Like is it an expansion adding new things to the regular game but can be played separate, or is it a completely different game just with civilization gameplay? Like will you basically be doing the same things as in civ, just stuck in a certain time zone?

It's a completely different game. It's built on the Civ4 engine, however, and they use the Civ4 name for markteing purposes.

It's really a different game.
The civilization 4 title, i think just for marketing purpose

It's a rerun of the original.

That was a new game using the Civ I core - this is exactly the same.

If it's reassurance you need, I played the original Col to 3 o'clock in the morning as much as Civ I.............

It hardly seems like an 'entirely new' game considering that it appears to be turn-based and has most of the essential mechanics of Civ4.

It looks a lot like a professional mod to me, not necessarily a bad thing if it's not going to cost too much or demand that I get a whole new computer to be able to run it.

It's a completely different game. It's built on the Civ4 engine, however, and they use the Civ4 name for markteing purposes.

That's exactly what I would've said. The game is more like a turn based Anno 1602 and its sequels (I think it's named 1602 A.D. in the US). You can download FreeCol (just search it on google or wiki) to get a glimpse of what the gameplay will be like.
Sugar or fur won't give you +1 happy in every city attached but will be traded or made into rum and coats and then traded.

It looks a lot like a professional mod to me, not necessarily a bad thing if it's not going to cost too much or demand that I get a whole new computer to be able to run it.
Yes you're right. I think it's a professional mod.
What worries me on the other hand is the exploration phase.
In civ4 "big maps" are much smaller than in civ3 and there have a lot less cities also.
A game on the colonization, that includes a "new world" discovered in 20 turns would be uninteresting for me even if diplomacy and economy are better than in original version... :rolleyes:

Since Civilization IV: Colonization is a stand-alone product, I would not consider it a mod.

But even if it were, I liked the original Colonization so much I'd buy it anyway. :love:

You don't need Civilization IV to play or anything, it's just the same engine with revamped graphics. That's what I've been told anyways.

You don't need Civilization IV to play or anything, it's just the same engine with revamped graphics. That's what I've been told anyways.

It hardly seems like an 'entirely new' game considering that it appears to be turn-based and has most of the essential mechanics of Civ4.

If by essential mechanic you mean moving units and exploring the map it would be true.

But everything else is completely different!
From the way cities are built, to the economy, production and colonist management.

It's a standalone expansion. Expansion comes in two different shapes... standalones or just regular expansion. The only thing that differs is that standalones includes all the executables and everything else you need so that the original game is unneeded. While regular expansions just adds and/or changes stuff you still need the basic thingies from the original game.

While it's tempting to call it a mod basicly every potential expansion to Civ 4could be considered a mod since Civ 4 is extremely moddable... and that's just a good thing. :)

It's a completely different game. It's built on the Civ4 engine, however, and they use the Civ4 name for markteing purposes.

No they use Sid Meiers name for marketing... they been doing that for along time now and it does seems to be working. He is at best just an advicer nowadays.

Is 'civ 4:colonization' part of the civ' or colonization' series? For example, if they ever decided to make a new colonization game-other than 'civ4: colonisation', with no relation to civ- would it be 'colonization II' or 'colonization III'?

Civ 4: Colonization is "remake" of Colonization, so next game could be either be called Col2 or Col3 or maybe something different.

The gameplay was not hard to understand in the original Col. It's somewhat different from the usual Civ. gameplay, but good in its uniqueness. It took me about 2 hours to effectively understand most of it but, then again, I'm a slow learner. ;)

It's really a different game.
The civilization 4 title, i think just for marketing purpose

No they use Sid Meiers name for marketing... they been doing that for along time now and it does seems to be working. He is at best just an advicer nowadays.

If it were simply Sid Meier's name that was used for marketing, they wouldn't have included Civilization IV. Instead they named it Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168463). So they are using both.

Not that it matters, but I would be just as happy if they called it Colonization II without any mention made of Sid or Civ4. And that's my two coppers' worth.

If it were simply Sid Meier's name that was used for marketing, they wouldn't have included Civilization IV. Instead they named it Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168463). So they are using both.

Not that it matters, but I would be just as happy if they called it Colonization II without any mention made of Sid or Civ4. And that's my two coppers' worth.

You're right it really doesn't matter, however if it would matter I would say something like: Well it is an expansion to Civilization 4 so no wonder that's in the name. Sid Meiers name pop up in every game they make since many years back and it is nowadays just a trademark for Firaxis.

I hope it feels like a different game in some way from Civ4 when you play it. I would be really disappointed if it just turns out that you start with a pioneer on a ship instead of a settler on land and then then the gameplay is much the same as Civ4. It has to be quite a bit different to get my interest. I'm not sure a few changes to the economic model are enough. You tend to get that anyway every time Civ has a new release.

Not that it matters, but I would be just as happy if they called it Colonization II without any mention made of Sid or Civ4. And that's my two coppers' worth.

If you take a look at this forum, you'll see that even many of the active posters here don't remember Colonization. So while the original game is a fond memory (at least!) for us old-timers, a large chunk of the potential buyer mass will need more than just the "Colonization" name to become interested.

If it were simply Sid Meier's name that was used for marketing, they wouldn't have included Civilization IV.

Well, they kinda had to do something, considering the original game was fully titled Sid Meier's Colonization

well colonization is not that similar to civilization.
The similarities usually end with the game engine, combat system. The gameplay is vastly different.
In colonization your most important resource are your people and your money. And whatever other players say, size does matter. but so does how well you run your economy/defenses, and diplomacy is much more important in colonization. Piss off the natives early and say gg. Get them on your side and get a huge tax free tradeing partner that pays well, but only accept a few goods at the time.

Colonization is about tradeing, building up your colonies and dealing with exsploration and diplomacy. Your goal is not to conquer the world but to gain independence the first.

Building up your colonies is usually a mix of missionaries/cash crops and workers at churches which attract more people. Later in the game industry/education will play a major role in your development.
You can also play aggressively and attack the other colonial cities.