Alright boyz, here we go!!! Civ 5 first impressions & tips thread!

[Qwikshot]

I bought this game and I've purchased all the add-on nations, but I'm wondering if any of the other DLC is worth purchasing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Big update today.......

[NOTES]
* Pacing has received a large amount of work. Expect to have more of a challenge managing your empire at higher difficulty levels than you did before. Consider dropping a difficulty level if you have problems.
* Existing saves will work correctly. However, the balance pass may make your existing happiness lower than expected when loading into your existing save post-patch.
[UI]
* Civilopedia now available in the Main Menu (under “Other”)
* Replay is now available at the end of the game, and through the main menu. You can choose Map, Graphs, and turn-by-turn. Only games played post-patch will apply.
* Great People progress UI addition (upper-left Info Corner UI).
* Combat preview for Aircraft UI addition.
* Fixed aircraft UI issue causing the aircraft selection UI to duplicate itself when rebasing aircraft.
* When loading save game files, you can now order the list by name, or last modified.
* Fix aircraft UI bug that was causing Nuclear Missiles and Atomic Bombers to leave behind container UI after it’s destroyed.
* Removed dead players from Demographics UI.
[DIPLOMACY]
* Made backstab routine more transparent (the dialog will clearly state that they are backstabbing you).
* AI now remembers when it has been nuked, for a permanent diplomatic penalty.
* AI now recognizes a player that captured their capital for a permanent diplomatic penalty.
* End declaration of friendship as soon as war is declared (so can't later get a notification that it has expired).
* AI remembers if you satisfied one of their requests (positive modifier, decays over time, based on value of items granted).
* AI remembers if you fought against a common foe (positive modifier, decays over time, based on damage done to the common foe).
* Track trades between players and allow that to positively influence relationships (the better the deal for the AI, the stronger the modifier). Particularly useful for bribing a hostile AI.
[AI]
* Rebalanced AI flavors and strategies for unit training to improve AI army composition and build choices.
* Allow the AI to consider Pikeman units for offensive roles when they can't build Swordsman or Longswordsman.
* Allow Alexander and Darius to consider Hoplites and Immortals for offensive roles in early game.
* AI players may now use a Great General in early rushes on higher difficulties.
* Modified flavor tags for Atomic Bomb and Nuclear Missile so AI builds them only when it decides it specifically wants Nukes.
* Block City States from building carriers, atomic weapons.
* Strategies for building mobile units now persist into Modern era to help AI decisions for when to build tanks and modern armor.
* Dampen early game Grand Strategies to give the AI time to expand (AI were sometimes stuck in a single city until late in the game).
* Victory adjustments to AI behaviors, including alternate victory paths as “back-ups” (for example, building the Apollo Program, even if they are not going for a Spaceship victory).
* Revise code calculating recommended army size (using smaller armies if the threat is low).
* Correct issue that was causing late-game continent-bound AI’s to over-build units intending to invade, and never properly execute the amphibious invasion.
* Scale recommended army sizes based on difficulty level.
* AI grand strategy and flavor weighting balance pass.
* AI policy choice weighting balance pass.
* AI tech choice weighting balance pass.
[GAMEPLAY]
* Player is now given the option to return a CS worker that they free from barbarians.
* Roads under captured cities no longer charge maintenance.
* Machu Picchu no longer destroyed when capturing a city containing Machu Picchu.
* Fixed Oligarchy bug that was causing the effect to expire when loading from a save.
[MULTIPLAYER]
* Multiplayer AI is now consistent with Single Player AI.
* Hot-Seat is now available through the multiplayer menu.
o You can have as many humans playing as available slots in the game.
o Password protection is built in.
o All maps, including purchased and user-created, are available to play in Hot-Seat.
o While play-by-email is not yet implemented, we did include an in-between turn saving option for those that want to play via email.
[BALANCE]
Mechanics
* Policy “Finishers” added to all 10 policy trees. Taking all policies in a tree will grant an additional bonus effect. See policy notes below for more information.
* Tweaked Policy cost formula (cheaper earlier, more expensive later).
* Reduced per-city Policy cost increase by 50%.
* Culture from City States tweaked (less early, more later).
* Killing a barbarian for a city state now gives 12 influence (was 5).
* Production cost adjustments for units/buildings/wonders (mostly a little cheaper, much cheaper late game).
* Unhappiness per city increased to 3 from 2.
* All great person tile improvements now connect all strategic resources.
* Reduced Culture from Goody Huts to 20 from 30.
* Defense penalty and city assault bonus promotions are now lost with upgrade.
* Research agreements now give a tech boost instead of a free tech. Tech boosts start at 50% of the median value of all techs you can research. Can be boosted to 100% if you both start Rationalism and build the Porcelain Tower.
Terrain, Resources, and Improvements
* New bonus resource: Stone (+1 production, improved with a Quarry). See the Stone Works building note below for additional details.
* Map generation improvements to integrate Stone into production-poor terrain, reducing the temporary usage of Cows. Additionally, will switch grass bonus resources from Cows to Stone when production is needed.
* Marsh and Fallout terrain penalty reduced from -33 to -15.
* Academy yield increases with Scientific Theory.
* Customs House yield increases with Economics.
* Manufactory yield increases with Chemistry.
* Marble wonder production mod reduced to 15%.
* Luxury resources now give 4 Happiness, down from 5.
* Remove penalty for improving Tundra, Snow and Desert.
* Railroad improvement now takes 3 turns, down from 7.
* Scrub Fallout now takes 2 turns, down from 5.
* Repair improvement now takes 2 turns, down from 3.
* Well improvements now remove jungle/forest/marsh.
Buildings
* New building: Stone Works: +1 Happiness and +1 production, and +1 production for each source of Marble and Stone worked. Requires Marble or Stone.
* Burial Tomb now correctly has an Artist slot.
* Mud Pyramid Mosque reduced 1 Culture.
* Circus moved to Trapping.
* Forge maintenance reduced 1 gold.
* Windmill production modifier reduced 5% to 10%.
* Monastery base Culture reduced from 3 to 2. Per resource Culture unchanged.
* Mint gold per resource reduced by 1 gold.
* Colosseum maintenance reduced by 1 gold, Happiness reduced by 1.
* Theatre maintenance reduced by 1 gold, Happiness reduced by 1.
* Stadium maintenance reduced by 1 gold, Happiness reduced by 1.
* Broadcast tower cultural modifier reduced to 33% but now gives 3 Culture.
* Armory maintenance reduced by 1 gold and moved to Machinery.
* Military academy maintenance reduced by 2 gold.
* Arsenal moved to rifling and now provides city defense instead of unit production.
* Walls now gives 4 Defense (was 5).
* Walls of Bablylon now give 6 Defense (was 7.5).
* Mughal Fort now gives 6 Defense (was 9).
* Castle now gives 4 Defense (was 7.5).
* University maintenance reduced by 1 gold and now gives a 33% boost to science instead of 50% (will increase to 50% after adopting Free Thought Policy).
* Military Academy now requires Armory instead of Barracks.
* Arsenal now requires Castle instead of Military Academy.
* Military Base now requires Arsenal.
* Wat now requires Library.
* Mud Pyramid Mosque now requires Monument.
* Harbor naval production reduced 10% but now increases sea resources yield by 1 hammer.
* Seaports no longer require a sea resource, they now require a Harbor. Production per sea resource reduced by 1 hammer.
* Factory production increased by 1 hammer but modifier decreased to 10%.
* Solar/Nuclear plant cost greatly reduced.
* Solar/Nuclear plant production increased by 1 hammer but modifier decreased to 15%.
* Public School science per population reduced by 50% and now provides a flat 3 science.
* Research Laboratory modifier reduced by 50% but now gives a flat 4 science.
* Workshop production modifier reduced by 5%.
* Barracks, Armory, Military Academy and Krepost now provide experience to all units trained.
Wonders
* National College moved to Philosophy and reduced by 2 science.
* Oxford University now gives 3 additional science.
* Great Lighthouse now also provides a free Lighthouse in the city where it was built.
* Great library now gives 3 additional science, and provides a free Library in the city where it was built.
* Porcelain tower now additionally increases the Science granted when completing Research Agreements by 50%.
* Hermitage moved to Acoustics and much cheaper to build. Now requires Opera Houses but gives only a 50% boost to Culture.
* Stonehenge Culture reduced to 6 from 8.
* Pyramids worker speed increase reduced to 25% from 50% but now give a free Worker when built
* Hanging Gardens now give 10 Food instead of 1 population per city and Happiness.
* Great Wall now obsoletes with Dynamite instead of metallurgy and gives 3 Culture. Additionally, a free Wall is provided in the city where it was built.
* Hagia Sophia great person modifier reduced to 25% from 34%, and gives a free Great Person of your choice.
* Eiffel Tower now give 5 Happiness plus 1 for every 2 Policies adopted.
* Chichen Itza now grants an additional 4 Happiness.
* Machu Picchu trade route gold increased by 5% and also gives a flat 5 gold.
* The Colossus now gives an additional 5 gold.
* Notre Dame now gives 10 Happiness, up from 5, and 3 Culture.
* Sistine Chapel Culture modifier reduced from 33% to 25%.
* Kremlin global city defense mod reduced to 25% from 50% but now gives 12 defense in the city where it's built.
* Cristo Redentor Policy discount reduced from 25% to 10% but now gives 4 Culture.
* Pentagon upgrade cost reduced to 33% from 50% but now gives 3 Culture.
* Sydney Opera House moved to Mass Media and gives 50% Culture in the city where it's built plus 4 Culture.
* Big Ben hurry modifier reduced to 15% from 25% but now gives a flat 4 gold.
* Himeji bonus reduced to 15% from 25%, and provides a free Castle in the city where it was built.
* Forbidden Palace now provides -10% unhappiness from Citizens in non-occupied Cities.
Civilization Unique Abilities
* Arabia: Bazaar now gives 2 gold on oil/oasis.
* America: Remove river start bias.
* America: Increase plot buy modifier to 50% from 25%.
* China: Great General trait reduced to 50% from 100%.
* Babylon: Great Scientist trait reduced to 50% from 100%.
* Germany: Now receives a 25% discount on land unit maintenance.
* Ottoman: Now receives a 67% discount on naval unit maintenance, and can upgrade Galley’s to Trireme’s.
Policies
* Liberty and Autocracy are no longer mutually exclusive.
* Freedom, Autocracy and Order are now mutually exclusive.
* Tradition
o Aristocracy now provides +15% Production when building Wonders down from 20%.
o Landed Elite now provides 1 Happiness at every 10 Citizens in each City.
o Tradition Finisher: +15% Growth and +2 Food in each city.
* Liberty
o Meritocracy: +1 Happiness for each city connected to your capital, and -5% Unhappiness from citizens in non-occupied cities.
o Republic now adds an additional 5% building production modifier.
o Liberty Finisher: Great Person of your choice.
* Honor
o Honor Opener now additionally provides Culture for each barbarian killed.
o Warrior Code now also gives 15% melee unit production.
o Military Caste now provides +1 Happiness and +2 Culture for each city with a garrison.
o Professional Army now reduces cost of upgrading units by 33% and provides +1 Happiness per defensive building (Walls, Castle, Arsenal, Military base).
o Honor Finisher: Grants gold for each enemy unit killed.
* Piety
o Piety Opener now provides a 15% production bonus on Culture buildings.
o Free Religion now provides only 1 free Policy but increases the Culture from Monuments, Temples and Monasteries by 1.
o Organized Religion now gives 1 Happiness per Monument, Temple and Monastery.
o Reformation now increases Culture in all cities with a Wonder by 33%, and starts a Golden Age.
o Theocracy now increase gold yield by 10% in cities with a Temple.
o Piety Finisher: -10% Culture cost of future Policies.
* Patronage
o Scholasticism reduced from 33% to 25%
o Patronage Finisher: Causes other players’ influence with City States to decrease 33% more per turn than usual.
* Commerce
o Naval Tradition policy now also gives +1 moves to embarked units.
o Commerce Finisher: +1 Gold per Specialist.
* Rationalism
o Rationalist Opener now increases the Science granted when completing Research Agreements by 50%. Stacks with Porcelain Tower.
o Free Thought now also increases University science yield by 17%
o Humanism now also affects Public Schools and Observatories.
o Rationalism Finisher: +1 Gold from Science buildings.
* Freedom
o Freedom Opener now provides 25% Great Person Points in all cities.
o Democracy now provides -50% Unhappiness per Specialist.
o Constitution now provides +2 Culture per Wonder.
o Free Speech now provides 8 maintenance free units.
o Freedom Finisher: +100% yield from Great Tile Improvements and increase length of Golden Ages by 50%.
* Autocracy
o Police State now provides 3 Happiness per Courthouse, and reduces the time it take to build Courthouses by 50%.
o Total War now provides +15% Production when building Military Units and +15 XP for new units.
o Autocracy Finisher: 30 turn attack bonus of +20%.
* Order
o Order Opener now provides +1 Happiness per City.
o Socialism and Planned Economy swapped places.
o Socialism buff to 15% reduction in building maintenance from 10%.
o Planned Economy now increases Science yield by 25% in cities with a Factory.
o Communism now provides 2 Production and 10% Production towards buildings in each city.
o Order Finisher: +1 Food/Production/Science/Gold/Culture per city.
* United Front – Militaristic City States now grant units twice as often when you are at war with a common foe.
Technology
* Reduced cost of Calendar, Civil Service, Iron Working, Gunpowder, Rifling and Dynamite.
* Scaled up costs of all sciences starting in the mid-renaissance era and on (larger increases later on).
* Metal Working requires Construction.
* Railroad now requires Dynamite.
* Radar now requires Combustion.
* Globalization requires Computers, and the cost is increased.
* Computers require Radar.
* Particle Physics no longer requires Globalization (Space victory now possible without overlapping Diplomatic victory).
* Future Tech requires Globalization.
* Tech Aesthetics: moved Dynamite and all future technologies around by 1 position for better alignment.
Units/Combat
* Destroyers no longer start with extra sight.
* Extra Sight promotions are now lost with upgrade (Caravel).
* Great General promotion spawning effectiveness reduced by 50%.
* Mohawk Jungle/Forest bonus reduced to 25% from 50%.
* Gunship anti-armor promotions now work correctly.
* Jaguar now gets Woodsman promotion.
* Minuteman now start with Drill I.
* Mohawk Warriors no longer require Iron.
* Carriers no longer require Oil.
* Destroyer moved to Combustion.
* Mechanized infantry moves reduced from 4 to 3.
* Galley now upgrades to Trireme.
* Ironclad now upgrades to Battleship.
* +1 moves for Tank, Panzer, Modern Armor, with no sight penalty.
* Increased combat strength of siege weapons to 50% of their ranged strength, increased intrinsic city attack promotions (10%/30% -> 20%/50%).
* Increased Incan slinger combat strength slightly.
* Increased Crossbowman and Chu-Ko-Nu combat and ranged strength.
* Decreased Longswordsman, Fighter, Bomber, Guided Missile, Jet Fighter and corresponding UUs strength.
* Removed Mandekalu Cavalry city attack bonus promotion (but still has no penalty).
* Reduced Tank, Panzer, Modern Armor to lower tier city attack penalty (-25%, instead of -33%).
* Aztec Culture from kills now stacks with new Honor Policy branch opener for double Culture killing barbarians.
* Boosted Chariot Archer to strength 4 and ranged 7 (Egypt War Chariot as well).
* Drop combat value of Berserker and Huscarl to match Longswordsman.
[MODDING]
* Fixed a bug in Lua where "Events..Remove" was not behaving correctly.
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanBuyAnyPlot(ownerID, cityID) (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanBuyPlot(ownerID, cityID, plotX, plotY) (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanCreate(ownerID, cityID, projectTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanMaintain(ownerID, cityID, processTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanPrepare(ownerID, cityID, specialistTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.CityCanTrain(ownerID, cityID, unitTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerAdoptPolicy(playerID, policyTypeID); (Hook)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerAdoptPolicyBranch(playerID, policyBranchTypeID); (Hook)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanAdoptPolicy(playerID, policyTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanAdoptPolicyBranch(playerID, policyBranchTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanConstruct(playerID, buildingTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanCreate(playerID, projectTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanEverReseearch(playerID, techtypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanMaintain(playerID, processTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanPrepare(playerID, specialistTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanResearch(playerID, techTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.PlayerCanTrain(playerID, unitTypeID); (TestAll)
* (Lua) Added GameEvents.TeamSetHasTech(teamID, techID); (Hook)
* It's now possible to have the tech tree "dead end" where the final technology is not repeatable.
* New graph datasets used by the replay viewer can be added by mods.
* Action Icons now use the database in the same way as other icons instead of using ActionIcons.lua.

[Mike Lowe]

My game keeps crashing right after game creation. Windows 7. Any ideas?

[lighthousekeeper]

One of the diappointments for me with Civ IV was the knowledge that the AI played by different rules from the human (for example the AI only had to spend a fraction of what a human had to pay when purchasing unit upgrades).

Does Civ V have this same problem?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

One of the diappointments for me with Civ IV was the knowledge that the AI played by different rules from the human (for example the AI only had to spend a fraction of what a human had to pay when purchasing unit upgrades).

Does Civ V have this same problem?

No.

[ColtCrazy]

Anyone else experienced this problem? I've never had a problem with the game launching, but suddenly today, it's crashing on the opening video. I found out how to skip the video, but it's still crashing. Any suggestions?

[gstelmack]

I just purchased this on the last Steam sale a week ago, and so far I'm having a ton of fun. I'm nearing the end of my second game and having fun conquering everybody that ticked me off. I go after the City-State of Venice because some other folks were calling for their head, and that pisses off Bismarck and the Japanese who declare war. It takes a while, but I fend off Bismarck and start steamrolling the Japanese, who are way behind techinically. Cannons and riflemen move through their crossbows and cavalry, and I get to infantry and artillery in time to finish them off. Along the way another City State or two gets uppity, so I annex them.

Bismarck is at war with Arabia on my border, he gets them down to their capitol but can't finish the deal. By this time I have tanks, so I move in and finish off Arabia, since they have all these annoying City States in their pocket for a diplomatic vote.

This ticks off Bismarck who decides to try me again. Ceasar has had enough and declares war on Bismarck, so while Ceasar and his cannons / riflemen keep Bismarck busy on the eastern frontier, I roll my tanks, infantry, artillery, and now bombers in from the south and west. That's where I stand now, 2 civilizations down, 1 on the run and going fast.

It feels more streamlined than Civ IV and I love the hexes. Still getting used to maneuvering armies around when they can't stack, you can't have two units swap positions in the jungle, for instance. And the UI is a bit slow, will show me "Next Turn" before I can click on it, it's hard to find units you can move (ones on Alert don't seem to show up in the step through arrows, and the military dialog list is modal so you have to keep bringing it up), and it seems like multi-turn move orders interrupt silently at the drop of a hat (someone ends up in the end spot, or blocks elsewhere along the track, even though they'll be out of the way in time).

But I'm dealing with those annoyances and having fun not having to micromanage as much as in the past.

[Ben E Lou]

Expansion Pack Announced

2K Games - BLOG - CIVILIZATION V EXPANSION PACK ANNOUNCED!

Fans of Civilization V have been begging me for an answer to this question for quite some time: will Civilization V get an expansion pack?
Today I am extremely excited to tell you all that yes, it will! Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings is currently slated for a late Spring 2012 release.
It will come as no surprise to those of you who are familar with expansion packs for previous Civilization games that Gods & Kings will add more techs, units, buildings, Wonders, and playable Civilizations. But what about the big brand new game elements that will change the way you conquer the world? Let me lay it out for you:
Tons of New Stuff. I know I just mentioned it, but I want to draw attention to just how many new things we've got here: 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new wonders, and 9 new playable civilizations. Among the new civilizations are the Netherlands (William I, Prince of Orange), the Celts (Boudicca), and the Mayans (Pacal the Great).
Religion. That's right; quite possibly the most requested major addition to the game is coming in the Gods & Kings expansion. Using the new "Faith" resource, you'll be able to found your own religion and grow it from a simple Pantheon of the Gods to a world-spanning fully-customized religion.
Reworked Combat System. The expansion has a reworked combat system along with an AI that places more emphasis on balanced army composition. Among the changes to the combat system is the addition of melee naval units, which will force you to really rethink the way you execute your naval assaults.
Enhanced Diplomacy, with Espionage. In addition to being able to establish embassies with your rival civilizations, spies will now be an important part of how you conduct your foreign affairs. Surveilling foreign cities, stealing advanced techs, and garnering influence with city-states are some of the things you'll be able to do with this new powerful mechanic.
New City-States. With religion being added to the game, it only made sense to introduce Religious city-states which will interact with your religion in special ways. In addition, Mercantile city-states will be attractive for those of you who love to grow your civilization's treasury. All city-states will use the greatly expanded quest system, making city-states more dynamic and diplomatic victories more challenging, while decreasing the importance of gold when dealing with city-states.
New Scenarios. Three new scenarios will be coming in Civilization V: Gods & Kings. Experience the fall of Rome, explore the medieval era, and my personal favorite: a unique scenario in a Victorian science-fiction setting.
So there you have it. What do you think? I'm sure you guys have tons of questions, so come on over to our forums and let us know! Or if you'd prefer, you can also reach us on Twitter or Facebook. We'll be reading all of your questions!

[Chubby]

Thank god!

/rimshot

Fans of Civilization V have been begging me for an answer to this question for quite some time: will Civilization V get an expansion pack?

Today I am extremely excited to tell you all that yes, it will! Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings is currently slated for a late Spring 2012 release.

It will come as no surprise to those of you who are familar with expansion packs for previous Civilization games that Gods & Kings will add more techs, units, buildings, Wonders, and playable Civilizations. But what about the big brand new game elements that will change the way you conquer the world? Let me lay it out for you:

Tons of New Stuff. I know I just mentioned it, but I want to draw attention to just how many new things we've got here: 27 new units, 13 new buildings, 9 new wonders, and 9 new playable civilizations. Among the new civilizations are the Netherlands (William I, Prince of Orange), the Celts (Boudicca), and the Mayans (Pacal the Great).

Religion. That's right; quite possibly the most requested major addition to the game is coming in the Gods & Kings expansion. Using the new "Faith" resource, you'll be able to found your own religion and grow it from a simple Pantheon of the Gods to a world-spanning fully-customized religion.

Reworked Combat System. The expansion has a reworked combat system along with an AI that places more emphasis on balanced army composition. Among the changes to the combat system is the addition of melee naval units, which will force you to really rethink the way you execute your naval assaults.

Enhanced Diplomacy, with Espionage. In addition to being able to establish embassies with your rival civilizations, spies will now be an important part of how you conduct your foreign affairs. Surveilling foreign cities, stealing advanced techs, and garnering influence with city-states are some of the things you'll be able to do with this new powerful mechanic.

New City-States. With religion being added to the game, it only made sense to introduce Religious city-states which will interact with your religion in special ways. In addition, Mercantile city-states will be attractive for those of you who love to grow your civilization's treasury. All city-states will use the greatly expanded quest system, making city-states more dynamic and diplomatic victories more challenging, while decreasing the importance of gold when dealing with city-states.

New Scenarios. Three new scenarios will be coming in Civilization V: Gods & Kings. Experience the fall of Rome, explore the medieval era, and my personal favorite: a unique scenario in a Victorian science-fiction setting.

[cody8200]

It's like they are adding all the good stuff they left out from civ 4 back in. Personally, I'll probably pick it up.

[Buccaneer]

Wow, I did not expect that both religion and espionage would be added to Civ5. I really hope they are implemented much better than their awfulness in Civ4. Looking forward to this.

[Jughead Spock]

Day one buy/download here. I went back to Civ IV because the game really is superior (esp. the AI), but there are some huge elements in V I love. If it can bring it anywhere near BTS, that'll be awesome.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Damn. There goes more of my money.

[molson]

It's amazing how different and better CIV IV got once it was really "done" via expansion packs, hopefully we'll see the same thing here.

[Coffee Warlord]

Espionage I could easily live without, unless it's a drastic shift away from prior Civs. I don't really a single iteration of it that wasn't obnoxious.

[RendeR]

I've avoided this one altogether due to the must use download system of sales.

If I'm paying THAT kind of money for a game I want the discs and manual and everything else that ought to be with it.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I've avoided this one altogether due to the must use download system of sales.

If I'm paying THAT kind of money for a game I want the discs and manual and everything else that ought to be with it.

Keep up the good fight, RendeR...but you're going to miss a lot of good games in the coming years if you stick to that stance.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

Keep up the good fight, RendeR...but you're going to miss a lot of good games in the coming years if you stick to that stance.

Absolutely. While I do miss a good manual for certain games (like Civ) I do not at all miss having to deal with CDs and installing games. I can't remember the last game I didn't buy via download.

Hell, I've bought and downloaded games off Steam that I already own in hard copy just so I wouldn't have to deal with the CDs anymore. (E.g., Civ IV and all of the expansion packs).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Absolutely. While I do miss a good manual for certain games (like Civ) I do not at all miss having to deal with CDs and installing games. I can't remember the last game I didn't buy via download.

Hell, I've bought and downloaded games off Steam that I already own in hard copy just so I wouldn't have to deal with the CDs anymore. (E.g., Civ IV and all of the expansion packs).

+2

I don't miss having stacks of CD's, manuals, and boxes from PC purchases. Just sign in and play any one of over 100 games I have now on Steam. Most of them for far cheaper than I would ever have paid under a normal retail setting. Also don't have to go from store to store looking for those cheap deals.

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by RendeR

I've avoided this one altogether due to the must use download system of sales.

If I'm paying THAT kind of money for a game I want the discs and manual and everything else that ought to be with it.

"Civ 5" is actually a bad example because you can by a boxed version. You just have to register it through Steam. I fought using Steam for a long time too but "Civ 5" and "New Vegas" were the games that broke my will. I'm still not thrilled with Steam. I don't think the average home internet connection is up to the task of downloading large games (It took me about 10 hours to download Batman: Arkham City). Otherwise, its a tolerable experience.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

+2

I don't miss having stacks of CD's, manuals, and boxes from PC purchases. Just sign in and play any one of over 100 games I have now on Steam. Most of them for far cheaper than I would ever have paid under a normal retail setting. Also don't have to go from store to store looking for those cheap deals.

Not to mention the auto-updating and patching.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Absolutely. While I do miss a good manual for certain games (like Civ) I do not at all miss having to deal with CDs and installing games. I can't remember the last game I didn't buy via download.

Hell, I've bought and downloaded games off Steam that I already own in hard copy just so I wouldn't have to deal with the CDs anymore. (E.g., Civ IV and all of the expansion packs).

Agreed. If I'm spending money on a game I don't want to deal with the hassle of having a CD lying around and needing to find a place for/keep track of everything. I'd much rather have download service where everything is just a click away. Not to mention having my settings and saved games stored online, it was awesome when I got my new computer to just need to redownload or copy over the game files and have everything right there for games with Steam Cloud.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Not to mention the auto-updating and patching.

Ah yes, that and several other features that make Steam so great. Auto patching, saved games and settings saved in steam cloud, integrated friends list that lets you invite or join your friends easily, plus the new features for Skyrim with one click install and auto updating.

A printed manual would be nice for some games, but the PDF works well enough usually. Though most games don't have a decent manual nowadays anyway, printed or digital.

[Crapshoot]

This game makes me sad - I bought it, played through one set, and realized that I was just bored by it - the lack of units on the screen and the overall nuking of diplomacy just made this game so simple that I lost interest. If its gotten a lot better I'm open to trying again, but it just seemed such a step down from IV.

[Honolulu_Blue]

It took a while for me to get into Civ V, but once I did I enjoyed it. I don't think it matches Civ IV, which is a game I played for many years.

But after playing "Civ V", I really have no desire to go back to Civ IV and its "stacks of death". The end game for Civ IV was just too brutal.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

It took a while for me to get into Civ V, but once I did I enjoyed it. I don't think it matches Civ IV, which is a game I played for many years.

But after playing "Civ V", I really have no desire to go back to Civ IV and its "stacks of death". The end game for Civ IV was just too brutal.

I haven't looked, but I wonder if anyone ever figured out a way to mod Civ IV to some limited # of units per tile.

[Caine]

Did they ever add Pitboss to Civ 5?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Caine

Did they ever add Pitboss to Civ 5?

I don't think so.

[PilotMan]

Gonna cross post this here in case there are others that don't own this like I do. Gamestop (formerly Impulse) has Civ 5 for $7.49.

[Buccaneer]

In anticipation of the upcoming expansion Gods & Kings, Valve has announced the following:

Kick off the weekend by playing Civilization V for FREE starting now until Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time.

You can also pickup the entire Civilization V franchise this weekend only at 75% off the regular price! Sale ends Monday, May 28th at 10AM Pacific Time.

So if you haven't tried the game, now's a great chance to while away the weekend getting in as many hours as possible before the sale ends!

[Buccaneer]

Don't forget to check out the new site for Gods & Kings

CIVILIZATION V: GODS & KINGS

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Don't forget to check out the new site for Gods & Kings

CIVILIZATION V: GODS & KINGS

I am very much looking forward to this expansion.

[GoldenEagle]

Should i buy Civ V or Civ V GOTY edition?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Should i buy Civ V or Civ V GOTY edition?

GOTY is best. Not a huge difference in price and you get all the DLC currently available.

[CleBrownsfan]

Any of the DLC up to this point worth a purchase?

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Any of the DLC up to this point worth a purchase?

All of DLC civs are awesome and recommend all of them. The only DLC you can skip is the map pack.

[Buccaneer]

Steam has the pre-order up for Gods & Kings for a 10% discount ($26.99).

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Steam has the pre-order up for Gods & Kings for a 10% discount ($26.99).

Purchased. Thanks for the head's up, Bucc.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Civ V will still be playable, and probably much improved, in a year's time. The sports games? One and done.

Just reading back through this thread (fun read!) and this caught my eye (posted on Day 0). Not only has Civ5 improved greatly in 1 year but they kept improving it after that. Now with the unexpected expansion pack coming, it will provide more depth and variety than we ever thought possible since the first release. 2/3 of my gaming time still goes to Civ5 and looking forward to G&K despite some misgivings about religion and esp. espionage (which I will likely turn off).

[GoldenEagle]

Crud. I meant to buy this over the weekend but forgot. Now the price is back up high again. Does it go on sale pretty often?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Crud. I meant to buy this over the weekend but forgot. Now the price is back up high again. Does it go on sale pretty often?

I have no doubt they'll drop it around the expansion release date to try to sucker people in again.

[Mike Lowe]

I keep getting this error every time I create a new game:

Faulting application name: CivilizationV.exe, version: 1.0.1.511, time stamp: 0x4ee9bec8
Faulting module name: CvGameCoreDLLFinal Release.dll, version: 3.0.3.0, time stamp: 0x4ee9bc13

I did a search for that file name, but didn't see anything legit. This seems to be a common problem, but more so after playing the game deep into 200+ turns. I USED to have the problem where the game would crash 3-4 turns in...now, I can't even get it to load a new game.

I've gone through all of the help steps here too, but to no avail:
How to Fix Civilization 5 Crashes and Freezes? | Unigamesity

This sucks, I want to play my game lol

[nilodor]

I was super excited for the new expansion, so I picked up a couple of the DLC civilizations. However when steam tried to download them it crashed and now when I try to run steam it gives me an error saying that I need to connect to the internet. It seems to be a semi-common error that not a lot of people have been able to fix. =(

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

I keep getting this error every time I create a new game:

Faulting application name: CivilizationV.exe, version: 1.0.1.511, time stamp: 0x4ee9bec8
Faulting module name: CvGameCoreDLLFinal Release.dll, version: 3.0.3.0, time stamp: 0x4ee9bc13

I did a search for that file name, but didn't see anything legit. This seems to be a common problem, but more so after playing the game deep into 200+ turns. I USED to have the problem where the game would crash 3-4 turns in...now, I can't even get it to load a new game.

I've gone through all of the help steps here too, but to no avail:
How to Fix Civilization 5 Crashes and Freezes? | Unigamesity

This sucks, I want to play my game lol

What operating system and platform (steam/disk?) are you playing this on? Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling?

[ColtCrazy]

Sadly, my Mac isn't quite powerful enough to run this, so it's Civ4 for me. It's a decent consolation prize.

[cartman]

One week until Gods and Kings is released!

[Butter]

Figured out how to play with my wife on our LAN with one copy of the game... plus it helps that my work got me a laptop that is powerful enough to run the game. Finally playing again and having a lot more fun this time!

[cody8200]

This is neither here nor there but I play in game reviewer, Bill Abner's, OOTP league and we have the guys that were the lead designers on each of the last 3 Civ games playing in the league - Soren Johnson for Civ 3 and 4 and Jon Shafer (Civ 5). It's nuts. I told Abner that the next team that needs an owner needs an invite sent out to Sid.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Thought people would enjoy this, a Civ II game that's been going on for 10 years:

Reddit r/gaming link

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Thought people would enjoy this, a Civ II game that's been going on for 10 years:

Reddit r/gaming link

I just came here to post the same thing, completely fascinating.