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Author Topic:   Prima`s Strategy Guide.. any good??

Zanatar posted 04-09-99 03:54 PM ET
Hello,
I am looking at purchasing the official
strategy guide for Alpha Centauri, called
Prima`s Official Strategy Guide: Sid Meirer`s Alpha Centauri.
Anyhow, just glancing through it, I noticed
that there really isn`t much there, the strategy portion is only the 20 or 30 pages worth, while the rest lists all the techs, base facilities, units, secret projects, and special abilites. Isn`t all of this stuff already in the game itself? It was the last time I checked, via the datalinks.
So basically, I`m just looking to see if anyone has purchased the guide at all, does it give you more then the datalinks do, or is this book basically a ripoff?
Thanks, and take it easy on me, it`s my first post
Later,
Zanatar.

Bluemax posted 04-09-99 05:16 PM ET
I bought it. Is it worth it? It depends upon your utility for money. $20 was no big deal for me, figuring how much I anticipated the game and all the fun it would bring. It does provide useful information. Map of Planet is helpful. After playing the game for some time, it became apparent that no strategy manual can really address the many facets of the game. The game is too deep. Reading postings in this forum can help you learn some strategies.
trippin daily posted 04-10-99 05:38 AM ET
Hey, don't buy the guide.. it is a HUGE rippoff... i have looked through it.. there really isn't much of a strategy section in it... if u need help.. go here http://www.gamers.com/alphacentauri/ it pretty long, but it is pretty usefull, especially if your starting out.
Zanatar posted 04-11-99 03:25 AM ET
Any other comments on this? I'd love
to hear more of your opinions. It would really help me out.
So far one (sortof for) and the other against the guide. Anyone else have it? Is it worth it. I'd love more opinions before I go make my choice. Do the techs and other info really give you that much more.
I somehow doubt that 20$ is worth just the map of planet. (That is, if that is really the only redeeming factor of this guide).
Comments please..
Jonathan posted 04-11-99 01:19 PM ET
I haven't bought the SMAC SG, but I did buy the Civ SG, and the CivII SG came in some Special Edition. I agree with the downsayers in general; 95% of the book is the game manual in expanded form for those who can't bother to read the manual!
Naf posted 04-11-99 03:56 PM ET
I bought the online Gamespot guide, from www.gamespot.com of course. Its a downloadable 300 page huge ass guide in acrobat format. Done really nice. Its awesome, lots of useful insights, only costs 5 bucks! Cheaper than a real one, but just as good.
trippin daily posted 04-11-99 05:34 PM ET
That downloadable gamespot guide is the exact same guide as there webpage has up for FREE viewing(its just a little bit harer to navigate, not much though)I agree though, it is WAY better than the 20 dollar one.
Shade posted 04-12-99 09:05 PM ET
I got the guide. It's ok, but like any guide, the choice tidbits it has to offer are easily gleened from other (free) sources. It is a glorified game manual in most respects, although I found it better than most guides, as it actually gave quite a bit of information on the internal workings of the AI routines and other game workings. It is also nice to have some of the basic game info available in print format, like the map of planet, techs, and secret projects.
There's also some overall good game strategies, but I tend to avoid those. It's one thing to get ideas for strong tactics, it's quite another to be told exactly how to play the game from square one to end game. What's the point?
If you'll miss that $20, don't bother, but if it doesn't matter to much to you I'd pick it up.
I've also heard really good things about that Gamespot guide. I 'must' have print, so I'd only pick it up if I had a quality printer (which I don't), but the price certainly is right.
Shade
MartyParty posted 04-12-99 10:40 PM ET
The AC strategy guide was the worst of all Prima guides I've ever seen/read. The strategy section at the front adds nothing to the repertoir of any experience Civ or Civ2 players, and the reference section gives no special insights to any technology, projects or base improvements.
Eman posted 04-13-99 12:12 PM ET
I bought the SMAC Prima guide (bought it at CompUSA at full price before I learned that Best Buy sells them all at -25%). I thought it was OK. The strategy section is weak, but I found the discussion of base projects and secret projects to be pretty good - I learned some details that are hard to glean from the manual (sometimes its so hard to find what you're looking for in the manual, and even when you find it, the info is often in abbreviated form). Now whenever I have a question about projects or techs I go straight to the easy to reference Prima guide. Also there is some good info on how the computer adjusts for different difficulty levels and the program code itself. All these things are probably available elsewhere if you hunt for them, but I highly doubt its nearly as quick or as convenient to use as a nice guide. Bottom line: if you have a spare $15, buy it at Best Buy. Regards, Ed
PaulBot posted 04-13-99 12:18 PM ET
I didn't buy the Prima guide because I read nothing but negative reviews about it on amazon.com.
I also downloaded the Gamespot strategy guide, and have found it very useful!!
I printed out the sections I wanted, read through them, and have it right by my PC when I'm playing AC!
It's definitely worth the $5.00!!
Tommyboy posted 04-13-99 04:11 PM ET
I Have both guides (the Prima and the GameGuides). At first, I thought the Prima guide was weak. I wasn't too upset simply because I've learned not to expect too much from strategy guides (sad, but true). Most guides these days are written by beta testers (you can tell because usually those books come out at the same time as the game). Therefore, there is no way to include many of the advanced strategies that are discovered and perfected by gamers after the game is released. The strategy section is very weak. There are scenario specific strategies, but I have no idea how good they are (anybody play the scenarios?). The section describing the faction leaders is totally useless. In time, I came to appreciate the descriptions of the Base Facilities and the Secret Projects (IMHO, these are the best sections of the entire book). There is also a comprehensive index for both the guide and the manual in the back of the book.
The GameGuides guide is surprisingly good and is a great value for $5 if you want the acrobat file. There's a lot of great information in it. The only downside is that it's not a book and it's a very large file if you want to print it (over 300 pages!).
I remember when strategy guides came out months after the game and were actually useful (Master of Orion by Alan Emerich comes to mind). It's sad to see that companies now use these books to simply supplement the documentation.
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Author	Topic: Prima`s Strategy Guide.. any good??
Zanatar	posted 04-09-99 03:54 PM ET Hello, I am looking at purchasing the official strategy guide for Alpha Centauri, called Prima`s Official Strategy Guide: Sid Meirer`s Alpha Centauri. Anyhow, just glancing through it, I noticed that there really isn`t much there, the strategy portion is only the 20 or 30 pages worth, while the rest lists all the techs, base facilities, units, secret projects, and special abilites. Isn`t all of this stuff already in the game itself? It was the last time I checked, via the datalinks. So basically, I`m just looking to see if anyone has purchased the guide at all, does it give you more then the datalinks do, or is this book basically a ripoff? Thanks, and take it easy on me, it`s my first post Later, Zanatar.
Bluemax	posted 04-09-99 05:16 PM ET I bought it. Is it worth it? It depends upon your utility for money. $20 was no big deal for me, figuring how much I anticipated the game and all the fun it would bring. It does provide useful information. Map of Planet is helpful. After playing the game for some time, it became apparent that no strategy manual can really address the many facets of the game. The game is too deep. Reading postings in this forum can help you learn some strategies.
trippin daily	posted 04-10-99 05:38 AM ET Hey, don't buy the guide.. it is a HUGE rippoff... i have looked through it.. there really isn't much of a strategy section in it... if u need help.. go here http://www.gamers.com/alphacentauri/ it pretty long, but it is pretty usefull, especially if your starting out.
Zanatar	posted 04-11-99 03:25 AM ET Any other comments on this? I'd love to hear more of your opinions. It would really help me out. So far one (sortof for) and the other against the guide. Anyone else have it? Is it worth it. I'd love more opinions before I go make my choice. Do the techs and other info really give you that much more. I somehow doubt that 20$ is worth just the map of planet. (That is, if that is really the only redeeming factor of this guide). Comments please..
Jonathan	posted 04-11-99 01:19 PM ET I haven't bought the SMAC SG, but I did buy the Civ SG, and the CivII SG came in some Special Edition. I agree with the downsayers in general; 95% of the book is the game manual in expanded form for those who can't bother to read the manual!
Naf	posted 04-11-99 03:56 PM ET I bought the online Gamespot guide, from www.gamespot.com of course. Its a downloadable 300 page huge ass guide in acrobat format. Done really nice. Its awesome, lots of useful insights, only costs 5 bucks! Cheaper than a real one, but just as good.
trippin daily	posted 04-11-99 05:34 PM ET That downloadable gamespot guide is the exact same guide as there webpage has up for FREE viewing(its just a little bit harer to navigate, not much though)I agree though, it is WAY better than the 20 dollar one.
Shade	posted 04-12-99 09:05 PM ET I got the guide. It's ok, but like any guide, the choice tidbits it has to offer are easily gleened from other (free) sources. It is a glorified game manual in most respects, although I found it better than most guides, as it actually gave quite a bit of information on the internal workings of the AI routines and other game workings. It is also nice to have some of the basic game info available in print format, like the map of planet, techs, and secret projects. There's also some overall good game strategies, but I tend to avoid those. It's one thing to get ideas for strong tactics, it's quite another to be told exactly how to play the game from square one to end game. What's the point? If you'll miss that $20, don't bother, but if it doesn't matter to much to you I'd pick it up. I've also heard really good things about that Gamespot guide. I 'must' have print, so I'd only pick it up if I had a quality printer (which I don't), but the price certainly is right. Shade
MartyParty	posted 04-12-99 10:40 PM ET The AC strategy guide was the worst of all Prima guides I've ever seen/read. The strategy section at the front adds nothing to the repertoir of any experience Civ or Civ2 players, and the reference section gives no special insights to any technology, projects or base improvements.
Eman	posted 04-13-99 12:12 PM ET I bought the SMAC Prima guide (bought it at CompUSA at full price before I learned that Best Buy sells them all at -25%). I thought it was OK. The strategy section is weak, but I found the discussion of base projects and secret projects to be pretty good - I learned some details that are hard to glean from the manual (sometimes its so hard to find what you're looking for in the manual, and even when you find it, the info is often in abbreviated form). Now whenever I have a question about projects or techs I go straight to the easy to reference Prima guide. Also there is some good info on how the computer adjusts for different difficulty levels and the program code itself. All these things are probably available elsewhere if you hunt for them, but I highly doubt its nearly as quick or as convenient to use as a nice guide. Bottom line: if you have a spare $15, buy it at Best Buy. Regards, Ed
PaulBot	posted 04-13-99 12:18 PM ET I didn't buy the Prima guide because I read nothing but negative reviews about it on amazon.com. I also downloaded the Gamespot strategy guide, and have found it very useful!! I printed out the sections I wanted, read through them, and have it right by my PC when I'm playing AC! It's definitely worth the $5.00!!
Tommyboy	posted 04-13-99 04:11 PM ET I Have both guides (the Prima and the GameGuides). At first, I thought the Prima guide was weak. I wasn't too upset simply because I've learned not to expect too much from strategy guides (sad, but true). Most guides these days are written by beta testers (you can tell because usually those books come out at the same time as the game). Therefore, there is no way to include many of the advanced strategies that are discovered and perfected by gamers after the game is released. The strategy section is very weak. There are scenario specific strategies, but I have no idea how good they are (anybody play the scenarios?). The section describing the faction leaders is totally useless. In time, I came to appreciate the descriptions of the Base Facilities and the Secret Projects (IMHO, these are the best sections of the entire book). There is also a comprehensive index for both the guide and the manual in the back of the book. The GameGuides guide is surprisingly good and is a great value for $5 if you want the acrobat file. There's a lot of great information in it. The only downside is that it's not a book and it's a very large file if you want to print it (over 300 pages!). I remember when strategy guides came out months after the game and were actually useful (Master of Orion by Alan Emerich comes to mind). It's sad to see that companies now use these books to simply supplement the documentation.