How many NESers actually play Civ?

[Daftpanzer]

Im curious as to how many NESers actually play civ. I have all major versions of Civ, but I never play them anymore. I know I haven’t played a single game this year (im playing more Paradox games instead).

I bought Civ1 in early 1996 (when I was 12), budget-price PC CD version, not long after I got a new 100mhz PC. I found lots of time for this game, even though I also had Terminal Velocity and Doom 2 to play.

I bought Civ2 in mid-late 1996. I remember my first game was disappointing (played as the Celts funnily enough), I settled my home island then found out the world was a messy archipelago of lakes and peninsulas, with scattered AI posing no threat to me. But I eventually discovered the potential of the game. It was a real contender for my PC time between Duke 3D, Mechwarrior 2 and Transport Tycoon Deluxe. I later bought the Scenarios and Fantastic Worlds expansions. It was fun to see how customisable Civ2 was.

I bought CTP and CTP2 when they came out, 1999 and 2000 IIRC. I had high hopes for each, but was disappointed. I didn’t like the messy maps and tech tree. It never felt like a cohesive ‘world’ that I was playing in. I remember having F-15’s and missile-armed robo mechs rubbing shoulders with good old british redcoats in my army. While the scientists of my empire focused their vast resources on developing Contraceptives. It was all a bit odd .

I bought Civ3 when it came out (2002?), but never really got into it until conquests appeared. In 2004 I started writing a story based on a c3c game, that led me to Stories and Tales and eventually to this forum.

I bought Civ4 in late 2005. I think ive spent about 12 hours on it since, haven’t touched the CD for about a year now. I was impressed at being able to play multiplayer on my 56K, but the game itself is too slow on my current 2GHZ 512ram machine. Certain aspects of the game and the AI were disappointing (like going back to civ1, but without the same charm). I haven’t bothered with any of the expansions. Im still hopeful, if I get a new PC ill be able to play big worlds with many civs. And then I’ll buy the inevitable ‘gold’ edition with all the expansions included. Hopefully ill have broadband to download the mods too. Until then it has little appeal for me.

More spam: (sorry i know i should have spent this time updating something )

Most amusing civ moment: Civ1. The game would always load, but various graphics would be missing. Headless or legless soldiers would march through captured towns, the leaders of foreign civs would have eyes and mouths that phased in and out of existence, other parts of their heads would be missing. Great fun I never could free up enough ‘conventional’ memory for Civ without disabling CD-ROM drivers and stuff (the joys of config.sys and autoexec.bat ). Also I later found out that you could edit a file to alter the text that appeared in the game and make the other leaders say silly things. More great fun

Most ‘complete’ game: Civ2. My second game in fact. I started a new game on a custom map I had made. I gradually conquered the world, kept the last few civs alive, built cities everywhere, maxed out wealth and science and built the biggest spaceship possible. I guess everyone has had a similar game. I still have the map and the history of events burned in my memory. It’s one of the few games I played to the end after getting into the lead.

Best revenge moment: Civ2. I had a fun game on a real-world map with an extended tech tree. I was the Germans, starting in north America. The rest of the world was a lot more advanced and kept conquering my colonies. Then the european Zulus nuked the whole eastern seaboard. I got nuclear technology of my own, and spent years building nukes and nuclear subs for a counter-attack. I finally sent about 8 subs into the Atlantic, each with a nuke onboard. At the end of the turn I was excepting at least half to be wiped out by the sci-fi aircraft and ships of the Zulus, but all of them survived. I then nuked every zulu city in europe, and conquered half of them with a boat-load of partisans from Greenland! I couldn’t hold europe from the other empires and had no chance of winning. But it was a very fun game of using spies and desperate tactics in an attempt to survive. I haven’t topped this with any civ game since.

Best role playing moment: CTP2. The diplomacy options in this game were the best of any civ so far IMO. The one CTP2 game I enjoyed was where I could role-play as a world superpower, forcing others to make peace, redrawing the world map, establishing my own heavily-fortified bases everywhere. But even then I never played to the end.

Most creative fun: Civ3. 2004 was the highpoint for me. After getting Conquests I did a lot of work on epic, big-world, 30-civ, alt-hist scenarios that never came to anything. I also did a sci-fi mod with the map as space, and planets as resources etc. I even made my own spaceship units in 3DS Max. Though the quality was never much good.

I was disappointed to see that Civ4 was much harder to mod, even if it has more potential. Ive never bothered to learn about modding civ4 and don’t think I ever will.

[Luckymoose]

Haven't fired up Civ in a while. I played Civ 3: Conquests more than any other one though. Civ 2 was my first. Bought it in 1998. Last game I was really addicted to was a WW2 Civ 3 Europe scenario. I was Spain. Kicked butt.

[~Darkening~]

Hmm....I started off with the third, and got the fourth. The game origionally didn't keep my intrest at first, but I re-discovered it in March of last year, and eventually found my way here. I haven't touched either game in maybe eight months.

[JosefStalinator]

I play 4 from time to time. Used to play 3 alot more, though.

[Birdjaguar]

I played religiously from Civ 1 to Civ 4. But I stopped playing when I started NESing in Feb 2006. The new expansion though may get me started again.

[Thlayli]

I played Civ 4 for a bit, Multiplayer for a while, and Fall From Heaven (II) for a LONG time. I'm currently not playing, but I might restart later in the summer.

Was practically raised from birth on Civ2, and played Civ3 for a good chunk of late childhood.

[Warman17]

civ3 > all others

[Kal'thzar]

Best revenge moment I remember was from a game of Civ2, blasted enemies nuked Paris (Captured early game).

I nuked them back with my full payload (about 50 nukes), destroyed them and caused global warming.

[Symphony D.]

Don't play currently; would play 4 if I did, but can't at the moment; would rather play SMAC than any of them.

[Nylan]

Memories of world conquest in Civ2 are unforgettable (and I came up with storylines to clarify things and flesh out the universe, like making up an explanation for why the Mongols randomly attacked their ally etc.), and I can still remember my first Civ3 game vividly.

I can't run Civ4 and with 2 I don't think I'd ever enjoy 1


EDIT: I played the SMAC demo and it was very impressive, but I never got my hands on the full game.

[Fëanor]

played all civs, imho civ2 was the best (for its time) though its possible that i played civ3 a bit more often but thats just because civ2 had a much better games to compete against such as the fallout series, Baldur's gate series, lords of the realms 2, Ceasar II, the settlers II, X-Com Apocalypse and tons of other extremely good games, i played civ4 for a couple of months after it was released and then dropped it, never quite got back to it and unlikely will any time soon. (it does not play quite smoothly on my crappy pc's and laptop's)

[North King]

C3C these days. Civ 4 bored me to tears. Good ideas, terrible implementation. Religion in particular really quite disappointed me (one religion per city? Religions come with technological advancements?), and Civics was not at all what it was hyped up to be (changing the governments should have had not only more options, but more flexibility within those options. You seemed to be constrained into a few types no matter what). The shiny new graphics weren't all that impressive, and did not transmit the epic feeling that a grand strategy game should have.

[Warman17]

Originally Posted by North King

C3C these days. Civ 4 bored me to tears. Good ideas, terrible implementation. Religion in particular really quite disappointed me (one religion per city? Religions come with technological advancements?), and Civics was not at all what it was hyped up to be (changing the governments should have had not only more options, but more flexibility within those options. You seemed to be constrained into a few types no matter what). The shiny new graphics weren't all that impressive, and did not transmit the epic feeling that a grand strategy game should have.

here here. I also didn't like the new combat system.

[jeps]

I WOULD play C3C, but my disk disappeared.

[Kozmos]

Started with my favourite epic civ2. Then switched over to Civ3 and finally Civ4 which I must admit is rarest played. Hopefully the new expansion(Beyond the Sword) will bring something interesting.(must get new unit, the tactical nuke. FINALLY!)

Though as Sym said, SMAC beats them all. Gotta love the Unit Designer and Terraforming, not to forget the 5 tile obliterating Planet Buster.

[MjM]

C3C all the way baby.

Most amusing civ moment: That would probably have to be a game I was playing as the Mayans on Deity. It was about 700ish AD, early Industrial Age, Huge Pangea. I was one of the strongest power, but the strongest, Inca, was leagues ahead of all others. Just over about 5 turns, they managed to get every nation save for 2 in the game to declare war on them. The strongest empire in the game fell in about 4 turns. It was extremely amusing. I regularly look at the before - and after save, and replay the scenario, and in every occasion, the Incans get owned.

Most ‘complete’ game: I like to start a ton of games... I rarely ever finish them. But, this one Celts Emperor game, I played from start to finish... In one sitting! Large Pangea, I played for over 10 hours, I swear I had the biggest headache after that...

Best revenge moment: Would probably have to be in one of my Sumerian Emperor Huge Pangea games. In the early years, I was clobbered quite often, being extremely close to my neighbors, (Greece, Persia, Rome, and the Iriquos... ) They all took a peice of me at some time or another. I was always the tech leader though. When I get calvary, they were still only at pikemen and muskets. Needless to say, I steamrolled all 4 of them within a few hundred years. It was glorious.

Best role playing moment: In alot of my games I roleplay to myself, and think of stories in my head when I do things. That's one of the things that got me into NESing, when I saw Civ3 - Never EndingStories I immediatly went there.

Most creative fun: I'm not a very creative person, but I give my games flavor sometimes, or mold the world. In one game, Greece had but one city nestled deep in my huge Empire. When I destroyed the Viking hold on former Greece, I gave them back all thier cities. It was pretty cool knowing I had the power in that game to make and break empires at will.

[Azale]

Civ2 and Civ3, I have recently become addicted to Civ2 all over again

[Abaddon]

C3C > all

Never touched cIV

Currently teaching GT how to play C3C. Normally i touch it once or twice a month.

[MjM]

Oh and, CIV4 is a disgrace to the Civ series.

[Kozmos]

Why is everyone blasting civ4?