILD my new designs because the game had a limit of about 500 ships total (all players). So I was outnumbered about 7 to 1 in ship quantity. I designed a new class of ship (BOLO) which, I calculated, could win at least 3 to 1 odds. I scrapped many of my old ships and added BOLOs to my planets build queues. After I had converted my fleet to BOLOs, I held my breath and picked a fight with the AI. The first battle had about 10 of my BOLOs against as many enemy ships as the screen would hold! I was very happy when I wiped out the enemy in ONE turn using only 4 BOLOs expending only 2/3 of their first turn offensive capabilities! That was a rush. Killer design! However it did point out an unbalancing situation in MOO2 end game; Available offensive systems greatly out perform defensive systems. Therefore he who shoots first shoots last! Anyway, that was "fun"...
HolyWarrior	posted 05-08-99 01:34 AM ET It's a power trip--the closest thing to playing God--to impose your will upon a universe. Besides, there's nothing like seeing my army of fanatics smash the last Hive base and seeing that commie bastard in the punishment sphere. Umbra1--Believers Rule!