Civ III: Prior to that, I think I was a live for both Civ I and Civ II, but Civ I would have been when I was 1 or 2 years old (1987 or so, right?). And Civ II would've been when I was still too young to play games with a fair amount of thought and patience required.
When did you first start playing Civilization?
- Thread starter SnowKomodo
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VainoValkea
Emperor
Nah, Meier was still doing other awesome games like Pirates! back then. Civ I came in 1991.
headcase
Limit 1 Facepalm Per Turn
Civ IV, a while after BtS came out. It was a Steam Sale.
With Civ V, I've been pre-ordering each step of the way... the only thing I waited for a sale for was DLC. If there was more DLC, I might not wait this time.
I also played Alpha Centurai on my friend's laptop well before that, but only a couple games.
With Civ V, I've been pre-ordering each step of the way... the only thing I waited for a sale for was DLC. If there was more DLC, I might not wait this time.
I also played Alpha Centurai on my friend's laptop well before that, but only a couple games.
Hans Castorp
Prince
Civ 2. Played it obsessively for a couple of years then went off to university. Got back into the game a few years later, after the final expansion for civ 4 came out. Went back and played Civ 3, Civ 4 and now Civ 5.
OmniPotent42
King
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2012
- Messages
- 921
I found the gold edition of 4 in a bin at walmart for $20 (around 2 years ago), thought it looked cool and bought it. I clicked the executable that came with the game, not knowing it was the vanilla civ 4, and thought it was the full version.
I started talking about it to people at my school and it turned out a friend of mine was interested in civ 4, but when he started talking about great generals and different civilizations I had no idea what he was talking about. Somehow I found the other executables to launch the full BtS version, that was a surprising day.
I looked into CiV like a year after it was released, but from the reviews I read it was a very poorly designed system and most of my friends still had 4, so I wasn't too interested. I waited another 6 months, and saw the base game at walmart for $30 (I know, I'm a terrible gamer for shopping at walmart) and thought 'what the heck, it can't be that bad.' Loaded up my first game on prince, I think, except I accidentally checked DirectX11 (when my computer didn't even have a graphics card) and the game ran so slow I barely made it to the renaissance.
I got so addicted I bought all of the DLC I could and have preordered every expansion pack.
Steam has me logged at 400 hours, but I suspect actual game time is more like 350.
I started talking about it to people at my school and it turned out a friend of mine was interested in civ 4, but when he started talking about great generals and different civilizations I had no idea what he was talking about. Somehow I found the other executables to launch the full BtS version, that was a surprising day.
I looked into CiV like a year after it was released, but from the reviews I read it was a very poorly designed system and most of my friends still had 4, so I wasn't too interested. I waited another 6 months, and saw the base game at walmart for $30 (I know, I'm a terrible gamer for shopping at walmart) and thought 'what the heck, it can't be that bad.' Loaded up my first game on prince, I think, except I accidentally checked DirectX11 (when my computer didn't even have a graphics card) and the game ran so slow I barely made it to the renaissance.
I got so addicted I bought all of the DLC I could and have preordered every expansion pack.
Steam has me logged at 400 hours, but I suspect actual game time is more like 350.
Civ I was on a disk we got when my dad bought our first computer (a 486). The disk also had Silent Hunter, Railroad Tycoon and F117A, as I recall.
It wasn't the first game I picked up. Not exactly the kind of action that immediately grabs a 10 year old. I recall the first game I played I just sent my warrior trundling across the continent, came across Russia, attacked a city and died, and my own City was conquered shortly after. Okay, lesson one, defend my cities.
I've played every iteration of the series but I played Civ IV BTS the most. With the addition of a few good mods - particularly Better AI and the UI overhaul (can't recall the name) it became a real joy to play. I got a great deal of satisfaction from really understanding the mechanics and getting into and out of difficult situations through timely adaptations to the challenges the maps and the opponents presented.
Civ V was a major, major disappointment to me when it was released. I pre-ordered, which I won't do again, and recall some really mind-numbing games of next turn... next turn... next turn... ad infinitum waiting for a granary. Happy to see that Civ V BNW seems as fully matured as Civ IV BTS was when I was really into it. Just wish I had the same amount of free time I used to!
It wasn't the first game I picked up. Not exactly the kind of action that immediately grabs a 10 year old. I recall the first game I played I just sent my warrior trundling across the continent, came across Russia, attacked a city and died, and my own City was conquered shortly after. Okay, lesson one, defend my cities.
I've played every iteration of the series but I played Civ IV BTS the most. With the addition of a few good mods - particularly Better AI and the UI overhaul (can't recall the name) it became a real joy to play. I got a great deal of satisfaction from really understanding the mechanics and getting into and out of difficult situations through timely adaptations to the challenges the maps and the opponents presented.
Civ V was a major, major disappointment to me when it was released. I pre-ordered, which I won't do again, and recall some really mind-numbing games of next turn... next turn... next turn... ad infinitum waiting for a granary. Happy to see that Civ V BNW seems as fully matured as Civ IV BTS was when I was really into it. Just wish I had the same amount of free time I used to!
I started playing Civ before there was Civ. Seriously.
Played a game that was one of Civ's precursors - still around on the internet and now being played as 'Empire Classic' - back in middle school. It was at the local college in my hometown, the Evergreen State College, running on a HP 2000 system, written entirely in Basic. At one point in time, I had a hardcopy printout of the entire source code for the game, lol. In fact, early on there were only a few monitor terminals and the rest were hardcopy terminals, so we played on green and white bar paper. Lots of trees were killed in the pursuit of winning Civilization.
And that set the stage for me to be a gaming geek for life. Okay, that and Atari. And arcades.
Played a game that was one of Civ's precursors - still around on the internet and now being played as 'Empire Classic' - back in middle school. It was at the local college in my hometown, the Evergreen State College, running on a HP 2000 system, written entirely in Basic. At one point in time, I had a hardcopy printout of the entire source code for the game, lol. In fact, early on there were only a few monitor terminals and the rest were hardcopy terminals, so we played on green and white bar paper. Lots of trees were killed in the pursuit of winning Civilization.
And that set the stage for me to be a gaming geek for life. Okay, that and Atari. And arcades.
A friend gave me a copy of Civ I just after he got Civ II. I started playing it just to see what it was like. I got 'hooked" on it. I have played I through V, including Alpha Centauri and Alien Crossfire. I would like to see those two redone and be an extension of BNW.
Princeofnigeria
The illustrious
Civ rev on the ps3, then played the ios version to DEATH. Went to civ 5, played the board game by fantasy flight to get my friends into civ (that SO counts!), bought the collecters version of 1/2, then jumped to 4. I like the boardgame and 5 the most, never played 3.
troublmaker
Warlord
Mine's actually kind of embarassing.
I was in College and being how colleges are there was an inter-college sharing network in which there were hundreds of free games and movies all available via the network. So I started playing through games like a mad person.
So there it was "Civilization 2 Test of Time." Unfortunately I didn't play the normal mode. I played mostly the Midgard Scenario.
I was in College and being how colleges are there was an inter-college sharing network in which there were hundreds of free games and movies all available via the network. So I started playing through games like a mad person.
So there it was "Civilization 2 Test of Time." Unfortunately I didn't play the normal mode. I played mostly the Midgard Scenario.
eisforeccentric
Chieftain
Civ 4 for me. I was bored at Walmart one day, picked up the GOTY edition and was immediately hooked. Bought 5 when G&K came out and haven't slowed down since
Pythakoreas
Chef Tain
I bought Civilization 5 Game Of The Year Edition when G&K was just released. I got to know this game since Sejong's awkward voice acting and Gandhi's occasional demands for Gems (threatening to attack otherwise) made it a popular joke on Korean websites.
Phoenix1595
Lord of the Two Lands
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2005
- Messages
- 1,022
I started playing when Civ1 came out many years ago, when I was 9-10. I've played every version since, including both Colonizations!
1. My friend just invited me to play a game of civ v hotseat with him... We ended up pulling an all nighter playing!
2. What drove me to keep playing was that I lost to him and wouldn't stand for that so I got my own copy and have been playing ever since
2. What drove me to keep playing was that I lost to him and wouldn't stand for that so I got my own copy and have been playing ever since
Peng Qi
Emperor
Started with 1. A friend of mine introduced me to it.
2. I've always loved strategy board games and Civ 1 was very board game like. I played a lot of 1 but when Civ 2 came out I was totally hooked. Still one of the greatest games of all time.
Firesmacker
Chieftain
Started out with Civ I back in '96. Played the crap out of it then stopped. Grabbed Civ II when it came out but had to give up after a few weeks. It was giving brutal case of "tennis elbow"
Came back to it a few months after Civ V came out.
So, how long until someone tries to turn this into another Civ IV is better than Civ V thread?
Came back to it a few months after Civ V came out.
So, how long until someone tries to turn this into another Civ IV is better than Civ V thread?
Anarchist
Warlord
Looks like I'm in good company, I started with 'I'.
I was in my mid 20's IIRC, and had my first 'decent' computer (ie a PC with VGA graphics - 'gasp'). Those were the days when I actually paid for my own computers for fun. I bought several games for myself one birthday, and Civ was one of them. That was the one that lasted, along with Railroad Tycoon. I became an instant Sid fan, and have since bought everything he created for the PC (some great, some not so good IMO).
It was the strategic aspect that got me. I am poor at action games as I tend not to be able to think fast, and I fluster. When you get to set things up and then press 'go' each turn, I am more capable. I have since extended this skill and used it for its most valuable product, which is writing software (very much the same principles, but more conceptualisation). I used to make beer for a living and play with computers for fun. Now I play with computers for a living, and make beer for fun. A much better approach to life!
I eagerly bought every new version, and all the spin-offs, every time I saw them in the magazines. When the Internet reached us, then I kept searching. I still do, 25 years on. My son picked it up, and used to thrash me with early rushes using the Vikings. That taught me well how MP is not the same as SP! I am not sure I have the time to learn MP play styles TBO, and I have no idea if I could slot in the time to match other players. Now the game is more common, and Steam & the Interwebby thing is probably better for MP, I may try, dunno (being up in the tropics in Oz now). It would certainly give me a new aspect to the game!
I just bought a new Alienware laptop, so I can now have the game in all its full graphical glory (ALL graphics setting to the max, still has extreme speed!). It's a good job it's tax-deductible for me now, at least!
Looking forward to playing Civ XX during my retirement.
I was in my mid 20's IIRC, and had my first 'decent' computer (ie a PC with VGA graphics - 'gasp'). Those were the days when I actually paid for my own computers for fun. I bought several games for myself one birthday, and Civ was one of them. That was the one that lasted, along with Railroad Tycoon. I became an instant Sid fan, and have since bought everything he created for the PC (some great, some not so good IMO).
It was the strategic aspect that got me. I am poor at action games as I tend not to be able to think fast, and I fluster. When you get to set things up and then press 'go' each turn, I am more capable. I have since extended this skill and used it for its most valuable product, which is writing software (very much the same principles, but more conceptualisation). I used to make beer for a living and play with computers for fun. Now I play with computers for a living, and make beer for fun. A much better approach to life!
I eagerly bought every new version, and all the spin-offs, every time I saw them in the magazines. When the Internet reached us, then I kept searching. I still do, 25 years on. My son picked it up, and used to thrash me with early rushes using the Vikings. That taught me well how MP is not the same as SP! I am not sure I have the time to learn MP play styles TBO, and I have no idea if I could slot in the time to match other players. Now the game is more common, and Steam & the Interwebby thing is probably better for MP, I may try, dunno (being up in the tropics in Oz now). It would certainly give me a new aspect to the game!
I just bought a new Alienware laptop, so I can now have the game in all its full graphical glory (ALL graphics setting to the max, still has extreme speed!). It's a good job it's tax-deductible for me now, at least!
Looking forward to playing Civ XX during my retirement.
Anarchist
Warlord
Wow! I missed the board game, which is a shame, as I love these. If it came out in '91, then I must have got it almost immediately, because I came back to the UK in late '90 after wandering around the world with my (to be) wife. That was when I did the whole house/mortgage/job thing (
booorrriinnng) and had both the money and place for a computer.VainoValkea
Emperor
Wow! I missed the board game, which is a shame, as I love these. If it came out in '91, then I must have got it almost immediately, because I came back to the UK in late '90 after wandering around the world with my (to be) wife. That was when I did the whole house/mortgage/job thing (
The board game actually differs considerably from the video games. One of its core features was trading resource cards that made more points as you got more of the same type (because you would corner the markets). And the goal was to advance from 4000 BCE to 250 BCE, with spaceships and all that modern humbug left out.
