Post by ><(((°>Well, having now played a few demo games I thought I'd comment on my 1st
impressions.
I've played one demo game. I was Darius of Persia on a continent with
Elizabeth of England. Not enough time to find out who else was around.
Post by ><(((°>As most people are probably aware, the square tile system has gone and is
replaced with hexagons.
This is a definite improvement and movement is more linear whether going
diagonally or north/south/east/west across the map.
Infantry units now get a base move of 2, which speeds up exploration and
makes moving armies less of a slog. Scouts can pass through forests and
rough terrain with no movement penalty -- they are tougher than Civ 4
scouts and can fight if necessary, with a nice early promotiion to
increase field of vision by one hex.
Post by ><(((°>No stacks of doom - 1 military unit per tile only, ranged attack from
ranged units.
I've only got to fight barbs so far but I love the ranged combat. I get
my archers to soften them up from two hexes away then send in the
infantry before they can retaliate. If the military AI is any good, I
can see the battles becoming very tactical and chess-like. The combat
system is transformed for the better IMO.
Post by ><(((°>Accurate predictions of battle outcome - none of this crap where it
predicts you've a 98% chance and you often loose.
Also combat isn't necessarily to the death now. Units can withdraw to
heal if they don't lose all their hit points.
Post by ><(((°>OK combat animations.
Unexplored areas - graphics now show it as covered with cloud - better
looking than just black areas.
The whole graphical interface and game play feel made me think I was
playing a game designed for children of 8 years and up.
Overall, the graphics are disappointing. I've got everything on the
highest settings and it's nowhere near the standard of Blue Marble in
Civ 4 or Colonization. Some of the graphics don't seem properly finished
TBH. The rivers look like they were created with MS Paint. Maybe they
were rushed to meet the deadline? I hope this will improve with patches
and mods.
I wasn't very impressed with the animated leader screens either. Well,
I've only met Lizzie so far but it seems weird to see her in her
jewelled gown and sumptuous palace when my guys are running around in
loin cloths in 2000 BC or whatever. I wish they'd gone back to the Civ 3
style of leader heads that changed to reflect the different ages.
Post by ><(((°>Everything seems vastly simplified - it certainly doesn't seem to require
much strategic thinking.
Not sure that I would agree with that. It's hard to tell from one demo
game when I've only met one opponent but I thought the diplomacy seemed
deeper. For instance, when I built my second city, Lizzie started
whining that it was too near her borders. I got the choice of saying
something like "I'm sorry it won't happen again", or "I'll build where I
damn well like". Obviously, my response is going to affect her attitude
towards me. I also got the chance to tell her to keep away from my
borders -- it was good to throw my weight around a bit since I was
spoiling for a fight, but I could have tried to smooth it all over if
I'd preferred that approach.
Another whole new angle is the independent city states. There were three
on the continent I shared with Lizzie. Even in 100 turns you could see a
complex little web of relationships developing between the states
themselves and the two full civs.
By the end of the demo, I'd built city number three on the coast and was
gearing up to build ships and start exploring the rest of the world.
Obviously war with Lizzie wasn't far away. I felt like the game was
really starting to take shape and I certainly would have continued if
the demo hadn't ended.
Post by ><(((°>Anyway, I strongly suggest you try the demo before you buy.
Absolutely. It's a lot different to Civ 4. Personally I was hooked by
the gameplay and can't wait to get the full game.