Reasons for picking a leader?

[Pizer]

Just for getting an idea of why people pick specific leaders

also, does 'favorite civic' actually do anything? I never really bothered to line that up with what i get.

 

[Rodatam]

for their combination of traits/UU

 

[Invisible Rhino]

I always do random

 

[robaughjr]

I do random also, then fashion my strategy from there.

 

[Adam7Eight]

I do random also, then fashion my strategy from there.

Roger that.

 

[*Nosferatu*]

I choose with a combo of UU and traits, That's why I pick Catherine the great, Cossacks, kick ass, and Creative is great for culture, but Financial is iffy, but better than most.

 

[vbraun]

Traits.

They can make the game for you. UU's can't.

 

[RandomInsanity]

traits, and yeah civics do a lot, you should look them up on this site.

 

[ZippyRiver]

I guess traits would be the most important. I try to consider "all of the above". I played a number of agressive leaders, and now am working through financial. It will take some time before I have a favorite civ. Have a lot to get through.

Favorite civic more applies to dealing with the AI. you can get +dimplomacy from it. If you want to make sure you get along with Catherine? Play a civ that that matches her fav civic.

 

[J_RocKeT76]

Traits with me sets the path that I hope to take in game. Never play random cause I swear everytime I do I get Isabella and i hate the whinging witch.

 

[gettingfat]

I guess the poll miss one important choice - the nationality of the leader. I've almost tried every leader, but I started and familiarized myself with the game choosing Qin because I'm a Chinese. I know some of my friends who play Civ series also have the same habit. Although after a while, most people will experiment with other leaders for fun or game style.

 

[Warlord56]

the random button told me to

 

[drahnier]

I also picked my nation because it's the one i have the most connection to in real life, and i must admit i feel some national pride while playing it.
(Germany)
I did the same in civ 3.
As a related issue, i also always hope nazi Germany will win when i watch those world war 2 documentaries on discovery, and i'm always a little disappointed when they never do .

Haven't decided which of the two leaders is the best, though.

So about "favourite civic", you actually get plus points with the computers by choosing their one favourite civic?
I assumed you got those positive "you have adopted our civic" diplomacy points by picking the civics that the computer is currently using in the game, but this is more interesting.

 

[Acceptable_Loss]

I'm an always random, but when I'm forced to pick in some multiplayer games I choose mainly based on traits and then UU

 

[Aku Armoton]

Traits is the way for me, sometimes I pick Romans for praetorians but mostly I play industrial.

 

[*Nosferatu*]

I guess the poll miss one important choice - the nationality of the leader. I've almost tried every leader, but I started and familiarized myself with the game choosing Qin because I'm a Chinese. I know some of my friends who play Civ series also have the same habit. Although after a while, most people will experiment with other leaders for fun or game style.

Yea, so many times, I've wanted to play as China or Japan, I'm asian too, but I ended up as Russia, mainly because me and my friends use the game as an escape to our AP world history...it helps us survive

 

[Danielos]

As a related issue, i also always hope nazi Germany will win when i watch those world war 2 documentaries on discovery, and i'm always a little disappointed when they never do .

You are a German and wanted Nazi Germany to win??

 

[Gufnork]

UUs.

They can make the game for you. Traits can't.

A UU rush is absouletly devastating. Only a few UU's has this effect though (mainly Praetorians, Immortals and Quechuas). Traits are fairly important, but not gamebreaking. Starting techs are quite important too, so they all really matter.

I play random nowadays though.

 

[ButSam]

I usually pick based on traits, though I have yet to play two games all the way through with the same leader. On Civ3, I would branch out some but mainly stuck with Hammurabi (Babylon), which best fit my play style. On Civ4, I find there are so many other factors I consider interesting (main additions being a better combat system and religions), and I want to get used to all of them.

So far, for my complete games, I have played with:
* Elizabeth (GOTM 2, but I was wiped out quickly so it wasn't a true indicator)
* Ghandi (Current Noble game; I am winning based on score barely--may win culture or space ship...have a Great Engineer to build Apollo Program for me
* Saladin (First game, Settler, won easily w/ Diplo victory)
* Spain (I don't recall which leader--if there is more than one...this one was Random, not my choice, and I renamed the leader) - won on time in Chieftain, due to a foiled diplo victory and a miscalculation of how long the space race victory would take.
* Napolean - I won on Space Race on Warlord--to prove to myself I really COULD do it right this time! I also wanted to fight a couple of wars to get some experience here, hence my choice of Napolean.

Sam

 

[The Q-Meister]

Personality.

I pick my leader on who I feel like "emulating" today. When I play Saladin, I pursue an uber-religious strategy and act as a theocrat. When I pick Lenin, (from the Rulers of Russia Mod) I act as a philosophical leader who adopts State Property and loathes the free market, when I play Tokugawa I act as an isolationist, when I play Gandhi I play as a pacificist and peace-loving player.

One of the great joys for me as a Civ player is to actually adopt and imitate another leader's personality (as I interpret it) and try to play the game as if I were that actual leader. Of course this is no "hard" rule; there are times when I think the player in me comes out and I deviate from what that leader might do but in general I try to follow it. I think it is an immensely more interesting than just playing the same way and the same style over and over again.

Does anyone else play this way?