It goes: Dinosaurs, Civ3, SMAC2.

It would be great if the game could continue forever, but that isn't exactly possible without starting to get bored. I mean in Civ2, you can keep playing forever, but the game begins to become very boring. The computer even gives up! (I hated that)!

in 2020 the player will be asked if he wants to finish the game, if he chooses yes he will get some addon to his score(20%?) because if he would have countinued the game he wuold've get more score, probably.

if he chooses to continue he will be able to use all those new techs&wonders.

When a game is already on the route to inevitable victory, I find boring to drag it until the formal winning conditions are met. I liked open end games like Sim City, but to a point.

If "Raise and Fall of civilization" will be somewhat implemented the game will be kept interesting until late turns. A stronger A.I. can do the same, but I suppose that is an hopeless aim with current affordable game tech

Score mean something, but to me not so much to add some % if someone keep playing endless the same game: we are buying a software that can start a new game, why keep to use that button only once?

OTOH, if one of the available end game will be to survive as long as possible to an Armageddon magnitude disaster (total nuke exchange, unstoppable pollution and climate change, earth hit by asteroid, invasion by an alien force - using same race of SMACX, etc. ) a later end of game will have the taste of an hopeless fight to survive.

It can be (optional, for players who hate SF ending) what happens after the launch of Starship Unity to Alpha Centauri. While the starship is your seed of hope for the future (mankind will come back, at the end of SMAC 2 ), you boldly face the flood to the game over. Move your cities, raise up your defence, mutate and adapt... your dead will be sure, but how greatness to the end!

Then, collect your ego bit by bit and start a new Civ game...

How do you feel that suggestion?

quote: I don't think that AC should be the next game in a sequel. Instead the following game will scale out their focus so that it will include the whole solar system and maybe a few nearby solar systems. And the third game should be about the colonization of the whole galaxy.

Red Jon, Utopia can be another path to the victory, but I fear it will be too easy for any other AI or human civ to stop you (you already suggested to use spies).

Va Toran, I probably miss something of your idea, sorry in advance:
- Civ 2 already left you free to retire when you like; it simply put a time limit to game score
- If you can keep to play forever but the tech tree must stop, your research will hit a wall very quickly: not realistic nor funny IMHO. Or do you mean you like "Future tech #36" instead of proper named one?

So there is an idea for an endgame, and could lead to Utopia - uniting the world, maybe even into one civ.

Spies should be able to be countered by spies already in the city, stopping unhappiness attempts.

To prevent it happening too early in the game, you should have discovered every government form first (to explore all the possibilites).

But, since what we all (well most of us ) want is realism, shouldn't Civ3 follow that? Like what is the ultimate goal for the future of Civilization...Peace and unity and visions of one sweet union, errr apparently.

I think at least 3 endings are a must:

1. A player 'wins' when he conquers the whole world (a -very- big task).

2. The whole world is allied. I believe it should be possible in game for players to do deals, to try and bring the world together. In a much more detailed way than the likes of Civ2.

3. Failing that, it's the first to build a humongous rocket and send it to um Mars I suppose. The easiest of the 3 goals, but still needing a big industry, and lots of science.

"after at least 2 other civs land on mars also, then it tells you that Earth has been destroyed by total nuclear warfare. And then you must fight for mars, and settle the RED planet."

Hmm, how -do- you do those nifty quote things?

Hmm, tells you Earth has been destroyed? Anyway, I disagree with any subject which has the game being split into different styles or places. Like the idea's I've read about at the start, having to build a tribe of some sort...I want a smooth flowing game, which no sudden changes. Call me dull.

I dont want 75% CIV + 25% SMAC.
I just want 100% absolut CIV.