Swede
Settler
New York, NY 10022
Mar 2001
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posted March 04, 2001 17:42
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I have played Sid's games for just about a decade. He has brought an intelligence and an attention to historical detail that has repeatedly paid off in rich and enjoyable game-playing experiences. His greatest franchise, Civilization, is potentially in the process of of being further improved. While understanding that the Civ team faces the constrictions of the "profit-motive" and will be tempted to stay very close to the Civ II template, I desperately hope that Sid does not forsake his abilites as an innovative designer able to reconcile his obvious appreciation of history and its nuances with an enjoyable gameplaying experience. Beautifying Civ II (with animated Abe Lincolns) is not what this gamer really wants. I would like to see this franchise brought to another level, and this will not happen without the introduction of a substantial and innovative trade/resource model.
There have been good and bad suggestions posted on this site--I have been reading them for months. The best ones, in terms of moving this franchise forward, have involved the introduction of a resource model. Indeed, the competition over resources, historically, has been the driving force behind the interactions between civilizations since the Neolitic Revolution 10,000 years ago. How these resources have been utilized within particular civilizations became the means of their survival.Sid knows this, and his team would face a difficult task in implementing a more historically accurate model. With some extra effort, however, the payoff could be tremendous. Firaxis has the talent neccessary to enrich the game without sacrificing playability, but a "gussied-up" Civ II would fall short of this challenge. After all, the ability to meet challenges has been the hallmark of great civilizations. I would like to see the industry's greatest designer once again push the envelope. |
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