Looking for a game where...

I thought I'd let people know what I'm doing in response to everyone's
advice and input.

Trade Empires: Couldn't find a demo but from what descriptions/reviews I
could find it sounds good. I was able to find an inexpensive "new" copy
thru Amazon and ordered it. Will let you know what I think of it after it
arrives and I've had a chance to play it a bit.

Tropico: Mixed reviews here and I remember it didn't appeal to me when it
came out so I'm passing on this one.

Capitalism II: Really didn't look like what I wanted. Passed.

City Builder series: Already have them.

Supreme Ruler 2010/2020: Found that there is a sequel to Supreme Ruler 2010
that came out last month, Supreme Ruler 2020. Played the demo for that.
Seems to have some potential. It feels like there is a deep, complex
economy there, a big plus IMO but there are also some worrying aspects.
First, the tutorial included in the demo was basically useless, leaving the
player with effectively no clue as to what it happening or what effect his
input is having. This is a game that obviously desperately needs a good,
thick, detailed manual. Does anyone know if it has one? Second, it really
does play like the country is there just to build a military with and the
military tactics seem to consist of nothing but "mass and charge!" The unit
graphics are ridiculously oversized for the map and the player can't exert
fine control over them. Combat devolves down quickly to just a mass of
overlapping unit graphics sitting in place slogging it out with each other.
The game is also missing one of the aspects I was looking for, namely having
to move raw materials and manufactored products around the map. The
production centers just feed in to a magical teleporting "World Market", so
during peace there's literally nothing happening for the player to watch.
Still, I'd consider buying it _IF_ the manual actually provides useful,
detailed info on how the game works. Does anyone know?

--
History Channel is showing 'Ice Road Truckers' as part of their
"American Originals" brand of shows.

'Ice Road Truckers' is a show about Canadian truck drivers.

(Sig life is directly related to amount of commentary received about
it.)

Dimensional Traveler wrote:

> Etal wrote:
>
>> Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>
>>> Etal wrote:
>>>
>>>> If you don't know about and/or haven't played them yet, keep an
>>>> eye out for the earlier 'City Building [series]' games by
>>>> 'Impressions Games';
>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/caesar-series/>
>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/sierras-pharaoh-legacy/>
>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/zeus-series/>
>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game/emperor-rise-of-the-middle-kingdom/>
>>> I have played the earlier Caesar and Pharaoh city builders. Good
>>> games. Zeus struck me as a major step backwards, simplifying
>>> everything massively and using cartoon animation. Wasn't aware of
>>> the fourth one, I'm guessing set in China?
>>>
>> Of course. And thus there is /Feng Shui/ to contend with.
>>
>> "For game purposes, feng shui is determined by the
>> placement of buildings relative to the terrain."
>>
>
> And other than the name, I'm betting functions exactly the same as
> Desirability does in Caesar and Pharaoh. *grin*
>

Aah! Desirability wasn't covered in the demo of Pharaoh from what
i remember. In Zeus all squares of grass seems to be created
equal. I thought they had added that as a new thing for Emperor.
It was a simplification for the Greeks then.


>>> What I'd like could be described as the City Builder series on a
>>> national scale and over hundreds if not thousands of years.
>>>
>> "As a frame of reference, the span of time covered in Emperor
>> runs from ancient Egypt all the way up to the signing of the
>> Magna Carta (c. 1215 CE)."
>
> But its the same basic engine as Caesar and Pharaoh, so its limited to one
> city at a time, correct? You could say that Pharaoh covered a couple
> thousand years too, just in single city episodes every few hundred years.
>

Yes, it's the different scenarios that take you through the
times. Except for the fact that everything looks differently,
sounds differently and have different names the /Emperor/ game is
almost identical to the /Zeus/ ones, if you know what i mean.


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Etal wrote:
> Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>
>> Etal wrote:
>>
>>> Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>>
>>>> Etal wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> If you don't know about and/or haven't played them yet, keep an
>>>>> eye out for the earlier 'City Building [series]' games by
>>>>> 'Impressions Games';
>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/caesar-series/>
>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/sierras-pharaoh-legacy/>
>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/zeus-series/>
>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game/emperor-rise-of-the-middle-kingdom/>
>>>> I have played the earlier Caesar and Pharaoh city builders. Good
>>>> games. Zeus struck me as a major step backwards, simplifying
>>>> everything massively and using cartoon animation. Wasn't aware of
>>>> the fourth one, I'm guessing set in China?
>>>>
>>> Of course. And thus there is /Feng Shui/ to contend with.
>>>
>>> "For game purposes, feng shui is determined by the
>>> placement of buildings relative to the terrain."
>>>
>>
>> And other than the name, I'm betting functions exactly the same as
>> Desirability does in Caesar and Pharaoh. *grin*
>>
>
> Aah! Desirability wasn't covered in the demo of Pharaoh from what
> i remember. In Zeus all squares of grass seems to be created
> equal. I thought they had added that as a new thing for Emperor.
> It was a simplification for the Greeks then.

Desirability was there from at least Caesar II, probably I. It was always
something you had to worry about for higher class housing.
>
>
>>>> What I'd like could be described as the City Builder series on a
>>>> national scale and over hundreds if not thousands of years.
>>>>
>>> "As a frame of reference, the span of time covered in Emperor
>>> runs from ancient Egypt all the way up to the signing of the
>>> Magna Carta (c. 1215 CE)."
>>
>> But its the same basic engine as Caesar and Pharaoh, so its limited
>> to one city at a time, correct? You could say that Pharaoh covered
>> a couple thousand years too, just in single city episodes every few
>> hundred years.
>
> Yes, it's the different scenarios that take you through the
> times. Except for the fact that everything looks differently,
> sounds differently and have different names the /Emperor/ game is
> almost identical to the /Zeus/ ones, if you know what i mean.

Ya, I think I do. I agree the series is good but its not quite what I'm
looking for right now. I want to run the entire empire continously over the
hundreds/thousands of years.

--
History Channel is showing 'Ice Road Truckers' as part of their
"American Originals" brand of shows.

'Ice Road Truckers' is a show about Canadian truck drivers.

(Sig life is directly related to amount of commentary received about
it.)

Dimensional Traveler wrote:

> Etal wrote:
>
>> Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>
>>> Etal wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dimensional Traveler wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Etal wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> If you don't know about and/or haven't played them yet, keep an
>>>>>> eye out for the earlier 'City Building [series]' games by
>>>>>> 'Impressions Games';
>>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/caesar-series/>
>>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/sierras-pharaoh-legacy/>
>>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/zeus-series/>
>>>>>> <http://www.mobygames.com/game/emperor-rise-of-the-middle-kingdom/>
>>>>> I have played the earlier Caesar and Pharaoh city builders. Good
>>>>> games. Zeus struck me as a major step backwards, simplifying
>>>>> everything massively and using cartoon animation. Wasn't aware of
>>>>> the fourth one, I'm guessing set in China?
>>>>>
>>>> Of course. And thus there is /Feng Shui/ to contend with.
>>>>
>>>> "For game purposes, feng shui is determined by the
>>>> placement of buildings relative to the terrain."
>>>>
>>> And other than the name, I'm betting functions exactly the same as
>>> Desirability does in Caesar and Pharaoh. *grin*
>>>
>> Aah! Desirability wasn't covered in the demo of Pharaoh from what
>> i remember. In Zeus all squares of grass seems to be created
>> equal. I thought they had added that as a new thing for Emperor.
>> It was a simplification for the Greeks then.
>
> Desirability was there from at least Caesar II, probably I. It was always
> something you had to worry about for higher class housing.

Hang on. That was not correct. Desirability then, is called
'Appeal' in Zeus and (checking after reinstalling) is called
Desirability again in Emperor. Something you as city-planner
control with placement of industries, parks and monuments.
It was of course present in the Pharaoh demo as it influences
your subjects willingness to develop also the common housing
quite early on.

'Feng Shui' is something else, probably new to Emperor but also
found under the Aesthetics tab. It is an preset modifier for each
square, affecting where it is good or not so good to place your
buildings and something you as the city-planner do not influence.


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Peter Knutsen <peter.DeleteThis@sagatafl.invalid> wrote in
news:48833186$0$90271$14726298@news.sunsite.dk:

> Although there are some annoyances, Tropico 1 is a very good game.
> Well worth what I paid for it, plus the expansion, in early 2002.
>

I bought that game when it first came out and still have never played a
full game of it. It's a good game, it's just that I always get sidetracked
by something else.

James McTavish wrote:
> Peter Knutsen <peter DeleteThis @sagatafl.invalid> wrote in
>>Although there are some annoyances, Tropico 1 is a very good game.
>>Well worth what I paid for it, plus the expansion, in early 2002.
>
> I bought that game when it first came out and still have never played a
> full game of it. It's a good game, it's just that I always get sidetracked
> by something else.

Playing a full game, as in going to the game duration that you have originally
decided upon, which is usually 50 or 70 years? I haven't done that either. I've
sometimes played for 35-40 years, or lost an election, but never made it all the
way through. That said, I don't much like playing for points either. That just
doesn't appeal to me.

--
Peter Knutsen
sagatafl.org

In article <hWcik.28513$nD.22580@pd7urf1no>,
james.RemoveThis@noemail.invalid says...
>
> I bought that game when it first came out and still have never played a
> full game of it. It's a good game, it's just that I always get sidetracked
> by something else.
>

I love the music

I got some respectable scores when I first played it, but when
I dusted it off the other day I concluded that I now absolutely
stink at it. The music was still enjoyable though! <grin>

-P.


--
=========================================
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NoSpam wrote:
> "Peter Knutsen" <peter RemoveThis @sagatafl.invalid> wrote in message
> news:48833186$0$90271$14726298@news.sunsite.dk...
> Mail me 11 bucks. 5 for the game and 6 for 2-3 day USPS.

Peter's in Denmark; note the .dk; is $6 enough for international shipping?

David Alex Lamb wrote:
> NoSpam wrote:
>> Mail me 11 bucks. 5 for the game and 6 for 2-3 day USPS.
>
> Peter's in Denmark; note the .dk; is $6 enough for international shipping?

I also already own both Tropico and the expansion.

--
Peter Knutsen
sagatafl.org