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Sid Meier's Civilization V

Schweddy

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Civ5 looks fantastic, any member played it yet? I'm reading mixed reviews.

Thinkin' about getting it. I absolutely loved Civ4.

??
 
I have it. Mixed reviews is about what I would give it. It looks great, the interface is set up better than any Civ game previously and I love the new interface. The gameplay is good, but it just feels kinda like not a civ game. It is a civ game, and everything you would expect is there, but it still feels just kinda off.
 
The city-states and limited city expansions look like they would feel strange.
 
The city-states and limited city expansions look like they would feel strange.

1 unit per hex feels really strange too, as does buying tiles for your city to expand into. The city-state aspect is good, except the city-states giving what amount to quests kinda annoys me.

It's overall a good game, but I had such lofty expectations that I am let down. However, Civ4 I thought at first was a real letdown, but it did grow on me, and the new interface is awesome.
 
kinda mixed reviews here for me as well. Although I do feel it is better than Civ IV which was a total let down.

The city states I really liked, but I also happened to draw a map with a ton of rivers and as a result a ton of gold generation my first time through so I was able to buy all the city states off for a ton of food on my first and so far only full play through (I almost felt like I was drawing too many bonuses from them but this much different in my second play through with less gold on hand) .

Some aspects feel dumbed down and in a way incomplete (diplomacy I am looking at you), others feel like great moves that significantly altered gameplay and offer fresh changes such as the hex's and the non-stackable military units adding more depth and strategy to the military aspect of it (A few more play throughs and I will go for the conquest oriented play-through to really get the feel of this). The AI can seem sketchy and a bit off at times, it is almost like they did not find out about the new battle rules until the last minute and the computer will stick a ranged unit right in the face of an infantry unit to get slaughtered unnecessarily.

In some ways the choices and possible directions and actions and strategies branching out ahead of you are almost too much, yet this gives a ton of variety in potential strategies and choices, and potentially a ton of replay to explore them all. There is so much to do.. do you want buy such and such city state for their food and count on that, or farm all your land (you can get away with not farming all your land and gnerating food otherwise if you want) , do you want to have all your workers in buildings inside your city to generate points towards great people, or out in the land. Do you want to focus on scientific, culture, military? I did not feel limited by the amount of cities in anyway, nor in what direction I wanted to go (although your choice of civilization and their abilities should impact which direction you should focus).

I did not feel overly hobbled by not having a ton of cities, nor did I feel the urge to spam cities on every square inch of land, I went specifically for the resources I wanted, or to a lesser degree strategic location. this time around I am trying it with a lot fewer cities (India bonuses push you to fewer large cities). If you can get enough resources and/or want to spend the gold for happiness buildings you can still get a respectable sized empire with a decent number of cities or population, but at times there is a lot of management and cutting off food supplies to halt the encroaching unhappiness. I do kind of want to try the one city challenge mode they have as well, or see how I can fiare with a 2 or 3 city powerhouse civ - a strategy that would be unthinkable to me in past games.

Mixed reviews here as well, but leaning strong towards the positive side. Although I enjoy the game -it is civ after all- perhaps the mixed review aspect is just because of how many hours of my life have been dedicated to previous iterations. Although in some aspects the game is fresh and new, in many others it feels like the same old well worn pair of shoes that are just no longer so white and shiny. I do foresee many many hours of gameplay ahead... just not in so many marathon sessions and not as religiously as in the past.
 
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Wow, that was amazing review. Thank you. :)

I did read about the purchasing additional hexes, but being able to purchase buildings directly sounds kinda cheesy.

Heh, I think you guys are talking me into it. Well, might try out the demo - just not really a Steam fan.
 
It is definitely worth checking out, and probably even buying it. You will almost certainly love the way it looks, and again, I cannot say enough good about the interface. Things like natural wonders(Old Faithful for example) are cool.
 
Wow, that was amazing review. Thank you. :)

I did read about the purchasing additional hexes, but being able to purchase buildings directly sounds kinda cheesy.

Heh, I think you guys are talking me into it. Well, might try out the demo - just not really a Steam fan.

You are welcome, I just started typing, expecting to write a quick review and that is just what came out. (well with a few edits because the train of thought train was redundantly redundant) :)

I played the demo first, and I hate steam as well, but the demo is worht it, it actually gave me a few days of game play, then I decided to buy, and uninstalled the demo and steam. The demo gives you a good feel for the early game, you get 3 different civs to try out, and 100 turns no other limitations that I recall (full game through 2050 is 500 turns). You can actually squeeze a respectable amount of play time out of it.
 
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I'm not that excited. The vast majority of the Civ games have been basically the same with only a few updates in graphics.

Wildly unpredictable AI, crappier and crappier combat, fewer and fewer units, more boring wonders, and no innovation.

The best Civ games were the Call to Power games. It's been downhill since then
 
I like it... a bit harsh on the computer requirements though. Considering it is not a mega graphics shoot em up game, then the recommend of a quad core machine is kinda wtf.

As for the game play.. city states is strange but a novice concept. One unit per hex is both cool and annoying. The combat fase has been changed for the good.. terrain and unit type has finally a real difference. In the old days, a sword carrying legion could defeat a rifle squad or even a tank.. not so now thank god.

Also removing the religious aspect of the game is great.. it really put the game out of balance in many ways.
 
I have Civ 4; play it all the time.
I'm not sure I'd want the new one, though.
 
I have it since five days ago but have yet to even install it.
Too busy, too busy.
 
I have Civ 4; play it all the time.
I'm not sure I'd want the new one, though.
I am nervous of creating another addiction. lol
 
I am nervous of creating another addiction. lol

Same here. I have decided to not play it at this time. Civ 2, 4, and SMAC were too good.
 
Also removing the religious aspect of the game is great.. it really put the game out of balance in many ways.
How so? I didnt notice it in Civ 4
 
Yeah, wife let me brake down and buy it through steam. I think she did it to shut me up. lol

Anyway, tonight was a nice run. Kinda like the good ole days of CivIII - 4pm to 1am first game. Wow!
Bugs, many of them - hopefully will be fixed soon.
Would be nice to disable some animations and make the game faster.
Was down to me (China - Wu Zetian) and Germany (Otto) but there was zero iron (wtf?) on my continent so I couldn't bring my troops to him and he didn't seem interested in exploring outside his island. Arrgh! Cut it short. But it was fun.

Runs like a champ in Ubuntu under wine! :)
Just can't see the intro movie, but thats not a biggy.
 
I got a question for those of you who might know. How do I get a lot of gold? All I need to do is build a city in the middle of a river or where? And how do I get a city to be more productive?

Thank you.
 
Also I feel that most of the civilization games after Civ II moved too fast. Like when it was the year 2000AD I was still stuck flying bi planes or had ironclasts. Does anyone know how to have a fast science level so that research is done quicker?
 
Also I feel that most of the civilization games after Civ II moved too fast. Like when it was the year 2000AD I was still stuck flying bi planes or had ironclasts. Does anyone know how to have a fast science level so that research is done quicker?

Play them on "epic" speed. They go slower.
My problem is, I lose interest after about 1700 ad.
I actually greatly prefer the beginning, the ancient and medieval times.
I get start getting bored after gunpowder is invented; when modern technology like planes and railroads and artillery and stuff starts coming coming into play, I get really bored and just start a new game.

I always play on the easiest level (settler), I nearly always play as "Louis of France" (occasionally playing as Elizabeth of England), but I play all different types of games- highlands, fractal, pangaea, terra, ice age, whatever. That's my variety.
I like games where I can make ships and sail to new continents. Some games (like highlands, or oasis) have no oceans. But I still play those once in awhile. It's fun to see just how far I can expand, with so much land mass.

To me, the fun of the game is expansion, and building the society up culturally and stuff.
The warfare aspect is the least interesting part. I like defending my society by fighting off random barbarians who attack me, and if I come to a barbarian city, I'll destroy it.
But I never declare war on other legitimate civilizations, and they don't declare war on me either, not in settler mode.
I never get bored with playing this way; it's very zen.
When I reach the 1800s (at the latest) I end the game and start a new one.
Only once have I actually finished the game out, and I didn't enjoy the later parts at all.
For my purposes (relaxation, mainly), Civ 4 is ideal.
But I do realize the way I play is not how most people play the game.
 
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