🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:25:33 -0000, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
<no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

>What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?
>
>Is that a totally silly question ?
>MUST  broaden my gaming Horizons.
>
>Have not tried Strategy Games for many years if ever.
>Last one I really tried with was Black & White 1st one.
>I just couldn't even start to get into it. Could not even understand what 
>(of many things)
>I was supposed to be doing.
>Same with my attempt with Company of Heroes.
>And all those teeny little figures so impossible to relate to.
>
>I see people here often refer to Civilization games...particularly current V 
>.
>I look around Net...Users rude re. Civ V . Dumbed Down ?
>Well Civ IV is not to old.
>I'm not very interested in Multi player.
>
>My  "Never installed - Gifts, Bargain Buys & Came-with-Hardware "
>collection offers from the dusty corner
>Sims II , Sacrifice 1st & Black & White hides there as well.
>
>comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic is sadly low activity so no apology for 
>cross posting.
>(\__/)
>(='.'=)
>(")_(")  mouse ( Hmmm ?)


I like the Civ series for turn-based but I'm not sure that is
necessarily a starter game for an action rpg player.

One that I always wanted to go back to was World in Conflict
(currently ten bucks on Steam, but I've seen it go lower on sale).  I
only played the multiplayer but the game was such that I wished I
could carve out time some day to try the single player game.  There
was something about it that appealed to the action gamer in me.

On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:25:33 -0000, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
<no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

>What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?
>
>Is that a totally silly question ?
>MUST  broaden my gaming Horizons.
>
>Have not tried Strategy Games for many years if ever.
>Last one I really tried with was Black & White 1st one.
>I just couldn't even start to get into it. Could not even understand what 
>(of many things)
>I was supposed to be doing.
>Same with my attempt with Company of Heroes.
>And all those teeny little figures so impossible to relate to.
>
>I see people here often refer to Civilization games...particularly current V 
>.
>I look around Net...Users rude re. Civ V . Dumbed Down ?
>Well Civ IV is not to old.
>I'm not very interested in Multi player.
>
>My  "Never installed - Gifts, Bargain Buys & Came-with-Hardware "
>collection offers from the dusty corner
>Sims II , Sacrifice 1st & Black & White hides there as well.
>
>comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic is sadly low activity so no apology for 
>cross posting.
>(\__/)
>(='.'=)
>(")_(")  mouse ( Hmmm ?)

You might like Civ5 as primarily an action gamer. Its still going to
feel plenty deep and complicated without Civ4 as a frame of reference.

I'd love to find out about some good turn based WWI or later combat
games.

I like Civ5, BUT be warned it can have massive issues.  There was a big post Gods&Kings patch that made a total mess of the game for lots of players (mods in particular), I haven't played since so I don't know if it's fixed.

"Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-spam@never.spam> contributed wisdom to  
news:kgbq6i$igi$1...@speranza.aioe.org:

> What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?

I totally understand.
I am usually a die-hard RPGer. One of the few Strategy games that has held 
my interest is Dominions 3. It has enough strategy OPTIONS that it lasts 
for years. But there is so much varied backstory in it that I love talking 
the plays out filling in dialog that isnt in the game. I love PLAYING the 
pretenders of the different nations as unique characters. The game was 
created by a 2-man independent team of one programmer and one teacher of 
religio/mythos so it is fantasy but with a very historical feel. It has 73 
unique nations in it. It supports bigger maps and more players than I have 
ever seen anyone actually play. It also supports player modding so it never 
gets old.

ALSO they have recently released Conquest of Elysium 3 which is much the 
same as I have said above but it is smaller. Faster play, less 
micromanagment, and much more solo play than online like the other.


Gandalf  Parker

Thanks suggestions & comments.
(\__/)
(='.'=) 
(")_(")  mouse (Continue To  Monitor...Beep, Beep, Beep.....)

Thanks suggestions & comments.
(\__/)
(='.'=) 
(")_(")  mouse (Continue To  Monitor...Beep, Beep, Beep.....)

On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:03:48 -0600, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>EVE also crosses my mind, but I have even less of clue about that. It
>looks more like spreadsheet management than action to me.

EVE Online is no action game. Spreadsheet management is much closer to
the truth.

On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:25:33 -0000, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
<no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

>What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?
>
>Is that a totally silly question ?
>MUST  broaden my gaming Horizons.
>
>Have not tried Strategy Games for many years if ever.

Here's a new one coming out next month, $13.50 on Steam.
Love the concept, hope the execution is just as good.  Starts out with
strategic planning to prepare for taking care of business in a kind of
Diablo-esque fashion.

Sang Froid - Tale of Warewolves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro_lZsbLpjM

THanks.
I'm looking around the Net re. all the suggestions .
Opinion at the moment is narrowing down to Civilization IV (not V).

Basic game can be had new here in the UK for around �3.50 Inc. p&p
& around �8 for with all the add-on's. ($5 & $11 USD)
On Amazon UK ...Ebay UK much the same.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (Squeak!) 

On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:14:35 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> Opinion at the moment is narrowing down to Civilization IV (not V)

b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t

(well, if someone likes cheating AI, "stack of doom", and other exploits,
then yes, he may say CivIV is better.)

It is easy: check Steam's current player count top 100:


Current Players	Peak Today	 	Game

119,111 	250,751 	 	Dota 2
24,820 	48,385 	 	Team Fortress 2
16,324 	64,609 	 	Football Manager 2013
15,208 	35,530 	 	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

13,001 	27,611 	 	Sid Meier's Civilization V

11,944 	38,430 	 	Counter-Strike: Source
11,749 	42,629 	 	Counter-Strike
8,329 	34,031 	 	Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Multiplayer


try to find Civ 4 in the list ;)

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

In article <kgh5qg$see$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, no-spam@never.spam says...
> 
> THanks.
> I'm looking around the Net re. all the suggestions .
> Opinion at the moment is narrowing down to Civilization IV (not V).
> 
> Basic game can be had new here in the UK for around ￜ3.50 Inc. p&p
> & around ￜ8 for with all the add-on's. ($5 & $11 USD)
> On Amazon UK ...Ebay UK much the same.

Civ4 is pretty good, try to get the Beyond the Sword expansion/add-on if 
you decide to give it a whirl: a lot of mods require BtS.

Fall from Heaven is a very nice and incredibly complex downloadable mod, 
that changes Civ IV to a fantasy-rpg-strategy game (rpg mostly in the 
advancement of troups, in particular hero troups that can get 
significant extra powers). Bit of a learning curve, mind.

And never mind what Andrew says about Steam stats: who plays Civ IV on 
Stean anyhow. Firstly it's somewhat older, but I dare say most of us 
bought it on CD, in a box ... I got the edition that had all the add-ons 
but BtS is the only one I actually use.

-P.

"Andrew Rybenkov" <aryb...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

>On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:14:35 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>
>> Opinion at the moment is narrowing down to Civilization IV (not V)
>
>b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t
>
>(well, if someone likes cheating AI, "stack of doom", and other exploits,
>then yes, he may say CivIV is better.)

Uh you do realize that he was talking about HIS opinion of the various
RTS games based on people's recommendations, right?

>It is easy: check Steam's current player count top 100:
>
>
>Current Players	Peak Today	 	Game
>
>119,111 	250,751 	 	Dota 2
>24,820 	48,385 	 	Team Fortress 2
>16,324 	64,609 	 	Football Manager 2013
>15,208 	35,530 	 	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
>
>13,001 	27,611 	 	Sid Meier's Civilization V
>
>11,944 	38,430 	 	Counter-Strike: Source
>11,749 	42,629 	 	Counter-Strike
>8,329 	34,031 	 	Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Multiplayer
>
>
>try to find Civ 4 in the list ;)

What does steam's player count have to do with whether a game is GOOD or
not?
Being on the list just means it's popular and if you think they're the
same thing, the counter example is, well, most popular music on the
radio.  

Popular does not equal good, nor does unpopular equal bad, although the
inverses are usually true for games.

Xocyll
-- 
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of 
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably, 
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So 
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr 

Actually my final advice is:
wait next Steam sale and get Civ <n> GOTY very cheap.

Meanwhile buy Alpha Centauri + expansion for lousy $5.50
http://www.amazon.com/Meiers-Centauri-Complete-Crossfire-Expansion-Pc/dp/B002OH8U0Y

It still is superior in many aspects to any Civ (5th including).
Graphics is 2D but does not insult eyes.
With coupla changes in .ini file the game runs on any Windows system (on 8th too),
and expands gamefield to any screen resolution.

There are also full-conversion mods.


-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:04:44 +0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net> wrote:

> Uh you do realize that he was talking about HIS opinion of the various
> RTS games based on people's recommendations, right?

It is not HIS opinion, those are opinions of others and mostly
pre-G&K addon, and thus outdated and irrelevant.

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

"Andrew Rybenkov" <aryb...@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:op.ws4uxgzhowpbh0@obscureserver...
> Actually my final advice is:
> wait next Steam sale and get Civ <n> GOTY very cheap.
>
> Meanwhile buy Alpha Centauri + expansion for lousy $5.50
> http://www.amazon.com/Meiers-Centauri-Complete-Crossfire-Expansion-Pc/dp/B002OH8U0Y
>
> It still is superior in many aspects to any Civ (5th including).
> Graphics is 2D but does not insult eyes.
> With coupla changes in .ini file the game runs on any Windows system 
> (on 8th too),
> and expands gamefield to any screen resolution.

And what would those changes in the .ini file actually BE, out of 
interest?

-- Jonathan.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:37:37 +0400, Jonathan Ellis <jle3...@gmail.com> wrote:

> And what would those changes in the .ini file actually BE, out of
> interest?

well, here is my ini file

Alpha Centauri.ini
------------------------------------------------------
[Alpha Centauri]
DirectDraw=0
MainFontSize=14
InterludeFontSize=14
ds3d=1
eax=0
FastUnitAnim=1
SmoothUnitAnim=0
DisableOpeningMovie=1
Prefs Format=12
Difficulty=5
Map Type=1
Top Menu=3
Faction=1
Preferences=1000011110011110101001000001001
More Preferences=11101101011011111111101101
Semaphore=100000000000000000000000
Announce=1100000010000010
Rules=101111001101110
Customize=1
Custom World=4, 2, 1, 1, 1, 0, 2,
Time Controls=1
Faction 1=empath
Faction 2=JENN282
Faction 3=JENN282
Faction 4=JENN282
Faction 5=JENN282
Faction 6=JENN282
Faction 7=JENN282
Latest Save=E:\SMAC\z
Latest Scenario=
DontResetBeginnerPrefs=1
WinsFileBox=1
WindowsFileBox=1
Custom Map X=192
Custom Map Y=128
Main Volume=0
Voice Volume=0
Music Volume=0
SFX Volume=0
Latest Map=
Net Session=
Net Name=awg
;Gamma Correction=122
Base Sort=2
Gamma Correction=100
[PREFERENCES]
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1
------------------------------------------------------


-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

The 'opinion' in ever modifying activity with in my own Brain.
Is just about giving up on the whole get Strategy game project.
Gone off Civ IV now ...maybe V ???

More I look around & read these excellently helpful comments
the less  I convince myself that the managing of lots
of little characters & heaps of various 'stuff' will really please me.
I recall failing totally to get into Black & White 1st or Company of Heroes 
1st.
Was bewilderd & quickly bored.
Soooo ! I'm going to install Sims II from its years old dusty box.
But I guess that doesn't count as 'strategy' ...no one mentions it.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (Poor Brain) 

"Andrew Rybenkov" <aryb...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

>On Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:04:44 +0400, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net> wrote:
>
>> Uh you do realize that he was talking about HIS opinion of the various
>> RTS games based on people's recommendations, right?
>
>It is not HIS opinion, those are opinions of others and mostly
>pre-G&K addon, and thus outdated and irrelevant.

Well I don't know what has been said in the strategic group since I
don't read it, but what has been said in the other groups made it sound
like it was his opinion.

He's looking for a starter RTS - he didn't at any time say it had to be
a brand new one, so outdated is not irrelevant.
Considering that in those other groups he's lately been talking about
playing DOS based action/rpgs NO RTS is irrelevant as long as it fits
his criteria.

Xocyll
-- 
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of 
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably, 
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So 
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr 

In article <kgjjt6$jjc$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, no-spam@never.spam says...
> 
> The 'opinion' in ever modifying activity with in my own Brain.
> Is just about giving up on the whole get Strategy game project.
> Gone off Civ IV now ...maybe V ???
> 
> More I look around & read these excellently helpful comments
> the less  I convince myself that the managing of lots
> of little characters & heaps of various 'stuff' will really please me.
> I recall failing totally to get into Black & White 1st or Company of Heroes 
> 1st.
> Was bewilderd & quickly bored.
> Soooo ! I'm going to install Sims II from its years old dusty box.
> But I guess that doesn't count as 'strategy' ...no one mentions it.
> (\__/)
> (='.'=)
> (")_(")  mouse (Poor Brain) 


My opinion of b&w totally conicides with yours - it was a bunch of 
confusing, aimless crap. Did I mention buggy? 
I ditched it after 2-4 hours of trying to make it work. Fortunately
I was using my nephew's disks, I would've really hated to have wasted 
money on THAT shambles.

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. I can't get into pixel 
chasing 'adventure' games, and action games leave me cold. So it goes.

f.w.i.w.  -P.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2013 04:27:12 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> managing of lots
> of little characters & heaps of various 'stuff' will really please me.

actually there are not that many "little characters" in Civs, nor Alpha C.
At least those that require your attention. While setting up a new game you
can select world size from tiny to huge, difficulty from trivial to very difficult
(there is full range), number of opponents, world kind - land/sea ratio, etc.
Or you can select some predefined scenario.
There are few AI advisors, and you can put anything on automated mode, that
you consider uninteresting or unimportant.

User interface might seems overhelming at first glance, but in 2-3 days you will
feel comfortable with it. Learn curve is not steep, and forgiving.
Those are turn-based games in the end :)

Beware those are highly addictive "one more turn" games, though very rewarding,
at least during first-second thousand hours ;))

AC screenshot (Win7 - 1920x1080 - 1 MB)
http://postimage.org/image/qyg0pb4mx/full/

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

THANKYOU Andrew . I think you've made a sale with that post.
Much useful info .
My Brains Opinion Making Mode has switched to Civ V...I prefer the settings 
to Alpha C.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (£12 to £16 EBay UK) 

I'm the OP     @@@@ A DECISION !@@@@

I shall purchase Civilisation V basic with a view to get Gods & Generals 
add-on.
Which many say solves complaints made at the basic game.

I think its Andrew Rybenkov's comments here that settled it for me when he 
wrote.
" ..you can select world size from tiny to huge, difficulty from trivial to 
very difficult
(there is full range), number of opponents, world kind - land/sea ratio, 
etc.
Or you can select some predefined scenario...."

An easy start;
"User interface might seem overwhelming ..... but in 2-3 days you will
feel comfortable with it. Learn curve is not steep, and forgiving..."

So commence stalking Ebay UK for under �10 quid copy.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (He Actually Made A decision !) 

On Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:42:39 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> I shall purchase Civilisation V

OK. General Surgeon's warning:
"Playing Civ5 can be hazardous for your PC health. GPU especially."

Due incompetence of Firaxis programmers (who mastered DirectX API, but had no idea
about optimizations, and general programming techniques as well),
running Civ5 practically is the same as running Furmark/Kombuster hour after
hour. Quite a few gamers learnt it in hard way, forced to replace their untimely
died video cards.

So before running Civ5 (install and )launch MSI Afterburner. It will show you
FPS and GPU temperature during playing.
In game's video options:
set V-Sync ON,
set Fog of War to MINIMUM.
Begin to play, look at the temperature from time to time. If it is in normal range
and fans noise do not annoy you, keep playing and enjoy.

Otherway, save your game, return to Main Menu
(again due above mentioned incompetence you cannot change video options in game)
set V-Sync OFF,
close Civ5.

In the system tray there are 2 icons of Afterburner: a plane,
and a plane with "60" number. Click "60", it will evoke Riva Server.
click on Plus icon,
select corresponding exe file - CivilizationV_DX11 or CivilizationV_DX9, depending
on what mode you prefer (DX9 is rather ugly) in
...Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization V\ folder.
click Wrench big icon, and set Framerate limit to 20 (20FPS is more than enough for
this game.)

(If your CPU is an AMD with typically noisy stock fan, you might want to underclock
it creating special Power Saving mode in Windows.)

And the last trick:
If you will want to do something else and ALT-TAB from the game, it still would hog
a core of CPU which, of course, is undesirable. To "calm down" Civ5 you will need set
"Leader scene quality" to minimum. In such case evoking the diplomatic screen
will put the game on hold. (Also it significantly reduce number of crashes.)


-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

Thanks very much for all your advice.

I already have  MSI Afterburner installed - running always.
To give my ATI HD 5870 sensible energetic Fan Speed.

I shall certainly watch out for this Graphics issue.

I've never really understood what the 'Riva Server' feature was for.
Well I know now .]
thanks again.
@@mouse@@@

I had a GeForce 8800 GTX...over £300 when brought lasted  mere 2 years
running at over 90 C with games.
Most expensive single component I've ever purchased.
I spent as much time fretting over that things heat as game playing.

Never again.
My ATI HD 5870 - which is inclined to high temps.- is not allowed above 65 C
& never mind how much Fan noise.

MSI  Afterburner utility controlling the Fan is best utility for me
Shows FPS ...core temp...fan level....Girl friends time of month...etc.
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse 

Well Civ5 is running, um, ok on my new Win8 machine.

"Trimble Bracegirdle"  wrote
> THANKYOU Andrew . I think you've made a sale with that post.
> Much useful info .
> My Brains Opinion Making Mode has switched to Civ V...I prefer the
> settings to Alpha C.

Keep in mind they are two VERY different beasts, though.  I prefer AC myself
over any other Civ title, but if you go that route make sure to also get the
Alien Crossfire expansion pack - it adds a tremendous amount of cool
features and races to the game and it's dirt cheap at gog.com

The remake of Colonization based on Civ IV didn’t get great reviews at the
time but patched up is also a lot of fun and different enough that you might
like it even if the other titles in the series are not your cuppa tea.  It's
also got a lot less of a learning curve if you've never played a Civ game
before so it might be a good title to start with. 

On Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:42:39 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> I shall purchase Civilisation V basic with a view to get Gods & Generals add-on

Steam: Sid Meier's Civilization Franchise, 75% Off

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

re. Afterburner - Riva Server.

Spent ages trying to set FPS as described.
Feature not there.

Than I realized I had Afterburner 2v10 ..bit old
It needs to be a recent version for that FPS limiter feature to
work on ATI cards.

Now have installed MSIAfterburnerSetup300Beta6
Only just released. FPS Limiter now works.
Avoid same Beta 5 as has CPU over activity bug.

http://www.programosy.pl/program,msi-afterburner.html
That links dodges the various Install Toolbar etc. downloader progs. (Grrr!)

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (Ping....Pong)

On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:26:07 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> Now have installed MSIAfterburnerSetup300Beta6

pity, it still does not show CPU temp.

Anyway, welcome to Civilization! ;))

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

On 04/03/2013 01:06, Andrew Rybenkov wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:42:39 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle
> <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>
>> I shall purchase Civilisation V basic with a view to get Gods &
>> Generals add-on
>
> Steam: Sid Meier's Civilization Franchise, 75% Off
>

Thanks for that one ... just got the gold upgrade for Civ V at only 
£2.49 - great value for money.

On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:58:56 +0400, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Odds are, you will never get your life back.

:)) That's why I uninstalled it. 8-/

> (has anyone here ever played a successful MP game of Civ V?

I did not. Not a game. Not that I tried it too much.

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

On 04/03/2013 19:01, Zaghadka wrote:
> On Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:15:28 +0000, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, JAB
> wrote:
>
>> On 04/03/2013 01:06, Andrew Rybenkov wrote:
>>> On Thu, 28 Feb 2013 02:42:39 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle
>>> <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I shall purchase Civilisation V basic with a view to get Gods &
>>>> Generals add-on
>>>
>>> Steam: Sid Meier's Civilization Franchise, 75% Off
>>>
>>
>> Thanks for that one ... just got the gold upgrade for Civ V at only
>> �2.49 - great value for money.
>
> Get Gods & Kings if at all possible. It's pretty awesome, and naval
> combat is much improved. (no more "insta-heals" in general, no more
> instant kills of land units at sea. Great admirals as well as great
> generals. Plus religion and espionage and Celts, oh my!)
>

In the gold upgrade already ...

On the 27 Feb 2013, "Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> The 'opinion' in ever modifying activity with in my own Brain.
> Is just about giving up on the whole get Strategy game project.
> Gone off Civ IV now ...maybe V ???

Railroad Tycoon 3. Less than five pound new off Amazon. Superb game, 
especially after bringing it up to date with the free expansion pack 
and latest patch.

You'll see the odd person who doesn't like it because it's not Sid 
Meier's Railroad Tycoon 1, stuff like signalling etc being abstracted 
out, but I personally think it's the best of the series - especially 
in terms of its economic and cargo transport modelling.

You don't even need to know that much about railways, the manual and 
game giving you all the info you need.

-- 
Jades' First Encounters Site - http://www.jades.org/ffe.htm
The best Frontier: First Encounters site on the Web.

nos...@jades.org /is/ a real email address!

In article <kgbq6i$igi$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, no-spam@never.spam says...
> What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?

You might do worse than grab Heroes of Might and Magic 3 off GOG.  Maybe 
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri too.

- Gerry Quinn

"Trimble Bracegirdle" <no-spam@never.spam> contributed wisdom to  
news:kgbq6i$igi$1...@speranza.aioe.org:

> What starter Strategy Game For An Action & RPG Gamer ?

I was in the same boat. But Im not sure that my answer would help.

I fell in love with Dominions 3. But that was the RPG side. Im not sure it 
would apply for Action. Its turn-based so its not an adrenalin rush. 
However it is a great brain-rush for RPGers. DEEP strategy with tons of 
options that literally (and I do mean literally) keeps you playing it for 
years. 

Gandalf  Parker

I'm the OPoster.
Thanks for suggestions. I brought Civilisation V with the Gods & Generals 
add-on
I'm struggling to get into it.
Started with a easy, small map.
But I don't know - I feel the game is playing me.
with little sense of my actions having particular consequences I can follow 
/ understand.

One important issue thing not mentioned in this discussion is the size / 
clarity
of the on screen text.
This HAS to be readable in a game of this sort & at higher resolutions might 
not be.
I have CIV V on a 21" CRT Monitor at 1280 x 1024 & its fine for me.
I'm going to keep at it.
I'll try some YouTube Videos for Tuition

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse ( NWN 1st ?) 

In article <kkfqig$n0l$1...@speranza.aioe.org>, no-spam@never.spam says...
> 
> I'm the OPoster.
> Thanks for suggestions. I brought Civilisation V with the Gods & Generals 
> add-on
> I'm struggling to get into it.
> Started with a easy, small map.
> But I don't know - I feel the game is playing me.
> with little sense of my actions having particular consequences I can follow 
> / understand.
> 
> One important issue thing not mentioned in this discussion is the size / 
> clarity
> of the on screen text.
> This HAS to be readable in a game of this sort & at higher resolutions might 
> not be.
> I have CIV V on a 21" CRT Monitor at 1280 x 1024 & its fine for me.
> I'm going to keep at it.
> I'll try some YouTube Videos for Tuition
> 
> (\__/)
> (='.'=)
> (")_(")  mouse ( NWN 1st ?) 

Try to google up the civfanatics website. Oodles of Civ related 
resources.

-P.

On 15/04/2013 04:01, Trimble Bracegirdle wrote:
> I'm the OPoster.
> Thanks for suggestions. I brought Civilisation V with the Gods &
> Generals add-on
> I'm struggling to get into it.
> Started with a easy, small map.
> But I don't know - I feel the game is playing me.
> with little sense of my actions having particular consequences I can
> follow / understand.
>
> One important issue thing not mentioned in this discussion is the size /
> clarity
> of the on screen text.
> This HAS to be readable in a game of this sort & at higher resolutions
> might not be.
> I have CIV V on a 21" CRT Monitor at 1280 x 1024 & its fine for me.
> I'm going to keep at it.
> I'll try some YouTube Videos for Tuition
>
> (\__/)
> (='.'=)
> (")_(")  mouse ( NWN 1st ?)

Civ can be a bit daunting at first as it's just not clear what you're 
supposed to be doing yet the game carries on!

To add to what Zaghadka has said do a google on Civ V strategy guides 
and you'll find a wealth of information that helps you understand how to 
play the game.

Haven't read this one but it looks like it has all the info you need ...

http://mycheats.1up.com/view/superguide/3173057/sid_meier_s_civilization_v/pc

On Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:01:26 +0400, Trimble Bracegirdle <no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

> I'm struggling to get into it.

Keep trying. Don't listen other guys about guides and other internet resources -
those would spoil your initial discovery and agitation - very important part of
Civ enjoyment.

Just set "Auto end turn" ON, and keep clicking anywhere ;)

-- 
Andrew Rybenkov

On 15/04/2013 1:34 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
> It was non-obvious, not in the tutorial, hard to find in Civilopedia if
> you weren't already looking for it, and I didn't notice this detail level
> until a month's worth playing it. A Civ 4 player would be looking for
> those things immediately, but if this is your first Civ, then you might
> have missed them.

I've never tried Civ V, but for Civ IV the best tutorials were written 
by players and found at civfanatics.com. The forums there are great 
places to get advice.

Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
Clearly worth it.

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse ( Beep...Beep..Squeak) 

On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:21:09 +0100, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
<no-spam@never.spam> wrote:

>Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
>Clearly worth it.

FWIW, I always felt that all of the Civ games beyond the original
suffered from too much "flare".  Graphics and textual rhetoric that
really does very little to enhance actual gameplay.  

I've always felt the core gameplay of Civ was one of those games like
chess, where the board pieces could just as easily be represented with
simplistic icons.

Unfortunately, when a game vendor is trying to make the most of a
franchise, the adage "keep it simple, stupid" is at odds with what
needs to be done to attract players to the next version.

I like eye candy as much as anyone in games where appropriate, but in
Civ it all just gets in my way.  I wish they would go back to the
basics.  It kind of goes without saying that whenever a turn based
strategy game decides to add "tesselation" as a feature, particularly
one that has no impact on the game mechanics but rather is there just
to say it's there, you know the designer has lost his way.

If it's available anywhere, try to get your hands on the original Civ
from a couple of decades ago.  Despite being hard to look at these
days, it's still the best version.

On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:21:27 -0500, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
wrote:

>Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>
>>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:21:09 +0100, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
>><no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
>>>Clearly worth it.
>>
>>FWIW, I always felt that all of the Civ games beyond the original
>>suffered from too much "flare".  Graphics and textual rhetoric that
>>really does very little to enhance actual gameplay.  
>
>Did you really mean flare or flair?

I guess if one were trying to be pedantic, he could probably work
either into the context, but I meant it it like an undesirable
outburst of glowy artwork that gets in my way.

Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:21:09 +0100, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
><no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>
>>Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
>>Clearly worth it.
>
>FWIW, I always felt that all of the Civ games beyond the original
>suffered from too much "flare".  Graphics and textual rhetoric that
>really does very little to enhance actual gameplay.  

Did you really mean flare or flair?

Xocyll
-- 
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of 
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably, 
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So 
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr 

On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:05:55 -0500, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
wrote:

>Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>
>>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:21:27 -0500, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>>>of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:21:09 +0100, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
>>>><no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
>>>>>Clearly worth it.
>>>>
>>>>FWIW, I always felt that all of the Civ games beyond the original
>>>>suffered from too much "flare".  Graphics and textual rhetoric that
>>>>really does very little to enhance actual gameplay.  
>>>
>>>Did you really mean flare or flair?
>>
>>I guess if one were trying to be pedantic, he could probably work
>>either into the context, but I meant it it like an undesirable
>>outburst of glowy artwork that gets in my way.
>
>
>Ahh every time I hear flair I tend to think of the routine in Office
>Space and Aniston's character bitching about the flair they were forced
>to wear at work.
>That meaning of flair seemed to fit with what you were saying, extra
>glitz that really adds nothing.

That one would work in the sentence too.  We could also say Sid Meier
pulled his O-face on his fan base :)

Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:21:27 -0500, Xocyll <Xoc...@kingston.net>
>wrote:
>
>>Rin Stowleigh <rstow...@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails
>>of the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>
>>>On Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:21:09 +0100, "Trimble Bracegirdle"
>>><no-spam@never.spam> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
>>>>Clearly worth it.
>>>
>>>FWIW, I always felt that all of the Civ games beyond the original
>>>suffered from too much "flare".  Graphics and textual rhetoric that
>>>really does very little to enhance actual gameplay.  
>>
>>Did you really mean flare or flair?
>
>I guess if one were trying to be pedantic, he could probably work
>either into the context, but I meant it it like an undesirable
>outburst of glowy artwork that gets in my way.


Ahh every time I hear flair I tend to think of the routine in Office
Space and Aniston's character bitching about the flair they were forced
to wear at work.
That meaning of flair seemed to fit with what you were saying, extra
glitz that really adds nothing.

Xocyll
-- 
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of 
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably, 
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So 
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr 

On 4/15/2013 9:21 PM, Trimble Bracegirdle wrote:
> Thanks ...I'm resigned to a long uphill struggle to get into CIV V .
> Clearly worth it.

I know this is an old thread but for what it's worth - my gf wanted to 
get into Civ V but had never played a strategy game in her life.  I 
simply don't have the patience required for such a task so she found 
this on youtube and now I can't get her away from the damn game :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterCiv5

It starts at the very basics and goes all the way to late game, 
definitely worth a look.

Thanks MetalGuru .
I still check this thread.
That's a really useful Video. Thanks.

I maybe struggling in Civ V but once I start it I'm hooked for hours...even 
tho I'm
not at all certain what I'm doing ;)
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")  mouse (We Are The OP)

Here's an Action Gamer entertainingly trying to get into Civ 5
  http://kotaku.com/5988031/three-attempts-at-bending-civ-v-to-my-will-which-didnt-go-very-well

@@@Mouse@@@