missing characters

from PolMach Forums
I've been playing alot in campaign mode so as to unlock as many candidates as i can and i've been surprised to see that, what i consider to be, some pretty significant candidates are missing. I thought JFK would have been a shoe-in. Truman and Eisenhower too. I was keeping my fingers crossed for Stevenson, RFK and Barry Goldwater. They would have made for some fun 'what if...?' scenarios.

Are there any plans to include an expanded character pack in one of the later patches? Of course, I could design the characters myself but it's hard to work within the maximum number of character points and there aren't any headshots that really lend themself to these guys.
11,681 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from PolMach Forums Top
I actually think the game really suffers from a lack of credible present and historical candidates. I guess its neat to have the founding fathers and Lincoln in the game, but I'd much rather have had some more modern candidates. I really can't believe the game doesn't include John McCain!

In no particular order I was shocked the game didn't include McCain, JFK, Eisenhower, Jeb Bush, Pat Buchanan, Gray Davis, Tom Daschle, Frist, Whitman, Governor Taft in Ohio, Racicot, and others.

It might be funny to run Laura or Barbara Bush for the White House, but I think most people would have rather have at least had McCain or Jeb to pick as VP's in the campaign than those two. The Democrats have a much better assortment of present and future possible presidential picks, but even they are a little sparse.

As I play more and more, I'm starting to realize the lack of default candidates is probably going to kill replayability. Unless they open up a way for us to have more flexibility in creating custom candidates, I think a patch adding more real candidates is needed more than the issue editor was.
Reply #2 from PolMach Forums Top
I'll post this here and see if I can get a response.

Can you edit the .candidate files to increase the number of points available for a custom candidate?

That would allow the creation of above average candidates like McCain, JFK, etc.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from PolMach Forums Top
by opening them in notepad, yes you can.

though i'd still suggest increasing the breadth of characters in one of the next patches.
Reply #4 from PolMach Forums Top
You can edit the candidates but you won't be able to play multiplayer. It's kind of an either/or thing right now.
Reply #5 from PolMach Forums Top
Won't be able to play multiplayer with that character or won't be able to play multiplayer at all?

I think a patch adding guys is going to definetely be necessary then.
Reply #7 from PolMach Forums Top
I agree completely. It shouldn't be too hard of an update either, at least I wouldn't think so. I was pretty shocked at the absence of McCain, Goldwater and JFK.
Reply #8 from PolMach Forums Top
I'm hoping that they will include it with a bonus pack that adds a little extra content. They did alot more for GalCiv after it was released, so I think they will do something with Pol Machine, despite its much lower cost.

I'd love to know if they are planning a bonus pak for sure though.
Reply #9 from PolMach Forums Top
i'm bumping this.
I liked the idea that someone mentioned of releasing a pack including all the candidates from historical elections back to 1960. Who else would people like to see?
Reply #10 from PolMach Forums Top
Well, if this is a wish list, then I would like to see political commentators. They would be interesting because they are SO partisan that it would be hard to win more moderate folks.

--James
Reply #11 from PolMach Forums Top

Just so that we're clear: You can create your own NEW candidates.  But you couldn't modify the corecandidates file. 

If you modify the corecandidates file you won't be able to play multiplayer.  But you can create your own .candidate files and play multiplayer.

Reply #12 from PolMach Forums Top
Thanks for clearing that up Frogboy.

I'd still like to see a candidate pack because of the artwork issue (though I have no idea how hard it is for you guys to get the artwork needed to add in like McCain and others).
Reply #13 from PolMach Forums Top
Just for the heck of it I've been creating a few new candidates to use. In creating them I found myself doing a lot more research than I intended, but have learned a great deal about them. I chose Martin Luther King, Jr., Eisenhower, Andrew Jackson, Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Carson, and Fred Rogers. I'm still up in the air about whether Mr. Rogers would be a Democrat or Republican.
Reply #14 from PolMach Forums Top
yey Rush Limbaugh. Are you drawing those characters' pictures too so they look like the original ones?
Reply #15 from PolMach Forums Top

I've got an interesting set as well.  Hitler, John F. Kennedy, John McCain, Howard Dean, Jenna Jameson, and Marvin the Martian.


http://jeffpinard.com/political_machine_fun.htm#1

Reply #16 from PolMach Forums Top
Jeffery, how many times do you have to post your candidates? anybody who knows how to use notepad can create these on their own.