Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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672 of 749 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Released as a beta version, but now works (mostly) fine, October 29, 2005
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
[5th version of my review - March 1]
While I can edit this review, I can't updating the ratings above; if I could, then I'd change them to 5 stars for 'fun' and 4 stars for 'overall' with the 1.52 patch installed.
I stand by my earlier contention that 2K Games pushed Civ4 out the door a few months too early. Civ4 should never have gotten through SQA (software quality assurance) and been declared 'golden' (ready for commercial release) with these kinds of defects. I suspect this was done to increase Christmas sales, but the net-wide flap over the Civ4 problems likely had just the opposite effect.
Since then, 2KGames had released patches to fix most of the technical problems. Because of that, I've deleted the section I originally had in this review regarding installation and graphics driver problems; just be sure to download and install the current Civ4 patch (version 1.52, as of this updated posting) from the 2kgames.com web site before playing.
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That said, I am quite happy with the changes and expansions made to Civ4. My highest praise goes to the actual game design changes, to wit:
--Faster gameplay. I typically play with a huge world, but I finish a game a lot faster than I could in Civ3. (That's not saying too much; I've still had a few all-nighters.)
--Reduction or elimination of a lot of the micromanagement. I am _so_ happy not to be dealing with riots; in virtually every game that I've played, I've never had to open up a city and reallocate who was working where. Also, automated workers are a lot smarter (and have more options).
--The improved terrain modeling and the increased improvements options; again, it makes things more interesting.
--The combat unit "promotion" track. I tend to go for non-military victories, but this feature may make me play around more with actually conquering my neighbors. It also makes barracks more valuable.
--The "civics" and "religion" aspect. Both are interesting and fun, and both appear to be well-balanced.
--The "culture borders" concept. This allowed me to stake out territory while minimizing incursion by other nations. However, be aware that keeping your borders closed irritates the AIs after a while.
--The "great leaders" concept. There was a little of this in Civ3, but this new implementation makes it a far more vital part of the game. I managed to trigger two (2) golden ages for myself in one game (one by building the Taj Majal, the other by using several great leaders), and I also kept a few Great Engineers on hand to hurry some major wonder projects towards the end of the game. And Great Artists are very useful for 'culture bombing' neighboring cities or pre-emptively staking out large amounts of unclaimed territory.
Most of the complaints I had (UI response, lack of right-click menu features, raging barbarians) appear to have been fixed or, at least, improved by the 1.52 patch. Here are a few that remain:
--The "Show Friendly Moves" option does _not_ include units that are automaticly exploring (scouts, galleys, etc.)--which is where I used it the most in Civ3. Indeed, there appears to be some overall flakiness in both the "Show Friendly Moves" and "Show Enemy Moves" options--it's hard to tell at times whether Civ4 is paying any attention to those options.
-- Even with the 1.52 patch installed, when you complete a game, it's best to exit Civ4 before starting a new game. I've had one or two abrupt crashes when I've tried to go from completing one game to starting a new one.
All this said, Civ4 is a major improvement (in game design and graphics) over Civ3. It is very addictive, and I've spent far more time playing it over the past several months than I should have. ..bruce..
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strategy-gamers' heaven, July 25, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Why the ridiculously low three-star average rating for this fantastic game? Only because of angry one-star reviews from a minority of customers who have encountered technological problems, which have since been patched. I play Civ IV on a laptop and have had no technological problems whatsoever. Civilization is the greatest strategy series ever invented, and Civ IV has improved by leaps and bounds over its predecessors. Result: a gaming sensation, which is easily the best strategy game ever made.
The game is so good it is hard to know where to begin. The dynamic 3D graphics, soundtrack, presentation, interface etc are all absolutely AAA. You can zoom in and out at will, and the graphical detail is absolutely astonishing. The music is also great and atmospheric. It changes to match the era, catching the mood nicely. All that is absolutely top-notch, yet it isn't even the major reason why I would recommend this game.
Of course, strategy games stand and fall by their gameplay, and here too Civilization IV does not disappoint. If you've played any of the Civilization series, then you'll know just what an addictive, "one-more-turn" experience it is. And I mean addictive. It's all too easy for me to skip meals and sleep because I am so completely engrossed in planning my next strategic move.
This much is familiar from the days of Civilization II (which I spent literally hundreds of hours playing in the old days). I'm pleased to say that the latest installment has successfully captured all of the old feel of the classic Civilization. I say this, by the way, as someone who never got into Civilization III, which meant that I certainly had my doubts before getting Civ IV. These doubts were quickly dispelled. The new features which have been included in Civ IV, such as religion and great people, add whole new layers of strategy to the game. At the same time, they all combine elegantly with the basic game system of old.
What's even more important is the radical effort that has been made to streamline the amount of micromanagement. This was always the Achilles' heal of the previous versions of the game. I could find myself spending an hour on every move, painstakingly moving grains of corn from one tile to another in city after city, in order to avoid the waste that would otherwise occur. The great news is that the designers have at last woken up to the pointlessness and tediousness of most of this micromanagement.
For example, now surplus production points do not go to waste (as they used to in previous versions) but instead go towards the production of the next item you want to build. This "roll over" of production (which also applies to food, scientific research, etc) means that you can concentrate on managing your empire, instead of managing every single tile every single turn. At the same time, the cities have also become much smarter at managing their resources, and there is a nice array of options (all very easily accessible in the city display) which enable you to guide a city's production priorities. Whether you choose to automate, or pursue a more hands-on approach, it is all very easy to manage.
As a result of these changes, the game now moves along much faster, while still containing a more-than-satisfying amount of thinking and strategizing every turn. This means I can sit down to start a game and reasonably expect to finish it within a week or two of intermittent playing. Sadly, the same cannot be said for many other strategy games on the market, which are often so long and complex that they are essentially unplayable.
What else? As a veteran of Civ II, I was pleasantly surprised to see what a challenge the game has become. Now, an effective military is just as important for defence as it is for attack. If you are weak, the AI will show you no mercy, and it can mount remarkably effective invasions. In general, warfare is now much more challenging and realistic. Pillaging has become a far more effective strategy than in the past, which means that fighting no longer revolves entirely around the capture of cities as it used to. The added emphasis on combined arms means that much more thought has to be given to the composition and deployment of your armed forces.
Really I could go on and on lavishing praise on this lavish game. But what am I doing? Why am a wasting time writing this review when I could be getting on with my next move?
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224 of 273 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enhancements in all the right places, November 3, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been playing Civ since 1992 and it's amazing how, even with all the ripoff games in the same vein, it remains a leader and innovator. While some folks like the insane action of RTS, Civilization allows one to be more thoughtful about gameplay -- more like chess.
The presentation is just marvelous -- with great graphics that even with all settings turned to the max, are snappy and just right. The wonder movies are astonishing as well although I did find some sound glitches in them.
Finally you can zoom all the way into your cities and every city looks different based on the choices that you've made through the game. Developed tiles around them slowly turn into suburban sprawl and the whole effect is very realistic. The animation on the ground is also very good and adds alot of beauty to the map.
The sound design is amazing with a wonderful soundtrack. The main menu music is just for color but i find myself sitting on the screen to let it play. The music choices are interesting and varied and suitable for the period. Mozart and the classics are to be expected. What I didn't expect was to hear clips from the opera "Nixon in China". Amazing to hear.
Units animate much better and combat is the pretty much the same "dice roll" type that has always been in the game. While it is more balanced than before, with city defenses a group of archers can still defeat units with guns. What adds a nice "RPG" feel is the upgrades through XP that you can give your units. This takes units to a whole new level and encourages combat.
The resources are much more developed and make it more fun. Workers now have many levels of duties they can do. While this is fun for while -- like old games once you have 20 workers going you just automate them and don't think of them again. This is a strength and a weakness. It's great not to micromanage but why have something the computer is going to play for you? I wish there was more decisions that needed to be made in that respect that could affect how your game develops.
And as with previous versions this is an overall problem. The later stages of the game do bog down in popup clicking and choosing what to build. In the earlier phases it has alot of importance and if you are a warring nation it does. Being a peaceful, powerful nation is pretty boring though. Decision making is not as imporant or complex. Discoveries are nil and the game gets repetitive.
Battle though is pretty fun though so the best way to combat the above is to... well, combat.
The A.I. on the level I played was pretty weak. Asking someone to go to war with you gets no coordinated effort. In fact the other nation didn't do one thing except move their units around. One time they even captured a city after watching me do all the work! This area could use alot of improvement as there is really no strategic reason to do it.
The Wonders are back although later in the game they don't really add a whole lot. Mainly they will increase your culture. Only at the very end did any cities convert to my nationality due to culture. Occasionally a Wonder will afford you the ability to build something.
New in the game is the "Great Person" concept which adds another layer of choice onto what to do with your city. I wish they would do more than they do. After awhile it is a bit repetitive. Plus there is no explanation on who that person is so you can at least learn something. Mainly each category of person does the same thing.
The Civilopedia is back but doesn't seem as helpful as in previous versions. It's sad to see it actually get worse and less helpful. Also in that category are the "advisors" which are pretty useless here. Luckily other parts of the game provide insight so you don't need them quite as much.
It might seem like there are alot of negatives but there is alot of good stuff and it is definitely the best version of the game yet. Highly recommended and still as addictive as ever. But... the replay value is lacking as once you do it a few times, it doesn't vary enough to really warrant much repeating. The higher levels basically allow the other civs to "cheat" by getting things faster. I haven't tried but one level so that remains to be tested.
Overall, thumbs up. Go buy it.
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