Armorydave
Prince
For me, it gets more fun with each game played. Combat is far more interesting in 4 than it was in 3. Getting rid of armies, adding the new promotion system and limiting movement on railroads have made the game far more difficult for the would be conquerer and that is a good thing IMO. Unlike Civ 3 where conquest was the trivial winning condition, space is the trivial winning condition of Civ 4. Turn off space and give the game a try on Epic speed. You might find it more to your liking as every game won't degenerate into a boring productivity contest.
