Firaxis, please consider these ideas.

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  The Game
  Firaxis, please consider these ideas.

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   Firaxis, please consider these ideas.

guru_101 posted 02-07-99 05:45 PM ET
Ok, so I love the game and I think that it is the best strategy game to date, but there are two things that bother me about it. Personally I think that it lack realism and I believe that if you game makers would add my changes that it would solve this problem. First: make the turns go a half a year instead of a whole year. This could be done like this: 2105.5....2106.0.....2106.5....and so on. I feel this way cause, I mean does it really take a whole year for a needle jet to move 6 spaces, or a unity rover 2 spaces?? I don't know I think this would make the game more believeable.
Second: Are the faction leaders in some sort of bio stasis where they can live forever and control the destiny of thier factions? I think that set successors would add a dimension of realism or at least tell us that they are immortal or something. Other than those two issues I have no problems with the game.
Delusions of Grandeur posted 02-07-99 06:25 PM ET
I like these ideas, especially the half-year one, in fact, why not even smaller increments?
I think its because it takes that long to cross a square that big. Still...
TheHelperMonkey posted 02-07-99 06:38 PM ET
Are you craczy?! Firaxis will never make these changes for the following resons: They do this becuase all turn-based are like this. Unless half a million people will want to change it won't change. Why fix it, if it ain't broken. Also, it would take another a couple of months to implement these changes.
Prerogative posted 02-07-99 07:10 PM ET
Well, Guru, fun and realism go hand-in-hand. This is a very important thing to remember. Realism is nice, but when a game gets so real that it detracts from the fun, it's unhealthy.
The half turn thing, while more realistic, should not be implemented for a simple reason: game length. Right now, on the easier (pre-librarian, I think) difficulties, the game lasts 500/600 years. On the harder ones, it lasts 400. With this strategy; the game would be TWICE as long. 800-1200 turns is a long time.
If you mean to imply the game would last 300-200 years, well, this cuts in on your reality aspect. 300 years to become super-dooper mega-humans who begin transcending into godhood (or whatever) is a bit short.
Actually, the leaders are immortal. During certain interludes (and qoutes from certain Projects) the game hints that the leaders take treatments to live forever. Both the Civ games, Colonization and pretty much every TBS has never had succesors. Mostly because it's a very nit-picky, unimportant little detail. If you could only play for 50-80 years in Civ II before you had a succesor could get boring, seeing as how you'd be dead in two turns (the earliest turns in Civ II transpire over twenty years.)
And, like your previous suggestion, this new suggestion would cut into reality as well. How would it be that every single succesor has the exact same goals as the last? Unless you mean to imply that each succesor would force you to take a different slant on the game. Which would REALLY cut down on the fun factor:
"Sheng-Ji Yang Jr. has forced you to sign a pack with the Spartans, he has also ceded three of your largest bases to them and has given them all of our technologies as tribute."
That would just get downright annoying, realistic or not.
Shining1 posted 02-07-99 07:13 PM ET
The timescale/unit move will never be resolved - but I would like to see faster movement over explored territory (1/3 decrease in point costs) or else a more widely varying cost per map square - yeah, it might take ages to get an army over a mountain - but not across a fielded plain.
As for succession, that would mean that YOU would be killed off and replaced during the game as well. You don't want that now, do you?
guru_101 posted 02-08-99 05:21 AM ET
Yeah I guess your right Prerogotive about the whole trancending thing but I dont know, I like the realistic games. I gues the time thing is harder to change as far as the play of the game(and its not that hard to do either, to the dude who badgered my idea, if you know anything about programing, newbie). But as far as successors, I mean like Provostov genically creates a son to take over the "lab" or sister Miraim mothers a daughter to spread the word to future genarations, you know some flavor. It doesn't mean that the successors change adjendas or in attributes, it just adds to the story.
cousLee posted 02-08-99 12:07 PM ET
.5 increments? glad to know I am not the only one suffering from the 100turn limit syndrome. TLS is a horrible condition! but the cure will be on the shelves real soon. the Advanced symptoms are: fetal position in corner mumbling "more turns more turns more turns". If you have not advanced to this stage yet, count yourself lucky.
more turns more turns more turns............
Krushala posted 09-06-99 07:37 PM ET
smoking dope. It always takes years for me to fly anywhere when flying Delta airlines.
To close this thread, click here (moderator or admin only).


Hop to:

Contact Us | Alpha Centauri Home

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.18
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998.

Author	Topic: Firaxis, please consider these ideas.
guru_101	posted 02-07-99 05:45 PM ET Ok, so I love the game and I think that it is the best strategy game to date, but there are two things that bother me about it. Personally I think that it lack realism and I believe that if you game makers would add my changes that it would solve this problem. First: make the turns go a half a year instead of a whole year. This could be done like this: 2105.5....2106.0.....2106.5....and so on. I feel this way cause, I mean does it really take a whole year for a needle jet to move 6 spaces, or a unity rover 2 spaces?? I don't know I think this would make the game more believeable. Second: Are the faction leaders in some sort of bio stasis where they can live forever and control the destiny of thier factions? I think that set successors would add a dimension of realism or at least tell us that they are immortal or something. Other than those two issues I have no problems with the game.
Delusions of Grandeur	posted 02-07-99 06:25 PM ET I like these ideas, especially the half-year one, in fact, why not even smaller increments? I think its because it takes that long to cross a square that big. Still...
TheHelperMonkey	posted 02-07-99 06:38 PM ET Are you craczy?! Firaxis will never make these changes for the following resons: They do this becuase all turn-based are like this. Unless half a million people will want to change it won't change. Why fix it, if it ain't broken. Also, it would take another a couple of months to implement these changes.
Prerogative	posted 02-07-99 07:10 PM ET Well, Guru, fun and realism go hand-in-hand. This is a very important thing to remember. Realism is nice, but when a game gets so real that it detracts from the fun, it's unhealthy. The half turn thing, while more realistic, should not be implemented for a simple reason: game length. Right now, on the easier (pre-librarian, I think) difficulties, the game lasts 500/600 years. On the harder ones, it lasts 400. With this strategy; the game would be TWICE as long. 800-1200 turns is a long time. If you mean to imply the game would last 300-200 years, well, this cuts in on your reality aspect. 300 years to become super-dooper mega-humans who begin transcending into godhood (or whatever) is a bit short. Actually, the leaders are immortal. During certain interludes (and qoutes from certain Projects) the game hints that the leaders take treatments to live forever. Both the Civ games, Colonization and pretty much every TBS has never had succesors. Mostly because it's a very nit-picky, unimportant little detail. If you could only play for 50-80 years in Civ II before you had a succesor could get boring, seeing as how you'd be dead in two turns (the earliest turns in Civ II transpire over twenty years.) And, like your previous suggestion, this new suggestion would cut into reality as well. How would it be that every single succesor has the exact same goals as the last? Unless you mean to imply that each succesor would force you to take a different slant on the game. Which would REALLY cut down on the fun factor: "Sheng-Ji Yang Jr. has forced you to sign a pack with the Spartans, he has also ceded three of your largest bases to them and has given them all of our technologies as tribute." That would just get downright annoying, realistic or not.
Shining1	posted 02-07-99 07:13 PM ET The timescale/unit move will never be resolved - but I would like to see faster movement over explored territory (1/3 decrease in point costs) or else a more widely varying cost per map square - yeah, it might take ages to get an army over a mountain - but not across a fielded plain. As for succession, that would mean that YOU would be killed off and replaced during the game as well. You don't want that now, do you?
guru_101	posted 02-08-99 05:21 AM ET Yeah I guess your right Prerogotive about the whole trancending thing but I dont know, I like the realistic games. I gues the time thing is harder to change as far as the play of the game(and its not that hard to do either, to the dude who badgered my idea, if you know anything about programing, newbie). But as far as successors, I mean like Provostov genically creates a son to take over the "lab" or sister Miraim mothers a daughter to spread the word to future genarations, you know some flavor. It doesn't mean that the successors change adjendas or in attributes, it just adds to the story.
cousLee	posted 02-08-99 12:07 PM ET .5 increments? glad to know I am not the only one suffering from the 100turn limit syndrome. TLS is a horrible condition! but the cure will be on the shelves real soon. the Advanced symptoms are: fetal position in corner mumbling "more turns more turns more turns". If you have not advanced to this stage yet, count yourself lucky. more turns more turns more turns............
Krushala	posted 09-06-99 07:37 PM ET smoking dope. It always takes years for me to fly anywhere when flying Delta airlines.