steve: i noticed an "evolution" in the way i play sand-box games.
starting with fallout 1 and 2, i would finish the main quest, and leave as many civilians as possible, for them to slaughter them all.
going for, like you say, utter destruction.
later my habit of leaving all civilians - almost fanatically - stayed, while i tended to just replay the game when i completed it, rather than go on the rampage i always anticipated.
i am still a notooorious thief
fallout 1 and 2 ill lockpick, steal and pickpocket anything i can, systematically, ill pickpoctet
everyone in FO 3, and elder scrolls pickpocketing is significantly more difficult, so im satisfied lockpicking and stealing a lot of loose stuff :]
butterflies:
im using a 3 year old computer. im imagining that ill be able to JUST run it, with luck, but w graphics set to a minimum or so.
thats why i rather want civ 4 back, cus that would run quite smoothly on this computer,
while i kept the graphics down to minimum on my previous computer.