[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Why are you cloning Civ II? (was Re: Migration)

["Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Stepan Roh [mailto:stepan@xxxxxxxx]
> On Thu, 18 Dec 2003, Brandon J. Van Every wrote:
>
> > > Fun to play is The Goal.
> >
> > That goal was solved by Sid Meier / Brian Reynolds.  You
> > guys haven't contributed anything to that goal.
>
> Better UI (network play-aware) is not advance?

It's a technological advance, enabling people in different locations to
play the game.  It does *not* make the game more fun.

> Or better automated settlers?

Your settlers, automated though they may be, have not rocked my world.
In fact, they are poor settlers compared to Alpha Centauri terraformers,
because they cannot be set to improve their home cities only.  Maybe
your Settlers are better than Civ II, I have trouble remembering.  But
if you're trying to make the game more fun through Settler automation,
you have some catching up to do with SMAC and Civ III.  Once you've
caught up, maybe you'll figure out how to actually improve their fun
value.

> Or network play itself?

Again, an enabling technology.  Contribution to fun value of game
design?  Zero!

From where I sit, you've done nothing whatsoever to make the Civ genre
more fun to play.  You have merely enabled Civ II on a multitude of
computing platforms, and continue to play catch-up on basic game
features, diplomacy, etc.  Once you finish catching up, you might
actually start innovating and making the game have higher entertainment
value.  I know you guys have the brains for it, you've proven it in
conversations about game design problems.  So why not the will?


Cheers,                         www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every               Seattle, WA

"Desperation is the motherfucker of Invention." - Robert Prestridge