When civilization first came out fourteen years a go, it was preceded by many rumours and speculations. Sid meier, the well-known creator of then already classics like Pirates ! and railroad tycoon, had speculated in the media that, for a few years now, he had been walking around with an idea about a game. And this wasn't any old idea, this was a grand vision of an conquest game encapsulating dynamic economy, military, diplomacy, exploration, building, culture, science and domestical issues in to some kind of huge epic unity. So many different aspects where conjured up, that most people, when they heard or read about the idea, had no clue what to expect. Well, when the game finally did come out, the hype was huge. Nothing before this game had so much depth and so much replay value. And even today, the game play, for a fourteen-year-old game, is top notch. So now that you know its background, let me first tell you about this game and then explain why it is such a classic. Civilization let's you play on a randomly created world map, seen top down, as a leader of a civilization. The map is divided in land and sea squares and each square can be a different land type, for example forest or dessert. There are many more different land types, each with it's on properties. You progress through time, whilst you make vital decisions concerning your civilization's economy, military, science, tax and diplomacy. You also get to explore, build cities and manage the individually, keeping your nation's debt balanced and your people happy. As said the game is turn based and each turn you have the choice of building units to fight, move and explore on the map or buildings to improve tax income science output and many other factors. These units and building come at a cost of course and cost maintenance. So regulating your empires financial business is one of your tasks as well. Further more, you can build cities, the pillars of your empire and use the surrounding land to generate trade, production and food. If you manage your cities well, they soon become mighty, thriving centres of influence ; their military and economic power at your disposal. If you explore your surroundings and expand your empire by building more cities you will encounter competing civilizations ( controlled by the computer), also expanding their empire. This causes interaction in the form of trade, many different diplomatic options like intimidation, trade, alliances, sharing knowledge and sometimes war. Science is another big influence. What kind of military you can build and what kind of buildings you can make, depends on what technology you master. The technology tree in the game is predetermined, but the direction and speed at which you climb this tree is entirely up to you. You can invest a lot in science, or use your resources for other things. It's up to you. You win the game by being the first to send a space colony to Alpha centuri successfully, destroy all your opponents or have the highest score at a predetermined date. There are also lots of settings you can change before the game starts. The difficulty setting is adjustable as are the shape and properties of the map, allowing for great diversity and replay value. This description of the game may sound like some a trivial, empire building game now, but this is the first empire building game ever and a very good one at that. The game play can outmatch a lot of today's games and its originality hasn't been compromised over the years.There's still nothing like playing a game of civilization. Every time you play it's different : different maps, enemies, random occurences, different situations, different tactical choices. And that is an amazing achievement for a game this old. Civilization was further more a hugely popular game, drawing in millions of people to pc gaming and contributing vastly to the size of the gaming industry today. Allowing room for the development of great games today whom, without substantial financing, would never have come so far as they have now. Civilization, I salute you !
Other Helpful Reviews for Sid Meier's Civilization
This is pretty much the best turn based strategy of its time. I'd argue that this game set the opening standards for all turn based strategy games to follow. The dynamics set forth to take into account varrying aspects o... Read Full Review
The very first of this growing series, Civilization has made its mark on the world. With addictive and fun gameplay, this game deserves it's spot as an all-time masterpiece! The gameplay was unparralelled in its time.... Read Full Review
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