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Multiplayer is good idea, but is SLOW

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 16 / 20
Date: November 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I Bought this the other day, expecting to play multiplayer. I did end up playing but not after first downloading a patch, and several tries. No big deal though. I was horrified the first time I played it. It is so slow. It takes probably 10 seconds just to select a unit and move them one turn. It took me over an hour to play about 32 turns. My computer is not slow.
I really think that what they have for Multiplayer is great, but until they speed it up (somehow) I wont play Muli. You may still want to buy it for its added features, such as additional units and civs, but without playing Multiplayer because of speed, the price is a little steap.
Overall the Multilplayer really outways any goodthings about this game, since that is basically the whole point of the expansion pack. Buy it if you want, but if its just for Multiplayer, hold off until improvements are made!

Need improvement, right, but no so bad!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 20 / 28
Date: December 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Hi,

I readed all this reviews and despite it when this expansion come to my local stores i just buyed it...

It maybe doesnt make sense that u buy a poor rated product by users like this but when u are a civ fanatic u need to try it by yourself and u know what... i liked it.

THE GOOD:

1) The add-ons, no to much, but nice ones, the 8 new civs with their civ-specific abilities and units.

2) The users-made scenarios collection, u can also download them from many websites but i just tried a few of them and the guys at Firaxis had selected the best of this scenarios to include in the expansion pack, many of them reworked by the creators for multiplayer.

3) The most important point, the Multiplayer, right, the main feature is so buggy, people say that's a BUG and not a game, BUT, if u are patient u should be able to run a full game without a problem (try 3 or 4 players in a small-medium map). I mean, patient because u will try to launch so many times and only 1 between 5 will be a success. Anyway everyone knows that even if patchs take time to appear they will fix this issue, therefore its going to be only better.

4) I loved the two online gaming options, the turnless where every player play at the same time the fast as possible because the turn will advance so fast even if u didnt finished, this option combined with the accelerated production one can finish a civ game relatively fast.
The second one is the simultaneous mode, close to the other one but with the difference that u have enough time to complete your turn, sometimes u will need to wait for others to finish their turn.

THE BAD:

1) Just ONE new great wonder and NO new techs at all!!! I truly expected more here since i am a tech lover. To bad.

2) Yeah i love the game and also the exp pack but i still have the sense (as many) that they needed to include this feature into the game and no to take money for this small expansion, good but small.

3) As everyone says here, the multiplayer bugs that need fast and good fixs.

CONCLUSION:

If u are a fan, take it now and if u liked Civilization 3 and like Multiplayer gaming wait for a good patch and then take it.

I give this game a 4/5.

Thanks for your time.

This game does not work

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 13 / 17
Date: December 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game/expansion simply does not work.

I'm not going to talk about the single player additions, because you can download most them for FREE on the Internet. People will buy this expansion because of the multiplayer experience.

This review incorporates the new patch out (1.14f) that is supposed to get the game to work. It does, for about 10 minutes. Then the game gets so slow it becomes tedious to play (and only with 2 human players). Units move slow. Combat takes forever (even without animations) and communication is difficult/impossible. For example, when you try and type to another player, PTW doesn't word wrap and you lose half of what you say. Voice communication is not built in, like in Alpha Centauri. You are supposed to use something called Microsoft DirectVoice. Don't know anyone who uses that. Granted, the 1.14f patch is MUCH better than before, but they will need a 2.00 patch before this game is enjoyable to the casual player.

Sometimes when you are playing, the game just errors and bombs - forcing a hard reboot. You can recover from this, if you know the people you are playing with and can call them on the phone. If you are playing strangers online, forget about it, the game is over for you. When does it do this? Random times. Unrepeatable.

I have never been in a game with more than 3 human players. I haven't even seen a game with more than 3 humans START successfully (it always crashes or doesn't allow all the players through). There is no auto update ability, so you have people trying to play unpatched PTW, PTW v 1.04, and PTW v 1.14f. So getting the game to start is a 30-60 minute effort.

There are other features that make this game difficult to play multiplayer. Features that are in single player no longer exist in multiplayer - such as research notifications don't pop up. Cities don't request build orders. Units don't always automatically center, so you don't know if the computer wants you to move or not. Manual moves are so slow that you basically need to use G to move or drag and drop - meaning exploring is difficult and unpredictable. Combat is not fluid. You'll move a unit to attack, (in simultaneous mode), and the attack takes 1 minute to resolve.

The company seems proud that they were able to get multiplayer to work - a little. Seems like since that's what we're paying for it to begin with, it's little to be proud of. They brag about direct IP (a feature added in the latest patch) because they can't get their internet matchmaking system to work well - note: not GameSpy's fault.

I'm sure this game will eventually be patched up so it's a little more playable, but by then it will probably be in the discount bin and already written off by many gamers. So don't purchase this as a gift for someone. It will only frustrate them for the holidays. Wait until the game is ready to be bought, and then the enthusiast will purchase it him/herself.

Don't take my word for it. Check other reviews. This game is ranked so poorly by professional gaming magazines (GameSpot, GameSpy, etc) that it's amazing stores will even stock it.

Play the World...You'll end up playing "Petty Theft"

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 24 / 41
Date: November 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Don't Get me wrong..CIV 3 is the greatest, but PTW is [not].

Why?? For the simple fact that multiplayer over the internet DOESN'T WORK. IT WILL LEAVE YOU FEELING JIPPED.

Once again, Firaxis and Infogames have released a product that is RIDDEN WITH BUGS!!. The 1.04 patch helps somewhat, but still doesn't get to the heart of the problem.

THAT MULTIPLAYER IS TOO SLOW and that it may take you 10 TIMES just to get one simple game started. EVEN with 2 players, the game is SLOW!!

Now I don't have a BROADBAND connection, only 56k, but if AGE OF EMPIRES OR WARCRAFT can work perfectly find on my 56k connection, why can't CIV III.

And why can't INFOGAMES at least provide a warning to 56k owners.

But that was just the only problem. Not only that, but I had to spend 2 hours just to get the program to work on my computer.

Thus after a day in a half of trying to get to this game play an online, in a game that absurdly boast the ability to PLAY THE WORLD!!, I found my self severly dissapointed with the only comfort being the extra game modes, scenarios and civilizations/units. Nice music by the way ...if that happens to be a plus ...P>That has at least saved this reviewer from giving it 1 LONELY STAR!!

The lowest review I ever had to give a game that I brought. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!

FOR WHEN INFOGRAMES SOMEHOW FIXES THIS PROGRAM, you probably will be much happier.

More SLOW, BUGGY BETA JUNK from Firaxis. NO STARS.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 20
Date: November 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

A year ago, Firaxis rushed to market Civ 3 - an underdeveloped and incomplete beta game so buggy and filled with bad concepts it took over half a year and four patches just to get it somewhat playable. It still remains very flawed, both as a game and as a simulation of history. It was a big let down as a successor to the great Civ 2.

Now we have "Play The World", a Civ 3 expansion that contains much of what should have been in the original game such as Multiplayer - but Firaxis could not charge us extra if it did that. They do give us more meaningless superficial graphics and leader heads, for those who care.

PTW is another abject failure - more beta buggy junk from Firaxis, with MP so bad it slows the game to a crawl, when it doesn't crash. Firaxis had to have yet another patch out even before the game hit the stores. That is INEXCUSABLE, and shows more lack of play-testing, and more disdain for the consumer. Even though certain online forums, such as CFF and Apolyton, act as shills for Firaxis, most of us no longer have any faith in Firaxis, and we will remember to avoid that company in the future.

We get a few minor single-player features, that also should have been in the original game, but these aren't much. Multiplayer? MP doesn't work well at all even after their patch. It sometimes crashes the entire system as if you hit "restart".

The game's interface, single or MP, remains sluggish causing delays; it is also cumbersome and incomplete. Many of the complaints people had with Civ 3 are still around, such as not being able to cooperate with an ally in times of war. PTW just adds a few little things on to an already flawed Civ 3 while giving you a lousy MP experience - what was supposed to be the main reason for PTW. You get a lot more bugs and problems than anything useful.

Oh yes, for just tacking on a tiny number of single player additions that should have been in Civ 3 in the first place, the expansion is expensive - [$]. You do need the original game to play it - but you'd better also have Civ 3's latest patch or it won't work!

No thanks, Firaxis. Find another...

Civ3: Conquests

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: March 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The Civ3 add-on "Conquests" is one of the greatest add-ons I have seen in the Civ line-up. To play the add-on, you only need to have the original Civ3 game (as this add-on includes the title name add-on "Conquests" and the first add-on for Civ3 - "Play the World"). For those of you who played Civ2 from the time it was released until Civ3 was released, I see no reason not to purchase Conquests - Civ3 is going to be around for some time, the add-on is worth it.

My favorite feature of the game is the simultaneous moves multiplayer mode. Unlike the bugs and glitches of the Play the World add-on, the Conquests version features a fairly streamlined play. I frequently play a small or normal sized world with friends on a local LAN (although internet play is viable as well) on a weekend day.

Another feature that makes Conquests great is that it expanded everything about the game without changing the core system. Instead, it just adds more choices a player must make to be successful (which is a good thing for those that like strategy games like Civ3).

Friends of mine who make Mods for games have found this add-on to be very exciting. Not only does Conquests come with recreations of real life conquests (such as WWII in the Pacific), Mod makers can create their own Mods just like the conquests that come with the game.

At about $20, Conquests is a great deal that delivers a lot. Its flaw, although not directly related to the game, is that Firaxis/Atari released the "Play the World" add-on separate first (charging $20 for that game as well) and included it free in "Conquests." While it was a smart choice to sell them together for "Conquests", those of us that purchased the first add-on feel cheated.

Play the World--Sorry, but you can play your freinds!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 19
Date: January 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a GREAT add-on. The other reviews keep ranting and raving about how the multiplayer doesn't work, but THAT'S JUST ON-LINE! Try an internet cafe like a LAN setup and it works like MAGIC!

First of all, there are now EIGHT new civilizations: The Vikings, the Carthagians, the Celts, the Koreans, The Spanish, The Ottomans, The Arabs, and the Mongols (Huns).Obviously, these aren't the ones you immediately think of when making an original game (no offense intended to anyone,) but they add much more fun to the game. Each new civilization has been integrated seamlessly with the rest of the game, complete with characteristics and special units. Two new units have been added for all civs as well: Medievel Infantry and Guerillas, which were in Civ2. The interface is also much better. I've one twice now and I owe it all to the new interface!!! There is now a new wonder--the Internet (A great thing both in real life and in the game!) and there are numerous new city improvements and worker actions.

In multiplayer, you can play a hotseat game with only one computer needed, or a play-by-email if you don't have a good internet connection. This way is much faster then it would appear to be--and it retains all of the pacing. On LAN, you can play Simultaneous Turns, where everyone takes their turn at once (Frantic, but fun!) or the much-discussed TURNLESS, where there are NO turns whatsoever, and various things are kept track of by faction upkeep timers.

Great in every way, just don't play online!!!!!

Are you people CRAZY?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 13 / 23
Date: November 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you DON'T own the game DON'T review it. You people who have given 4 and 5 stars have obviously not played it. After you buy this game, you maybe able to download the patch, which by the way, isn't even on the official site yet. You'll have to get that from gamespy, which is at least an hour wait for an open servor. By the way don't use gamespy arcade, because the game can't launch from there. (Don't ask me why) After, you finally download the patch and install it you might be able to play it, but don't count on it. The program may crash 5 to 10 times beforehand. (The whole program is extremely unstable) I wouldn't even think about gettin this unless you have dsl or cable, the lag will make you physically ill.

Pass Up Play the World

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have been a Civ III player for ages and love the game. However PTW is just plain bad. It offers a handful of new units, races, and some improved graphics. It also runs much much slower than the original CIV III, crashes almost constantly, and lets not even discuss the uselessness of the multiplayer interfaces. I've downloaded the newest patch for PTW and that didn't fix any of the above issues. My advice is to play the original and pass up PTW until it works. Which won't be anytime soon.

A Giant Stride Backwards

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 14
Date: November 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As the average age of those who are supportive of this deploreable act happens to be <12 years old, I can excuse them. After all, you were too young to remember Civ 2. In Civ 2, airbases and a powerful editor were available from the beginning. The game had far less bugs (Play the World already recieved its first patch-on the same day it was released!), and special features such as AEGIS Cruisers having anti-aircraft abilities (such as in real life) and pikemen having anti-horsemen abilities. Then there was firepower-no longer would modern units lose to extremely lucky ancient spearmen, a problem that had plauged Civ 1. However, this was inexplicably removed from Civ 3, and now I could rant on for hours about the time the HOPLITE defeated my MECHANIZED INFANTRY!

Not to say that Play the World doesn't have a few redeeming qualities. Regicide, capture the flag, and the new civs should prove interesting. But even this is tempered by weaknesses. Why the Viking Berserker has as much attack value as a WWI infantry unit is beyond me.

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