CHAT TOPIC: Play the World Pre-release Chat with Firaxis
DATE: October 4th, 2002 4PM EST
PLACE: CivFanatics Chat Room
This is part 1 of the edited chat log and covers the first hour of the chat. As you can see, many questions were asked and nearly all of them were answered by Firaxians!
Many thanks to Jeff Morris (Lead Designer), Mike Breitkreutz (Editor Programmer), Barry Caudill (QA Manager), and Soren Johnson (AI Programmer) for comming to the chat! ------------------------------------------------------
*** Play the World Pre-Release Chat with Firaxis ***
-- Edited version of Chat Log
Date: October 4th, 2002
Time: 4 PM EST
Duration: About 4 hours
[15:55] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 2 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[15:53] <cavemanf16> i wish there was some sort of diplomacy/AI algorithm editor
[15:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cave: We had a certain amount of time to provide as many features as we could...
[15:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> k
[15:55] <@Chieftess> Remember, only send questions to me, or Grey Fox.
[15:55] <@Chieftess> TF is here to watch. :)
[15:56] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> I agree...
[15:56] <@Thunderfall> yeah, I am lazy. :D
[15:56] <@Chieftess> From flash9286: how will gamespy arcade come into civ 3 mulitplayer
[15:56] <@Thunderfall> We don't want to bombard our Firaxian friends with oo many questions at once. ;)
[15:56] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Flash: WE have both an in-game browser for gamespy as well as compatability with Arcade, their outside app.
[15:57] *** Chieftess changes 4[topic] to 'Firaxis Chat - Live!'
[15:57] <@Chieftess> from theLabMonkey: Do the Firaxians have a reason for the massive discrepancies between the new and old UUs?
[15:57] <@Thunderfall> It's a little early to start the chat... Maybe we should wait another 2 minutes? [15:57] <@Chieftess> ok
[15:57] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Lab: Just trying to create fun, interesting units. The Persian Immortal is just as dominating in the ancient era as the viking is in the middle ages.
[15:57] <@Chieftess> I'll just go slowly. :)
[15:57] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> k
[15:57] <@Thunderfall> ok :)
[15:57] <@Chieftess> people are anxious. ;)
[15:58] <@theGreyFox> Chieftess, post the announcment once in a while
[15:58] <@Chieftess> From Ithilkir: Question: Was there any civilizations you had to leave out of PtW that you wish you could have put in?
[15:58] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[15:58] <@Thunderfall> good... the room is getting busy. :)
[15:59] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Ith: Sure. I would have loved to add the Mayans for instance. The determining factor in how many civs we can add is the asset creation load. It takes 3 people about a month to create each new civs assets. That limited us to 8.
[15:59] <@theGreyFox> <R[]Giskard> I would like to know if the multiplayer "simultaneous mode" would be similar to the WarCraft/StarCraft style of gameplay, and how exactly the "turn-based" multiplayer will work. Also, what's the expected release date?
[16:00] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Gisk: Si-move (as we call it) is identical to single player, except that all the humans are moving (then it's the AI turn), then all the humans. It's still a very turn based system, since research, growth, etc progress in turns.
[16:00] <@Chieftess> hetairoi22: Do you guys at Firaxis feel that the new civs are better than the ones in the original Civ3, or are they truly balanced?
[16:01] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Het: Pretty balanced.
[16:01] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops (Grey Fox, or Chieftess) in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[16:01] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Het: Same here
[16:01] <@theGreyFox> <senoj> How will the expansion pack effect our custom modifications?
[16:01] <@Thunderfall> A quetsion for Barry: IS PTW almost GOLD? :)
[16:02] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> TF: I take the fifth ;-)
[16:02] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Senoj: You'll be able to have multiple graphic and text file mods in seperate folders without swapping files. A majority of the hard coded limits have been removed. PTWs editor has a number of substantial new features.
[16:02] <@Chieftess> <VaderFLAG2> Will the PTW UU's have the same costs as the units they replace, or will they have varying costs? For example, the Numidian Mercenary 2/3/1 being superior, not just different (something not present in the CIV3 UU's) to the Hoplite?
[16:02] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> tf: Close...but not yet.
[16:03] <@theGreyFox> <pesoloco> What will any of the new unit packs include? like the dinosaur pack, WWII pack?
[16:03] <@Thunderfall> ok... can't wait to get the press release email!
[16:03] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Vader: Numidian Merc costs more than the Hoplite
[16:03] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Vader: Costs are often used to balance the unit. Units that are much better than their 'base', are a great deal of fun to use. To balance that, we increase the cost, sometimes siginificantly. It's what the testers enjoy fundementally.
[16:03] <@Thunderfall> Hi Mike
[16:03] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> frequently I get disconnected from the internet because of my school's firewall and bandwidth restrictions. Can you ask them if it will be easy to connect to the same game if I get disconnected and will other players be able to kill me while I'm disconnected? Sorry for such a long question.
[16:03] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> 3° Whoa! a nifty lookin' + thingie!! 3°
[16:04] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Pescolo: Dinos has about 14 units, WWII has over 20, Medieval Japan over 20. 24 kings (which is really a unit set in themselves).
[16:04] <@theGreyFox> <evilmonkey> any information about the future of the SMAC series? [16:04] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> PEscolo: No dynamic joining. They'll all need to return to the MP Lobby and wait for you to join again. PBEM might be a better solution and we have that too..
[16:04] <@Chieftess> [15:59] <anarchywrkbst> What is your favourite Guns N Roses song
[16:04] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Evil: Nope.
[16:05] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Anarchy: Welcome to the jungle?
[16:05] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> "It's So Easy"
[16:05] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> Any chance of making the 'Anarchy' form of government a more viable option??
[16:05] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops (Grey Fox, or Chieftess) in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[16:05] <@Thunderfall> lol, funny question anarchy. :D
[16:05] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Anarchy: We're not in PTW, though not paying maintenance is a hell of an advantage.
[16:06] <@theGreyFox> <hetairoi22> Are any of the unit graphics from civfanatics included in PTW?
[16:06] <@Chieftess> <lincoln> how many Civlazations there will be?
[16:06] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Het: Not sure.
[16:06] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Lincoln: 8 new civs
[16:06] <@theGreyFox> <VaderFLAG2> Have the stats (if so, what are they?) of the guerilla unit been decided yet? Is the AI capable of dealing with hidden nationality? [16:06] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Vader: No hidden nationality for the guerilla.
[16:07] <@Chieftess> <Praetorian> I would like to know if in the PTW version , adding new civs and units will be easier
[16:07] <@theGreyFox> <MatrixCL>My question is not only when it will be released (confirm 22nd?), but also: when in Europe??
[16:07] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Thunderfall...can you give barry the "+" again?
[16:07] <@Thunderfall> oops, done. [16:07] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Thanks
[16:07] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Prae: Yes, since you won't have to worry about screwing up your civ3 bix.
[16:08] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> I got kicked
[16:08] <@Chieftess> <hetairoi22> How much work has been done on the editor since the last patch?
[16:08] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Matrix: Soon. Europe 2-4 weeks after is what the plan is
[16:08] <@theGreyFox> 03Chatters: Please don't ask the same question to several OP's
[16:08] <@Thunderfall> hehe... It happens. :) I just hope we don't get those disatrous net split... :D
[16:08] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Het: Lots of work.
[16:08] <@Chieftess> Is there any chance of the expansion pack providing some built in support for custom modifications? Such as the mod loader in Morrowind, to cite an example.
[16:09] <@Chieftess> From RexExitium
[16:09] <@theGreyFox> 01 <arkammler> When will the "civ of the week" start on Civ3.com?03
[16:09] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cheiftess: Not sure what you mean. The mod management system makes switching between mods pretty easy.
[16:09] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Ark: Shortly
[16:09] <@Chieftess> That was Rex's question. :)
[16:09] <@Chieftess> <flash9286> What is the realise date in North America
[16:10] <@theGreyFox> 03 <01Silverblade_> what was one of the biggest challenges to overcome in the production of PTW?03
[16:10] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> flash: Not sure what igs is saying..We're not done yet
[16:10] <@Chieftess> <flash9286> will they be clans in ptw like other multiplayer game
[16:10] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> Silverblade_: integrating MP in a SP game
[16:10] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> silver: Making what was a single player game multiplayer...not to mention a turn based single player game that starts in 4000bc and ends with the colonization of alpha centauri
[16:10] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> flash: No ingame support
[16:11] <@Chieftess> <DaDoo> how exactly is turnless mode handled?
[16:11] <@theGreyFox> GreyFox01: How big is the Design Document at the moment? :p
[16:11] <@Chieftess> hehe, that's what I'd like to know. :)
[16:11] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Dadoo: Turns is just like si-move, except you don't need everyone to finish their turn before you can go again.
[16:11] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> GF: 5.01MB
[16:11] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> another question: do the winter/fall tile sets change during the game like progessive from spring->summer->fall->winter? or is it the same tile set for the whole game?
[16:12] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Grey: Grey: 19 chapters and 8 appendix.
[16:12] <@theGreyFox> <pesoloco> are there any plans for another expansion pack? or a sequel to Civ III?
[16:12] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Dadoo: Each unit and city refreshes based on its own clock
[16:12] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> pescolo: No. We considered it, but it never got off the wishlist.
[16:12] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> pescolo: Depends on how this one does.
[16:12] <@Chieftess> <Stuck_As_A_Mac> "do you know how the mac pathes are comming?"
[16:13] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Mac: Haven't heard anything in a while. They have the code. The foreign language v1.29fs are on their way.
[16:13] <@Thunderfall> Can you tell us a little bit about Firaxis next big thing? ;) All the news seem to indicate it's going to be a 3D game... [16:13] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Thunder: Please...
[16:14] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> Why isnt Civ3 playable in a window! InCiv2 that allowed me to create scenarios and do other stuff! Any chance??
[16:14] <@Thunderfall> i think it's X-COM.. :)
[16:14] <@theGreyFox> <GreyKnite> Have there been any major improvements to the AI?
[16:14] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Chief: Speed primarily. When you take over the whole display you can improve performance.
[16:14] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Chieftess: alt-tab works fine as does the Windows key
[16:14] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Grey: Many improvements, some related to new units, some for new improvements, some overall improvements.
[16:15] <@Chieftess> <slothman> Are you still looking at suggestions or should we wait for a civ4 forum?
[16:15] <@theGreyFox> <lincoln> Are the going to have a unit creation wizard for it
[16:15] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Sloth: PTW is just about done so too late for that. Keep them coming though as we collect and peruse them periodically.
[16:15] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> slothman: it's a bit late for PTW suggestions...but we always take them
[16:15] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> lincoln: No, you'll need to use the units page in the editor.
[16:16] <@Chieftess> <JDS> Is there a better scenario creator included?
[16:16] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> JDS: You bet.
[16:16] <@theGreyFox> <Ithilkir> Question: If you guys could add ONE thing perfectly to the game, what would it be? (civil war, future terra forming etc)
[16:17] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Lthilkir: I'd like to expand the concept of victory points. In PTW you can get them from holding tiles, but I'd have liked to have them awarded on tech research, killing units, things like that.
[16:17] <@Chieftess> <alexman-> Will there be any more options to control the behavior of the AI in the editor? Will there be an easy way to create a BIC file from a save?
[16:17] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops (Grey Fox, or Chieftess) in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[16:18] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> ALex: Some, but Mike could better answer that one.
[16:18] <@theGreyFox> <senoj> What new features will there be in the editor?
[16:18] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Senjoy: Disable horizontal or vertical wrapping, mod management,
[16:19] <@Chieftess> <cavemanf16> Only with the latest v1.29f patch to Civ3 have I been able to play Civ3 off of the "legal" CD. All other patches (and the original when I first bought Civ3) had to be modified with 'cracked' versions of the civ3 executable because of the copy-prevention system being used on the CDROM disc distributed by Infogrames. Has Infogrames improved anything on PTW with copy-prevention? (I won't buy PTW if it's not going to work on my computer)
[16:19] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Others I can't remember
[16:19] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> senoj: You can now control the game's time line and add a search path. X/Y wrapping can be toggled. Operational Range can be increased.
[16:19] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> senoj: flat map, north/south wrapping
[16:19] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Caveman: We're not using Safedisc this time, we're using SecuRom. We'll see how much of an improvement it is.
[16:19] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> caveman: PTW will be using a different form of copy protection.
[16:20] <@Chieftess> <hetairoi22> Are there any new scenarios in PTW?
[16:20] <@theGreyFox> ] <cavemanf16> How is the computer AI developed? Is it through playtesting 'what works best', or through a 'decision tree' of how you expect the game to flow naturally?
[16:21] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cave: Soren is the AI guy. He's spoken about it in previous chats.
[16:21] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Het: A few from Firaxis, most are maps, many are from the fans.
[16:21] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> caveman: that's a question for Soren but it definitely comes from a lot of playtesting and tweaking
[16:21] <@theGreyFox> <pesoloco> ask them to expound upon this time line setting thing. Does that mean you can make certain things happen at certain years like Civ II? For example, in 500 BC give your civ $500
[16:22] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Pescolo: It's the amount of time that elapses per turn.
[16:22] <@Chieftess> <senoj> Will there be a Civ 4 and if so how will it be different?
[16:22] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Years I mean
[16:22] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> pesoloco: No it means you can change the time scale to months or weeks.
[16:22] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> pseoloco: You can configure the start/end date, units of time (years, months, weeks), number of units that pass per turn.
[16:22] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Senoj: No comment.
[16:22] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> or years
[16:22] <@theGreyFox> <m_m_x> ask jeff if he knows what will be in the box of ptw?any goodies there? [16:22] <@theGreyFox> I would like to mantion that the art work on ptw box is superb,very tempting,make me want to see "over the top"...:)
[16:23] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> mmx: Nothing beyond the basics.
[16:23] <@Chieftess> <DaDoo> if every unit & city refreshes based on its own clock, how much additional min-requirement on the computer do I need to play in turnless mode?
[16:23] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Grey: Thanks.
[16:23] <@Chieftess> and: <DaDoo> has any item on the 'wish list' made it into the game?
[16:23] <@theGreyFox> (the praise was from mmx aswell, but I agree :p)
[16:23] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Dadoo: MP does require a little more horsepower but not much.
[16:24] <@theGreyFox> Horsepower ey :P
[16:24] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> another question: Have there been any changes to unit limits such as bombardment or Op. Range? The current limit is 8, will PtW allow more than that?
[16:25] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Perscolo: Yes.
[16:25] <@theGreyFox> <MatrixCL> Can you tell which scenarios and others mods are added next to PTW itself? Or if that's too much just how many exactly?
[16:25] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> pesoloco: yes and some have already been changed
[16:25] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> pesoloco: The max has been increased to 362
[16:25] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Matrix: Over 40.
[16:25] <@Chieftess> <RexExitium> Will the Civ3 expansion pack or any future Firaxis games come with a built in MP3 player?
[16:25] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Rex: I doubt it.
[16:26] <@Chieftess> <RexExitium> Here's an AI related question: why do the AI players value cities so much? Will that be changed?
[16:26] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Rex: Soren could answe that better. I'm not sure.
[16:26] <@Chieftess> <cgannon64> Have there been any major improvements in the AI's use of artillery offensively?
[16:27] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> cgannon: the AI uses artillery a lot, but that goes back to 1.29
[16:27] <@Chieftess> <RobOz> If so, could you ask, "Will we get to see a list of changes made to the AI?"
[16:27] <@Chieftess> [16:17] <RobOz> Like we did with the patches.
[16:27] * @theGreyFox has SO many questions on hold at the moment :p
[16:28] <@theGreyFox> <GreyKnite> Has "Inifinite City Sprawl" (ICS) strategy been tested in multiplayer? Is it overpowering?
[16:28] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Grey: It's popular..
[16:28] <@Chieftess> <RobOz> Is this the only planned expansion pack for Civ 3 or will there be more scenario/unit pack type expansions in the future?
[16:29] <@theGreyFox> <arkammler> I notice that, if you set the appacane(sp) ratio to 900 on all of the luxury, I get only the top 4 luxury. How is this so? [16:29] <@theGreyFox> <arkammler> Will I get to say ok to a deal when it is from the civ that been played by a human?
[16:29] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> GreyKnite: If you like to build settlers over defenders, let's play real soon ;-)
[16:29] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> I always thought of ICS as the one city on every tile. City "spamming" in my book isn't the same thing.
[16:29] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Rob: Depends on how well this one does.
[16:29] <@Chieftess> MSJD> Will a regular 56K internet access be enough for a 'standard' MP game of PTW?
[16:29] <@Chieftess> <MSJD> There's a huge problem with the city-governor right now in that it prioritizes food over anything else even over the choices you made. Will that be fixed as well?
[16:30] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> MSJD: Should be ok as long as you're connecting at around that speed.
[16:30] <@Chieftess> <_2001Wolfy> Right; sorry about the post! I'm looking for some clarification on the possibility/timeline
of Firaxis porting PTW to the Mac. Regards!
[16:30] *** Guest79591 has 4[morphed] into "YoungEagle"
[16:30] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> MSJD: Soren has it working the way he intended to. I've seen weird instances here and there but for the most part it seems to be working as designed.
[16:30] <@theGreyFox> <cgannon64> Question: Will diplomacy be programmable in the editor? Meaning, can I start France at war with Germany, or something like that?
[16:30] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Wolky: Not in house.
[16:30] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cgann: No.
[16:31] <@Chieftess> <JDS> Will the editor have features like the civ2 scen editor? Or even better?
[16:31] <@Chieftess> <MatrixCL> Good question! And which scenarios?
[16:31] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> JDS: Many, but not all. When you're talking about the Civ2 editor you're talking about 3-4 products. Matching that feature set in 1 or 2 is a tall order.
[16:31] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> afk
[16:32] <@Chieftess> <Falcon02> Why hasn't Fraxis attempted to add true "Future Techs" into Civ III like CTP had? (even though CTP was an Activision game)
[16:32] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> back
[16:32] <@theGreyFox> <Praetorian> Praetorian are there plans to allow thoecratic form of governments ? Will there be a mode of play that will not be time restricted, such as regicde?
[16:33] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Falcon: As designer on PTW I worked within the system established by Jeff Briggs and Soren.
[16:33] <@Chieftess> <Hygro> How does the A/D/M of the Medieval Infantry fit into the game being as offensive as the knight?
[16:33] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Prae: No new govs in PTW and yes you can remove all time restrictions (if you want a multi session game).
[16:33] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Hygo: Not sure I get your question?
[16:33] <@Chieftess> <_1407> Could you please just send my very best wishes to Firaxians and to Civilization serie ? This game is best ever. I play till civilization I and i am sure it is greates game of all times. Thank you
[16:34] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> _1407: Thanks
[16:34] <@Chieftess> <ssmith619> Is there any chance of us seeing any difference in colonies in PTW?
[16:34] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Hygro: It's great if you don't have horses
[16:34] <@theGreyFox> <GreyKnite> Follow-up re future techs - can we add a 5th age now?
[16:34] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> ssmith619: Not really. You have more colony like strucutres, like airfields outposts and radar towers.
[16:34] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Grey: Don't think so.
[16:35] <@Chieftess> Will that mean airfields on a resource works for an isolated resource?
[16:35] * @theGreyFox : you can start ask me questions again, I only have 4 on hold ;)
[16:35] <@Chieftess> (i.e., saltpeter on a mountain)
[16:35] * @Chieftess has a lot!
[16:35] <@Chieftess> <hetairoi22> Have any main game concepts been tweaked? (e.g. corruption, military system etc.)
[16:35] <@theGreyFox> <RexExitium> Which composer is Firaxis hiring for the music in PTW (and any further games)? I ask this question because music plays an essential part in the gaming experience these days, as would be witnessed with Jeremy Soule's work in Total Annihilation and Icewind Dale, or Mark Morgan's score in Giants and Planescape: Torment.
[16:35] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Chieftess: Good Idea. I dont think it does though
[16:36] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Het: No. Part of doing an expansion is that your target audience by defintion like the original game.
[16:36] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Rex: Mark Cromer is the in house guy.
[16:36] <@Chieftess> <gunning1> do they no when it will come out? dont ask them cause i no they have already said, but do u no?
[16:36] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Rex: PTW has 3 original scores in it
[16:36] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> gunning: No hard date.
[16:36] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> Will there be an 'upgrade all units option'? Or did I just miss it? ;)
[16:36] <@Chieftess> <cgannon64> Question: For PBEM, will an in-game email function be implemented? This will make emailing much easier.
[16:36] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Anarchy: There is, but those units must be in cities with barracks and you must have the gold.
[16:37] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> anarchy:all units of the same type only
[16:37] <@theGreyFox> <VaderFLAG2> Who on the PTW team do each of you fear most to have start adjacent to you during your games? [16:37] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Vader: Javier
[16:37] <@Chieftess> <Tricron> Will I be able to talk during diplomacy (ie To say something like "Gimme all your money!") or will appropriate dialogue be picked based on my trade terms?
[16:37] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cgannon: We thought about it, but PBEM appeals to a very select group of fans. We wanted to make sure all elements of MP got a good treatment. Major PBEM additions were admin mode and the ability to use pbem saves in all MP game types (hotseat, lan, etc).
[16:38] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> tricon: you can chat during diplo using your own words.
[16:38] <@Chieftess> <theLabMonkey> Doesn't non programmable diplomacy render a scenario editor worthless?
[16:38] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Tricorn: yes, with both voice chat or traditional text chat
[16:38] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Lab: No.
[16:38] <@Chieftess> <senoj> Will you be able to add custom Technologies?
[16:38] <@Chieftess> (I assume future techs?)
[16:38] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Senjoy: Yes.
[16:38] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> senoj: yes
[16:39] <@Chieftess> <flash9286> How do rally points work
[16:39] <@theGreyFox> You already are Senoj
[16:39] <@theGreyFox> able I mean
[16:39] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> flash: They're available from the right-click menu on cities. Select hthe point and every unit produced gets an auto-goto to that location.
[16:39] <@theGreyFox> <cgannon64> Question: If in MP, someone drops out midway through a game, is it possible to replace them with an AI, so their empire isn't 'lost'?
[16:39] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> flash: you set a point for all the units made by a single city and they automatically have a go to order for that spot
[16:40] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> cgannon: Right now they're eliminated, which means all the cities turn to ruins. You can load from a save though so if that player wants to join again it's not a problem.
[16:40] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops (Grey Fox, or Chieftess) in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[16:40] <@Chieftess> <Warpstorm> What is the early winner trait (expansionistic/militaristic/etc) in PTW MP play?
[16:40] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> If you load from the save, you can set the player to be AI at that time.
[16:41] <@Chieftess> <alexman-> Has Soren fine-tuned the AI for PtW? Can we expect to see the AI irrigate less and mine more? Huge entertainer-filled cities are not optimal.
[16:41] <@theGreyFox> <Hygro> can you chat freely with other players like in other multiplayer games or is it limited to diplomacy only?
[16:41] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Warpstorm: Expansionist/Industrial is nic e
[16:41] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> hyro: Anytime, and you can restrict who your chats go to.
[16:41] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> alex: Some changes, nothing radical./
[16:41] <@Chieftess> <ssmith619> I found that as I played hoping for an Alpha Centauri win even on Regent, it was hard to get to some of the units like Radar Artillery or AEGIS Cruisers. I would always win before I even got the techs. Will this be changed in any way?
[16:41] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> ssmith: Most tech costs remain the same.
[16:42] <@Chieftess> <MSgt_JD> Will more units other than the frigate have the 'no nationality markings' as default?
[16:42] <@theGreyFox> <R[]Giskard> Have you playtested each MP version with different internet connection types and firewall configurations (not just LAN)? Will we need to open any TCP or UDP ports? Are there in-game settings to enhance gameplay for those on the LAN or high-speed connections? I hope you don't make the same fatal mistakes as the Empire Earth people from Electronic Arts!
[16:42] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Msgt: No.
[16:42] <@Chieftess> <gunning1> hey when is the game suposed to come out
[16:42] <@Chieftess> uhoh
[16:42] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Gisk: There are some configs needed to be made for firewalls, but they're detailed in the readme. If you've played a simultaenous launch game that uses gamespy though, you should be fine.
[16:43] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> gunning: Soon, but no hard date.
[16:43] * @theGreyFox : Ask me your questions again, Trillian Crashed for me :(
[16:43] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> brb
[16:43] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> In one game mode, if you lose a city you lose the game. What happens if I abandon the city? Do I lose? (I hope not, haha) do city ruins still appear on the map if you abondon it?
[16:44] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Pescolo: No you don't. Nor can barbairans trigger an elimination loss.
[16:44] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> I will assume you played a lot of Civ2. Are any parts of Civ2 BETTER than Civ3? Or is Civ 3 just perfect? :|
[16:44] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> anarchy: I'm more of a civ1 player. Soren and Jeff were big civ2 players.
[16:44] <@Chieftess> <Warpstorm> Can any scenario be played in multiplayer (for example, modern era start)
[16:44] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Warpstorm: yes.
[16:45] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> pesoloco: You cannot abandon cities in elimination games
[16:45] <@theGreyFox> <flash9286> which new civ is your favorite and which multiplayer type is your favorite
[16:45] <@Chieftess> <Praetorian> Will there be problems playing multiplayer ( over the web ) with AV such as Norton2000
[16:45] <@Chieftess> From me: What if someone is using a mod, will that affect the game if the other person isn't using the same mod?
[16:45] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> flash: I like the celts and probably elimination just because of the cutthroat nature of it. Not to mention it seriously discourages city spamming.
[16:45] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Prae: Don't think so.
[16:46] <@theGreyFox> <MatrixCL> There is this tournament where the winner can play against Sid Meier. Isn't Sid afraid of losing when he has to play against the best of that tournament?
[16:46] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cheif: It checks everyone bix files. If you don't have the art, it won't send it over (like it does for the bix).
[16:46] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> MAtrix: It's all in fun.
[16:46] <@Chieftess> the bix?
[16:46] <@Chieftess> <MSgt_JD> What details are actually the ones that are 'unfinished' in PTW? Will you still change anything hard-coded in PTW?
[16:46] <@theGreyFox> probably PTW - BIC
[16:46] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> chief: the file format for PTW. Replaces bic.
[16:47] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Matrix: Maybe he shouldn't be afraid...maybe the world should ;-)
[16:47] <@theGreyFox> <senoj> Have u added any new techs/buildings?
[16:47] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> msgt: If you're talking about features, none. We stopped adding features when we hit beta.
[16:47] <@Chieftess> <ssmith619> What about revolutions? Can your citizens up and revolt, and not only send you into Anarchy, but break off into an entirely seperate civilization? Not defect, but start their own culture?
[16:47] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> senoj: 3 new improvements and 1 new wonder.
[16:47] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> ssmith: no.
[16:47] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> senoj: no new techs...new buildings and a new wonder
[16:48] <@theGreyFox> <GreyKnite> Any chance of allowing a user-built AI control a civ?
[16:48] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> grey: Not sure I know what you mean by user-built ai.
[16:48] <@Chieftess> <Warpstorm> What kind of internet connection do you need for voice chat?
[16:48] <@Chieftess> I think he means script-based AI?
[16:48] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> warpstorm: you can configure the quality to work with any.
[16:48] <@theGreyFox> <GreyKnite> An althernate to the one developed by Soren
[16:48] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> GreyKnite: probably not
[16:49] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> chief: No scripting in PTW.
[16:49] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> Have you ever heard of FavouredFlight?? You should hire him!!
[16:49] <@Chieftess> [relating to the 3 new buildings and 1 wonder] <ssmith619> What building!? What wonder!?!?
[16:49] <@theGreyFox> <m_m_x> can you guys tell more about "capture the flag" game mode?and who is the mysterious princess?
[16:49] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Civil defense, commercial dock, stock exchange and the Internet.
[16:50] * @Chieftess wonders if she should play Capture the Princess...
[16:50] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> mmx: Just a goal. The coolest thing is that CTF in the modern era, with airlifting and paratroopers is radically different from CTF in the ancient.
[16:50] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> how many new buildings? can you tell us what they are and/or what they do?
[16:50] <@theGreyFox> ] <Hygro> how come the only place i can find news for PTW is reading/going to the chatrooms? why doesn't civ3.com get updated more often?
[16:50] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> perscolo: Just did!
[16:51] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Hygro: We're in this months CGW and PC Gamer, we also ahve had recent updates on UGO, gamespy and gamespot.
[16:51] <@Chieftess> <ColdFever> If a foreigner with a localized PTW hosts MP, will his localized BIX-file be used for all client players, so that they partly have to play in another language? If not, how will it work?
[16:51] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Cold: Not sure different language version can play each other.
[16:52] <@Chieftess> <MSgt_JD> You people have been good on releasing patches when needed. Can we expect patches to come out from PTW?
[16:52] <@theGreyFox> <flash9286> which new civ is your favorite and which multiplayer type is your favorite
[16:52] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> msg: I hope not, but we'll ready if we do.
[16:52] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> flash: Celts and elimination.
[16:52] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> ColdFever: If both players are using their default rules, they will play in their own language. If either the host or a client ha smodified their rules, the clients will use the host's bix file. If playinga scenario, all players will use the host's version.
[16:53] <@Chieftess> <Praetorian> Will there be more type of diplomatic agreements that can be arranged YingYang
[16:53] <@Chieftess> <ThePenguin> ooo- what do the new improvements do?
[16:53] <@theGreyFox> <slothman> Are you going to seperate the bic file from the save game again ala versions before 1.29? Or at least make it an option so casual players can change it easily but GOTM players can't.
[16:53] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> slothman: No. That was never intended as it caused lots of problems.
[16:54] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> pen: civil defense increases city's defensive value, stock exchange is a 3rd level tax improvement and commercial docks give a bonus trade in water tiles. Internet gives research labs in vvery city has gives an instant golden age if you ahven't gotten one yet.
[16:54] <@theGreyFox> <R[]Giskard> Any more weapons to be added (MIRV, Fuel Air Bomb, etc.)?
[16:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> gisk: No, except for the new units.
[16:55] <@Chieftess> <pesoloco> when will the spanish version be released? and will it be totally compatible with the English version?
[16:55] <@Chieftess> [16:53] <pesoloco> Let's say a MP game is going long and both want to leave. Will there be a way to "pause" a game and return to it later when both are ready?
[16:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> pescolo: 2-4 weeks after the US>
[16:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> pscolo: You can save it, just like in SP.
[16:55] <@theGreyFox> <MatrixCL> When playing MP via LAN, will every player need to have a version of PTW? One cd per player?
[16:55] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Matrix: Yes.
[16:55] <@Chieftess> <anarchywrksbest> Can you give us the names of the 'player made' graphics inluded in PTW?
[16:55] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Hey, I'm back in...
[16:56] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> anarchy: Not off the top of my head.
[16:56] <@Chieftess> <Warpstorm> Is Civil Defense cumulative with walls (bonus-wise)?
[16:56] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Warp: I believe so.
[16:56] <@Chieftess> <cavemanf16> in response to ColdFever: Good, the French and Germans are always pissing me off anyways in Civ3 :-P
[16:57] <@Chieftess> <ssmith619> Any chance that you'll bring back farming and supermarkets?
[16:57] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Ssmith: Not in PTW.
[16:57] <@Chieftess> Announcement: If you have a question, please ask one of the chat ops (Grey Fox, or Chieftess) in private chat. We will relay the questions to the Firaxians. To chat with one of the ops, doubleclick their name in the user window, or type 12 /privmsg [chat-op name] [question]3. Please try to refrain from asking questions to the Firaxians privately.
[16:57] <@Chieftess> <Praetorian> When will the PTW version be release in the middle east. And will there be a hebrew version
[16:58] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Prae: No idea.
[16:58] * @theGreyFox needs questions
[16:58] <@Chieftess> <Warpstorm> Is Civil Defense cumulative with the bonus from Radar Towers? (See where this is going?)
[16:58] * @Chieftess needs some too. :)
[16:58] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Warp: I think so.
[16:58] <@Chieftess> <cgannon64> Question: Have there been any changes in ADM of current Civ3 units?
[16:59] <@theGreyFox> Grey Fox: Who are your "Role-models" in the Gaming industry?
[16:59] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> cgaan: air units had their range increased.
[16:59] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Warpstorm: I don't find the late game to be too defensive
[16:59] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> grey: Sid primarily. Jullian Gallop, Richard Garriott, Warren Spector..
[16:59] <@Chieftess> <GRAWSS> Will we have to pay for playing online??
[16:59] <+FXS_Speed_Bump> Grey: Sid ;-)
[16:59] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> Graw: no.
[17:00] <@Chieftess> <Hygro> have cruise missiles been changed any? I've been rather dissapointed that artillery/rader artillery has been significantlyl more useful than cruise missiles
[17:00] <@theGreyFox> <cgannon64> Question: In MP, if a player drops out, will the improvements he made still be there, or will it be as if he never existed?
[17:00] <+Jeff_Morris_FIRAXIS> cgann: Eliminated unless you load and switch him to AI.
[17:00] <+Mike_Breitkreutz_FIRAXIS> Grey: Sid and Blizzard