vorlon_mi
Emperor
It also hits the elements of scale and pace just right for me. There are enough cities in a Civ3 empire that something is always happening, yet unless you go overboard on the map size, it's still small enough to keep track of and quick enough that I stay engrossed in the game. Civ4 can get this, but it takes longer into the game to get there. I've never got into Civ5 in the same way as III, I think in large part because the empires are smaller and I lose that sense of having a large realm, and the reward of something being built almost every turn.
Yes! This applies to me, too. The balance of scale and pace expresses it well. I want to build an EMPIRE, not a 4-city province (I'm looking at you, Civ V). I want to expand; I love to get that little popup that says, "your borders are expanding". And I love to crash my troops into enemy cities. I love to move over mountains! I have always found the Civ IV and Civ V restrictions that mountains are impassable to be ridiculous. This freedom of movement is missing from Civ V, and coupled with 1UPT, dramatically hinders the AI's pathfinding algorithm.
The Civ III AI knows how to move its troops, and it frequently pounces on me if I make a tactical mistake when moving my troops. It does make strategic decisions that seem weird, and doesn't always take out a weak opponent to build up its own empire. But Civ III continues to be fun, after all these years.
I think I would still enjoy Civ IV BTS, if I could just remember to shed some of my Civ III habits.