How long do you play civ?

[batteryacid]

In civ (so i generally noticed) there is always a bit of competition between keep the flow going in your game and loosing too much concentration, so i got interested in : how do other people play civ (I play so 2 h or more, with the television or the radio running in the background, but I notice that after 1 h I begin to make mistakes- cities rioting, forgetting to trade, etc. ) and I´m now trying to play let´s say half an hour and then making a small break thinking a bit about my strategy, eating something, zapping a bit etc. and I want to know: how do other cope with the game-addiction (when I was 12 I payed civ 1 through the whole night with my parents away before an important english exam, so I know what I´m talking about ) vs. loss of concentration situation

 

[Babbler]

I play untill I feel I have come to a turning point in my game, like building the FP or reaching my goals in a war.

 

[ManOfMiracles]

The bad thing about falling asleep while playing civ is I wake up to discover I've either disbanded a bunch of stuff (finger on D key), I've skipped a bunch of turns (thumb on space bar), or the map is endlessly scrolling (hand on mouse).

 

[Turner]

Hand on mouse is what usually happens to me....

 

[Dreadnought]

I hate the map scrolling thing...but I normally play 3 - 4 h on a good game if the settings are good and I like how the AI is doing

 

[digitalgoodtime]

Sometimes I lose total track of time, and look at the clock and it is ridiculasly late... Then I save and crash... I have played a good game for like 8 hrs straight... One time I actually swear I saw the cows move

 

[The Omega]

I play until my parents yell at me to get of the computer.

 

[Turner]

See, I'm lucky there, I'm the parent.

But then it's usually my wife yelling...

 

[alamo]

I can play 2-3 hours at a sitting in the right circumstances, but I usually have at least one interruption per 15 minutes.

 

[Gelion]

About 2 hrs, but ahving breaks every 20 mins ...

 

[bob rulz]

I eat while I play. My only breaks are bathroom breaks and getting up to actually get the food. I usually stop when 1-I get tired 2-The RNG starts to hate me or 3-When I have hallucinations.

 

[Turner]

Way back when I used to play Civ1 at the University of Kansas computer center. Often I would fall asleep in my chair, and not wake up until my head went flying backwards! What a way to wake up. Usually by then I would save and go home to sleep, but often as not I didn't.

 

[Midnight Piper]

I'm one of those folks who can zone - get so deep into a game that when I look up it's because my alarm is going off and its time to head to work. 10-12 hours is nothing unnusual for me. Aside from having errands to run or work to do, the only 'stop sign' I get is when I'm so fatigued I notice things moving or my screen edges re-shaping...

 

[Ovulator]

When I get into a game I will keep playing until something really annoys me in the game, ie constantly losing battles I should be winning or losing a race to build a wonder I nearly completled or getting attacked by 3 civs at once. Otherwise it can be 4 in the morning and I don't even realize it and I force myself to hang it up.

 

[WoodenTaco]

I can be the same way, Midnight Piper. Sometimes I stop when I get really really hungry, though, as well

 

[Reprisal]

I usually stop when the game starts to get boring... When it becomes clear that either (A) I'm going to win, or (B) the long slog of the Industrial Era will be too much for me Early-Game emphasis.

Winning or losing hardly ever comes into it,

- Rep.

 

[T-Money]

I quit when I get to the mid-industrial ages because my game is all about warmongering and I like the Middle Ages units much better than the Ind/Modern ages units.

 

[Rassnie]

I don't think I could possibly play for more then 4 hours without getting a headache. Usually I'll play about 3 hours in a sitting, not counting all the little interruptions. Maybe 4 hours if a game is especially interesting, but lately the game hasn't been able to hold my attention that long unless it's a GOTM or something. I'm hoping this will change when I get Conquests. Always tomorrow, but I really would like to get it within the next few days.

Edit:

When it becomes clear that either (A) I'm going to win

That's exactly what I wanted to say. I just couldn't think of any specific examples of what would cause these headaches. Warfare between Nationalism and whatever tech it is that gives you tanks is extremely tedious. Playing when I already know that victory is assured just seems redundant. I never got this feeling when I was playing Civ 2, but maybe I wasn't all that great at it either. I hope that in Civ 4 they can somehow make the boring parts just disappear.

 

[digitalgoodtime]

I'm one of those folks who can zone - get so deep into a game that when I look up it's because my alarm is going off and its time to head to work. 10-12 hours is nothing unnusual for me. Aside from having errands to run or work to do, the only 'stop sign' I get is when I'm so fatigued I notice things moving or my screen edges re-shaping...

Glad to know I am not the only one so have u ever seen the cows move? I swear if they ever moo at me I will quit playing

 

[T-Money]

I don't know how some people can do that, just sit in front of the computer for 10-12 hours at a time. If is sit for more than an hour or so my ass hurts and I have to go outside and do something.