What is your favourite Civilization game?

[Eurik]

The question is simple. But is the choice? What is your favourite Civilization game?

Below a copy-paste overview from Wikipedia.

Civilization 1991
— CivNet 1995 A remake with improved graphics and sound, local and online multiplayer modes, and support for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.
Civilization II 1996 Introduced the isometric view of the world map.
— Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization 1996 The first expansion pack for Civilization II.
— Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds 1997 The second expansion pack for Civilization II.
— Civilization II: Test of Time 1999 Includes the original Civilization II plus new scenarios and improved features, including an alien landscape.
Civilization III 2001 Introduced aspects of culture, including culture victories and takeovers of nearby cities
— Civilization III: Play the World 2002 The first expansion pack for Civilization III.
— Civilization III: Conquests 2003 The second and final expansion for Civilization III.
Civilization IV 2005 Introduced aspects of religion and government civics.
— Civilization IV: Warlords 2006 The first expansion pack for Civilization IV.
— Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword 2007 The second expansion pack for Civilization IV.
Civilization Revolution 2008 The first game in the series designed specifically for consoles, iOS and Windows Phone; not released for the PC or Mac.
Civilization V 2010 Introduced a hex-based map instead of a square tile map used in previous titles, and "unstacked" military units, where only one unit of a kind may occupy one space.
— Civilization V: Gods & Kings 2012 The first expansion pack for Civilization V.
— Civilization V: Brave New World 2013 The second expansion pack for Civilization V.
Civilization Revolution 2 2014 A mobile exclusive sequel to Civilization Revolution.
Civilization VI 2016 Introduced "unstacked" city tiles, where city improvements are placed outside the main city grid space, and a separate culture improvement tree from the technology tree

 

[Gorbles]

While SMAC was a different title, you're definitely missing Beyond Earth on there. Whether or not people vote for it aside, of course

 

[Eurik]

While SMAC was a different title, you're definitely missing Beyond Earth on there. Whether or not people vote for it aside, of course

SMAC?

Wasn't Beyond Earth more of a spin off game, like Colonization was? It wasn't mentioned on Wikipedia, from which I copied the list.

 

[Gorbles]

Haha, sorry. Didn't notice the join date. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the original "Civilisation in Space" ideal that was (and still is) separate from the Civilisation series / brand recognition (despite being Civ. 2.5 in Space). One of my favourite childhood games.

Beyond Earth wasn't considered a success by many on here, but by the inclusion of the brand of Civilisation in it's title I'd say it definitely counts.

 

[mogilan]

Civ 2 is the best one. But unfortunately the only one I can't get run on Win 8.

 

[Eurik]

Haha, sorry. Didn't notice the join date. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the original "Civilisation in Space" ideal that was (and still is) separate from the Civilisation series / brand recognition (despite being Civ. 2.5 in Space). One of my favourite childhood games.

Beyond Earth wasn't considered a success by many on here, but by the inclusion of the brand of Civilisation in it's title I'd say it definitely counts.

I never played SMAC, though I read about it (in its full name).

If others feel too that Beyond Earth must be included I will do so.

Civ 2 is the best one. But unfortunately the only one I can't get run on Win 8.

Feel free to vote for it. II is still blank.

 

[Drakarska]

Civ 2 is the best one. But unfortunately the only one I can't get run on Win 8.

Dos Box works wonders for that small issue

 

[Timothy001]

Despite the UI and AI issues, I vite CiVI

 

[TehJumpingJawa]

Would have voted for Colonisation (original, not the civ4col abomination).

 

[kaltorak]

The question is not that simple. Regardless of release date, for me it would be civ2. That game had the most impact for me. But, nowadays, it can't be compared to civ4 or 5.

 

[Mustakrakish]

The most fun I had was with II and III, but that's because I was a kid and was able to enjoy simpler things. I didn't even play them right as they were too complicated for me back then. I remember using infinite gold cheat on III every single time... Nor do I think I understood the concept of victories back then, I just wanted to conquer the world (or understand what is happening on the screen in case of II).

As to the game that I think was the best? IV. It was the last game where I was looking forward to getting back (loading the ongoing one) to the game and continue where I left off, get all the way to the future era.

With V and now it seems VI too, if I save the game, there's maybe a 10% chance I'll bother loading it up again instead of starting a new one. With these two the progress seems to be reversed, the further the eras progress the more boring it becomes. :/ I don't think I'll ever even get to use nukes. I'm not sure of all the variables that make it so for me, but I guess one of the most important factors is that it just becomes a boring clickfest no matter what I do, be it peaceful victory attempts or total war. I'm starting to think TMiT guy is onto something with his UI obsession.

 

[nzcamel]

I voted IV BTS; but I think that VI absolutely has the potential to overtake IV in the long run.

 

[Libermmucist]

I can't decide!
I've only played Civ 6 recently, but I enjoyed both Civ 4 and Civ 5 a lot.

 

[heinous_hat]

My pick is Civ IV (BTS), for it's economy mechanics. You have only 3 base yields and derive everything else from commerce. It's logical, easy to grasp, and fun to tune. There is a LOT less tedious micromanagement where tile management is concerned... given that you approach city specialization correctly. The move away from commerce as a base yield is my biggest gripe with the game from V forward.

I think Civ:Col belongs on the list. In it's essence, it's much more a civ game with alternate city management rules than it is a unique spinoff. It's biggest problem was that it got very light post-release treatment. A hidden gem, when you consider mods.

Just as well, SMAC also features core civ gameplay... in a space wrapper.

 

[Leyrann]

A really hard question. I am having an absolute blast with Civ 4 BtS (apart from where I just quit a game on Noble because I didn't stand a chance anymore), but I feel that if Civ 6 gets patched well, it will ultimately surpass Civ 4 simply because it has so many awesome mechanics like the districts and the roads, not to mention it looks positively gorgeous.

 

[RohirrimElf]

Hard pick between civ 4 and 3. Civ 4 is overall a better game but i had some fond memories off part 3.
I cant understand it if people choose civ 5 if they played part 4. I`ve been playing pc games for over 20 years. And if i would pick my alltime favorite game
It would be civ 4+mods with a large margin.

I hope that someday civ 6 may stand proud next to civ 4. Quite some work need to be done. 2-3 expansions and some good mod overhauls. But it can be done.

 

[VicRatlhead5199]

If they ramp up the difficulty of VI some it will get my vote. It took me many tries over months to beat III, IV and V on deity. In VI you don't really need such a tight game. I'm a tad disappointed in that but I love the mechanics.

I voted V G&K. I'm one of those guys who really likes the 1upt change but I don't like what unmodded BNW did to expansive empires. If we're counting modded games then BNW wins.

 

[Xandinho]

For now, I choose Civilization V: Brave New World, but I think Civ6 with its expansions has great potential to overcome the second Civ5 expansion.

I need to give an honorable mention to Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword. I remember that I found the Civ4 base game a little tedious, but BtS brought a lot of mechanisms that made the game a lot more interesting.

 

[Eurik]

I can't decide!
I've only played Civ 6 recently, but I enjoyed both Civ 4 and Civ 5 a lot.

What a lovely feeling that must be.

 

[Tatran]

I voted IV BTS; but I think that VI absolutely has the potential to overtake IV in the long run.

Me too and I agree with on civ6, but I'm afraid they simply can't do it.