Big SMAC fan, I would still be playing it if I could; entertainment value went down for me with other Sid Meier branded games; avoided Civilization until Beyond came out and I could return to space. It felt like I was playing chess. I missed the charm of the video rewards and wonderful literary quotes of SMAC.
EVE is so amazing. So many different types of gamers make up a community that is more than just a game. I feel we all love to fly, but also feel like I have to remind people that it’s fun before isk. SMAC spurred the imagination. EVE is so much more, but there seems to be a price and it’s not just money. My goal and motivation for playing, not working in EVE, is to explore my own ideas about alternate forms of currency like social currency and reputation, my bias. As long as I can fly I am happy.
Yes, the company markets his games as thoroughly as they can, with decent, competitive rates, because they’re a business. Nothing wrong with a business making a profit and using it to do more good business.
Players (and Meier’s video) aren’t talking about companies charging a fair price for a good product. They’re talking about developers losing sight of “producing a quality game” in their rush to find the “maximum monetization model”.
Here’s a quote from the Wiki:
" Computer Gaming World reported in 1994 that “Sid Meier has stated on numerous occasions that he emphasizes the ‘fun parts’ of a simulation and throws out the rest”. “Meier insisted”, the magazine reported that year, “that discovering the elusive quality of fun is the toughest part of design”. According to PC_Gamer , “Though his games are frequently about violent times and places, there is never any blood or gore shown. He designs and creates his games by playing them, over and over, until they are fun”
This is what CCP and other developers are losing touch with. It’s fine to monetize your game in line with the market. It’s terrible when you decide that lining with the game with bait for more monetization is more important than making sure the game is well designed and playable.
I can state for a fact that I’ve gotten far more value out of every dollar I’ve ever spent on a Sid Meier game than on EVE.
I’ll say it. Civ 6 kicks my booty quite frequently. I finally got a cultural victory playing Japan on the “bed wetter” setting, after loosing a half a dozen games.
And in one game I won a diplomatic victory, and I had no idea how I did it. I was taken off guard win the game ended and I had no idea why. I was also miffed because I was going cultural.
I did manage to scrap a science victory, but only just. I suspect the game tossed me a pity bone there.
It’s a hard game.
Maybe that’s why I like seal clubbing in eve. I don’t have to be smart to do that.
You are kinda ignoring half the argument here. Eve Online charges you a monthly fee, whereas Civ is a one time charge, followed with optional bundles to addon to your game.
But as Kezrai Charzai stated, the topic is not so much about selling updates to the game, its about prioritizing good gameplay and enjoyment to the player over designing a game with monetization as the primary goal.
