To buy or not to buy?? - Alpha Centauri Forums

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  The Game
  To buy or not to buy??

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   To buy or not to buy??

Cycra posted 05-25-99 06:55 PM ET
Have been looking at getting this game on and off for a short time now. Haven't played the CIV games, but this one intrigues me. Is it worth it?? Or will I be getting in over my head. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.
OldWarrior_42 posted 05-25-99 07:48 PM ET
Cycra..I havent played the civ games either and I think it is a good purchase. Could be better but I have seen alot worse. You should enjoy it though. Make sure that you come back to this site and download version 3.0 pat..er..enhancement. And keep your fingers crossed for when version 4.0 comes out . Hopefully that will take care of the rest of the bugs....er... enhancements. Enjoy buddy
Darkstar posted 05-26-99 08:13 AM ET
I think its worthwhile, if you don't have to pay TOO much for it. Get the demo. Try it out. If you like it, go buy it.
-Darkstar
Aredhran posted 05-26-99 09:05 AM ET
It *will* get over your head, trust me.
You will become addicted to it, suffer from sleep deprivation, your social life will end and you may even get divorced if you're married. Then you're job is next. But you'll Transcend !
GREAT game, even with all the flaws. GO FOR IT !
Aredhran
The Dude posted 05-26-99 01:05 PM ET
It depends on what you're looking for. I bought "Alpha Centauri" because PC Gamer gave it a 98%, their highest rating ever, and I got it for a good price ($29.95 with a $10 rebate sticker on it, which I will send in.)
To be honest, my expectations were pretty high, and I was at first disappointed with the game. On the surface, it just looks like another turn-based strategy game. You move your units until you're used up all your action points, wait for the other players to make their moves, and then it's your turn again. However, I soon realized that there is much much more to SMAC than any other TBS game out there, but it won't be immediately obvious.
Once you've played the game a few times, read through the thick, 200+ page(!) manual, and learned what all the different screens and game controls do, I'm afraid you may find yourself hooked. This is a very deep game that gets better the more your play it and uncover different layers.
Don't be surprised if you do a double take at your clock after playing Alpha Centauri ("Have I really been playing this game for three hours?"). It's very simple on the surface but you can easily get sucked in.
jsorense posted 05-26-99 01:16 PM ET
The Dude is absolutely right.
The only stipulation I would add is that if you love the pseudo-historic aspects of Civ-type games you might not feel as comfortable in this science fiction milieu. If you like near future science fiction then I would say go for it.
To close this thread, click here (moderator or admin only).


Hop to:

Contact Us | Alpha Centauri Home

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Version 5.18
© Madrona Park, Inc., 1998.

Author	Topic: To buy or not to buy??
Cycra	posted 05-25-99 06:55 PM ET Have been looking at getting this game on and off for a short time now. Haven't played the CIV games, but this one intrigues me. Is it worth it?? Or will I be getting in over my head. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.
OldWarrior_42	posted 05-25-99 07:48 PM ET Cycra..I havent played the civ games either and I think it is a good purchase. Could be better but I have seen alot worse. You should enjoy it though. Make sure that you come back to this site and download version 3.0 pat..er..enhancement. And keep your fingers crossed for when version 4.0 comes out . Hopefully that will take care of the rest of the bugs....er... enhancements. Enjoy buddy
Darkstar	posted 05-26-99 08:13 AM ET I think its worthwhile, if you don't have to pay TOO much for it. Get the demo. Try it out. If you like it, go buy it. -Darkstar
Aredhran	posted 05-26-99 09:05 AM ET It will get over your head, trust me. You will become addicted to it, suffer from sleep deprivation, your social life will end and you may even get divorced if you're married. Then you're job is next. But you'll Transcend ! GREAT game, even with all the flaws. GO FOR IT ! Aredhran
The Dude	posted 05-26-99 01:05 PM ET It depends on what you're looking for. I bought "Alpha Centauri" because PC Gamer gave it a 98%, their highest rating ever, and I got it for a good price ($29.95 with a $10 rebate sticker on it, which I will send in.) To be honest, my expectations were pretty high, and I was at first disappointed with the game. On the surface, it just looks like another turn-based strategy game. You move your units until you're used up all your action points, wait for the other players to make their moves, and then it's your turn again. However, I soon realized that there is much much more to SMAC than any other TBS game out there, but it won't be immediately obvious. Once you've played the game a few times, read through the thick, 200+ page(!) manual, and learned what all the different screens and game controls do, I'm afraid you may find yourself hooked. This is a very deep game that gets better the more your play it and uncover different layers. Don't be surprised if you do a double take at your clock after playing Alpha Centauri ("Have I really been playing this game for three hours?"). It's very simple on the surface but you can easily get sucked in.
jsorense	posted 05-26-99 01:16 PM ET The Dude is absolutely right. The only stipulation I would add is that if you love the pseudo-historic aspects of Civ-type games you might not feel as comfortable in this science fiction milieu. If you like near future science fiction then I would say go for it.