Returning to Civ IV

[iggymnrr]

Good observations mad. The tech tree seems so-so to me too. Maybe its because everyone starts with the same tech. A person does have to be careful with city states. I recently got caught from behind by one, after checking on their status, and lost most of my army. Rebuilding and going after the AI a second time was no problem at all. AI is really bad. Worst thing may be the AI's mind-numbingly stupid stream of poorly crafted insults.

 

[Creatureboy11]

So... you guys are saying Civ 5 stinks basically? GO CIV 4!

 

[Dave Hartwick]

A couple weeks ago I thought the hoo ha over Civ V was just the usual "they changed it now it sucks" or "it won't run on my vintage 1998 PC so it sucks" bellyaching that accompanies sequels. Now I think Civ V may very well be a mongrel of the Civilization IV: Colonization variety.

Hey, they can't all be gems, but boy am I glad I didn't shell out a $1.5k on a new computer so I could play Civ V. I'll look at buying it when when Steam puts Civ V: Complete on sale in a few years.

 

[StrategeryBush]

Hey, they can't all be gems, but boy am I glad I didn't shell out a $1.5k on a new computer so I could play Civ V. I'll look at buying it when when Steam puts Civ V: Complete on sale in a few years.

Unless I miss my guess, Civ V is complete already. They're wasting their time if they are working on any sort of expansion or upgrade of that dog. It's just not a fun game.

 

[yanner39]

Well I'm back. I played for a quite a while, and there are a few things that I just can't get past:

- the science = population issue. I like the fact that I can dictate where my commerce goes

- One of my favorite VC was a diplo win, and it's pretty boring in CIV5

- When I stopped playing Civ 4, I was getting better at managing my diplomacy. I don't get the Civ 5 diplomacy.

- Improvements/resources. For Civ 5 = WFT??

- Production is an issue in Civ5 to the point where I wouldn't even start building Granaries for example.

- Growth is frustrating in Civ 5.

- Missed the trade route concepts and cottages of Civ 4.

- Difficulty is specializing (probably relating to resources/improvements)

- Missed getting reamed when I posted one of my games for advice/criticism.

Don't get me wrong, there are some cool concepts in Civ 5:

- Bringing the space ship parts to the capital and risking then getting captured.

- I love the 1upt concept and warring is pretty cool.

- the hexes and the graphics are pretty cool.

I really not closing the door on Civ 5 but I'll wait for different upgrades or patches.

Any tips to help me get back in the swing of things? I start at Monarch, where I ended. Start following a couple of cookbook games....

 

[yanner39]

One thing I got out of the CIV5 experience is a deeper appreciation and enjoyment of IV, which I was stagnating a bit on in the lead up to 5 simply because of my excitement for it. I'm now playing IV with a renewed vigor. Of course, the SGOTMs and GOTMs always help too.

+1

Actually, I really going to want to get better at Civ 4 now. Also, I'm going to want to try a few mods as well.

 

[madscientist]

The thing that really annoyed me at Civ V is that I was enjoying and cruising on Immortal Civ IV. An Immortal game is difficult for me from beginning to the end, with victory often decided very late and too often blowing it at the end. Civ V can wait for a few more patches to me.

 

[iggymnrr]

So... you guys are saying Civ 5 stinks basically? GO CIV 4!

I would not go that far.

As to mad's prior comment regarding national wonders being so-so, they change in cost as the game progresses. Perhaps this is due to the recent patch. Try ICSing for a science victory with libraries everywhere and the National College will cost over a 1000 hammers near the end, epic speed. What would that be in marathon terms?

 

[bobbyboy29]

It's ironic that the Civ 4 forums are the better place to discuss Civ 5 atm . I agree wholeheartedly with so many of the opinions here. And my feelings towards the game are similar to most: cautiously optimistic.

At the moment the Civ 5 forums is a bit of a war between the "I hate the game" and the "i love the game" factions. You have to sift through so many threads and posts to get just one valid or interesting opinion. Patches and expansions will help get me into civ 5 but i'm also waiting out here till all the rage from both sides dies down.

 

[yanner39]

Another thing I like alot about Civ5 is the social policies system. I like the fact that, as opposed to the civics of Civ4, it's a progression.

Again, Civ5 has some very strong points. My ideal Civ:

Combine the social policies and 1upt warring and space victory conditions of Civ5 with the rest of Civ 4.

Anyone up for a mod?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

We need the King of the Mods!


Link to video.

 

[jfby]

The same thing happened when IV came out. A lot of people came back to III. I'm sure the same thing happened when III came out.

I'm a little late to the conversation, but here's my take on this subject. I don't have Civ V yet as real life is taking up all my time absolutely. I've played and loved every Civ game since the first.

When Civ II came out, I never played Civ again. Did I stop liking Civ? No, but Civ II was enough at that point. When Civ III came out, I did not go back to Civ II (or the expansions). Again I still liked Civ II, I just liked Civ III a little more (eventually a lot more). I didn't buy Civ IV until after BTS was released, but when I did I only played Civ III for some of the Mods I still play.

If/when I decide to get Civ V, I have a few mod on Civ III and IV that I still like and play when I get the chance, so unless they are remade WELL for Civ V, I will probably still play both for some time to come.

If the game really is 'that bad', I hope the folks working on the patches and eventually expansion packs to concerns to heart. I really like the Civ franchise and want to see it still around years from now.

 

[Carboniferous]

Another thing I like alot about Civ5 is the social policies system. I like the fact that, as opposed to the civics of Civ4, it's a progression.

Again, Civ5 has some very strong points. My ideal Civ:

Combine the social policies and 1upt warring and space victory conditions of Civ5 with the rest of Civ 4.

Anyone up for a mod?

If you can live without hexagons - most of Civ5 could be modded into Civ4. Getting the AI to play well with 1upt could be interesting though.

I've only had a brief look at Civ5 as my own PC isn't up to running it, but I'd sum it up by saying what you gain on the one hand is offset by what is taken away on the other. In other words, social policies, city states, resource limited unit production, 1upt, etc... are all good and interesting ideas (perhaps lacking finesse in their implementation), but the economic model is not nearly as deep as civ4, diplomacy is very shallow, tech choices are not as strategic, cities don't seem to be as differentiated, etc...

 

[Troythepathetic]

The nice thing for me is... I played a decent amount of Civ IV, but never really hung out here or got outside advice/guidance and was stuck on Noble.

During the anticipation for Civ V, I frequented CFC more and more. I started learning how awesome Civ IV really is and how many possibilities there are. I actually had no idea what Religion and Civics were used for. I played more and more Civ IV and only recently started playing BtS.

Civ V came out, I never got into it, but its OK, because I only have a experienced a fraction of IV. There are still a lot of hours and adventures for me. I just started playing the BUG mod. Unreal the things people can do. I remember downloading and playing a sweet mod for III long ago for a Canadian Civ that I got a kick out of.


This board is so impressive. The synergy between posters is unlike any other forum I have been a member of. 98% of the time, you have people from all over the world with a very common interest discussing a very specific subject matter. Ideas, strategies, mods, etc... its really a great forum, and its a shame to see people divided over this release. Eventually the Civ IV-ers will end up here, and the V-ers will remain there for the most part.

Overall, I think that anyone who plays and enjoys this series has a certain intelligence and patience that exceeds your average gamer.

Awesome. I was in exactly the same situation. I bought Civ IV years ago after being a Civ 1 and CTP fan but never really got to grips with it. I didn't understand what any of the strategies were or even what the culture and GP bars represented. I started looking at civ V and realised that I had missed a world of experience in civ IV. Totally into it now and playing to make up for lost time. I have no desire to go to V anytime soon. These forums are great.