Civilization IV

[theim]

Does anyone have this yet who can tell me how it is? I know it only came out yesterday, but no harm in asking.

 

[Hobbit]

Pre-ordered and it actually came out today. Shipping date was yesterday. I haven't gotten to play it much, but it seems really cool. Just like every Civ before it, it takes all the stuff from the previous one and adds to it. One of the biggest additions is religion. You can choose your own state religion, found religions through discovering certain key technologies first (I founded Christianity in 750 BC...750 years before Christ. Maybe it has something to do with having the Oracle), and spread religion through missionaries. All the religions have the same effect, but your culture will have less effect on enemy cities if their religion is different. Your cities will also benefit more from religious buildings if they match the dominant religion, though religious buildings can change the leanings of that city. Several other additions exist, such as civilization wonders. You can only have 2 total, but every nation can have the same ones (unlike world wonders, only one of which may be built, but that any civilization can have as many as they like). These include things like the stock exchange. Anyway, try it out. It's worth it.

 

[theim]

I just got, seeing as how I'm a fan of the series. I checked the CivFanatic baords and about had a heart attack.

Apparently alot of people are having problems with their graphics cards regarding hardware T&L, a bunch of ATI cards just don't take to the game well, and some error regarding DirectX is plagueing alot of people also.

Fortunately my notebook (I'm only in college) has the "high end" of the ass-crappy Intel graphics chipsets, so it has software T&L, which apparently works too.

 

[theim]

My thoughts so far:

All told, this a pretty frickn' awesome strategy game. They have changed soooo much stuff. It feels a little weird at first. Major changes:

1) Religion. There are seven: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Bhuddism, Confucianism, and Taoism. You are going to want to found one of the seven. You do this by being the first to discover a certain technology. One of the cities in your empire is selected as the religion's Holy City, really cool. Aside from a pretty nice culture bonus, controlling a religion's Holy City lets you see the cities of other nations where that religion has spread. For example, I founded Christianity as the Romans. I started pumping out Missionaries and sending them to Germany and India, my neighbors. Now I see all of their cities. Religion also has a large impact on diplomacy. If you are of a different faith than the person you are negotiating with, you are less liked. If you are of the same faith, the person is more friendly. Aside from the strategic aspects, religion can also produce some rather amusing situations, such as in my game, where Saladin (the Arab leader) was a Jew.

2) Government. Totally redone. No more fixed governments like Despotism, Monarchy, Communism, etc. Now it's five different categories of civics that you alter at will: Government (authoritarian to universal suffrage), legal (barbarism to free speech), labor (slavery to serfdom to total emancipation), economic (state-owned to totally free-market), and religious (secular to theocratic). Each is good for one situation or another. Just as an example, My current Roman government is a Hereditary Monarchy where serfdom is still common and markets are totally open. Everyone has the right to say what they want, but to maintain "cultural purity", Christianity, the true Roman religion, is the only legal religion.

3) Borders. Ever hate how these certain Civs always just trudged through your land whenever the hell they felt like it, and all you could say was "stop it"? Now borders can be totally closed, so other civs can't cross without first declaring war. Of course, it helps diplomatic negotiations to let your neighbors go through.

Will update later

 

[5stringJeff]

What are the system requirements for Civ 4? I have a somewhat older PC, only 8 MB of video memory, but I do have a 1.1 GHz processor.

 

[Hobbit]

What are the system requirements for Civ 4? I have a somewhat older PC, only 8 MB of video memory, but I do have a 1.1 GHz processor.

Get a new graphics card. CivIV is 3D.

Anothing interesting thing I've seen with religion is founding Christianity BEFORE the birth of Christ (750 BC) or Islam before Christianity. Not sure you can get Christianity before Judaism, but whatever.

 

[Yurt]

I bought this game! Yeah, played it in l school. Hooked on civ iii so I waited for years for this. Second game I have bought in 3 years. HL2 I was no. 2 as it was only 29 bucks when I bought it and since I heard so much good things I bought it. Pretty good, but lots of gore. So Civ4 is a relief as it is more my type of game.

Note: Have not finished a game (started with Earth Ice Age [ could of fooled me cause the map does not look like earth??])

I like the zoom features on the map. Civiii vanilla had the ability to "see" your city upclose on the city view. However, later expansions did not. Personally, I like to see my city upclose, makes it seem more "real."

People here though can enter the same space and city as you occupy on the map. I was stunned at the city. hmmmm

FONT Should be readable by those of us who have to read ALL day and because we do, can't read wee fine print like this for fun. Hurt your eyes? Mine too.

Other than the font, good game. I mean, what person on that developing team said:

Hey, I hear white font is in! Especially small white font on semi dark background is in! Come on guys!
LOL.

Also:

This game is not like any Civ before it. Too me, it seems to be imating their rivals, like age of empires, and that other one.... uuhm, age something or other, in terms of looks and functionality, when all along the reason I bought and played civ only was because I (personally) did not like the way those games played.

Yurt.

Yes, work has consumed me.... but civ will .... will. rescue me.... not :funnyface .. but should be fun.

 

[insein]

let the addiction begin anew. I will get this game but ill wait till christmas when i have plenty of free time to waste sitting at a chair for 37 straight hours.

 

[Semper Fi]

let the addiction begin anew. I will get this game but ill wait till christmas when i have plenty of free time to waste sitting at a chair for 37 straight hours.

37? Man, that's weak, I went the full 40 playing Pirates! at a LAN. Then I fell asleep on my keyboard and was branded DFGHJ for the next day, lol.

 

[theim]

Get a new graphics card. CivIV is 3D.

Anothing interesting thing I've seen with religion is founding Christianity BEFORE the birth of Christ (750 BC) or Islam before Christianity. Not sure you can get Christianity before Judaism, but whatever.

I think Theology requires Monotheism, so no.

 

[Semper Fi]

How does the difficulty compare with CivII and CivIII? CivIII in my opinion was kinda hard, but CivII was too easy after the first dozen games. By difficulty I mean how far ahead of you, technology and militarily, does the AI get? I'd always get left in the dust and my civilization would crumble and the enemy would walk right in.

 

[Hobbit]

How does the difficulty compare with CivII and CivIII? CivIII in my opinion was kinda hard, but CivII was too easy after the first dozen games. By difficulty I mean how far ahead of you, technology and militarily, does the AI get? I'd always get left in the dust and my civilization would crumble and the enemy would walk right in.

Really? In Civ III, I always found myself doing invasions with marines, carriers, and modern tanks right about the time my enemies developed the flintlock, but then again, that was also in the late 1700s, so I guess I just rock. I'm finding Civ IV to be a bit more of a challenge in some areas, but more of the same in others. I can't gain the technological upper hand as fast (somebody else ALWAYS founds Hinduism), but I still managed to found Christianity in 750 BC...doesn't the BC stand for "Before Christ?" Hmmm....

 

[insein]

Really? In Civ III, I always found myself doing invasions with marines, carriers, and modern tanks right about the time my enemies developed the flintlock, but then again, that was also in the late 1700s, so I guess I just rock. I'm finding Civ IV to be a bit more of a challenge in some areas, but more of the same in others. I can't gain the technological upper hand as fast (somebody else ALWAYS founds Hinduism), but I still managed to found Christianity in 750 BC...doesn't the BC stand for "Before Christ?" Hmmm....

they actually joked about that in one of their commercials. "Found Christianity 600 years Before Christ was born!" You can never take Civ as a simulator. Its just a wickedly fun game.

 

[Semper Fi]

they actually joked about that in one of their commercials. "Found Christianity 600 years Before Christ was born!" You can never take Civ as a simulator. Its just a wickedly fun game.

I can understand how you can develope Christianity 600 years before Christ was born. Imagine if they had put a lock on your technological research until the turn of the eras and Christ's birth. I'd be extremely pissed, would you?

 

[insein]

I can understand how you can develope Christianity 600 years before Christ was born. Imagine if they had put a lock on your technological research until the turn of the eras and Christ's birth. I'd be extremely pissed, would you?

They pusposely dont. You can make America into a communist regime (a liberals wet dream). You can make China into a Democratic Republic. Im definitely getting this game. Just gotta wait till school is done and i finish Resident evil 4. Cause once i get Civ there wont be anything else.

 

[Semper Fi]

They pusposely dont. You can make America into a communist regime (a liberals wet dream). You can make China into a Democratic Republic. Im definitely getting this game. Just gotta wait till school is done and i finish Resident evil 4. Cause once i get Civ there wont be anything else.

Haha, yup. I'll probably get it for Christmas or around Christmas, so an all night game on Newyears is in store for me. Is there multiplayer init? If there is a few of us could team up or something. Just a thought.

Yeah, once school is out its only computers from 6 or 7 pm to about 2am every night all through the summer. I got pretty far in Superpower 2 being Germany. Nuclear war erupted and the game go kind of boring cause everyone invaded everyone. Civ IV is gonna rock.

 

[insein]

it does have mutliplayer. I here you can actually find people online this time too unlike the horrendus setup from Civ3. So we'll have to get a USMB Civ game going.

 

[Hobbit]

it does have mutliplayer. I here you can actually find people online this time too unlike the horrendus setup from Civ3. So we'll have to get a USMB Civ game going.

I call China.

 

[Semper Fi]

it does have mutliplayer. I here you can actually find people online this time too unlike the horrendus setup from Civ3. So we'll have to get a USMB Civ game going.

Sounds great. I actually think I may just buy the game before Christmas, depending on how my funds are looking after I buy stuff for my mom and dad and brother yet. I may just wait till Christmas, I don't spend much time on my computer during the school week anyawy.

 

[insein]

I call China.

Thats fine. Im always America anyway. Call me old fashioned. I never chose any other nation in all the civ games except Rome.

The 1 time i was actually able to play online in Civ3, it was against 5 europeans. Mostly germans and i think an italian. They all found it amusing that the American was America. I found it amusing that i kicked there asses before the game froze after about an hour.