Scott P.
Chieftain
Going to buy Civ but haven't yet. It's for just my daughter and I. Want multi-player, but don't need internet access as yet. Civ I? Civ II?
Where Do I Start
- Thread starter Scott P.
- Start date
There are four main versions of Civilization out. Civ IV is the latest, but demands a fairly powerful machine. Civ III was pretty bad at first, but had been improved through patches till it was reasonable but quirky. Most reviews I have seen recommend getting IV over III if your machine can handle it. There is a major jump in design between the I and II series and the III and IV series. The latter ones use much more graphical interfaces than the earlier, and such things as the trade and diplomacy systems are completely redesigned. Civ II was a much improved version over the original Civ, and able to run in Win 9x systems. The original Civ was really a DOS program souped up a bit for Win 3.1. In particular the combat system was much improved in II over the original.
If your choice is still between I and II I'd go for II, hopefully the MultiPlayer Gold Edition or Test Of Time. You can sometimes find them in the bargain racks or on eBay.
If your choice is still between I and II I'd go for II, hopefully the MultiPlayer Gold Edition or Test Of Time. You can sometimes find them in the bargain racks or on eBay.
Scott P.
Chieftain
Thanks! I have found several on eBay and at Amazon. Do you know anything about either the Gold Edition or Test of Time? I played once and my daughter has never played. Something where we can set it at "easy" and create our own civilizations from scratch...
tomsnowman123
Simple Liver
I prefer Civilization 1, although II is good also. Plus it makes since to start where the series started. 
The Gold Edition is the first of the multi-player versions of Civ II. Pretty good, but the AI has been tweaked from the Classic (original/2.42) to be more hostile. Diplomacy can be very hard, particularly if the human player is getting ahead. But if all you want is to play against another human it is not an issue.
Test of Time is the final version of Civ II. It excels in having more slots for added units and techs, and has multi-map capabilities for "teleportation" between earth and other worlds (or fantasy realms). Out of the box the graphics look awful compared to the original, but you can easily download and install several alternatives. ToT is the scenario-creator's dream world, at least within the Civ II limitations (7 civs, 256 cities, 2000 units). Again if all you want to do is play against another human there is little improvement over Gold Edition, but if you want to try the most challenging scenarios (usually single-player) or to create your own, ToT is the choice.
Here's a link with nitty-gritty detail on the differences between versions from the scenario-designer's point of view:
http://users.tpg.com.au/jpwbeest/jp_versions.htm
Test of Time is the final version of Civ II. It excels in having more slots for added units and techs, and has multi-map capabilities for "teleportation" between earth and other worlds (or fantasy realms). Out of the box the graphics look awful compared to the original, but you can easily download and install several alternatives. ToT is the scenario-creator's dream world, at least within the Civ II limitations (7 civs, 256 cities, 2000 units). Again if all you want to do is play against another human there is little improvement over Gold Edition, but if you want to try the most challenging scenarios (usually single-player) or to create your own, ToT is the choice.
Here's a link with nitty-gritty detail on the differences between versions from the scenario-designer's point of view:
http://users.tpg.com.au/jpwbeest/jp_versions.htm
Scott P.
Chieftain
Thanks everyone! After chatting with you (and Thunderfall), and after checking some reviews on the internet, I went with the Civ II. Test of Time received poor ratings and it appeared to be harder. "Hotseating" in the Multiplayer Gold was said to be slow. My daughter and I may only have a few hours a week to devote to this, so we'll just work it as a team.
Hopefully, we'll both enjoy it enough to uprade to Civ IV down the road.
Hopefully, we'll both enjoy it enough to uprade to Civ IV down the road.
I'm sure you will like the game, and your daughter should love it. I started playing civ2 when I was pretty young, and it was definetely one of the gaming experiences that changed my life.
It taught me so many important life lessons: The French are cowards, communism is the best system of government, and always demand tribute from those weaker than you and slaughter them anyway.
It taught me so many important life lessons: The French are cowards, communism is the best system of government, and always demand tribute from those weaker than you and slaughter them anyway.
Rowan
Warlord
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