OT: any other games?

[MythicalMino]

Hey all...while I wait for the week of the 17th of November, I was wondering if anybody else has any other games they are playing? Or, any other games you know about that are good?

I have been checking into an old classic game, Empire Deluxe Internet Edition. Haven't bought it yet, still trying to decide if I like it....

At any rate, what games are out there where you can pay with credit card over the net, and then d/l the actual game? anyone know of any?

oh, yeah, another one that i am thinking about getting is War! Age of Imperialism....

What are your suggestions???

[MStavros]

Hidden and Dangerous 2. Very decent game, but this is not strategy.

[ October 23, 2003, 16:15: Message edited by: MStavros ]

[Gandalf Parker]

Stars!, Celtic Kings, Tranquility, King of Dragon Pass. Was playing in Star Wars Galaxy and GalCiv but I got bored.

And Master of Magic.
Also I plan on getting Age of Wonders: Shadow Realm which seems as close to MoM2 as anyone has gotten.

(and yes I do play games all day, Im retired military. Envy me. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif )

[ October 23, 2003, 16:38: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

[MythicalMino]

i seen Hidden & Dangerous 2 earlier today....how does that game play?

Also, I had Master of Magic, but couldn't get it to work on XP...

I have the demo for Stars!, but what is the "pull" of that game...I also seen that Wal-Mart now has both Alpha Centauri AND Alien Crossfire.....perhaps I will pick that game up...

Has anyone played Empire Deluxe though?

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally posted by cpbeller:
I have the demo for Stars!, but what is the "pull" of that game... <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Alot of our players in the newsgroup came from Stars to Dominions. We told them that if they liked Stars then they would love Dominion, for the same reasons. Its a decent strategy game involving excellent surprising balances.

The only real complaint I had with Stars is that I didnt get in soon enough. By the time I started playing it they had the strategys pretty well locked down for solo, multi-play, 2-race alliances, 3-race alliances, small map, large map, etc etc. That was one of the thrills I had with Dom 1. Getting in early enough to take part in the debates, even toss in a few surprises. Im looking forward to that in Dom2 also.

[MythicalMino]

gandalf, have you played Space Empires IV Gold? I have heard that SE4 is actually better than Stars!....i have SE4....and the demo for Stars.

But, Stars I just haven't really played much of...just a little bit...

[MStavros]

Originally posted by cpbeller:
i seen Hidden & Dangerous 2 earlier today....how does that game play?

Also, I had Master of Magic, but couldn't get it to work on XP...

I have the demo for Stars!, but what is the "pull" of that game...I also seen that Wal-Mart now has both Alpha Centauri AND Alien Crossfire.....perhaps I will pick that game up...

Has anyone played Empire Deluxe though? <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Hidden and Dangerous 2, it is an awesome tactical third person shooter, but you need a good comp to run it.
It is a totally new game.
Lot of previews are on the net here is one:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/453/453087p1.html

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
The only real complaint I had with Stars is that I didnt get in soon enough. By the time I started playing it they had the strategys pretty well locked down for solo, multi-play, 2-race alliances, 3-race alliances, small map, large map, etc etc.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Never tried 'Primitive Stars!'? That was a refreshing variant. To my knowledge the 'best' strategies for PS! have yet to be devised.

Specials rules for PS! here:

http://www.starbasedelta.com/ubb/Forum3/SHTML/000152.shtml

[MythicalMino]

let me ask you this....is Stars! worth the money it will cost me to buy it? also, where CAN i buy it?

Too bad Supernova Genesis (is that it?) never came out....looked VERY impressive...

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by cpbeller:
let me ask you this....is Stars! worth the money it will cost me to buy it?<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">YES!

also, where CAN i buy it?<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Dunno - but if I remember well, the answer is in the Stars! FAQ. Or you might just ask in the rec.games.computer.stars newsgroup.

Too bad Supernova Genesis (is that it?) never came out....looked VERY impressive... <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Don't bring this subject up again, you're just hurting me badly. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[MythicalMino]

LOL...sorry....but it did....even looked so much better than MOO3....how did that game get released, and no body wanted to publish the other....

As far as buying, I have been to the website, and the sites to purchase will not come up...

But, what is it about this game though that SE4 doesn't have?

[ October 23, 2003, 17:46: Message edited by: cpbeller ]

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
Stars!, Celtic Kings, Tranquility, King of Dragon Pass.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Heh, Gandalf, it seems one of us is the other's clone. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Taqwus]

My gaming habits depend on my mood. Lately, I've mostly been playing Xconq, esp. the "Bellum Aeternum" module and the Cobra/Cherbourg scenarios from the WWII module. I'll fire up King of Dragon Pass every so often, when the bug strikes me. If I'm looking for something shorter and more hectic, it'll likely be Mechwarrior III instant battles.

[Nagot Gick Fel]

Originally posted by cpbeller:
But, what is it about this game though that SE4 doesn't have? <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Very similar features, yet very different gameplay.

[MythicalMino]

i am thinking it is not possible to buy Stars though....hmmmm....too bad....

[Truper]

Try: http://stars.lelv30.net/

Both the glory of and the real problem with Stars! is that it appealed to the sort of geeks capable of analyzing it to death http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[licker]

If you want an entertaining (and FREE) diVersion why not go back and play some roguelikes?

Angband and its many varients usually pull in people for a good amount of time.

http://www.thangorodrim.net/

Check it out, you won't be sorry http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Endoperez]

For roguelikes, try ADOM. It is very good, but hard. I have played for many years, never completed it, and only once got a character to max level(50). Of course, that character died soon after... You might want to check the newsGroups for them. rec.games.roguelikes.adom for ADOM, not sure for Angband but propably in .roguelikes too. And www.adom.de (http://www.adom.de) is the homepage. BTW, IW links to it...

Other games I play are X-com Gold Version, Dominions(not very much now, though) and I'm trying to find time for Baldur's Gate.

[LordArioch]

Baldur's gate 2 or 1? I found 2 much more enjoyable. More so than any rpg to follow it so far.

[Potatoman]

Personally, I didn't like Stars or SE4 at all. Too much micromanagement, too much time required to complete a game.

In the way of free entertainment I would suggest:

X-Com 2000. A user made program that uses files and data from X-Com 1 to create a playable hotseat multiplayer variant of the game (only player vs player, unfortunately. No cooperative.) Hotseat, Network, and internet compatible.
http://ufo2000.sourceforge.net/

Star Control 2
Remake of one of the greatest adventure/RPG games of all time, free and compatible with modern operating systems.
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/

Star Control: Timewarp
A remake of Star Control 2's melee. Supports up to 16 players at once, and includes all ships from all three games (and many fan made ships; don't worry, you can delete the files of ships you don't like). Also hotseat compatible.
www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/timewarp (http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/timewarp)

[PvK]

Space Empires IV Gold
King of Dragon Pass
Combat Mission
Myth II

[MythicalMino]

hmmmm....King of Dragon Pass....

checking that out now....looks interesting, but is it really a strategy game? or what exactly...?

[Mortifer]

I just got Warlords 4. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[MythicalMino]

how is Warlords 4?

[Mortifer]

I will post a mini report about it tomorrow.
I just installed it a few hours ago and played like 1 hour so far, but I like it!

[MythicalMino]

cool...will be waiting for it....

right now, i am downloading the demo tour for king of dragon pass...

more than likely, I will just get Alpha Centuari & Alien Crossfire tomorrow morning...

[Taqwus]

King of Dragon Pass reminds me vaguely of the old empire-management games like "Hammurabi"; you make management decisions to help your clan prosper, such as which deities to propitiate when or how many hides of farmland you need versus wildlands, in contrast to pushing units around a map.

Micro is considerably reduced compared to most strategy games. In fact, you really /can't/ have a micro-intensive turn, because you can only initiate two actions a season. Actions include things like reorganizing your clan ring (the clan's high council, basically), changing your farmland distribution, sending diplomatic or trade missions, sending raids, sending exploration parties, building or destroying shrines, and so forth.

Also unusual, the game makes very heavy use of events, some of which are linked with each other... and frequently there's no single "right" answer in that you can viably take multiple paths.

Setting is based on the Gloranthan world. You don't have to be familiar with it, 'tho, as there's quite a bit of background supplied with the game.

Difficulty is fairly high. With a bit of bad luck -- say, starting surrounded by hostile War-happy clans combined with bad harvests -- you may find yourself in a starvation-induced death spiral. You do have to pay attention to having enough farmland and oxen and farmers to work it... or, perhaps, turn to the right deities for help. And even if you do know what you're doing, success is usually not guaranteed...

[Saber Cherry]

I've been playing SEIV:G.

I played a bit of FF: Tactics Advance, but... I can't say it sucked me in like FFT, even though it's better in some ways...

If anyone is looking for a great game, I suggest Xenogears. I always feel useless saying that, like when I suggested Dominions on AOW or MOO3 forums, proclaiming it the deepest strategy game ever, to overwhelming silence... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif But, hey, if you made it all the way to the Dominions forums, it means you're SERIOUS about finding good games! And I think Xenogears is the best game ever. Yes, better than Dominions, System Shock, or Star Control II. Though not better than all three combined:)

-Cherry

[PvK]

Oh, I should mention I also enjoyed playing Escape Velocity: Nova. It's an Asteroids-y space RPG, with a very complete demo. I don't know how many other Dominions players would enjoy that genre, though.

PvK

[PvK]

Xenogears is Playstation-only? What's it like and what do you like most about it, Sabre Cherry?

PvK

[Saber Cherry]

Actually, I have Escape Velocity Nova as well! I like it. That's the only shareware product I've ever registered, which shows how much I liked it. I never registered Dom I because I always thought Dom II was just around the corner... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Xenogears. I bought a Playstation just so I could play that game. And I considered it a worthwhile transaction, even though the only other Playstation game I liked was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. But, Xenogears is not "Playstation only", per se, as it runs on the PS2 as well...

Um, I'm lazy. But the reason I brought this up is because I was just writing a letter to a friend, convincing her to get Xenogears... I gave my copy away... so allow me to quote that letter (modified a bit):

I was sooo looking forward to Chrono Cross, and it disappointed the heck out of me after Chrono Trigger. Inferior music, gameplay, plot, dialogue… the way you can’t level up except at boss battles… lack of cool items to find and equip… but you know what? The reason that (for me…) Chrono Cross did not live up to Chrono Trigger is that the team that made Chrono Trigger, did not make Chrono Cross! Instead, they (the complete team, including the composer) left Square to for their own company, which produced one of your favorite games, Xenosaga! That team produced Chrono Trigger (SNES), Xenogears (Playstation), and then Xenosaga (PS2). And I’ve never played Xenosaga, but I’ve been dying to do so! Because, you see… The best game of all time is Xenogears!!! It has the best music ever (in a video game – close seconds are Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger), the most interesting and complete character development ever – I mean, it has better character development than any movie I’ve ever seen, and even any book I’ve read – and I’ve read a lot! It also has a better plot than most books I’ve read, and the depth of the storyline is phenomenal – you could write 5 complete novels and wouldn’t cover all of what Xenogears hints at! And not dumb books, either, like you’d get if you transcribed the backstory for most other games. The feeling of excitement and anticipation, and just overwhelming coolness as you advance is… well… overwhelming! I cannot heap enough praise on this game.<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Xenogears is an RPG that has giant robots. But those aren't what make it good, they just make it cool. Everything about Xenogears is awesome, except the graphics, which are about average Playstation quality. But, it still has the coolest FMV and game-engine cutscenes ever, regardless of the fact that the platform is dated. The thing about it is... you start off kind of confused, not really knowing what's going on. It's not, "Here, Light Warrior, defeat the Dragon Lord with this sword" like most RPGs. It's more like there are real people, in realistic (though sci-fi) situations...

And as you go through the game, every time you think, "Wow, this game just transcended the limits of depth and coolness", some shocking new revelation will occur! As a result, it does not have very high replay value, but it's such a massive game that it took me 99 hours to the end. So, I forgive it that one vice.

By the way, I was not impressed with the first hour of Xenogears, I thought it was dumb. Only when my friend convinced me that, yes, it was BETTER than Chrono Trigger, and kept telling me that, did I cave and buy a PS just so I could play Xenogears... which, by the way, is vastly superior to Xenosaga (the prequel) from all reports I've seen. Anyway, Xenogears is more than a game, it's like the coolest sci-fi movie you've ever seen combined with an excellent book (if you skip dialogue, skip this game. But, most game dialogue is bad and boring, so...) combined with a great game.

Well, I gotta go eat, so bye-bye! But I hope I convinced someone=)

-Cherry

[ October 24, 2003, 00:47: Message edited by: Saber Cherry ]

[PvK]

Thanks Sabre Cherry. I don't think I'll by a Playstation console just to play Xenogears, but if/when the opportunity presents itself to find out more, I will. I did check out some equally-impressed reviews and saw some screenshots. Sounds like a classic.

PvK

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by PvK:
Oh, I should mention I also enjoyed playing Escape Velocity: Nova. It's an Asteroids-y space RPG, with a very complete demo. I don't know how many other Dominions players would enjoy that genre, though.

PvK <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I enjoyed this game, but found it's replayability somewhat limited after you've played through each mission string. It's cool because you can do anything - be a trader, renegade, government agent, asteroid miner, etc., but only when you play for one of the major factions does it really get interesting. There's lots of equipping your ship and blowing things up though, and against very varied opponents - which is always nice. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Vodalian]

Originally posted by PvK:
Oh, I should mention I also enjoyed playing Escape Velocity: Nova. It's an Asteroids-y space RPG, with a very complete demo. I don't know how many other Dominions players would enjoy that genre, though.

PvK <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Wow, I never expected to find Escape Velocity gamers here. I'm a devout follower of the series, even though the third and latest installment Nova was a disappointment to me. I would seriously suggest you to get a mac emulator and try out the two previous games. There are several guides on the net how to do it.

[MythicalMino]

ok, i went on and bought the Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire games (at Wal-Mart, i guess they are re-publishint Alien Crossfire again)....

Also, sent the order for Stars! serial number, but nothing back on that yet... :-(

I hope I didn't/don't get screwed and all my money in my bank account disappears...

[Psitticine]

Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire are among my all-time Favorites. I am so hoping they'll announce development plans for a sequel some day!

[st.patrik]

Originally posted by Vodalian:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by PvK:
Oh, I should mention I also enjoyed playing Escape Velocity: Nova. It's an Asteroids-y space RPG, with a very complete demo. I don't know how many other Dominions players would enjoy that genre, though.

PvK <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Wow, I never expected to find Escape Velocity gamers here. I'm a devout follower of the series, even though the third and latest installment Nova was a disappointment to me. I would seriously suggest you to get a mac emulator and try out the two previous games. There are several guides on the net how to do it. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">actually there's no need to get a mac emulator for the previous 2 installments - they are now available as plug-ins for EV Nova. check out the add-ons page on Ambrosia's Nova site.

[MythicalMino]

Mortifer, how is Warlords 4? worthy?

[licker]

Heh, for some perverse reason I loaded up Might and Magic VI the other day. Now I'm hooked back into it, though in about a week I'll get sick of the repetative fights and other nigling annoyances.

Still the first time I played that game I was amazed at how well it kept me engrossed. Wizardy VII was better I guess, but I was still in college for Wiz VII. Wiz8 is great too, at least from the demo, but man, I got no time for that one http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[Mortifer]

Well a little more about Warlords 4.

IMHO the game is ok, but nothing more. I really like as you can upgrade your warlord, units and heroes.
The new battle system is ok. The gfx is average.
The spells are ok as well.

However I dont have the old warlords feeling that I had, when I was playing with Darklords Rising for example. This game lacks of something. I cant tell you what is it, but if you gonna try it out you will feel the same propably... This is definitely not better than the old warlords games...
The AI on harder levels is really good. It is really thinking. It wont attack a city for example if his chances are a little worse than yours, also it is making nice strategic moves.

If I must rate this game on a 0-100 scale, than Warlords 4. will score 60/100...
As I said the worst part, that I dont have that good old 'warlords feeling' while I am playing with the game. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[ October 24, 2003, 21:33: Message edited by: Mortifer ]

[Saber Cherry]

Originally posted by licker:
Wiz8 is great too, at least from the demo, but man, I got no time for that one http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The demo convinced me to get the game, very quickly. I have no idea how big the demo is because I only played it for an hour http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Wiz 8 is excellent, though I didn't beat it - only got halfway through. That's probably normal for me. It's a huge game.

[Stavetor]

Originally posted by Vodalian:
Wow, I never expected to find Escape Velocity gamers here. I'm a devout follower of the series, even though the third and latest installment Nova was a disappointment to me. I would seriously suggest you to get a mac emulator and try out the two previous games. There are several guides on the net how to do it. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Or you could just get a Mac. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

You were disappointed by Nova? Really? I tried Override (the 2nd in the series) and hated it. Couldn't get it off my hard drive fast enough, to tell the truth. But for some reason I decided to give Nova a try, and I loved it. SE: Starfury looks to be more or less the same type of game, and I have a feeling that it will be better than the EV series. Time will tell.

I'm also a big fan of King of Dragon Pass and Alpha Centauri, both of which fortunately came out for the Macintosh. Other Favorites- SE4, War Engine, Age of Wonders 2, and Kohan: Ahriman's Gift. For those I've had to borrow my bro-in-law's girlfriend's Vaio, which is a drag but worth it in the end.

[Pocus]

Originally posted by Psitticine:
Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire are among my all-time Favorites. I am so hoping they'll announce development plans for a sequel some day! <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">many players still praise the games for features which are nowhere be seen in other games. The complex diplomacy/agenda features for example are really shining. You could even ask an ally to attack a specific city, and this is very cool to direct the AI.

The game is a bit too much on micro managing though. And the supply modules (dont remember their exact name) which gave you the production of a tile were too cheesy. The AI never used them by the way, so its was just a question of time before you outproduced him.

Still, it is one of my all time favourite.

[Vodalian]

Originally posted by Stavetor:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Vodalian:
Wow, I never expected to find Escape Velocity gamers here. I'm a devout follower of the series, even though the third and latest installment Nova was a disappointment to me. I would seriously suggest you to get a mac emulator and try out the two previous games. There are several guides on the net how to do it. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Or you could just get a Mac. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

You were disappointed by Nova? Really? I tried Override (the 2nd in the series) and hated it. Couldn't get it off my hard drive fast enough, to tell the truth. But for some reason I decided to give Nova a try, and I loved it. SE: Starfury looks to be more or less the same type of game, and I have a feeling that it will be better than the EV series. Time will tell.

I'm also a big fan of King of Dragon Pass and Alpha Centauri, both of which fortunately came out for the Macintosh. Other Favorites- SE4, War Engine, Age of Wonders 2, and Kohan: Ahriman's Gift. For those I've had to borrow my bro-in-law's girlfriend's Vaio, which is a drag but worth it in the end. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">What hooked me to EV: Override and EV was the immersiveness of the universe. You could enter the spaceport and admire the 10 million-credit Kestrel and wonder how the hell could anyone afford it, when after 10 hours of play the largest sum of money you had held in your hands was 200,000. In EV: Nova, you could get a billion in 2 hours. One-man armies were also non-existant in the previous to games, but now all you need is a spiced up starbridge and you are ready to take over the univers. There were also some unpolishedness to EVN, which took away much of its immersiveness. And believe me, if you deleted EVO off your computer right away, you missed a lot. The Human-Voinian conflict plays only a small role in what happens in the universe. Additionally, the plug-in Frozen Heart, which beats any of the EV scenarios hands down, only appeared on EVO.

[ October 25, 2003, 07:13: Message edited by: Vodalian ]

[Mortifer]

Guys FYI, if any of you want to see a decent AI, try out Warlords 4. on hardest. Hats off, the AI is really kicking some ***. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[MythicalMino]

hmmm....interesting....

I have unlocked the full Version of Stars! (finally got the serial number in email)....reading through the Online strat guide....pretty deep sounding at any rate....

With this and Alpha Centauri, i won't even notice the time till the demo comes out http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Mortifer]

Well wow, I am really impressed by the Warlords 4. AI.
It is making excellent strategic moves.
I had an insane battle.

me + 2 AIs on the map: 1v1v1
I was on south, AI 1 on north east, AI 2 on north west. There is a very important thing. You cannot wander around and doing quest, you must attack asap when you can. [When you can: when your retinue units had arrived.]
So I attacked AI 1 when I had a small but powerful force. I had a nice battle with the AI, but thanks to my experienced units I managed to kill it. AI 2 became very strong meanwhile. I forced to gather all my armies in the middle. The battles Lasted for more than 1 hour with AI 2 in the middle. He kept coming but with a small sneak force I slowly destroyed his northern cities. [I kept defending the middle.]

Guess what. The AI launched a sneak attack on my south!..just like I did on the north! I was like WOW! This AI is really decent.
He razed 5 of my towns to the south with this sneak force.

There were more battles, but after ~1 more hours I captured his capital.

All I can say that this AI is really awesome. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[Psitticine]

Originally posted by Pocus:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Psitticine:
Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire are among my all-time Favorites. I am so hoping they'll announce development plans for a sequel some day! <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">many players still praise the games for features which are nowhere be seen in other games. The complex diplomacy/agenda features for example are really shining. You could even ask an ally to attack a specific city, and this is very cool to direct the AI.

The game is a bit too much on micro managing though. And the supply modules (dont remember their exact name) which gave you the production of a tile were too cheesy. The AI never used them by the way, so its was just a question of time before you outproduced him.

Still, it is one of my all time favourite. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I agree 100% about the supply pods. They always seemed a bit kludgy to me, and some of the benefits they gave were rather . . . odd. Some made sense, of course, but others were just too "magic" for a game like that.

I didn't have much problem with the micro-management, but I also preferred smaller-map games. I can see how it would be much more of a challenge keeping up with things on those huge planet maps.

My favorite part was the whole living planet concept, with the monoliths and the sentient/sleeping ecosystem. I hope that, if they ever do a sequel, it will either expand on that concept or add something equally fascinating to explore.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Stavetor:
Or you could just get a Mac. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That would be a waste of money just to play two old games. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Stavetor]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Stavetor:
Or you could just get a Mac. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That would be a waste of money just to play two old games. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">If it's just for the purpose of playing those two games, then yeah, I suppose so. Especially since those games are now available on Windows. But then again, what price freedom from the Blue Screen of Death? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Daynarr]

Originally posted by Stavetor:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Originally posted by Stavetor:
Or you could just get a Mac. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">That would be a waste of money just to play two old games. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">If it's just for the purpose of playing those two games, then yeah, I suppose so. Especially since those games are now available on Windows. But then again, what price freedom from the Blue Screen of Death? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Price is 200$ for buying Windows XP. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[Fyron]

Or a bit less if buying 2000, which has BSOD as infrequently as XP does... Of course, XP cheats and just reboots on the rare occasion that a BSOD occurs (which is a rarity). http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif But then, it can keep on going even if Explorer crashes, so things have vastly improved since the days of win 95. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Going Mac is definitely not an improvement, as you are paying a lot of extra money for nothing... you can get 95% of Mac OS X by getting a distro of Linux or FreeBSD or something. You just don't get the Mac bloat. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif I forget which OS it is based on, but only the interface and some programs are Apple/Macintosh in it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

[ October 27, 2003, 05:07: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Saber Cherry]

I've had a bit of XP trouble, but never a BSOD. It is so much better than 98, that for a while it almost made me forgive MS for being evil, considering that I paid $14 for XP Pro and Office XP together at my college bookstore. But then I found out DOS games just don't work in XP... plus their retarded new defragger requires 15% space free...

M$ is still evil, and I'll never forgive them! Bwahahaha!!! Microsoft, I'll use your own browser and OS to slam you in public forums! How do you like that, Gates, you punk!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Daynarr]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
I've had a bit of XP trouble, but never a BSOD. It is so much better than 98, that for a while it almost made me forgive MS for being evil, considering that I paid $14 for XP Pro and Office XP together at my college bookstore. But then I found out DOS games just don't work in XP... plus their retarded new defragger requires 15% space free...

M$ is still evil, and I'll never forgive them! Bwahahaha!!! Microsoft, I'll use your own browser and OS to slam you in public forums! How do you like that, Gates, you punk!

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">LOL! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[PvK]

I find that 98SE runs faster than XP and with fewer annoyances, IF I don't install too many annoying programs that fight each other, fill the registry with crud, etc. By carefully avoiding such nonsense, I end up much preferring 98SE.

PvK

[Fyron]

2000 runs as fast as 98, and does not have all the XP baggage, AND can run nearly all DOS games without problems. There are also some patches on MS' web site to make 2000 able to run some 300-400 games that have had problems for some people under 2000.

[Mind Elemental]

*bump* Thought I'd resurrect this thread...

Some other great games?

Civilization series, including Alpha Centauri -- these games let me tell a story of empires and armies and technology and heroic leaders, over the grand sweep of history -- and turn-based, too. Swoon.

A stack of console RPGs (Final Fantasy series, especially Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono series, Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile) -- properly done, these have a very immersive story and engaging characters, especially FFT -- more than enough to make up for their linearity compared to PC RPGs.

A stack of PC RPGs, too -- mostly the ones that are able to immerse me into their world, characters, and/or plot (though PC RPGs generally aren't strong on plot). Fallout, Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights.

Adventure games such as Grim Fandango and Gabriel Knight -- it's the writing that I enjoy, because I'm horrible at problem-solving.

Heroes of Might and Magic series, but especially III -- a very different fantasy strategy game from Dominions, but one I love all the same. Crawling across random maps or campaign maps is boring as heck, but there are some AWESOME custom maps with stories and roleplaying elements for Heroes3.

Space Empires IV -- the best "conventional" 4X game out there, with more depth than MOO2 (even though its tactical combat is inferior).

Emperor of the Fading Suns -- a very flawed but nonetheless very fun 4X game, that actually places a LOT more emphasis on individual planets (because there are 40 of them, each with a Civilization-like world map of its own) and that has an awesome setting.

[Keir Maxwell]

People might want to try Chariots of War as the battle system, IMO, is very nice and somewhat similar to Dominions. Some of the features, like greater unit integrity for drilled spearmen, would repay looking at in relation to improving the Dom battle engine. The way LI work through scouting is brilliant but by its nature doesn't work for PBEM. On the down side Archers have the same exagerated ranges and ease of targeting as Dom and as they are more accurate than in Dom they are rather devestating.

Chariots of War is made by one of the top ranked British ancients gamers (DBM) and is an interesting reflection of a competition gamers view of how much control generals should have over a battle - not much. The matchups reflect the creators depth of understanding of ancients warfare but unfortunately the Chariot era is not one of his pets so alot of the historical stuff is weaker than it might have been.

cheers

Keir