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Author Topic:   where's the fun???

MindSpike posted 02-09-99 02:55 PM ET
Maybe it is just me.. but this game is WAY to complex to be fun... I am sure alot of people out there might like that.. but my general point is.. and I play just about every game on the market...if it takes longer than 30 minutes to grasp general gameplay.. then it just isn't "Fun"...
Phreak posted 02-09-99 03:14 PM ET
Well, personally, my favorite thing in any game I play is watching whatever I'm doing grow. When I played D&D, it wasn't so much for the roleplaying for me as it was to build up my character (get new goodies / spells). When I play SMAC, it's the same thing, I like to watch my cities grow, my tech advance, etc... Wham bam thank you mam doesn't do it for me like when I was younger. I still play the occasional Half-life and such but they are few and far between games of the SMAC caliber.
MindSpike posted 02-09-99 03:29 PM ET
I understand that... but I just felt that there are TOO MANY options/controls ... yes they offer you the Counselor to run your stuff for you... but.. and don't know how to explain this.. I want total control, BUT, control of too many things is just a bit to hectic... I guess fewer control points but the same amount of Gameplay (ie. thechnologies) is what I was looking for.. I don't mind building or developing... just not paying attention to 38 different statistics for every turn...
Gergi posted 02-09-99 03:53 PM ET
I think too much control can be a bad thing especially if the interface if lacking. However, I found in SMAC that the interface worked rather well. Also, like in Civ2, if you don't want to worry about something don't. Don't understand what the different government do? Don't mess with it. Don't understand what how to design your own units? Let the computer do it. Don't understand terraforming(which takes a bit of time to learn and understand, I admit)? Automate formers. Some games ARE too complicated, I think, but I wouldn't include any of the Civ's or Alpha Centauri in that list. But of course, if you disagree, don't buy the game. I think Firaxis did a great job and are going to make plenty of money anyway. Plus my $50 bucks.
Fenris posted 02-09-99 04:05 PM ET
I must loudly disagree. The complexity adds to the gaming experience. I don't find it overly complex or difficult. In fact, I've found most games too simplistic to hold my attention for very long. The interface could be a little cleaner (easier to get to some of the information), but overall I think it's an incredible game. I can't wait to buy my copy!
Worldwalker posted 02-09-99 04:11 PM ET
The fun's in there!
Yeah, SMAC seems rather complex at first look. However, you'll be surprised how fast you get the hang of it. Trust me, I did... without benefit of little conveniences like documentation, or even helpfiles. We didn't even get the draft of the manual until near the end of the beta testing, and by then I think most of us could have written it. 8-)
It's a matter of personal preference, of course. Some people like checkers, some people like chess. I suppose the checkers players can't see where the fun is in chess, and I find checkers boring. But I'll put it this way:
I've been playing SMAC almost obsessively since my first beta arrived. I don't want to think about how many hundreds of hours that is. Only two games in the past have ever sucked up as much time as SMAC: Civ/Civ2 and Tetris.
-- WW
Dredd posted 02-09-99 04:15 PM ET
Are people really going to pay $50 for this game? Am I the only poor person who has to seek out a sale price of <$40 in order to buy it? And you know it will be on sale within the first week or two.
But to address complexity; if I figure out a game in half an hour, chances are I will figure out how to BEAT that game consistently in a few more hours. Yawn. Give me complexity!!
Gergi posted 02-09-99 04:20 PM ET
I didn't mean to imply that I didn't like the complexity...I want to have EVERYTHING and be able to do ANYTHING. What I was trying to say is SMAC is great in that if you want everything, you have everything. If you want it simpler, let the computer deal with and not worry about it. Very good strategy on Firaxis's part, IMO.
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Author	Topic: where's the fun???
MindSpike	posted 02-09-99 02:55 PM ET Maybe it is just me.. but this game is WAY to complex to be fun... I am sure alot of people out there might like that.. but my general point is.. and I play just about every game on the market...if it takes longer than 30 minutes to grasp general gameplay.. then it just isn't "Fun"...
Phreak	posted 02-09-99 03:14 PM ET Well, personally, my favorite thing in any game I play is watching whatever I'm doing grow. When I played D&D, it wasn't so much for the roleplaying for me as it was to build up my character (get new goodies / spells). When I play SMAC, it's the same thing, I like to watch my cities grow, my tech advance, etc... Wham bam thank you mam doesn't do it for me like when I was younger. I still play the occasional Half-life and such but they are few and far between games of the SMAC caliber.
MindSpike	posted 02-09-99 03:29 PM ET I understand that... but I just felt that there are TOO MANY options/controls ... yes they offer you the Counselor to run your stuff for you... but.. and don't know how to explain this.. I want total control, BUT, control of too many things is just a bit to hectic... I guess fewer control points but the same amount of Gameplay (ie. thechnologies) is what I was looking for.. I don't mind building or developing... just not paying attention to 38 different statistics for every turn...
Gergi	posted 02-09-99 03:53 PM ET I think too much control can be a bad thing especially if the interface if lacking. However, I found in SMAC that the interface worked rather well. Also, like in Civ2, if you don't want to worry about something don't. Don't understand what the different government do? Don't mess with it. Don't understand what how to design your own units? Let the computer do it. Don't understand terraforming(which takes a bit of time to learn and understand, I admit)? Automate formers. Some games ARE too complicated, I think, but I wouldn't include any of the Civ's or Alpha Centauri in that list. But of course, if you disagree, don't buy the game. I think Firaxis did a great job and are going to make plenty of money anyway. Plus my $50 bucks.
Fenris	posted 02-09-99 04:05 PM ET I must loudly disagree. The complexity adds to the gaming experience. I don't find it overly complex or difficult. In fact, I've found most games too simplistic to hold my attention for very long. The interface could be a little cleaner (easier to get to some of the information), but overall I think it's an incredible game. I can't wait to buy my copy!
Worldwalker	posted 02-09-99 04:11 PM ET The fun's in there! Yeah, SMAC seems rather complex at first look. However, you'll be surprised how fast you get the hang of it. Trust me, I did... without benefit of little conveniences like documentation, or even helpfiles. We didn't even get the draft of the manual until near the end of the beta testing, and by then I think most of us could have written it. 8-) It's a matter of personal preference, of course. Some people like checkers, some people like chess. I suppose the checkers players can't see where the fun is in chess, and I find checkers boring. But I'll put it this way: I've been playing SMAC almost obsessively since my first beta arrived. I don't want to think about how many hundreds of hours that is. Only two games in the past have ever sucked up as much time as SMAC: Civ/Civ2 and Tetris. -- WW
Dredd	posted 02-09-99 04:15 PM ET Are people really going to pay $50 for this game? Am I the only poor person who has to seek out a sale price of <$40 in order to buy it? And you know it will be on sale within the first week or two. But to address complexity; if I figure out a game in half an hour, chances are I will figure out how to BEAT that game consistently in a few more hours. Yawn. Give me complexity!!
Gergi	posted 02-09-99 04:20 PM ET I didn't mean to imply that I didn't like the complexity...I want to have EVERYTHING and be able to do ANYTHING. What I was trying to say is SMAC is great in that if you want everything, you have everything. If you want it simpler, let the computer deal with and not worry about it. Very good strategy on Firaxis's part, IMO.