feelings as you get deeper into a game..

  Alpha Centauri Forums
  The Game
  feelings as you get deeper into a game..

profile | register | prefs | faq | search

Author Topic:   feelings as you get deeper into a game..

vee posted 09-07-99 01:52 PM ET
does anyone sometimes get bored with alpha as they get deeper into a game? almost as if the tediousness of managing so many cities and having to wait many minutes after each turn for the computer to go thru the structure built in each city takes away from the fun that was so intense in the beginning?....
i know that the deeper you get into a game means the more technologies and units you get and the more options you have, but sometimes i feel like the waiting for the comp. to go thru every single event before a turn begins and also the micromanagment necessary for each city(when you have dozens of them) tends to make the game as much fun as balancing my checkbook...
thats why i tend to keep my empire small, no more than 10 or 15 cities, but then if you dont have many cities, you'll get crushed because you dont have the earning power...
am i being stupid or does anyone know what im saying?
SMACTrek posted 09-07-99 03:14 PM ET
It helps to change the preferences so that annoying things like the tutorials don't pop up and bother you.
Regarding micromanagement of many cities, I usually micromanage until I get about 15+ cities, then use Governors. If you check on them every so often, they shouldn't build too many useless things. But definitely switch the Governors off before a war.
The game does seem to slow down as it gets closer to the end. One of my two solutions is to save, quit, then resume the game later. The other is to choose the easiest option for victory.
RedFred posted 09-07-99 03:37 PM ET
Holy Smokes! The main reason I am replying is to rescue this legitimate thread from all the evil recycled muck that suddenly appeared.
What I like to call "late game drag" has emerged as a common theme among a lot of SMACers. I've certainly experienced it but not so much recently, since I have tried out the fastest transcend challenge.
Part of it is a tech tree issue. Everyone used to think that a real big tech tree was so cool. The only problem is that in the late game you get new tech all the time and constantly have to readjust your build queues to capitalize on it. If I have enough of a tech lead, I sometimes won't bother prototyping each and every ADM advance to keep things simple.
Another aspect is the AI's natural aggressiveness. Even using diplomacy to the max, I rarely escape some late game wars. Although many of the wars are really just the mildly annoying long-distance low grade conflicts. I am a builder type who would love another setting for the AI along with Aggressive & Normal. A more peaceful option.
The other big "drag" for me is the design workshop which can get mucked up by mid game. I love the flexibility of being able to design new units, but I often run out of spots in the queue on account of obsolete units. High morale obsolete units are fine for killing worms if they are far away from any foriegn front, but I have to pay to upgrade them just to keep the queue from getting clogged.
vee, (does your name come from the Thomas Pynchon novel?) I don't think 10 to 15 cities is necessarily a recipe for disaster. I'll generally find more cities to be optimal, but even at 10 cities you can convincingly and consistantly beat the AI and transcend at the TI level.
I don't experience a huge delay on my PC while the AI takes its turn. Do you play huge world?
Good luck and keep SMACing.
SMACTrek posted 09-07-99 06:26 PM ET
That's something I forgot. Smaller map, better speed.
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: feelings as you get deeper into a game..
vee	posted 09-07-99 01:52 PM ET does anyone sometimes get bored with alpha as they get deeper into a game? almost as if the tediousness of managing so many cities and having to wait many minutes after each turn for the computer to go thru the structure built in each city takes away from the fun that was so intense in the beginning?.... i know that the deeper you get into a game means the more technologies and units you get and the more options you have, but sometimes i feel like the waiting for the comp. to go thru every single event before a turn begins and also the micromanagment necessary for each city(when you have dozens of them) tends to make the game as much fun as balancing my checkbook... thats why i tend to keep my empire small, no more than 10 or 15 cities, but then if you dont have many cities, you'll get crushed because you dont have the earning power... am i being stupid or does anyone know what im saying?
SMACTrek	posted 09-07-99 03:14 PM ET It helps to change the preferences so that annoying things like the tutorials don't pop up and bother you. Regarding micromanagement of many cities, I usually micromanage until I get about 15+ cities, then use Governors. If you check on them every so often, they shouldn't build too many useless things. But definitely switch the Governors off before a war. The game does seem to slow down as it gets closer to the end. One of my two solutions is to save, quit, then resume the game later. The other is to choose the easiest option for victory.
RedFred	posted 09-07-99 03:37 PM ET Holy Smokes! The main reason I am replying is to rescue this legitimate thread from all the evil recycled muck that suddenly appeared. What I like to call "late game drag" has emerged as a common theme among a lot of SMACers. I've certainly experienced it but not so much recently, since I have tried out the fastest transcend challenge. Part of it is a tech tree issue. Everyone used to think that a real big tech tree was so cool. The only problem is that in the late game you get new tech all the time and constantly have to readjust your build queues to capitalize on it. If I have enough of a tech lead, I sometimes won't bother prototyping each and every ADM advance to keep things simple. Another aspect is the AI's natural aggressiveness. Even using diplomacy to the max, I rarely escape some late game wars. Although many of the wars are really just the mildly annoying long-distance low grade conflicts. I am a builder type who would love another setting for the AI along with Aggressive & Normal. A more peaceful option. The other big "drag" for me is the design workshop which can get mucked up by mid game. I love the flexibility of being able to design new units, but I often run out of spots in the queue on account of obsolete units. High morale obsolete units are fine for killing worms if they are far away from any foriegn front, but I have to pay to upgrade them just to keep the queue from getting clogged. vee, (does your name come from the Thomas Pynchon novel?) I don't think 10 to 15 cities is necessarily a recipe for disaster. I'll generally find more cities to be optimal, but even at 10 cities you can convincingly and consistantly beat the AI and transcend at the TI level. I don't experience a huge delay on my PC while the AI takes its turn. Do you play huge world? Good luck and keep SMACing.
SMACTrek	posted 09-07-99 06:26 PM ET That's something I forgot. Smaller map, better speed.