Is the game newb friendly?

[fezz47@msn.com]

Just a quick question. I have never played a strategy game in my life. I have tried a few but always get so confused I've given up on them. So can a complete idiot to this genre pick up the game and play?

Appreciate any replys.

 

[Point13]

Hmmm never played a stragety game.


If you get the game play the tutorial.

 

[fezz47@msn.com]

Well these games never really interested me that much as it seems most have a high learning curve. It's just that every review I've seen of the game seems to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Just an old FPS gamer looking for something different.

Thanks.

 

[Mrdie]

The tutorial is rather poor. I advise reading up on the game a bit, learning about it through playing and reading tactics and etc, and move on from there. (If you were to buy and play the game)

There is also the demo. I forgot the URL though.

 

[The Condor]

The game is quite newb friendly compared to the other Civilization games. However, the tutorial is kinda bad and has had some known bugs so I think a better "tutorial" would be the strategy article forum.

 

[brookman]

I'm just wondering why the tutorial is so bad? Although i really havent played the game that much so far the tutorial seems pretty decent. Is it recommended that you should read the manual as well?

 

[The Condor]

I'm just wondering why the tutorial is so bad? Although i really havent played the game that much so far the tutorial seems pretty decent. Is it recommended that you should read the manual as well?

For one if you save the game and then reload you get a conquest victory (unless of course they fixed it in the last patch) and yeah the manual never hurts too.

 

[Psyringe]

Just a quick question. I have never played a strategy game in my life. I have tried a few but always get so confused I've given up on them. So can a complete idiot to this genre pick up the game and play?

Well, the game is rather complex. You probably won't master every aspect of it in your first couple of games - but then again, that's true for any strategy game, including those with rather simple rule sets, like chess or go/gobang.

However, Civ is very enjoyable even if you don't yet understand every aspect of the game. You can start at a low difficulty level, build up your empire, and have a lot of fun while totally ignoring certain aspects of the game. Then, after some time, you'll go up a level and improve your strategies.

So, in short: Yes, you can pick up the game and play. Just start at the lowest difficulty level and work your way up from there.

 

[Psyringe]

I'm just wondering why the tutorial is so bad? Although i really havent played the game that much so far the tutorial seems pretty decent. Is it recommended that you should read the manual as well?

The tutorial only explains the interface and the most basic aspects of the game, it leaves much untouched. Also, it's poorly programmed - it may lock itself in a situation where it demands you to do something which you just can't at the moment, and there's no way to advance from there.

I'd recommend the manual, however if you know the previous civ games, just playing the game and browsing the (now improved) Civilopedia might work as well. I found most mouse-over pop-ups in the game quite informative and self-explanatory too, but I had read Sulla's excellent walkthrough before and so I knew what to expect.

 

[The Condor]

Here is a link to it:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=132711&highlight=Sulla's+walkthrough

 

[Mrdie]

The tutorial only explains the interface and the most basic aspects of the game, it leaves much untouched. Also, it's poorly programmed - it may lock itself in a situation where it demands you to do something which you just can't at the moment, and there's no way to advance from there.

I'd recommend the manual, however if you know the previous civ games, just playing the game and browsing the (now improved) Civilopedia might work as well. I found most mouse-over pop-ups in the game quite informative and self-explanatory too, but I had read Sulla's excellent walkthrough before and so I knew what to expect.

Plus, Sid is Ralph Nader II in the voice department. Almost sounds like a robot.

(For those who don't know, Sid in the tutorial has a monotone voice)

 

[Reg Pither]

Civ IV is certainly the most newbie friendly version of the series, but having said that, it's still probably the least newbie friendly mainstream game you can find. Very complex even when compared with many of the hardcore wargames, so coming from the FPS end of gaming it may come as a bit of a shock. The best advice is, as ever, play the demo and ask questions here if you need to know more. Just remember that like all the best things in life, the more effort you put in to something, the more reward you get out of it.

 

[Velvet-Glove]

Civ IV is a complex game when you get into it but I think it's also designed to make it fairly easy for a newbie to pick up.

First off, go through the tutorial for some basic tips on movement and giving orders. For your first couple of games pick the easiest "Settler" level, turn off 'barbarians' and leave your workers automated. When building new units or buildings the suggestions offered by the game are usually fairly good ones to go with.

Once you get a feel for the game and how everything works you can be more adventurous and take control of all tasks yourself, introduce those pesky barbarians (and settler-eating animals!), and/or move to a more challenging higher difficulty level.

I would advise reading at least the early parts of the manual first. When you have gained some familiarity with the game read it again and look at the later sections for more advanced information and tips.

Above all, have fun! If you enjoy the first few games you will probably find yourself sucked into a wonderful world where you can play a huge range of very different games.

 

[rschissler]

I'd say Civ4 is newb friendly and the tutorial is helpful, but it is a complex game and if you don't know what you're doing, it could be boring for someone who is used to first person shooters and has never played a stategy game.

 

[BCLG100]

just learn by doing, play a few games learn the techs and i find your own way within the game, if it works for you you dont need everyone else telling you how to do it different

 

[ZubieMaster]

I'd say Civ4 is newb friendly and the tutorial is helpful, but it is a complex game and if you don't know what you're doing, it could be boring for someone who is used to first person shooters and has never played a stategy game.

I agree with rschissler. It's certainly doable to pick up the game and play at the lower levels, but if you are used to FPS action you are going to be bored out of your mind at the lower difficulty as the AI will pretty much just sit there letting you do anything you want (which for many turns is you just hitting the space bar at first).

To move up in difficulty Civ IV becomes very much an "insiders" game. All the strategy is based on knowing the ins and outs of the tech tree (i.e., "getting this tech first let's me build or do x...") or understanding how to micromanage (chopping forests, specializing cities, spreading missionaries, spamming cottages...). So there's a steep learning curve to get to the point where you enjoy the strategy it has to offer.

If you are looking to get quickly immersed in a fast-paced, strategy war game, you should probably look elsewhere. If you think you might like Sim City-type action of building an empire, then you might stick with it long enough to really like it as the eye candy and other type of features are nice.

 

[Smidlee]

Well these games never really interested me that much as it seems most have a high learning curve. It's just that every review I've seen of the game seems to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Just an old FPS gamer looking for something different.

Thanks.

Civ4 is probably one of the easyest games to play if you new to strategy games. If you find out you don't like civ4 then you probably never like other strategy games (atleast turn-based) as most of them are more hardcore and complex.(Hearts of iron for example)
Civ4 ( kind of like chess) is a simple game to learn but the more you play and learn the more complex the game becomes. On the easier levels you don't have to know the in and out of the game in order to find a challenging game. In fact you can probably get by without reading the manuel.

 

[fezz47@msn.com]

Well I downloaded the demo last night and played the tutorial for about an hr, and got up today and did about another hr as well in the tutorial. It sure is different than I'm used to!

Anyway even after the 2 hrs spent playing I still don't understand a lot of what is going on. For example I was told to build a road to Rome, and it seemed like every where I clicked it told me I couldn't move there. I was about to give up and all of a sudden my road appeared! The problem is I have no idea how I did it, and I can't find a go back option in the tutorial menu.

Am I better off just going into a regular game and seeing what happens, or should I just keep playing the tutorial until I get the hang of the game? The basic idea of the game seems very cool, and I love how I've already expanded my territory, however right now it seems more like work than fun, basically because I still don't know what I'm doing. It certainly is a complex game.

Im not trying to rank on the game in any maner, as it obviously has many dedicated fans who love it. I guess I'm asking if it will become worth my time and effort to learn all the ropes in the long run.

Appreciate all the replys.

 

[Lahdoz]

It took me about 4-6 hours to just get used to the features, and bout 20 hours to really get into the game as I learned about all of the little effects of everything.

It sounds like you would enjoy it if you've already played for 2 hours in the tutorial, so if you have patience, go for it. It becomes an enjoyable game once you get out of the tutorial and start seeing the effects of the decisions YOU make in the game.

 

[Luhh]

Fairly difficult game I'd say. The tutorial is nice, and now they've improved the civilopedia, but to understand the game you have to play it quite a bit and read up on things every now and then to understand the finer details and concepts. But here we are in luck because of varying difficulty levels suitable for all players as they learn the game.