What keeps you playing Civ IV?

[rah]

There was no WOW in CiV. The land was boring. Even the improvements were boring. And just for laughs since it's so boring, there's no need for us to give you a regenerate map option. Make it take longer and still be boring.
The wonders are boring.
The buildings are boring, take forever to build, and saddle you with maint. Oh boy.
There's fewer units and again, more boring and costly.

And let's eliminate stacking. Which causes a nightmare for moving lots of units and the go to command. If a unit comes up to another on the road, it just get's off the road to go around ??????
The only way to resolve this is to build roads on every square, but WAIT, someone thought a map covered with roads didn't look nice so we'll add maintenance cost for each road to discourage it.

In the end all they discouraged was having fun.

The only thing I liked was the hexes, and that's just because I grew up playing Avalon Hill Board games and if felt nostalgic. I would say I liked ranged weapons but the AI is so stupid it can't really use them right.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

Civ IV is pretty good game. It could be better of course and I thought that would be the case with Civ V but obviously its not. So here I am.

 

[Ramesses-Rules]

Many, many reasons. I have been playing for several years, but not continuously. It never gets stale because every game is unique and there are so many different ways to play and win. Psychologically, I find it a great way to relax and escape from the real world for a few hours. Much more fun for me than watching movies, for example. Now that I can win at Immortal, I don't always play to win the game. Sometimes it is just to play around with different strategies to see what works (or not).

 

[georgjorge]

Psychologically, I find it a great way to relax and escape from the real world for a few hours.

This.


Although I probably would have stopped playing Civ IV by now if it weren't for these forums...playing the same map as other people (Deity Fun, GOTM) and experiencing the different ways of approaching it really adds a social dimension that keeps me playing.

 

[Rusty Edge]

The mods keep my interest alive. The great gets better! I still play unmodded sometimes.

I actually played some III this summer out of curiosity, and yes, I prefer it to V .

 

[Drakarska]

The mods keep my interest alive. The great gets better! I still play unmodded sometimes.

I actually played some III this summer out of curiosity, and yes, I prefer it to V .

^
This. The mod community is stellar, and keeps me coming back for more. I won't even discuss my hatred for V and it's evil mini-onion Steam..

Hey, I just noticed the mod 3 kingdoms in your sig line. Ok, off to the DL section.. My thx bro

 

[Rusty Edge]

^
This. The mod community is stellar, and keeps me coming back for more. I won't even discuss my hatred for V and it's evil mini-onion Steam..

Hey, I just noticed the mod 3 kingdoms in your sig line. Ok, off to the DL section.. My thx bro

Well, it's basically a unification war game.

Let me know who becomes your favorite hero.

 

[Icaria909]

I on the other hand really like Civ V. They've really fixed a lot of the problems with their new expansion and I always enjoy a game there.

However, I come back to Civ IV not necessarily because it's better, but because it's different. I've been playing civ games since Civ III and they all seem to different strengths and weaknesses. Civ III in my opinion is crazy awesome for giant epic wars, while I really like Civ IV for the diplomacy/religion/ modern warfare aspects of the game. The Civ IV forum community is also a major factor as to why I love this game. In all, there will be periods where I'm not in the mood for Civ IV, but I'll always come back to it at some point.

 

[Ambidexter]

Like some of the other people have mentioned, I play CivIV because it's a different game each time. If I want something even more different, there are a bazillion mods, many of which improve the basic game dramatically. In fact, I haven't played an unmodded game in several years.

 

[pspboy7]

My machine can't run Civ V either (at least, not smoothly), but there's still the question why I keep playing it instead of playing something else or not playing games at all. I think the main reason is that every map is random and you have to make most of the land and resources available to you. I also roll a random leader every time to help keep things fresh (though I do a re-roll if it's someone I've played as recently). Another huge reason are the xOTMs that the staff in this very forum kindly keeps hosting.

Also, there's something inherently satisfying about how you start with a couple of guys in loincloths and end up with a (hopefully) huge, industrialized empire.

Edit: In fact, GOTM and WOTM are the only reason I play Vanilla and Warlords anymore.

I hear you on that one. I bought a new laptop a short while ago when my big comp kicked the bucket. I didn't want anything really fancy and so I loaded up Civ 5. It played terrible and I was bummed But all in all I didn't panic too much. Then I pulled my Civ 4 games from the dusty shelf and loaded them up and WOOHOO! They played like a charm! Played a whole game yesterday ( I sucked but whatever, I had fun relearning the game) as Catherine of Russia. It was good times. Now I just have to work on getting half decent at the game. I have both Warlords and BTS. BTS is great, I just have to remember to switch off those stupid random events.

And yes, it is cool to watch men in loincloths create a huge empire from nothing!

 

[Drakarska]

I hear you on that one. I bought a new laptop a short while ago when my big comp kicked the bucket. I didn't want anything really fancy and so I loaded up Civ 5. It played terrible and I was bummed But all in all I didn't panic too much. Then I pulled my Civ 4 games from the dusty shelf and loaded them up and WOOHOO! They played like a charm! Played a whole game yesterday ( I sucked but whatever, I had fun relearning the game) as Catherine of Russia. It was good times. Now I just have to work on getting half decent at the game. I have both Warlords and BTS. BTS is great, I just have to remember to switch off those stupid random events.

And yes, it is cool to watch men in loincloths create a huge empire from nothing!

What, and not have Ali Baba and his Fourty Thieves give you +2 on a plot? or how a fire can hit the same woods 4x in a row? lol, I actually like the RE, as it gives me something to swear at just as I'm about to execute MY Grand Master Plan of Dominance and I realize that I have to wait a few more turns as my favorite coffee maker has to be sent to the forge to be repaired.

 

[reddishrecue]

Civ IV has so many technologies and their multiplayer lobby that is still available to own other players online keeps me playing. Or sometimes I put on single player when there is nothing to do and gives me a new world and a new setting with new leaders with emotions (from furious to friendly).

 

[RD-BH]

I play Civ4BtS because ...
... it is the prequel to the best game ever made.

If I should win via Launch ...
... I reward myself with it's sequel/predecessor SMAC.

This combination, Civ4BtS/SMAC, is the complete 4X ...
... as unpredictable/varied as it is fulfilling/rewarding.

Civ4BtS shares the same vision as SMAC ...
... somehow, Civ5 lost it's way.

Most importantly ...
... I play Civ4BtS/SMAC because it is FUN 8) 8) 8)

 

[YallerDawg]

I'm 42 and haven't played any of the Civ games before, although I heard about it years ago. I just read about the 10-year game so looked it up and found there were IV and V out. My pc isn't good enough for V but I was intrigued so registered to ask if people stilled played IV. I'm feeling way behind and wondered if it was worth buying Civ IV this late. Looks like it's still popular. Since I'll be a noob for a bit I wondered if people would all move on before I got to multi-player. Can I play against AI with another person, as a way to learn the game or is multi-player no AI?
Since Civ V is out, is there a low cost version out yet? At this point, should I look for a particular Complete or Gold set to get the biggest bang for my buck? Thanks for helping a real noob.

I'm in my mid-40s and I've been blissfully playing computer games for decades, but recently I've experienced something I've never really felt before. It happened while I was - finally! - playing Diablo 3. Diablo's launch sucked and I had horrible luck in my repeated attempts to play the game, but then I was playing and it was fun. Cool, I thought; but I hadn't played the game even 12 hours when the feeling, something akin to depression I think, fell on me: I was wasting my time.

Which was funny, because the game was fairly enjoyable. And yet I couldn't escape the feeling. It was weird, but while playing I had the unshakeable sensation of endlessly spinning my wheels as it were. I've played bad games before, of course we all have, and boring games and good games buried underneath an avalanche of clunky interfaces, but here for the first time I had encountered a fun and exciting game that left me feeling bad for having played it.

Which defeats the purpose of playing games in the first place and brings me to why I play Civ IV. The game has soul and leaves me feeling fulfilled when I play it. It's complicated enough to give me the options I crave, but doesn't make things complicated artificially. It rewards me with an endless barrage of small-wins every single session, so that I feel like I've actually accomplished something other than just whiling away my time. Super Sweet Bonus: it does all this while allowing me to wallow in my favorite subject of all time - history!

 

[Drakarska]

I'm 42 and haven't played any of the Civ games before, although I heard about it years ago. I just read about the 10-year game so looked it up and found there were IV and V out. My pc isn't good enough for V but I was intrigued so registered to ask if people stilled played IV. I'm feeling way behind and wondered if it was worth buying Civ IV this late. Looks like it's still popular. Since I'll be a noob for a bit I wondered if people would all move on before I got to multi-player. Can I play against AI with another person, as a way to learn the game or is multi-player no AI?
Since Civ V is out, is there a low cost version out yet? At this point, should I look for a particular Complete or Gold set to get the biggest bang for my buck? Thanks for helping a real noob.

I recommend Civ IV complete, as it gives you the most bang for your bucks ( colonization, vanilla, warlords, and Bts) and you can pick it up real cheap on Amazon. The mod community is still heavily active, and MP is still going strong.
As for Civ V, well, the least I say about it the better. Go with IV and have some fun.

 

[gps]

I recommend Civ IV complete, as it gives you the most bang for your bucks ( colonization, vanilla, warlords, and Bts) and you can pick it up real cheap on Amazon.

Can't agree more. You should have no problem to get Civ IV Complete for 10 to 15 bucks (USD, GBP, EUR) or so. And I can guarantee you: if you like this game, you can spend a good handfull of years with it before you have seen everything there is to see and before you have played every mod and scenario that comes with it - especially if you have never played a Civ game before and have to learn the basics first. If you can get the most recent US version it does not even have a copy protection. This version also adds Civ III Conquests / Complete as a little "bonus":

http://www.amazon.com/Civilization-...346336309&sr=8-3&keywords=civ+III+IV+complete

Although there might still be some minor bugs, Civ IV has been supported and patched for 4 or 5 years by the developpers in very close contact with the fanbase - like maybe no other part of the franchise before and after. So beeing late for you has the advantage that you get a very solid and stable game with quite high quality compared to the gaming industries standards. There is also lot's of third party stuff (mods, scenarios, map scrips, etc.) that you can download from this page.
And don't worry about people moving on. Civ V did not find universal praise and many Civfanatics consider IV to actually be the best, most complex and most refined version of the franchise - so many either moved on completely or are still here playing IV.

 

[YallerDawg]

Thanks Drakarska and GPS. Looks like there are a lot of tips on this forum too.

 

[YallerDawg]

I did find a complete version online and it should arrive just when my wife goes out of town, so I'll have plenty of time to skip chores and get immersed I also found a pdf of the manual and am looking through it so I have some idea what to do when it arrives.
What is the easiest start? Is there a leader that is easier to start with or should I go random? Otherwise, looks like pangea, standard map, temperate climate? Does climate or sea level matter that much to start? I used to play age of empires, so with the turns, it will be nice to have time to think about what I'm doing. I appreciate the advice.

 

[s.bernbaum]

For your first few games, while you are learning the basic mechanics of the game, I would suggest playing Settler level, which is the easiest level, and not worry about winning. Just learn the basics first. Even today, I always play random empire and leader. That way, you get to try out different approaches and don't get stuck on always doing one way. Later, if you develop a favorite, you can go with that when you like. As for maps, I would suggest fractal rather than pangea. With fractal, you will nearly always find either more than one continent or some islands. That way, you can learn about the naval game as well as the land based one.

 

[Drakarska]

As above. The tutorial is actually pretty decent. Once you learn the basics, and pick up some basic tips, you'll be able to plan out your game a little bit, which will make it more enjoyable for you.