Reasons to buy Play the World

[sprucemoose3311]

Now that so many people have blasted play the world for its poor preformance in online gaming, what reasons are there to buy the game, what are the good points. I doubt the game is totally worthless......

[Iconoclast]

I have played a great many online game with PTW, all fun. As long as you keep ping in mind, you can have fun.

[WarpStorm]

Well, the single player additions are pretty good. TET's scenario is awesome. In addition, PBEM, Hotseat, and LAN play are all stable.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

I cant get it yet but Ill be waiting outside the shop the day it comes out over here. Ive never really played MP anything before and Im looking forward to the new features mostly.

I would like to try my hand at MP though and will probably try the PBEM or LAN first but Im sure the chaps at Firaxis will soon sort out the problems some of you have been experiencing.

[Tassadar500]

If multiplayer doesnt get better I dont know if I will buy it. I dont want to always check the ping of people. What if some people dont have low pings. Do they just miss out.

[WarpStorm]

Well ping is relative. It is a relationship between 2 given computers. It may be impossible to play some but not others.

I've played peole across the Atlantic and had a rather unsatisifactory game. I've played people a lot closer <100 ping to me and it was decent if a tiny bit laggy.

[Bambul]

Originally posted by WarpStorm
Well, the single player additions are pretty good. TET's scenario is awesome. In addition, PBEM, Hotseat, and LAN play are all stable.

TET? Please elaborate.

[notyoueither]

I've had a few good games with people across the pond. 1on1. Some lag. They have very good connections.

[notyoueither]

TETurkhan. Big nasty scenarios.

They are fearsome. Some never come back they say...

[Catt]

Perhaps the biggest reason to shell out $30, regardless of your lust (or lack thereof) for MP and your lust (or lack thereof) for new civs, units, etc., is simply the need to stay in the "upgrade chain" -- to my mind, the performance of the AI has improved with each patch in stock Civ III even though the vast majority of AI tweaks never make it into a readme. Stock Civ III is now out of the upgrade chain -- all future patches will be for PTW, and if $30 isn't a significant outlay for you that requires scrutiny and careful thought, just being able to use the future tweaks to the AI and gameplay that happen behind the scenes is probably worth it.

Catt

[candybo]

Originally posted by Catt
Stock Civ III is now out of the upgrade chain

Bingo!! Nailed it Catt

[candybo]

Minor apologies for bringing this up again, but something occured me while *ahem* using the facilities..


Assuming all this is true about staying in the "upgrade chain", shouldn't PtW have been released/sold, etc as an "upgrade" rather than an expansion pack? As an example, consider The Sims. With all of the silly xpacks, none of them really affected the core game. The actual game hasn't needed any patching in a LONG time, but if something came up, it would be a patch to the core, most likely.
The main reason that there isn't a fuss about people having to buy Sims Online is that the original was SO long ago, it was never assumed to get multiplayer eventually, unlike Civ3. Maxis can present it as a totally different experience.
In my opinion, one of the difficulties is a matter of semantics. If Firaxis/Infogrames referred to PtW as an upgrade, they would have had a very hard time justifying it. If a product is simply an upgrade, it should either 1)be available as a patch, or 2)be sold as a stand-alone product, not requiring Civ3 to be played. If that had been the case, they could have retired vanilla Civ3. I don't pretend to assume how that could have been handled tactfully, maybe a rebate or something, like utilities programs.
To bring this ramble to a close, in the interest of fair play, I think Firaxis should continue to support vanilla Civ3, as much as possible, and not assume that everbody who bought vCiv3 also bought PtW. Thank you for your time...

[Switch]

Well, they've already stated that 1.29f will be the FINAL patch for Civ3.

As to PtW in the upgrade chain, it really wouldn't make much sense for it to be standalone. It is an upgrade that you must pay for, also known as an expansion. an upgrade CAN't possibly be standalone, cause then it wouldn't be an upgrade
It's like the oxymoronic statement "New and Improved." If it's new, then it is the first, thus it can't have improved on anything. If it's improved, then it obviously isn't "new."

Hope that clarifies things. If not, well....oops

[Jaybe]

candybo, PTW was released with many improvements though flawed particularly in the MP aspect. Not a "perfect world," you know.

Single-Player wise, I am having a great time with it after I resolved some reliability issues by doing a system update. Many enhancements in the interface, graphics, and "under the hood."

[Demerzel]

it's a bit harsh on people who don't buy PtW to not get any further patches or not be able to play certain scenario's.

[vmxa1]

True, but keeping seperate builds and test is expensive. Then if they get another exp pack, it could be three sets.

[Demerzel]

yeah that is true but as I'm not thinking of buying PtW ( not that I could considering it's been delayed again here in the UK ), I feel as if I'm almost being forced to buy the expansion pack or I won't get to play the best of the mods out there. Gaming blackmail!

[Boracks]

If its any consolation, I know how you feel.

I checked the threads on this board and even came out of lurk mode to ask a few questions. It was mentioned that PTW was worth it for single player alone. As a result, I bought a copy, even at $50 Canadian, after taxes (about 20 pounds).

Given how much I've played it, I think I have already gotten my entertainment value for this down below $1/hour. So, is it great? Time will tell. But by my reckonning, its better than going out to a movie.

My 3.2 cents worth.

[ducki]

Originally posted by Nuclear Master
If multiplayer doesnt get better I dont know if I will buy it. I dont want to always check the ping of people. What if some people dont have low pings. Do they just miss out.

If MP is your only reason for buying PtW, then wait.

If, however, you think 8 new Civs, much-improved AI and Barbarian "tactics", new units, new improvements, new Wonder, and most of all (at least for me) a much improved GUI are worth $30, then definitely upgrade.


To put it another way, as I have before, any game that comes out with Gamespy as it's matchmaker built-in is going to have problems for the first 2 or 3 months. You can count on it.



Summary:
Internet MP via Gamespy - never worth $30
A Mouthful of Improvements, Tweaks, and Additions - almost always worth $30.
The Joy of Upgrading Swordsmen all the way to Replaceable Parts - priceless.

[Nubclear]

Argh....How come all of you pay so much for movies? I pay 5 max...

[candybo]

Hi, all... Let me clarify something. I'm really happy about the SP additions in PtW. As for MP, I can wait til it is fixed, NBD. I've been playing since Civ1, so I'll play whether there is MP or not. My point was just about the way Firaxis/Infogrames has gone about all this. It wasn't handled gracefully or with much concern for the established fan base, IMHO. That said, I think it's great that Soren, et al have been as forthcoming on the forums as they have.
I didn't mean to sound peevish, I was just suggesting possible reasons why events proceeded as they have... and hoping for a smoother development and release of ****CIV4**** . Thank you for your time.

[woody]

Originally posted by candybo
Hi, all... Let me clarify something. I'm really happy about the SP additions in PtW. As for MP, I can wait til it is fixed, NBD. I've been playing since Civ1, so I'll play whether there is MP or not.

I've also bought every Civ game. But, since I'm not at all interested in MP in a Civ-type game (it's just way too long), I'm not going to buy PtW. It just doesn't have that much new stuff, and I'll never buy another Firaxis game until it's been out a few months, anyway.

My point was just about the way Firaxis/Infogrames has gone about all this. It wasn't handled gracefully or with much concern for the established fan base, IMHO. That said, I think it's great that Soren, et al have been as forthcoming on the forums as they have.

I agree, it kind of sucks for Civ3-only owners. But, they have to stop support some time, and at least 1.29f is fairly stable and free of serious bugs.

[Deathwalker]

Still waiting for it

[statusperfect]

Originally posted by Deathwalker
Still waiting for it

Same here ... but only four days left

[CrONoS]

Reason to buy PTW:

For Charity to Infogrames... Stocks going down...

For user made scenario... freely distribute on the web

For great new Civilization.... can take 24 hours(maybe more) to make the whole set with the Civ editor...

For the new Civ Editor...

"Maybe" some AI tweaking... I'm not sure if there some AI Tweak.

Cause it's Civilization...

Genghis Khan can kick Lincoln Ass... ( cause of the Civilization Time Machine... )

=========
If you have LAN it can be a winner deal.... Multiplayer LAN works well.
When we will see Multiplayer works fine, all thing above will be just nice cool extra.....
=========
Another whinning post...sorry but I dont understand people who say the Single Player worth what we paid... all the extra are just things that we can do at home with the Civ Editor ... Even the new civilization
Put more Social Engineering pattern and the game will be a winner choice...
Why i talk about that, it's just a game....Poor me

Reason NOT to buy PTW:
----------------------------
No Millitary Dictature, no police state(want my police state like in U.S.A.), no religious fanatism, no Fascism, no mental control...

So have a nice day..

[ducki]

Maybe you can do all the stuff in the editor.

I don't want to - I'd rather play it than make it.

Also, you cannot tweak the AI in the ways that Firaxis did.

I think it's well worth $30.
Then again, I'm not bitter about MP not working well.
I also bought another Gamespy-included game this year and knew it would suck for Internet play.
Duh.

[woody]

Originally posted by ducki
Maybe you can do all the stuff in the editor.

I don't want to - I'd rather play it than make it.

Actually, I find playing with the editor and setting up new rules before each game half the fun. I like to tweak it the way I want it, which isn't the default way.

Also, you cannot tweak the AI in the ways that Firaxis did.

Other than the AI spreading out their attack (which sounds pretty lame... the huge stacks of Civ3 were a force to be reckened with), what is the big deal about PtW?

I think it's well worth $30.
Then again, I'm not bitter about MP not working well.

I guess if you bought the game expecting it to be unfinished, then you wouldn't be bitter. It amazes me why anyone would want to buy a broken game, though. I actually expect things to be finished when I pay for them.

[ducki]

Originally posted by woody
I actually expect things to be finished when I pay for them.

If you've been in cryogenic suspension for the last 5 years, you might not have noticed that there are hardly any games released nowadays that don't need a patch.

If you buy a game upon release, you're going to get bugs, that's just the way the industry has gone.

I don't agree with it, but I at least recognize it as a reality of buying games upon release.

If you want fewer bugs, wait 3 months and buy it when the Europeans get it.

Me, I haven't had any problems.
The XP is awesome.
The AI changes are great, and it's more than just unit concentration, which is actually a bigger deal than you make it out to be.

For me the XP is worth every penny.
I don't play MP and couldn't care less. If I'd wanted to play MP, I'd have waited until they got gamespy fixed, which should be about the time the Europeans get the game.

I don't find the XP to be unfinished, bug-ridden, or, as some here would put it, a steaming pile.

I wouldn't go back to vanilla Civ3 if you paid me. The improvements are too many and too good.


From your lack of "real" debate, though, there's nothing I can say to change your mind. You're upset about feature X or cranky at the software industry in general, which is fine. You're entitled to your opinion, but it's just that... an opinion... and no more valid or concrete than mine or anyone else's.



On another note, I'm glad you like playing in the editor. It's just not my cup of tea. Lots of people have made massive changes to vanilla Civ3 with the editor, many of them changes that made it into PtW - like the new Civs and new units - which is great. But not for me. I'll play mods, but don't want to bother with making them.

To me, it's a damn fine game with a great XP.

[SirOsis]

Originally posted by woody
I guess if you bought the game expecting it to be unfinished, then you wouldn't be bitter. It amazes me why anyone would want to buy a broken game, though. I actually expect things to be finished when I pay for them.

I am completely amazed at what a crappy product they released. The MP is so laggy it is basically unplayable. That is assuming you even get into a game without it crashing. This is totally unacceptable. Instead of Play the World it should have been called "Play with extremely slow netcode and buggy software."

*flush* <--- the sound of $30 invested in this game

[CrONoS]

sirOsis:

it's PLAY THE CHAT...

The goal: Read all the text in a 5 Line Browser Chat.It's hard man... Try