Solver: As you say, it's a matter of personal taste. But we've seen a lot of CtP dissing, much of it saying that unconventional warfare and the future techs are the worst ideas ever in a civ game. Do you think the majority of CtP naysayers simply couldn't accept it not being like Civ2, or hated the concepts per se?

Locutus: It’s exactly as you say it: when CtP1 came out, many exactly expected it to be like Civ2, only better; especially since it carried the Civilization name in the title (the exact same thing happened with Civ3). But for a lot of these people, Civ2 is already near-perfection. If anything, all that game needs for them is another patch or two to fix the most blatant bugs and exploits and maybe an update for the AI and the graphics engine. Any other change is almost by definition a bad thing. And CtP makes quite a few changes; as I’ve pointed out, it’s a very different game. So how dare these Activision people who are not Sid Meier touch our Sacred Game?! Some people went as far as to launch crusades against the names of specific units…

One could argue that it might have been better if Activision hadn’t marketed the game quite as prominently as a sequel to Civ2, but you can hardly blame them for wanting to ensure the game’s commercial success. And I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for someone who’s disappointed the game he bought isn’t what he expected it to be, when he bought it on the name only.

Of course, far from everyone was like that (though the ones that were did dominate the forums in those days), and today most people in the Civ community are much wiser and more objective, on both sides of the divide. That might also have something to do with the fact that the Civilization title is now back ‘where it belongs’. But just as many CtPers recognize the advantages SMAC and particularly Civ3 have over CtP, many Civ3ers and other Civ fans now recognize the value of concepts like stacked combat and Public Works. The fact that many concepts of Civ3 are on the wish list for the CtP2 Source Code Project and many CtP concepts are being considered for The List for Civ4 is proof of this. Of course there are still plenty of people who don’t like specific concepts, but today that’s mostly personal preference and not the kind of blind hate, jealousy and bitterness we saw so much a few years ago.

Solver: True, I've been reading the List posts a lot, and the stacked combat. vs. single unit combat is a very hot argument. Going in favor of stacked combat, though, I must say. Still, I often see thoughts like "OK, CtP might have had a fine concept or two, but the execution was terrible". Sometimes it comes from people who never played the game. After all, I believe that the overall reputation of CtP is pretty bad, which unfortunately scares many away from giving the series a try. Do you think that the reputation of CtP series might improve, and more people recognize it as the great game it is?

Locutus: Yes, it’s exactly these people that haven’t tried the game (properly) but still keep spewing out propaganda and lies about its supposed flaws that they never really experienced themselves that give this game a bad reputation. It’s a problem that will probably never go away entirely, but these people are gradually being outnumbered and overruled by people who are more objective about the game and who actually know what they’re talking about, who point out its positive as well as its negative sides in a reasonable and fair fashion. This is also the only cure for the series’ reputation: the blind naysayers will over time gradually grow up, move on and fade away, while the fans and others will keep carrying out their (predominantly) positive message. This will eventually tear down much of the barrier that prevents new players from giving the series a try, so that they can fall in love with the games, and then help to spread the word to convince yet more people to give them (another) try. This is a process that has been going on for quite a while now (numerous prominent Apolytoners have already ‘seen the light’) and that will continue for a long time to come. And I’m sure the release of the source code for CtP2 and the things that will and are coming off that will do the series a world of good as well, but I bet you’re getting to that later, so that’s all I’ll say about that for now ;)