What is the deal with Call to Power?

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Author Topic:   What is the deal with Call to Power?

Putch posted 03-02-99 02:58 PM ET
Allright, I know it is the *new* civ, but is it really gonna be *Civ* or just a new turn based strategy game that shares (or steals) Civ's name. The beauty of civ was its simplicity, 7 nations one goal (not domination, but immortality). Is Call to Power gonna be true to the Civ tradition? I sort of hope not. Mainly because I just got SMAC and it's the type of game that you can play for 12 months and never get tired of it(much like Civ). And if call to power is true to civ then I'd want to play that JUST as much, and I don't know if I have the time
PLUS I dont wanna fork over another 50 bucks!
Wen_Amon posted 03-02-99 04:29 PM ET
the deal is...
it sucks.
Freudianslip posted 03-02-99 04:36 PM ET
I did a web search, came up with this :
http://www.gamespot.com/features/ctp/index.html
supposedly a preview? It is loading in the background right now (loading on my blazingly fast 9600bps modem)
MarkG posted 03-03-99 08:41 AM ET
The deal is...
it doesn't suck(Wen_Amon didnt give any justification why should I? )
Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site
civilization.gamestats.com
Byllee posted 03-03-99 09:05 AM ET
Civ Call to Power is going to offer a lot
of new units I wonder if the game will be
properly play balanced or be another Sim
Earth ?
UndertakerAPB posted 03-03-99 10:12 AM ET
The deal is....
Give it a damn try..The game didn't even come out yet.We was fair with SMAC be fair now with it's rival.After both are out then final conclusions can be made.
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE,
Undertaker
Jason Beaudoin posted 03-03-99 11:47 AM ET
If anyone should know it is MarkG. He has a preview copy.
NuWav posted 03-04-99 12:58 AM ET
I will be giving CTP a chance too. Although I will wait a bit and read reviews and lurk at forums b4 I buy it to make sure the balance and AI are ok.
I don't make judgements till I play the demo at least. Speaking of which...
MarkG, I looked thru your site and forums often, but didn't find anything about a demo (unless I missed it, admittedly I have been spending quite a lot of time at this forum as a result of my buggy SMAC game (Tho I still love it!). When is the demo coming out, do you know?
PUSH posted 03-04-99 04:38 AM ET
He boys,
yep I callya boys, because all this stuff here it's really like boys think. Activision paid a lot for the rights of CIV, that's why SMAC is called SMAC and not CIV-AC ! If you've got a problem with this, don't buy it. But if you are CIV fans, buy it.
Aren't you or are you ?
And don't forget, there is a 3rd CIV coming out next months.
iratheous posted 03-04-99 05:12 AM ET
hey girl, well i think they only pai the money AFTER attempting to publish the game using sneakey underhanded methods.. When microprose caught wind of the stink in the air either A) they sued or B) Activision sued for the rights since they bought the rights to a board game. Anyways aftrer losing in the courts they came to an agreement as a last resort. they know there is money to be made in the Civ4x universe, they just want a piece fo the pie.
If I'm wrong about something here (which I'm sure i forgot todot an I or something) then oh well. it doesn't mean activision just willingly decioded one day to say "Hey thats a great game there, let us pay for the rights to use the name and publish an addition to this great series." It was more like "Hey lets make money by trying to find loopholes in the law and if that fails then we'll liscence the name" I wonder how much money they coudl have saved on lawyer fee's by just being honest and telling MPS they wanted to liscense the name??
**these arent typo's, they give me personality!**
MarkG posted 03-04-99 07:24 PM ET
There is going to be demo shortly after or anyway around the time of the release. Definetely not before the release. Don't know what it's limitations going to be...
Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site
civilization.gamestats.com
ps. we now have the full list of the civs and some first notes/impressions on ctp...
Prerogative posted 03-04-99 08:35 PM ET
The game looks plasuable, but certinely a far cry from the Civ name.
As someone mentioned before, and maybe you can answer, Markos, exactly WHY is Activision trying so hard (or atleast it seems) to advent from all the wonders and techs and whatnot from the previous Civs? Contraception? Hollywood? Television? Plasmatica? Park Rangers?
The game may verily be solid and excellent, but I myself find it hard to play when it turns out that contraception is a wonder of the world.
Borodino posted 03-04-99 09:09 PM ET
I agree with Perogative. I'll take a wait and see attitude, but if the wonders I just read about at Apolyton are any indication, I think that CTP is going to fail.
PrinceBimz posted 03-05-99 01:01 AM ET
Well guys, just do what I do and go ahead and buy CTP also. Nothing wrong with having and playing them both. This is a pretty big year for TBS games so get them while you can, at least we finally have other games to choose from besides the RTS clones and FPS.
No I don't think the team at Activision can top a design by Mr Reynolds or Sid but CTP does sound interesting and the screen shots look great. I will definitely try it out because I like all games that are "like Civ2".
yin26 posted 03-05-99 01:20 AM ET
Actaully, as anticlimactic (no pun intended) as it sounds, Contraception IS a wonder.
What's funny to me is that a Hollywood Wonder sounds silly to you but harnessing the power of Mind Worms is a gaming breakthrough.
From the sounds of it, Activision is at least offering us a chance to actually appreciate the awesome power of things we take for granted: Hollywood movies and the very real dangers of overpopulation, for example. This focus on real-world issues will inevitably appeal to a greater audience and play much longer than Bad Planet and the Host of Techno-Goons.
If the gameplay is better than SMAC's, which won't be that hard, Call to Power will absolutely destroy SMAC.
Squire James posted 03-05-99 02:22 AM ET
From the stuff I heard so far, CTP will be different... not necessarily GOOD, but definitely different.
All the hype is concentrated on the late game, enough so that I question the game's ability to maintain interest long enough to get that far. They also seem intent on throwing away all those fine Civ and Civ II Wonders just so they can make their own. The Seven Ancient Wonders are well-documented outside the Civ world, so it seems insane that these are not in the game at all!
Civ II and SMAC were "auto-buys" because of Civ I, and the knowledge that they were (mostly) designed by the same people. CTP doesn't quite fit that category, because it is known that they bought the name. I may buy it anyway, but if so it will be because I hear it's a good game and not because it's a Civ sequel.
MarkG posted 03-05-99 08:17 AM ET
Prerogative wrote:
"WHY is Activision trying so hard (or at least it seems) to advent from all the wonders and techs and whatnot from the previous Civs?"
Probably the design team has a different point of view on what the advances and the wonders should be. Perhaps their intention was to make it more obvious that CTP is not simply "civ2 with 16bit graphics"
But the issue for me is that so far civ1/2's feeling of building an empire and "rewriting history" is there.
Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site
civilization.gamestats.com
kjchen posted 03-05-99 09:53 AM ET
It seems to me that the "Wonders" in CTP seem less like classical Wonders of the World (in the sense of structures which represent feats of architectural or engineering) but breakthroughs in philosophy or technology. I think it upsets some of the Civ I/II purists, because it usurps a terminology and replaces it with something tangentially related, but I'll be happy as long as the game effects are neat. The slavery/Emancipation aspect of CTP has me intrigued so far. Contraception does seem like an odd choice, though.
Squire James: actually, I've heard somewhat varying accounts of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The first time I heard the list, it included the Pyramids at Giza, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Temple of Zeus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Other lists (apparently consulted by the Civ designers) tend to add things such as The Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, or the Mayan (?) burial mounds, and remove either the Temple of Artemis or the Mausoleum (just as an aside, I don't believe the Oracle in Civ is supposed to be either the Temple of Zeus or the Temple of Artemis, but they opted to do away with both just to make the Wonders somewhat religion-neutral).
UndertakerAPB posted 03-05-99 10:24 AM ET
Very nice reply there YIN26.
I couldn't describe it any better than what you said that Activision is trying to might us "appreciate the awesome power of what we have in front of our face,or the accomplishments we do take for granted."
I am laughing myself about how some have said Mind Worms is a breakthough in gaming excellence.
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE,
Undertaker
P.S. And after CTP does come out on MAR 16th. I will be happily waiting to see sales of CTP knock SMAC off this planet heading for AC for an audience......
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Author	Topic: What is the deal with Call to Power?
Putch	posted 03-02-99 02:58 PM ET Allright, I know it is the new civ, but is it really gonna be Civ or just a new turn based strategy game that shares (or steals) Civ's name. The beauty of civ was its simplicity, 7 nations one goal (not domination, but immortality). Is Call to Power gonna be true to the Civ tradition? I sort of hope not. Mainly because I just got SMAC and it's the type of game that you can play for 12 months and never get tired of it(much like Civ). And if call to power is true to civ then I'd want to play that JUST as much, and I don't know if I have the time PLUS I dont wanna fork over another 50 bucks!
Wen_Amon	posted 03-02-99 04:29 PM ET the deal is... it sucks.
Freudianslip	posted 03-02-99 04:36 PM ET I did a web search, came up with this : http://www.gamespot.com/features/ctp/index.html supposedly a preview? It is loading in the background right now (loading on my blazingly fast 9600bps modem)
MarkG	posted 03-03-99 08:41 AM ET The deal is... it doesn't suck(Wen_Amon didnt give any justification why should I? ) Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site civilization.gamestats.com
Byllee	posted 03-03-99 09:05 AM ET Civ Call to Power is going to offer a lot of new units I wonder if the game will be properly play balanced or be another Sim Earth ?
UndertakerAPB	posted 03-03-99 10:12 AM ET The deal is.... Give it a damn try..The game didn't even come out yet.We was fair with SMAC be fair now with it's rival.After both are out then final conclusions can be made. DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, Undertaker
Jason Beaudoin	posted 03-03-99 11:47 AM ET If anyone should know it is MarkG. He has a preview copy.
NuWav	posted 03-04-99 12:58 AM ET I will be giving CTP a chance too. Although I will wait a bit and read reviews and lurk at forums b4 I buy it to make sure the balance and AI are ok. I don't make judgements till I play the demo at least. Speaking of which... MarkG, I looked thru your site and forums often, but didn't find anything about a demo (unless I missed it, admittedly I have been spending quite a lot of time at this forum as a result of my buggy SMAC game (Tho I still love it!). When is the demo coming out, do you know?
PUSH	posted 03-04-99 04:38 AM ET He boys, yep I callya boys, because all this stuff here it's really like boys think. Activision paid a lot for the rights of CIV, that's why SMAC is called SMAC and not CIV-AC ! If you've got a problem with this, don't buy it. But if you are CIV fans, buy it. Aren't you or are you ? And don't forget, there is a 3rd CIV coming out next months.
iratheous	posted 03-04-99 05:12 AM ET hey girl, well i think they only pai the money AFTER attempting to publish the game using sneakey underhanded methods.. When microprose caught wind of the stink in the air either A) they sued or B) Activision sued for the rights since they bought the rights to a board game. Anyways aftrer losing in the courts they came to an agreement as a last resort. they know there is money to be made in the Civ4x universe, they just want a piece fo the pie. If I'm wrong about something here (which I'm sure i forgot todot an I or something) then oh well. it doesn't mean activision just willingly decioded one day to say "Hey thats a great game there, let us pay for the rights to use the name and publish an addition to this great series." It was more like "Hey lets make money by trying to find loopholes in the law and if that fails then we'll liscence the name" I wonder how much money they coudl have saved on lawyer fee's by just being honest and telling MPS they wanted to liscense the name?? these arent typo's, they give me personality!
MarkG	posted 03-04-99 07:24 PM ET There is going to be demo shortly after or anyway around the time of the release. Definetely not before the release. Don't know what it's limitations going to be... Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site civilization.gamestats.com ps. we now have the full list of the civs and some first notes/impressions on ctp...
Prerogative	posted 03-04-99 08:35 PM ET The game looks plasuable, but certinely a far cry from the Civ name. As someone mentioned before, and maybe you can answer, Markos, exactly WHY is Activision trying so hard (or atleast it seems) to advent from all the wonders and techs and whatnot from the previous Civs? Contraception? Hollywood? Television? Plasmatica? Park Rangers? The game may verily be solid and excellent, but I myself find it hard to play when it turns out that contraception is a wonder of the world.
Borodino	posted 03-04-99 09:09 PM ET I agree with Perogative. I'll take a wait and see attitude, but if the wonders I just read about at Apolyton are any indication, I think that CTP is going to fail.
PrinceBimz	posted 03-05-99 01:01 AM ET Well guys, just do what I do and go ahead and buy CTP also. Nothing wrong with having and playing them both. This is a pretty big year for TBS games so get them while you can, at least we finally have other games to choose from besides the RTS clones and FPS. No I don't think the team at Activision can top a design by Mr Reynolds or Sid but CTP does sound interesting and the screen shots look great. I will definitely try it out because I like all games that are "like Civ2".
yin26	posted 03-05-99 01:20 AM ET Actaully, as anticlimactic (no pun intended) as it sounds, Contraception IS a wonder. What's funny to me is that a Hollywood Wonder sounds silly to you but harnessing the power of Mind Worms is a gaming breakthrough. From the sounds of it, Activision is at least offering us a chance to actually appreciate the awesome power of things we take for granted: Hollywood movies and the very real dangers of overpopulation, for example. This focus on real-world issues will inevitably appeal to a greater audience and play much longer than Bad Planet and the Host of Techno-Goons. If the gameplay is better than SMAC's, which won't be that hard, Call to Power will absolutely destroy SMAC.
Squire James	posted 03-05-99 02:22 AM ET From the stuff I heard so far, CTP will be different... not necessarily GOOD, but definitely different. All the hype is concentrated on the late game, enough so that I question the game's ability to maintain interest long enough to get that far. They also seem intent on throwing away all those fine Civ and Civ II Wonders just so they can make their own. The Seven Ancient Wonders are well-documented outside the Civ world, so it seems insane that these are not in the game at all! Civ II and SMAC were "auto-buys" because of Civ I, and the knowledge that they were (mostly) designed by the same people. CTP doesn't quite fit that category, because it is known that they bought the name. I may buy it anyway, but if so it will be because I hear it's a good game and not because it's a Civ sequel.
MarkG	posted 03-05-99 08:17 AM ET Prerogative wrote: "WHY is Activision trying so hard (or at least it seems) to advent from all the wonders and techs and whatnot from the previous Civs?" Probably the design team has a different point of view on what the advances and the wonders should be. Perhaps their intention was to make it more obvious that CTP is not simply "civ2 with 16bit graphics" But the issue for me is that so far civ1/2's feeling of building an empire and "rewriting history" is there. Markos, Apolyton Civilization Site civilization.gamestats.com
kjchen	posted 03-05-99 09:53 AM ET It seems to me that the "Wonders" in CTP seem less like classical Wonders of the World (in the sense of structures which represent feats of architectural or engineering) but breakthroughs in philosophy or technology. I think it upsets some of the Civ I/II purists, because it usurps a terminology and replaces it with something tangentially related, but I'll be happy as long as the game effects are neat. The slavery/Emancipation aspect of CTP has me intrigued so far. Contraception does seem like an odd choice, though. Squire James: actually, I've heard somewhat varying accounts of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The first time I heard the list, it included the Pyramids at Giza, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Temple of Zeus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Other lists (apparently consulted by the Civ designers) tend to add things such as The Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, or the Mayan (?) burial mounds, and remove either the Temple of Artemis or the Mausoleum (just as an aside, I don't believe the Oracle in Civ is supposed to be either the Temple of Zeus or the Temple of Artemis, but they opted to do away with both just to make the Wonders somewhat religion-neutral).
UndertakerAPB	posted 03-05-99 10:24 AM ET Very nice reply there YIN26. I couldn't describe it any better than what you said that Activision is trying to might us "appreciate the awesome power of what we have in front of our face,or the accomplishments we do take for granted." I am laughing myself about how some have said Mind Worms is a breakthough in gaming excellence. DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, Undertaker P.S. And after CTP does come out on MAR 16th. I will be happily waiting to see sales of CTP knock SMAC off this planet heading for AC for an audience......