I want to love this game.. Make me like it..PLEASE!

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Author Topic:   I want to love this game.. Make me like it..PLEASE!

ISmell posted 03-11-99 10:24 PM ET
Hey there guys, I'm new to this forum, and came here well... because of a few reasons. I have some questions to the die-hard enthusiasts of the game that everyone on the forum seems to be. I really really want to love this game, but being a 15 year old i wasnt into games like civ 2 years ago. Heck i barely knew what a computer was, and of course I grew up with games like starcraft, and diablo, and warcraft, quake, doom etc.. the games that a lot of people call "fluff" for some reason or another. Now With a host of bugs, video slowness late in the game (even with an 8meg vid card), a plot that seems to never develop in any senario, and a game that i have been playing for 5 hours so far and i doubt i am halfway done(turn 400) why does everoyne hail this as the best strategy game ever? Am i just missing the nostalgia everyone is feeling? I guess i am used to the campaigns of other strategy games, and levles that took an hour or so to beat, but dwelling on the same map with micromanagement trying to achieve a non-existant goal seems boring to me, and even a little outlandish. Maybye i am goign about it the wrong way, or maybe i am thinking or playing it the wrong way.. I will entertain ANY suggestions to improve my gaming experience. from one hardcore gamer to the thousands out there.
Shining1 posted 03-11-99 10:44 PM ET
Yeah. Try winning the game before you come and ask vague sounding questions.
First off, your 15, so I assume you can enjoy something that takes a while to complete - which is the point of the game. Most games can take 20+ hours to finish properly, so if you're expecting to finish in a couple of hours, you're approaching the game from the wrong perspective.
Basically, just put yourself in the position of someone having to trying to build a huge empire from scratch. Enjoy seeing your cities grow, crushing your rivals, and playing around with new technologies in the design shop. Experiment with alliances against your enemies, naval battles, use of air power. SMAC is very deep, like much of the higher level strategy in starcraft (if you didn't get past the rush mentality of that game, you may find it difficult).
Bascially, just keep playing. You'll find the frustration disappears after the first few hours, once you start to understand the game and get the right mindset.
Above all, don't let temporary setbacks (like losing a bunch of units) upset you. You can always come back in this game.
Brother Greg posted 03-11-99 10:46 PM ET
If you're 400 years into the game, you're actually quite close to the end, timeline wise.
I think it comes down to what you like. I don't like the games like Starcraft, where I have to rush my thinking. I like to plan, slowly, and be able to stop and take stock anytime I please. I like to plan battles, not just have it be a case of the guy who can control 20 units the best is the winner (a large generalisation, I know).
So, I don't know how to suggest how to improve it really, apart from maybe suggesting that you look at it from a different viewpoint.
Achilles posted 03-11-99 11:44 PM ET
1)Slow Down. 5 hours and 400 years is too fast.
2)Despite the apparent complexity, it can be "divided and conquered" as it were. Even if you are young and not accostomed to turn-based strategy you can learn. I am sixteen, my first game was Wolfenstein 3d. Well, that lasted for a week then I bought Civilization, this was way back while there was only a DOS version. I played about 4 full-length games (not counting those I lost quickly) before winning at chieftain, nut I had fun doing it, not to mention I now knew more miscellaneous facts about ancient civilizationd than my third grade teacher .
3) Moral of #2, keep at it.
4) If you want to love this game, given time, you will.
Gee posted 03-12-99 01:50 AM ET
Sleeping with the cd on your pillow helps too.!!??!
Gee
yin26 posted 03-12-99 01:57 AM ET
ISmell,
Think of it as the world's most annoying screen-saver. Worked for me.
StargazerBC posted 03-12-99 05:30 AM ET
If it's fun, "it just is" don't let someone tell you it's fun and then go out forcing yourself to have fun. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the same people telling you SMAC is fun [when you don't think is] is trying to capitalize and sell Rain.
version2 posted 03-12-99 06:57 AM ET
yin,
If you dont like the damn game. Stop playing it. It is like you are trying to crash every forum. I get sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. I get it. I am sure everyone else does also, you dont like the game!!! GREAT!!
ISmell posted 03-12-99 07:09 AM ET
Well thanks guys, I will try to take my time and look at it from a different prospective. I think the reason that the game is going so fast for me is that i almost always out of instinct give my units orders that take a long time to complete. An example would be Make this 1-3-1 unit move to this continent 50 turns. So usually all of my units have the G above their heads and all have orders of sometype.. is it more common to move each unit individually using the keyboard? and which do u guys suggest..also the marchine shop seems worthless to me in some respect.. in that Automatically my units are upgraded to the max and the old ones are obseleted.. why whould i want to change that.. LOL well i gotta finish typing this I have to get bacl to playing SMAC =)
yin26 posted 03-12-99 07:11 AM ET
Version2,
Think Big Picture.
I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you . Can a happy face cancel a death threat?
Slap posted 03-12-99 09:10 AM ET
Shining1,
The guy just isn't captured by the 'depth' of this game, like you obviously are.
I've been playing for bloody ages now, and I can't say I've noticed the depth either. I was a big fan of CIV and CIV2, but like all games, I got bored with them. I feel the same boredom when I play SMAC. Its a good game, as good as CIV2 perhaps, but not 'separate' enough, game-wise.
tOFfGI posted 03-12-99 09:37 AM ET
ISmell: Think of it as the game that keeps on giving. Instead of giving you a set scenario with a single solution (like an RTS), it gives you the opportunity to continue... and continue... and continue... always trying new strategies, new faction combinations and challenging you throughout. Instead of having a set formula to follow every time you start a new scenario, you can do quite a lot of things and still suceed.
In an RTS, you'll start a scenario, build a small base and themn go attack. This pattern is repeated over and over and over again until you're sick of it. In a TBS, you start building a small empire, but you're not whisked off to the next scenario when you have a few good bases going. Instead, you get more good bases... and more... and more... and you are constantly given new things to do, new things to "play" with, without forcing you to retrace your steps every time.
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Author	Topic: I want to love this game.. Make me like it..PLEASE!
ISmell	posted 03-11-99 10:24 PM ET Hey there guys, I'm new to this forum, and came here well... because of a few reasons. I have some questions to the die-hard enthusiasts of the game that everyone on the forum seems to be. I really really want to love this game, but being a 15 year old i wasnt into games like civ 2 years ago. Heck i barely knew what a computer was, and of course I grew up with games like starcraft, and diablo, and warcraft, quake, doom etc.. the games that a lot of people call "fluff" for some reason or another. Now With a host of bugs, video slowness late in the game (even with an 8meg vid card), a plot that seems to never develop in any senario, and a game that i have been playing for 5 hours so far and i doubt i am halfway done(turn 400) why does everoyne hail this as the best strategy game ever? Am i just missing the nostalgia everyone is feeling? I guess i am used to the campaigns of other strategy games, and levles that took an hour or so to beat, but dwelling on the same map with micromanagement trying to achieve a non-existant goal seems boring to me, and even a little outlandish. Maybye i am goign about it the wrong way, or maybe i am thinking or playing it the wrong way.. I will entertain ANY suggestions to improve my gaming experience. from one hardcore gamer to the thousands out there.
Shining1	posted 03-11-99 10:44 PM ET Yeah. Try winning the game before you come and ask vague sounding questions. First off, your 15, so I assume you can enjoy something that takes a while to complete - which is the point of the game. Most games can take 20+ hours to finish properly, so if you're expecting to finish in a couple of hours, you're approaching the game from the wrong perspective. Basically, just put yourself in the position of someone having to trying to build a huge empire from scratch. Enjoy seeing your cities grow, crushing your rivals, and playing around with new technologies in the design shop. Experiment with alliances against your enemies, naval battles, use of air power. SMAC is very deep, like much of the higher level strategy in starcraft (if you didn't get past the rush mentality of that game, you may find it difficult). Bascially, just keep playing. You'll find the frustration disappears after the first few hours, once you start to understand the game and get the right mindset. Above all, don't let temporary setbacks (like losing a bunch of units) upset you. You can always come back in this game.
Brother Greg	posted 03-11-99 10:46 PM ET If you're 400 years into the game, you're actually quite close to the end, timeline wise. I think it comes down to what you like. I don't like the games like Starcraft, where I have to rush my thinking. I like to plan, slowly, and be able to stop and take stock anytime I please. I like to plan battles, not just have it be a case of the guy who can control 20 units the best is the winner (a large generalisation, I know). So, I don't know how to suggest how to improve it really, apart from maybe suggesting that you look at it from a different viewpoint.
Achilles	posted 03-11-99 11:44 PM ET 1)Slow Down. 5 hours and 400 years is too fast. 2)Despite the apparent complexity, it can be "divided and conquered" as it were. Even if you are young and not accostomed to turn-based strategy you can learn. I am sixteen, my first game was Wolfenstein 3d. Well, that lasted for a week then I bought Civilization, this was way back while there was only a DOS version. I played about 4 full-length games (not counting those I lost quickly) before winning at chieftain, nut I had fun doing it, not to mention I now knew more miscellaneous facts about ancient civilizationd than my third grade teacher . 3) Moral of #2, keep at it. 4) If you want to love this game, given time, you will.
Gee	posted 03-12-99 01:50 AM ET Sleeping with the cd on your pillow helps too.!!??! Gee
yin26	posted 03-12-99 01:57 AM ET ISmell, Think of it as the world's most annoying screen-saver. Worked for me.
StargazerBC	posted 03-12-99 05:30 AM ET If it's fun, "it just is" don't let someone tell you it's fun and then go out forcing yourself to have fun. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the same people telling you SMAC is fun [when you don't think is] is trying to capitalize and sell Rain.
version2	posted 03-12-99 06:57 AM ET yin, If you dont like the damn game. Stop playing it. It is like you are trying to crash every forum. I get sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. I get it. I am sure everyone else does also, you dont like the game!!! GREAT!!
ISmell	posted 03-12-99 07:09 AM ET Well thanks guys, I will try to take my time and look at it from a different prospective. I think the reason that the game is going so fast for me is that i almost always out of instinct give my units orders that take a long time to complete. An example would be Make this 1-3-1 unit move to this continent 50 turns. So usually all of my units have the G above their heads and all have orders of sometype.. is it more common to move each unit individually using the keyboard? and which do u guys suggest..also the marchine shop seems worthless to me in some respect.. in that Automatically my units are upgraded to the max and the old ones are obseleted.. why whould i want to change that.. LOL well i gotta finish typing this I have to get bacl to playing SMAC =)
yin26	posted 03-12-99 07:11 AM ET Version2, Think Big Picture. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you . Can a happy face cancel a death threat?
Slap	posted 03-12-99 09:10 AM ET Shining1, The guy just isn't captured by the 'depth' of this game, like you obviously are. I've been playing for bloody ages now, and I can't say I've noticed the depth either. I was a big fan of CIV and CIV2, but like all games, I got bored with them. I feel the same boredom when I play SMAC. Its a good game, as good as CIV2 perhaps, but not 'separate' enough, game-wise.
tOFfGI	posted 03-12-99 09:37 AM ET ISmell: Think of it as the game that keeps on giving. Instead of giving you a set scenario with a single solution (like an RTS), it gives you the opportunity to continue... and continue... and continue... always trying new strategies, new faction combinations and challenging you throughout. Instead of having a set formula to follow every time you start a new scenario, you can do quite a lot of things and still suceed. In an RTS, you'll start a scenario, build a small base and themn go attack. This pattern is repeated over and over and over again until you're sick of it. In a TBS, you start building a small empire, but you're not whisked off to the next scenario when you have a few good bases going. Instead, you get more good bases... and more... and more... and you are constantly given new things to do, new things to "play" with, without forcing you to retrace your steps every time.