Help me, I need to civ

[Lost_Civver]

I used to play Civ, religiously.

I used to spend long nights, armed with coffee, a calculator and an alarm clock, managing my glorious empire. I nursed dynasties from the humblest of beginnings, I fought bitter wars, I built pixellated greatness brick by brick. I found joy in the journey to victory.

As did many of you, I believe

But over the past few years, I can't play anymore. I want to, but it's not as fun as I remember. After a number of turns, it feels so much like a chore that I stop, exit my game, and find something else to do.

And a few days, maybe weeks, later, I'd give it another go, just to run into another brick wall of disappointment as I eventually quit, again.

Has anyone felt like this too, and how did you regain the joy of civving, if ever?

 

[Yoda Power]

Do you play mods? I haven't played the original version of civ for years, it's too boring. Instead I play mods (mostly Warhammer and MEM II).

 

[wuhjah]

I play mods (mostly Warhammer and MEM II).

I agree. Play mods, make your own maps or handicap yourself in creative ways to give yourself a challenge that the standard game no longer can.

 

[Lost_Civver]

Thanks. I'll see if any mods pique my interest.

 

[Spoonwood]

Can you beat Sid regularly? Have you beaten every victory condition? All of the Conquests? In addition to mods, playing for the Hall of Fame can make things more interesting. Competing against other players helps you play with more care. Also, Hall of Fame games can feel more interesting, if like many Hall of Fame players you choose to play with a strong starting position. Competing against maps with a stronger starting position than yours can also make things interesting. The Game of the Month competitions can also keep/make things interesting.

 

[Theov]

- Up a level.
- Give everyone a Palace and a nuke from the start.

These forums spark my interest.

 

[CommandoBob]

Join a Succession Game; that will put you in contact with other gamers as all of you play one game, 10 turns at a time.

 

[tR1cKy]

change the victory type you want to pursue, use random civs, change map type...
lots of variations are possible.

 

[splunge the 2nd]

It's a game. If it's not fun, do something else.

I'll go through months of obsession with a game, cool to it and rediscover it later.

 

[dalgo]

I used to play Civ, religiously.

I used to spend long nights, armed with coffee, a calculator and an alarm clock, managing my glorious empire. I nursed dynasties from the humblest of beginnings, I fought bitter wars, I built pixellated greatness brick by brick. I found joy in the journey to victory.

As did many of you, I believe

But over the past few years, I can't play anymore. I want to, but it's not as fun as I remember. After a number of turns, it feels so much like a chore that I stop, exit my game, and find something else to do.

And a few days, maybe weeks, later, I'd give it another go, just to run into another brick wall of disappointment as I eventually quit, again.

Has anyone felt like this too, and how did you regain the joy of civving, if ever?

I know exactly what you mean. I've just returned to Civ for the first time this year and won a game at Emperor but have no wish to start another. It was fun at first but in the end I took the quick exit of a Space Victory instead of my usual Domination win just to complete the game.

This is such a huge contrast to my initial forays into Civ3 when I couldn't get enough of the game. I reread my notes on an epic game I played against all 30 opponents that I took all the way to a full Conquest victory in 287 hours game time. I couldn't do that now.

It's not the difficulty of the game that is lacking, I have both won and lost games at Demi-God. It is more that I have changed and no longer find quite so much pleasure in the endless micro-management required to win at higher levels. I think splunge summed it up best:

It's a game. If it's not fun, do something else.