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

[Ksyrup]

So has anyone figured out what the proper spacing is or should be for cities? Now that we aren't limited to the fat cross or even growing in symmetrical ways, and the fact that we can buy land, it seems that building cities just to take up space is not as important anymore. Which I like - I hated having to create a settler just to make sure every square inch of land was in my border.

One thing I was a little disappointed with in the graphics was the zoom. I really liked how close we could zoom in with Civ IV, and 5 years later, it seems like that's taken a step back, which is odd to me. Also, rivers don't look very natural, especially where they flow into the ocean. They are an odd shade of blue that stick out too much.

[Buccaneer]

Regarding the zoom, fnd the config.ini file in My Games/Civ5 and change

Minimum Zoom Resolution (something like that) from 11.00000 to 4.00000.

[Ksyrup]

Thanks!

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Wow that Celtic civ seems way overpowered - giving most of your units double attack? Combat units which ignore terrain?

Yeah, it is just a mod and one I am not going to use actually the units seem some what more fantasy like than real ife plus it changes the appearance of all units on the field to one large unit so the 8 pikemen become one in appearance only.

[Galaril]

The only issue I have had is I have to boot up Steam and left click the game name in steam. I f I try to clcik the icons on my desktop for CIV V I get a DEP issue and after checking for some reason maybe it is Steam you can not turn off DEP for CIV V. Also, the dx/10/11 will not work though I have upgraded everything. Many people from looking on the forum are having the same issue so I am sure they are working ona patch for it. It could also be something with VISTA 64 i guess since that also seems to be part of this.

[Ksyrup]

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.

During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Alan T

During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

Actually you are suppose to be able to access the game from those desktop icons in offline mode but they are not working. This all points to some issues with Steam. I hope going with Steam was worth it and I am sure it was from a money standpoint.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Actually you are suppose to be able to access the game from those desktop icons in offline mode but they are not working. This all points to some issues with Steam. I hope going with Steam was worth it and I am sure it was from a money standpoint.

That better be fixed in their first patch. I don't care to have to connect to the internet to play a single player game.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by bronconick

That better be fixed in their first patch. I don't care to have to connect to the internet to play a single player game.

F@#$ing A right on that.

[Neon_Chaos]

Sigh.

International release date is on the 24th. Even my Steam says so.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Alan T

During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

Huh. I don't recall that at all.

[Icy]

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Huh. I don't recall that at all.

I usually get that prompt for most games I install via Steam, but I don't recall seeing it for Civ V. Maybe because I pre-loaded it?

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Icy

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

With Steam open, click on the Steam menu, and click on Go Offline.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Icy

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

Yes if you right click the game in steam it gives you the option but it will not work without steam at this point apparently a bug.

[Bisbo]

I'm really enjoying the game. It feels 'smaller', in the sense that rapid expansion is limited by a number of factors, but that's a good thing. I think the new interface is terrific, too. I really like the social policies - much better than the old government systems. Like everyone else, I think the addition of city states and the new combat system is a real plus. And the elimination of lots of busy work from the older editions is great. I guess I'm in the minority on this point, but I'm not yet sold on the ability of land units to move across the water without transports - I thought the logistical problems of moving invading forces over bodies of water added some depth. I also miss not being able to see how each nation relates to the others, or to being able to see exactly where you stand with another country when a proposal is being made. But overall, the game is great - the whole experience seems more organic. Sucked me in way past my bedtime last night.

[henry296]

I was able to end a turn with Enter. I think I had to have next turn as the option when no orders are left.

[spleen1015]

Any interest in playing a succession game?

[Cringer]

Starting up the game from Steam and it shows I played 10 hours last night. I just woke up BTW, went to bed about 7am.

[mrkilla22]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Any interest in playing a succession game?

succession game?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

succession game?

You have a group of 5 or so people. Each person plays about 10 turns and pass the saved game to the next person. As you play out your turn, you document and post what you did and why. Then in between turns, the group talks about strategy, what to do next, etc.

I found it was a good way to learn a lot with Civ IV.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.

The game should be in

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v

(or somewhere inside the Steam folder)

Right click on CivilizationV.exe , Send To -> Desktop

That'll create the shortcut for the desktop. The shortcut will start Steam and then start the game.

[Alan T]

Finished my first Civ V game during a conference call


As Japan, won a domination victory in turn 347 with a score of 3889. That was good enough for a ranking of Augustus Cesar.

As mentioned this morning, the default settings are obviously super easy, probably for beginners or people not familiar with Civ games.

Time to crank up the difficulty a few notches and give the game a proper whirl, the first game was absolutely zero challenge.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The game should be in

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v

(or somewhere inside the Steam folder)

Right click on CivilizationV.exe , Send To -> Desktop

That'll create the shortcut for the desktop. The shortcut will start Steam and then start the game.

Thanks. I was going to check that when I got home tonight. Although apparently it won't work right now...?

[Glengoyne]

I haven't taken the plunge yet. I did read Tom Chick's Review though. He's not in love.

I really enjoyed his Parabola description.

[molson]

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.

Which reminds me - how's the gametime in V? That was a big early issue in CIV IV. I like my CIV games to take an obnoxiously long time. Like weeks.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I haven't taken the plunge yet. I did read Tom Chick's Review though. He's not in love.

I really enjoyed his Parabola description.

He's right on a few things. Diplomacy has definitely taken a step back and almost feels random now(in my one game so far nearly every nation has been at war with me and then a few turns after peace is declared, they are back to offering me pacts and open borders). I'd have much rather they taken away the additional graphics and voiceovers and just left the old interface and functions in place.

I've also seen some very interesting math with regards to resources, but I don't know if those are bugs or just my poor understanding of how the underlying game works. If the latter, they could definitely be explained more clearly.

All being said, no way that stuff adds up to a C game.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

...

All being said, no way that stuff adds up to a C game.

Just by what I've gathered by living vicariously, I agree with you. A grade of C is pretty Harsh. I'm guessing that grade is more indicative of how Civ V a few days in would stand up against the great strategy games of yesteryear. I'm a Tom Chick fan from back in the days of his fight club, but a C looks less than generous.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by molson

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.

Which reminds me - how's the gametime in V? That was a big early issue in CIV IV. I like my CIV games to take an obnoxiously long time. Like weeks.

I have always been a marathon player as long as they have had that mode. It seems like the same old marathon, though I am wondering if I could play marathon all the time on this game. My first game was marathon but due to dumb mistake getting to know the game (I did no pre-reading on Civ V at all) I was doing crappy. The game felt like normal marathon length though even though I only played until 1100 BC. My second game which I still have going I took the next speed down just to give it a try. This speed may be a better fit for me in this game but I will play marathon on game #3 all the way through before I know for sure.

[Sublime 2]

I have terrible willpower, downloading now.

[Passacaglia]

What are the pros and cons of playing marathon (in general, not just specific to this version)?

[Alan T]

Some of his review I agree with, the diplomacy part is one of my bigger gripes so far. I disagree with him on the interface though. The more I play, the more the interface grows on me. I enjoy how it makes some tasks easier.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

What are the pros and cons of playing marathon (in general, not just specific to this version)?

Mostly just a longer game timewise. You have to pace certain things out differently as times for how many turns things take changes. If you really enjoy the different parts of the game you likely will enjoy marathon. If you don't enjoy the early parts of the game and prefer late game, you likely won't enjoy it.

[bronconick]

Just something I've noticed since my laptop surpasses minimum but falls short of recommended, but as you move into the later game and you find yourself sitting for a minute or two while it rotates through after you hit next turn, try going to the dorky looking strategic map just before clicking next turn and I've found it moves a bit faster. I've been doing that while at peace (I prefer to watch my enemies bash themselves on my superior troops when at war) and it picked up the pace some for me.

[mrkilla22]

Anybody up for a multiplayer game sometime?

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by bronconick

Just something I've noticed since my laptop surpasses minimum but falls short of recommended, but as you move into the later game and you find yourself sitting for a minute or two while it rotates through after you hit next turn, try going to the dorky looking strategic map just before clicking next turn and I've found it moves a bit faster. I've been doing that while at peace (I prefer to watch my enemies bash themselves on my superior troops when at war) and it picked up the pace some for me.

Thanks, will try this out if it comes to this. My laptop is the same, about 1/3 of the way between minimum and recommended on Can You Play It? It's new, has a i5, but no dedicated graphics (though I must say for integrated graphics the i5 does a pretty decent job I guess).

[bhlloy]

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

What lvl are you playing on? I'm playing on Prince and I'm not seeing nations declaring war on me. I had France and Germany pissed off at me but they had their reasons to.

[sabotai]

They ain't kidding when they call it Marathon. I was well passed 300+ turns and still in the BC years.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

AI civs seem to be much more protective of their borders and aware of what you're doing. If you build close to a civ that's militaristic then you can pretty much guarantee there's going to be war.

Another thing to keep in mind is the AI actually plays to win now according to Firaxis. Not only that each has a preferred path to victory. However, if a Civ that generally prefers winning one way sees that another civ has them beat there then they will either switch things up or attempt to take you out.

They've supposedly taken a huge step forward with the AI in terms of it actually having a clue what it's doing and having goals. There's probably some things that need to be tweaked over the next couple of patches, but there's definitely going to be an adjustment period for everyone since they're playing against more intelligent AI.

[Cringer]

IF you have an older PC or a laptop just over the minimum requirements, try Game Booster 2. Not sure it helps a ton but it's a nice easy way to shut down all unneeded programs and clear our your RAM for when you are gaming, for some every little thing helps.

It's in beta, and free...
Game better with Game Booster 2 beta | Crave - CNET

[bhlloy]

Yeah, my second game seemed much better as I wasn't stuck between Germany and the Aztecs (who I assume are 2 civs that like to win military style if they can) They did a pretty good job in the end of ending my first game, just as I thought I'd beaten the Aztec wave for the loss of most of my units but with my cities intact, the Germans showed up with multiple catapults and another 10-15 foot units and just kicked my ass. AI is clearly much better. Still wish there was more feedback on diplomacy and it was more like the old system, but this time through nobody has even gone hostile with me yet.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Yeah, my second game seemed much better as I wasn't stuck between Germany and the Aztecs (who I assume are 2 civs that like to win military style if they can) They did a pretty good job in the end of ending my first game, just as I thought I'd beaten the Aztec wave for the loss of most of my units but with my cities intact, the Germans showed up with multiple catapults and another 10-15 foot units and just kicked my ass. AI is clearly much better. Still wish there was more feedback on diplomacy and it was more like the old system, but this time through nobody has even gone hostile with me yet.

Lack of diplomatic feedback is probably my biggest gripe so far.

[Butter]

Just ordered my new desktop from Dell, now I have to wait the 2 weeks for it to build and ship and THEN I'm totally playing the shit out of this.

My less than 2 year old other system wouldn't even come close to handling this, so it is now becoming the "kid's computer".

Oh, and btw this was mostly my wife's idea, so I am nominating her for a spot in the wife HoF for this. She'll probably end up playing just as much if not more than me, so it all works out.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

compare the first version to BtS 3.19.

I purchased yesterday, played with the tutorial last night, and will start a game tonight, but this is my overarching thought before having really touched it. I'm fully expecting a solid game now, and an amazing game once the patches and expansions are out.

Originally Posted by PadresFan104

Found the intro video to be especially well done... Very classy and sets the mood nicely!

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

Originally Posted by Bisbo

I guess I'm in the minority on this point, but I'm not yet sold on the ability of land units to move across the water without transports - I thought the logistical problems of moving invading forces over bodies of water added some depth.

Haven't played yet, but I'm thinking the same thing here.

Originally Posted by molson

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.

See above. I'll play it and enjoy it for what it is for now, but the final version of Civ IV will probably remain on my machine (and get played) until at least the first patch. I just finished a very long Civ IV game on Monday, as a matter of fact.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

Seems you have to let it play for a few seconds. I find hitting some combination of Escape, Enter and my left mouse button eventually stops it. Some form of the game must be loading in the background or something at the beginning when I can't stop it. So maybe the slower your machine, the longer it takes before you can interrupt it possibly. usually I can stop the video after 5-7 seconds though

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

I had the same problem. I kept banging on esc, enter, and anything else I could think of and eventually it stopped, so it is possible to skip it.

I'm only about 2 hours into my first game and I don't have a full impression yet. I have noticed that standard on V feels a lot like marathon on IV.

[MizzouRah]

Anyone else order from Amazon?

I have a bonus code for "Cradle of Civilzation Map Pack"

Anyone know what that is? My game hasn't arrived yet.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

I purchased yesterday, played with the tutorial last night, and will start a game tonight, but this is my overarching thought before having really touched it. I'm fully expecting a solid game now, and an amazing game once the patches and expansions are out.

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

Haven't played yet, but I'm thinking the same thing here.

See above. I'll play it and enjoy it for what it is for now, but the final version of Civ IV will probably remain on my machine (and get played) until at least the first patch. I just finished a very long Civ IV game on Monday, as a matter of fact.

Ben,

For those of you who are interested in disabling the intro video here are some instructions:

Navigate to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization V/
Look for the file "Usersettings.ini" and open it in a text editor like Notepad
Search for the variable "SkipIntroVideo = 0"
Change the 0 to 1

Enjoy