Civ 4

[MachoMyers]

I just bought a new laptop (mostly for school and the web) but I wanted to get a new PC game (mostly a console guy) to go along with my new Cpu. I'm heading up to a cottage next week for seven days and thought I'd be cool to give Civ 4 a try considering all the good things I've heard about it, coupled with the less than steep performance requirements, and that I have never played the series at all.

Anyone still playing this one even though its been out for so long? Will it fit nicely into my collection of Half Life, Warcraft III, BG2, and Starcraft?

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: Civ 4

BG2 = Baldur's Gate II?

Anyway, I picked up Civ. IV when I bought my new PC and absolutely love it, yet at the same time I remain completely overwhelmed by it. The nuances in this game are plentiful!

It is definately unlike anything you currently have. I naively thought that it was an RTS, but it's actually a turn-based strategy game...something that was completely new. It reminds me of those great strategy board games my wife and I play. It's also addicting as hell once you get into it, and games can last a long time!

I can't really give you the nitty gritty details other than that I whole heartedly recommend it. It's a very good game and well worth the cash. Just know that it's unlike anything you've ever played before.

*As an aside, some other good PC releases that I've been playing are 'Battle for Middle-earth II' and 'Rise of Legends' (assuming of course you have the specs).*

[BiggestKJ]

Re: Civ 4

I just bought a new laptop (mostly for school and the web) but I wanted to get a new PC game (mostly a console guy) to go along with my new Cpu. I'm heading up to a cottage next week for seven days and thought I'd be cool to give Civ 4 a try considering all the good things I've heard about it, coupled with the less than steep performance requirements, and that I have never played the series at all.

Anyone still playing this one even though its been out for so long? Will it fit nicely into my collection of Half Life, Warcraft III, BG2, and Starcraft?

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/919352.asp?q=civilization%204

That should close the deal for you.

93% based on 63 different reviews.

Also, I should also not that I am a sports/action gamer. Sure I'll try this and I'll try that, but that's my main flavor. Man, when I tried Civilization 3 about 2 years ago, I was completely drawn. This game just captures you and draws you in because of its depth and presentable challenge to the average gamer. There are two series that I absolutely love on the PC and they are Football Manager and Civilization. Although, I've never tried Civilization 4, because of my time is limited now, I know that those who have played the game haven't been disappointed. You won't be making a wrong choice by adding it to your collection, you just will be missing out on a good PC experience without it. =)

[Rodster]

Re: Civ 4

I played the hell out of Civ3, I love that game and it's still on my hard drive. I love Alpha Centauri(Civ2 with Space Theme) as well and those just one more turn type of games where hours go by just playing it.

Civ4 was unplayable for me because of the bugs(Stability/Performance Issues). I downloaded the latest patch v1.61, which supposedly has made the game more stable. I've been busy with other things but I will give it a go pretty soon. The 3D graphics are great and it's the familiar Civ game.

It's received stellar reviews. If you are a Civ fan then Civ4 is a no brainer.

[MachoMyers]

Re: Civ 4

Thanks for the tips fellas. I'm pretty much sold on getting this. With PC games I'm able to play them for years and enjoy them (the good ones of course), wish I was like that with console games where it seems I buy a new one every week or so.

[utexas]

Re: Civ 4

Ok, I have held off from getting civ IV, are you guys still loving it and which expansion packs would you reccommend?

[Rodster]

Re: Civ 4

Ok, I have held off from getting civ IV, are you guys still loving it and which expansion packs would you reccommend?

Both Expansions are very good, Warlords and Beyond The Sword.

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: Civ 4

Ok, I have held off from getting civ IV, are you guys still loving it and which expansion packs would you reccommend?

You can buy the game with the 'Warlords' pack included. The 'Sword' pack should be around $20-30.

Still a good game, though I don't play online (I suck...).

[peabody]

Re: Civ 4

I played the crap out of CIV4 with the expansion pack Warlords. Really enjoyed the game. Haven't tried Beyond the Sword. The Warlords expansion made the computer play a little smarter IMO, at least in regards to how the CPU founded cities and how they worked their tiles.
Haven't played this game in a few months though since picking up Lord of the Rings Online.

One thing that always annoyed me a little was that the CPU almost always tries to win by going for Space Race. Even if Space Race is not clicked in the victory settings, the CPU still tries to build it's civ with Space Race in mind. The CPU is not the greatest strategist when it comes to war.

Those things aside, this game is well worth the money. Especially since no two games are ever the same.

[plasticbeast]

Re: Civ 4

What type of specs do you need to play Civ 4 and have it run well enough to enjoy it? I am still playing civ 3 but would love to try out civ 4, but I don't think my cpu can really handle it.

[peabody]

Re: Civ 4

What type of specs do you need to play Civ 4 and have it run well enough to enjoy it? I am still playing civ 3 but would love to try out civ 4, but I don't think my cpu can really handle it.

Go to this site: www.srtest.com

There is a drop down of pc games. Just get CIV 4 from the drop down menu and then click the "Can you run it" button. It will tell you whether you have the appropriate specs for the minimum and recommended specs.

The game is not tremendously graphics intensive. But it does crunch a lot of data. If you don't have a decent pc the game will really grind if you are in late game with a lot of units out and if you're playing on a large map with lots of other civ's

[plasticbeast]

Re: Civ 4

Go to this site: www.srtest.com

There is a drop down of pc games. Just get CIV 4 from the drop down menu and then click the "Can you run it" button. It will tell you whether you have the appropriate specs for the minimum and recommended specs.

The game is not tremendously graphics intensive. But it does crunch a lot of data. If you don't have a decent pc the game will really grind if you are in late game with a lot of units out and if you're playing on a large map with lots of other civ's

Cool thanks I will try it out when I get home.

[plasticbeast]

Re: Civ 4

I went to the site and all my specs are above the recommended except for my video card. I figured that would be the case, I just have what came with my cpu. I haven't tried upgrading a cpu on my own since college, so I would like to ask you guys: What are some good video cards? I really don't want to spend an arm and a leg though, cause most of my gaming is done on my consoles. I really only play RTS's and turn based stuff on my PC so I don't need the newest and greatest. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Kearnzo]

Re: Civ 4

Nothing like a good ol' 5 year bump .

Anyways, had a question regarding Civ4. I recently re-installed the Complete edition, and when I go to start a custom game, I can't get any AI bots into the game. I like to play with 4 or 5 other AI Civ's, but even when I try, I win via a time victory after the first ten turns, as there are no other civilizations.

Anyone know what would be the reason for this? I tried Google and haven't found an answer. I suppose I could just do Play Now, but I remember playing custom games primarily as I could set the game up exactly how I wanted. Thanks!

[KMRblue1027]

Re: Civ 4

Are you playing as an Administrator? If not you need to do so or re-install somewhere besides program files. If you're using steam you need to install steam outside the program files regardless because the program cannot handle the length of the directories.

Also I strongly recommend going here for any Civilization problems, they're a lot better at handling this kinda stuff than most people including myself.

http://www.civfanatics.com/

Edit: You may be running into an XML error do to a faulty instillation. I strongly recommend installing it away from the program files as all kinds of problems arise when trying to patch or install expansion packs.