Is it worth buying Civ 4 in 2022

coffees4closers

coffees4closers

Chieftain
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Hey everyone,

I've long been a lurker on these forums and I played Civ4 a long time ago... however I just got a new (to me) PC and was thinking of downloading it again. It has Windows 7 and a decent graphics card and RAM.

It's currently for sale on Steam at around $30 for the "full package" which I believe is Vanilla plus BTS and the other expansions..?
However that seems kinda high for a game made in 2005 and I used to have the game for free from Twitch so I'm hesitant to shell out 30 bucks.
Anyone know if there's a better way to buy the game besides STEAM? Or is that the safest route? Amazon sells a copy of it I think, but it might need Steam to launch?
Do you guys think it'll go back on sale? Do you know when the next iteration is due to be released (as that sometimes lowers the price of older games)?

Secondarily to this question, I've been watching Henrik on youtube since he seems to be the only one still publishing new Civ4 content. Anyone else you guys enjoy watching on YT?
 
That Humble deal is insane. 15 smackers for at least a coupla hundred bucks worth of all the civ games. If that is redundant though, keep an eye out for Civ IV Complete on sale at GOG.com (you just missed their last sale on it). Usually goes on sale for around 7 bucks. Steam may have a sale on it at some point as well. But the Humble deal is hecka good, even if you just want IV from it.

Lain videos are quite good for learning advanced stuff. He has a thread over in S&T as well where he posts all his vids. Absolute Zero still post some new IV stuff, and has a large backlog of older IV lps.
 
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The best place to get civ 4 is gog. But that bundle is a great deal if you want more than just 4 and are in the majority of people who don't mind dealing with steam. I might have strong opinions on that subject :p
 
Blacklanner said:
The best place to get civ 4 is gog. But that bundle is a great deal if you want more than just 4 and are in the majority of people who don't mind dealing with steam. I might have strong opinions on that subject :p
Click to expand...

So to clarify, when you buy the game from the humble bundle, you access the game via steam still?
 
Correct, that humble bundle gives you a ton of keys you have to redeem on steam.
 
CIV IV Is most definitely worth it, especially to access the unit variety that has been produced by many before me, me, and MightyToad. :)
 
I did it! I got the bundle for $20 and got all those games.
Does anyone know if BTS still requires Vanilla to be installed first? I'm guessing it will need that, but just curious if anyone else has done the humble bundle (or similar one and knows)
 
coffees4closers said:
I did it! I got the bundle for $20 and got all those games.
Does anyone know if BTS still requires Vanilla to be installed first? I'm guessing it will need that, but just curious if anyone else has done the humble bundle (or similar one and knows)
Click to expand...
The Humble version IS a Steam version. With the Steam version of IV each expansion is standalone. So you only need to install BTS in the Steam Library. Vanilla and Warlords are separate installs.

Coupla notes with the Steam version:

1) Steam modified their version of IV several years ago to incorporate their MP platform after the Gamespy servers close. In doing so, they changed game assets. An uproar ensued as it screwed with mods, so they created a Beta version of the game that reverts back to the original assets. I recommend that you switch to that version, especially if you plan to use mods. Go to BTS in library > right click > Properties > Betas tab > select "original_release....." version. Steam will reinstall BTS.

2) I recommend running the game from the BTS executable,, as opposed to starting it from the Steam library.

3) Also change the executable to run in Win 7 Compatibility mode, and check "run as administrator".
 
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lymond said:
The Humble version IS a Steam version. With the Steam version of IV each expansion is standalone. So you only need to install BTS in the Steam Library. Vanilla and Warlords are separate installs.

Coupla notes with the Steam version:

1) Steam modified their version of IV several years ago to incorporate their MP platform after the Gamespy servers close. In doing so, they changed game assets. An uproar ensured as it screwed with mods, so they created a Beta version of the game that reverts back to the original assets. I recommend that you switch to that version, especially if you plan to use mods. Go to BTS in library > right click > Properties > Betas tab > select "original_release....." version. Steam will reinstall BTS.

2) I recommend running the game from the BTS executable,, as opposed to starting it from the Steam library.

3) Also change the executable to run in Win 7 Compatibility mode, and check "run as administrator".
Click to expand...


This is all very helpful info, and thank you! I am planning on using mods to a degree (BUG or K-Mod or some other UI updated ones)


on a completely separate note (I didn't know where to post this so I'll just use my own thread I s'pose)...
Do you like Civ5 or 6 more if I've never played either one? I realize both are pretty dramatic departures from civ4 and I am gathering some info... learning that civ5 does XYZ well, but 6 does ABC really well...

Just curious your opinion Lymond? :thumbsup:
 
BUG/BULL, BAT and Blue Marble are def good to have installed. Install BUG/BULL in Custom Assets (SP) option is great for forum games over in S&T. Also, install BUFFY so you can play GOTM and HOF. I use BAT primarily for my own casual games.

I played quite a bit of 5 over the years. Nothing compares to IV, of course. However, you might find some 5 interesting for a bit, and you can try for some achievements there. I basically treat 5 more like a war game, being very aggressive from the start. The long game though gets a bit meh.

I did get the base game of 6 a few years ago. Just could not get into it. You have all of it with your deal though, so not sure how the complete 6 game works.
 
Civ IV was 4x3 aspect ratio but I keep seeing youtube vids with what appears to be 1920x1028 16x9 size.

What's the deal with that?
 
Sherlock said:
Civ IV was 4x3 aspect ratio but I keep seeing youtube vids with what appears to be 1920x1028 16x9 size.

What's the deal with that?
Click to expand...
In the Graphics options you simply choose the resolution that fits your screen's aspect ratio. For example, I have 16x10, so I choose 1920x1200
Spoiler :
Civ4ScreenShot0113.JPG
 
This is news to me, I didn't know you could go native 1920x1080. Guess I'll have to pick up a copy next time it goes on sale.
 
That's the resolution i use too, 1920 x 1080. And this game is definitely worth a buy. THe graphics are good enough that it doesn't feel like you're playing Civ I II or III and have enough detail in them as well for a fun game. When i finally get sick of it, off to Civ V. (finally) get sick of it ;)
 
Zygmunt said:
... THe graphics are good enough...
Click to expand...

I think the graphics will always be good enough. Yes, technically graphics will continue to improve a lot, but our brains and eyes not so much.
 
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