posted 04-08-99 11:33 AM ET     

P.S. If anyone has any hints on how to play the demo so it is more fun I would also like that.

posted 04-08-99 11:58 AM ET            

This opinion varies though. I'm sure Imran will come here and tell you that the late game is really fun.

Also, the game may not work properly on your computer. If the demo works good, you are pretty safe, but be prepared for surprising changes for the worse when you download any of the patches.

If I was you I would wait for patch 4 arrives and hear what people in this forum reports. If there will be a patch 4.

Good luck,

posted 04-08-99 12:40 PM ET            

Buy the game!

Buy it now!

SMAC has problems, but they are getting sorted, so stop reading this and go and BUY it!
I rate it 10/10, it's brill! But who am I, who 's gonna listen to me!

posted 04-08-99 07:50 PM ET            

When considering SMAC from a purely visual standpoint, then I would say it's more like Mrs. Howell, or say, The Professor.

If you can find this game for $35 or under, it is a definite buy for a newcomer. If you have to pay more, you may want to wait to see if another patch file is forthcoming. Or at least whether another patch file is _promised_.

We do take Firaxis at its word, don't we guys?

Hello? Uh ... guys ... don't all respond at once.

Just kidding ...

posted 04-08-99 08:00 PM ET            

The learning curve was large but well worth fighting thru. I highly recomend you buy it

posted 04-09-99 02:53 AM ET            

I've never had the pleasure of joining a thread already enjoying *your* presence, so I could not resist asking why Activision becomes the "goat of the day" rather than other game companies less faithful to the silly sods purchasing their games [Sierra comes to mind, readily].

Oh, yeah, that whole CTP thing ... <g>

Anyway, back to thread-focus: If you *do* decide to purchase CivII instead of or in addition to SMAC, might as well go whole-hog and get CivII-Gold Edition, as it contains the two add-on packs originally marketed for plain ol' CivII and multiplayer capabilities.

Should you purchase SMAC? If you can get it cheap, sure. If not, my personal opinion would be to wait for patch 4.0 ... Call me nutty, but after playing SMAC way too much, I still think it is not polished enough to recommend to someone wanting the "whole game experience." The 98% given it by PCGamer, I think, was a bit much - 98% is definitely what SMAC could attain with a few thorough patches, but as SMAC now stands, it isn't *all that*.

If you have only played the demo, and have never played the Civ-series, be prepared for a lot of micro-management in the late game. I never got a sense of how much attention one has to pay to his/her faction with the SMAC demo, and I have found that SMAC [the whole game] suffers from too many silly micro-management chores that could be cleared up rather easily. Compared to the Civ-series, there is a heavier burden on the player in the end game ... if you have patience, or if you are obsesssive-compulsive, you will find this appealing, no doubt. <g>

I find it one of the better games in this genre of turn-based strategy, though. So, I guess my review is a bit mixed in the end, if not somewhat positive.

posted 04-09-99 03:08 AM ET            

Not to derail the original intent of the thread, but I, too, have been reading up on CTP and have come to the guilty conclusion that some part of Activision dropped the ball on its first possession of the Civ franchise. However, the jury isn't out until I get my mitts on the game and see for myself, so I keep the CTP/SMAC debate in mind, but off the forums. You strike me as the type to do the same, or perhaps I have completely misread your "inner [child/]self" that shines through on occasion. <g>

Sliced bread is fine, but *toasted*, sliced bread is a true wonder to behold.

posted 04-09-99 03:49 AM ET            

Considering Firaxis started out with ban-threat mails to you in the start, I would say we should give Activision some more time. And, you guys don't have the game. At least I payed my does(did I spell that right?) to be disappointed. And I'm just a bit disappointed despite all the bugs/design faults. Many people scream about the lame units/unit names in CTP(and sometimes rightly so), not realizing that the number of impossible/ridiculous combos hidden by the complexity of the Unit design and Social Enigineering are quite a few too.

Also, have you considered the tactical effect an e-mail to you has? You practically rule this forum (and rightly so, Mylord ) and believe me, Firaxis knows this. If you have read BR post in Apolyton about CTP, you will see a business man writing to stain his opponents. Nothing else. He hides it pretty with sensible arguments, but frankly he fell one step on my ladder. Not my style really. And, maybe I root for the underdog(Activision) all too often....

I agree though that we do scream for small things, because we wanted it perfect. Still some things that are bad with SMAC are non-correctible. They have had several ideas they just haven't carried near as far as I would want them. And some ideas, like the unit design, spoil the sense of advancement that was so great with ordinary Civ 2 because of the differences in the way the units look. You "feel" you have advanced. Yes, in that way SMAC graphics are a catastrophy. Still, unit design had good intentions, and I can enjoy some parts of it. But really, what is fun about building a new prototype that is 5-1 instead of 4-1? More, they could have shown a bit more imagination than what they came up with in Special abilities for units. My Grandmother could have invented better ones.

This all being said, SMAC is a good game, no doubt about it. It just isn't Civ 1 for me, not nearly so. And some people still experience problems with the game itself.

As I said, I am unpredictible...

Freddz,
treacherous footsoldier

posted 04-09-99 08:29 AM ET            

Once again you make sense. Stop it.

Actually, I've often thought: If I were BR, what would I do with a guy like Yin? The easiest thing, the thing the average person would do, is to let him go away. He'll get bored. The below average person--at least as far as a public forum like this is concerned--hints at banning the "trouble maker." But this is a losing bet because it lowers Firaxis to a Yinesque level and quite possibly makes them look like they are trying too hard to cover up their mistakes. The cunning man uses Yin against himself--he writes an e-mail or two and joins in Yin's stupid little pre-made interviews (although I really tried to make that one fun, and you have to admit his answering was unexpectedly welcome). I have to tell you, I respect that about BR. He is cunning--or just a downright nice guy, depending on how generous you want to be. In either case, those are good qualities to have as the game designer.

Sure, I overexaggerate my happiness at times like this, when he sends me an e-mail. But it is genuinely satisfying to get a postitive response from the game's creator, and even the evil Yin can't seem to manage enough cynicism to throw it back in his face as a dirty trick. Like I said, he wins either way in my book--fox or lamb. It's the mediocre or stupid people who shouldn't run a company. Clearly, BR is neither.

As for Activision, I am already waiting longer than I had originally planned because I do want to see how quickly--and well--they get their first patch out. I don't plan to be spiteful just because I can be. I would like the collective negative criticism that is building to find its most potent moment, should that time ever come. Anything else is just a waste of ammo. Plus, as many believe, maybe I'm just being delusional in thinking Activision even cares. Hell, for all I know they might make a quote of the month club and pass the criticism around laughing. At that point, I'll have done all I can.

Like I said in my consumer action post, I want them to make the game great. I also want them to fear ever releasing an unfinished game. The psychological split there is too much for many people to handle, but my brain is already so defragmented it's a breeze.

posted 04-09-99 09:21 AM ET            

Actually, far deep within, I'm pretty impressed with BR too. But then you have to grind past my side that's always been screaming for justice, a voice drowned by the voices of fanatics. Anyway, the guy's truly got a sense of humour. And is undoubtably - NOT incompetent - the opposite(of course). I can appreciatew both those sides.

Sure threatening Activision has the desired effect. And maybe we should encourage Firaxis a bit(seems enough people do that though), but if we let down the guard totally we're right where we started the next time these guys make a game. We weill here the same old promoting and believe every word of it And no matter what, SMAC wasn't really finished when they released that game either. Close? Not really, when you have infinate missile range and release it anyways(among lots of things) - there won't be a cigar.