Civ V expansions - that critical?

[FlorbFnarb]

I bought Civ V when it came out, played for a bit, then got caught up in other games: Skyrim for about a year, a little Supreme Commander 2, and years straight of World of Tanks.

Now that I'm around here poking around, people talk like the Civ V expansions improve the game more than any previous iteration's expansions, including Civ 4's BtS.

Is this pretty much the consensus view? What do the Civ V expansions do, exactly? I know they add religion - what else?

 

[Xepthrichros]

Google?
Brave New World adds a new game mechanic for culture victory. You need to produce great works of art, writing and music to gain tourism points. Your tourism has to overtake other players' culture output such that your tourism eventually is dominant over theirs.
It also adds World Congress, which later becomes United Nations. Where you can propose resolutions that affect all the players. Resolutions include banning the production of new nukes, starting an international project like World's Fair or International Games (think Olympics). These projects require you to make your cities work on them and if you end up giving the most hammers to these projects you get temporary, or even permanent boosts (free Social Policy) for the game. World congress resolutions that you propose, if it aligns with the AI players' interests, will result in them actually liking you more for it and more likely to declare friendship with you.
You also have an archaeology mechanic that ties into the tourism. Once you get the Archaeology technology, you can build museums and archaeologists. Archaeological dig sites also appear around the map and you can go get artifacts from them. Artifacts are stored in museums, and give culture and tourism.
The expansion also adds land and sea trade routes, which can provide gold and science bonuses.
You also get a ton of new Civs to play as.

 

[kaspergm]

Gods & Kings adds:
- Religion (great!)
- Espionage (bad!)
- 9 new civs

Brand New World adds:
- World Congress (lacking but still good)
- New Culture Victory system (great!)
- 9 new civs

Overall I'd say there's little doubt that Civ5 with all expansions is an entirely different - and in almost every way better - game than vanilla Civ5. Yes there are things that could be better, but it's still a big improvement.

 

[reddishrecue]

Gods & Kings adds:
- Religion (great!)
- Espionage (bad!)
- 9 new civs

Brand New World adds:
- World Congress (lacking but still good)
- New Culture Victory system (great!)
- 9 new civs

Overall I'd say there's little doubt that Civ5 with all expansions is an entirely different - and in almost every way better - game than vanilla Civ5. Yes there are things that could be better, but it's still a big improvement.

Both of these expansions + the map packs for multiplayer is the most you could get for civilization v..

 

[Mahasona]

The two expansions add depth and breadth to a very simplistic and boring base game.

Don't hesitate to grab them or if short of money wait for a Steam sale.

 

[DocRock]

You get them for like 5 € / $ in a sale and they improve the gameplay like BTS did to 4 vanilla/warlords. Just buy them...

 

[reddishrecue]

^Not only that but you can join and play with more rooms in multiplayer that require these expansions.

 

[FlorbFnarb]

Sounds cool. Does the second one include the first, or do they still have to be purchased separately? BtS seemed to include the features of Warlords, IIRC...

 

[DocRock]

On the German steam store, the complete edition is up for 9,99 at the moment. http://store.steampowered.com/sub/36075/?l=german

Just check it for your country. It's worth it.

 

[DScruggy729]

Note this, Brave New World already has everything included in Gods and Kings. So basically, when you pay for Gods and Kings you're only getting the 9 civilizations, everything else included in the expansion is already in Brave New World. So if your short on cash, get Brave New World.

 

[FlorbFnarb]

Hmm. BNW is $7.49, GaK is $12.49, and various map packs and nations range from $4.99 down to $1.24 on the U.S. Steam Store...but the full game including them all is only $12.49 total. I guess I could get that despite owning the core game and it would just add everything for $12.49.

Do you guys trust the Steam Store not to get your credit card hacked from their database?

 

[LordBalkoth]

Do you guys trust the Steam Store not to get your credit card hacked from their database?

It's less likely to be hacked than 90%+ of the other places you use it, so yes.

People also haven't mentioned the vast improvement in unit balancing and upgrade paths or the massive difference switching to 100 HP per unit vs 10 HP makes.

I tried playing vanilla Civ 5 for some achievements that you can't get in BNW due to changes...I gave up in disgust in the middle of the first game due to frustration with major problems that were solved with G&K and BNW.

 

[Biologist]

I don't think anybody's mentioned the trade system BNW introduces either. The caravan/cargo routes have an impact on city placement, gold per turn, scientific advancement, religion spreading, population growth, etc. Basically every major system within the game is improved or modified by how BNW handles trade routes.

 

[reddishrecue]

Hmm. BNW is $7.49, GaK is $12.49, and various map packs and nations range from $4.99 down to $1.24 on the U.S. Steam Store...but the full game including them all is only $12.49 total. I guess I could get that despite owning the core game and it would just add everything for $12.49.

Do you guys trust the Steam Store not to get your credit card hacked from their database?

That's why I was wondering about getting the map packs from a local store and buy them cash. It kind of is difficult to trust when big stores have had their credit card data hacked.

 

[Biologist]

That's why I was wondering about getting the map packs from a local store and buy them cash. It kind of is difficult to trust when big stores have had their credit card data hacked.

Not to take this thread onto a tangent, but I'd trust Steam about as much as I'd trust Amazon or any other retailer that relies primarily on remote transactions to function. If they couldn't provide a reasonably safe and reliable platform for making purchases, they wouldn't be as dominant in the marketplace as they are (in my opinion).

If you feel it's unsafe to use a credit/debit card on Steam, than you probably shouldn't use it anywhere... you probably have more chance of it getting hacked from any random PIN pad you might use it at. I remember reading an article advising on places that it was "potentially risky" to use a debit card. Their conclusion was basically that the only safe thing to do with it was to use it at your bank's ATM for withdrawals. That seemed a bit over-the-top to me. I guess it all depends on what level of "risk" one feels is acceptable.

Edit: Note that a workaround for this would be to use cash to pay for a gift card (such as VISA Vanilla), and then use the gift card to buy the products from Steam. If that info gets hacked, who cares? You've already emptied the card.

 

[FlorbFnarb]

Thought about that, although it costs more money.

I'll end up just using my card, I was just a bit leery since the whole bit about Sony being hacked a few years ago.

 

[reddishrecue]

Not to take this thread onto a tangent, but I'd trust Steam about as much as I'd trust Amazon or any other retailer that relies primarily on remote transactions to function. If they couldn't provide a reasonably safe and reliable platform for making purchases, they wouldn't be as dominant in the marketplace as they are (in my opinion).

If you feel it's unsafe to use a credit/debit card on Steam, than you probably shouldn't use it anywhere... you probably have more chance of it getting hacked from any random PIN pad you might use it at. I remember reading an article advising on places that it was "potentially risky" to use a debit card. Their conclusion was basically that the only safe thing to do with it was to use it at your bank's ATM for withdrawals. That seemed a bit over-the-top to me. I guess it all depends on what level of "risk" one feels is acceptable.

Edit: Note that a workaround for this would be to use cash to pay for a gift card (such as VISA Vanilla), and then use the gift card to buy the products from Steam. If that info gets hacked, who cares? You've already emptied the card.

Yeah, thats another option that i was willing to tryout, a gift card credit card. I saw 711 selling them as well as gas stations. Gift card credit cards could be bought for cash and if there are steam cards at stores (which i guess there are) then buying either could get you to buy the needed map packs off of steam. Youve been most helpful, thanks.

 

[ezysquire]

Expansions necessary? Yes. Essential

 

[OnceAKing]

Your only playing at 40% of its potential without the expansions, basically all the best civs are in the expansions and the game play changes dramatically.

Another thing they didn't mention is the balancing (almost) of the social policy tree and the introduction of ideologies which while a cultural feature, impacts all facets of the game including trade, diplomacy, war etc. Civ Vanilla is worth less then it's expansions.


An easy work around for the security conscious is the STEAM cards you can buy at any gaming retailer. Places like best buy have them in $25 increments, often times in lieu of actual computer games because steam is so dominant. You just pay at the store and type in the codes of the cards in the steam store when you get home

 

[FlorbFnarb]

I went ahead and used my card. Hell, I've used my card at Home Depot, and I know for a fact that they've been hacked.

DLed last night. Was very tempted to get the Homeworld Remastered package as well.