Civilization IV is crack. I got a copy of this game a few days before my planned holiday family travel, and much to the chagrin of my in-laws, ended up spending most of the "quality time" engrossed in front of my laptop (losing) at Civ IV. I found it difficult to take breaks for meals, and that's saying a lot considering how good the food is at my in-laws house. Furthermore, I was able to keep playing even when the game crashed after every turn (and I had to reboot the machine each time). The game is frustrating (to say the least), yet the challenge brings immense rewards for the patient. In short, Civ IV is a difficult game to learn and even harder to master, but for those of us who love strategy and history, it's as addictive as deep fried Twinkies.
Civ IV was far too much for my humble laptop, and it brought my desktop (2 ghz, 1 gig ram, 256 meg graphics card) to its knees. Even with the latest patch, the game crashed frequently, bucking me out of Windows completely. The problem seems to be with video ram--the game is a resource hog, to say the least. Yet, the map is a beautiful thing, even at the "low" machine setting I was forced to select.
Unlike many people who bought this game, I wasn't familiar with the series beforehand. Of course I'd heard of it, but I was more interested in RTS games like Warcraft (and the earlier turn-based strategy series, Heroes of Might and Magic). The short of it is that I had a LOT to learn, and even now, after FINALLY beating the Earth campaign (at noble difficulty), I'm still not sure I really grasp the full game. Part of the problem is the "automation" features. You can automate a great many routines, such as building up cities or improvements, but the computer tends to make really crappy decisions. Unfortunately, the computer players don't seem to suffer from this problem. The result? Everything you automate becomes a disadvantage, and when the computer attacks, you're dead. To win, you have to become a micromanager, and there's a hell of a lot to micromanage, from building roads to missionaries. I spent most of the games I played engaged in war, though I suppose it's possible to make more effort to get along with the neighbors.
The campaign I chose started off in prehistoric times and ended when I won the "space race," sending off a colony to Alpha Centauri. Along the way, your people discover (or share) technologies, like the alphabet or gunpowder. One aspect of the strategy is thinking ahead to what tech will give you the best advantage. I found that, especially early in the game, having access to horses and horseback riding was key. This allowed me to create horse archers, which could outmanuever the enemy. Iron is also a key resource, since without it your warriors will be severely underpowered.
Other strategic aspects include culture, religion, economics, and "wonders." I don't have time to go into detail here, but it's nice to know that there is much more to this game than brawn. Investing heavily in culture will cause your borders to encroach on your competitors' without having to go to war. In some cases, this can prove vital, particularly when two cities are near each other. Eventually, an enemy's city will offer to join you if there is a strong enough cultural incentive to do so. Religion plays an interesting role--it builds culture and happiness, but can also be a pain (you must see to it that all your cities are unified). Money comes to those with lots of cottages and access to valuable resources (gold, silver, etc.)
The best part of this game is the focus and attention it requires. I became so engrossed in the game that time became meaningless. Needless to say, I was glad to beat the big campaign before school started, since I doubt I'd have been able to spend much time preparing for class.
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