Can someone summarize add-on to Civ IV?

[therev]

I have been an avid Civilization player since the first game came out but only recently found this site. I have been playing Civ IV, I guess the "vanilla" version from the things I have read here. I find it very, very confusing all the different add ons that have been created or mentioned here. How can I tell what version I have? Can someone give a quick overview of what the various new options are? In addition to Colonization, are there some other commercially available items or must one download from this or some other site?

Along these same lines, has anyone done a review of "Beyond the Sword" or some of the other things I see mentioned continuously here?

I think I would like to add on to my vanilla version of the game but have no idea of how to go about that. HELP! TheRev

 

[ori]

Welcome to cfc

Apart from Civ4 ("Vanilla") there are
- Warlords: The first expansion for Civ4 - adds a few civilizations, a new system for acquiring Vassals and unique buildings for every civilization (read more here). Also adds a number of Scenarios.
- Beyond the Sword: Second expansion for Civ4 - adds some more civilizations, a new Espionage system, a new Victory condition (Religious Victory), Random Events throughout the game, more scenarios and includes everything from Warlords except the Scenarios (read more here).
- Colonization: a stand alone game (remake of one of Sid Meier's early successes) - uses the Civ4 game engine but is a very different game (read more here).

You would need to buy each of them, I'd recommend skip Warlords and buy Beyond the Sword. I cannot say anything about Colonization - I do not have it

 

[Supr49er]

Welcome to the Forums therev.

 

[mechaerik]

Welcome to cfc

- Beyond the Sword: Second expansion for Civ4 - adds some more civilizations, a new Espionage system, a new Victory condition (Religious Victory), Random Events throughout the game, more scenarios and includes everything from Warlords except the Scenarios.

The new condition is hidden, so you can't see it unless you enable it via Civ4VictoryConditions.xml.
Beyond the Sword has everything Warlords has except the scenarios. The scenarios are decent, but several are being upconverted to BtS (Beyond the Sword), so I second the recommendation to skip Warlords and get BtS, unless your'e on the Mac, which doesn't have BtS.

Colonization is a standalone remake with the Civ4 engine. Haven't played it.

 

[JujuLautre]

The new condition is hidden, so you can't see it unless you enable it via Civ4VictoryConditions.xml.

Sorry ?

I never changed anything, but the victory is here.

 

[mechaerik]

Religious Victory as opposed to the earlier Diplomatic victory.

A Religious victory is one that you win by spreading said religion, and i had been confused.

He meant the AP's Diplomatic Victory.

 

[Dida]

BTS has a religion victory???

 

[ori]

I meant the AP victory - which is tagged as Religious victory in the HoF - though its just another version of the Diplomatic victory heavily skewed towards religion

 

[Willem]

I think I would like to add on to my vanilla version of the game but have no idea of how to go about that. HELP! TheRev

Very simple, just get BtS. It contains everything that also came with Warlords plus it's own content. As mentioned Colonization is a seperate game and not a Civ 4 addon. So BtS is all you really need, plus the 3.17 patch. It would also be a good idea to get the unofficial patch as well. It fixes a couple of things that 3.17 broke and some things that got missed in that patch.

 

[therev]

Thanks for all the responses - it really helps. I will go looking for Beyond the Sword - any suggestions of a good place to buy it?

 

[TheLlama]

It's pretty cheap by this point at Best Buy or Circuit City, etc. Probably in the $20-$30 range?

 

[mechaerik]

BTS has a religion victory???

Yes, several mods have it enabled. It already exists, but it is disabled in the Civ4VictoryInfos. It's extremely easy to enable it.
To win a Religious Victory, you must control the Holy City of a religion that controls 80% of the world.

It's pretty cheap by this point at Best Buy or Circuit City, etc. Probably in the $20-$30 range?

19.99 at bestbuy. CircuitCity is going belly-up, so it'll probably be cheap there.

 

[Willem]

It already exists, but it is disabled in the Civ4VictoryInfos. It's extremely easy to enable it.
To win a Religious Victory, you must control the Holy City of a religion that controls 80% of the world.

I wasn't aware of that, I'll have to look into it.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Yes, several mods have it enabled. It already exists, but it is disabled in the Civ4VictoryInfos. It's extremely easy to enable it.

Would you mind enlightening the "Dumb Girl" on how to do that please?

Me + XML editing = accidentally re-formatted hard drive.