improved on many aspects but still not as good as the 2nd or 4th
1. the engine is optimized (works slightly faster) still huge requirement for such a game.
2. addition of religion = plus layer of resource and strategic combination with other faiths but doesnt affect your relation with other nations (only negatively).
3. plus content and minor adjustment to the existent one.
4. improved AI.
BUT.
The biggest dissappointment aka the AI is still far far behind.
Yes I sad it was improved but from going from a score of 2 to a score 5 out of 10 in a STRATEGY game!!!!
the team programming the AI they are dumb or sadist, and because programming a TBS AI is not a small feat I would go for the latter one.
Ex. I was in friendship with one nation (trying to build up a brotherhood with him)
- if u convert one of his city to your religion it will impact u negatively, but he will do it constantly against your cities AND CAPITAL and u cant even warn him.
- if u catch him spying (stealing) on u, and ask him to stop he will be UPSET!!!!, but ofc if he catches u its minus. He never stops spying on u.
If u make research agreements they will squish every resource possible from u.
After more then 250 turns of friendship, doing everything for him, lots of onesided trades, leaving plenty of space to expand, our borders didnt meet, and still declared war on me, ofc, asking after 5turns lets make peace because I was way more powerfull than him.
ALLIANCE IS NONEXISTENT, just FALSE FRIENSHIP or how they call it.
Civilization 2 AI managed pretty good, u could do WW2 aka Axis vs Allies. Why after almost 2 decades the AI became more retarded?
Lack of resource management like Colonization. quantity above all, so trades should be more impactfull.
PS. to explain myself why such high expectations.
The original Civilization is my most beloved game. I playey with it more than 1000hours, done it on impossible, launched spaceship in BC. Civ2 was a huge improvement especialyy on AI departement, but wasnt such a huge impact because I played already Orion and Colonization. For me this 3 games Civ2, Orion and Colonization are the milestones. And those who think that its only nostalgia, I played again with Orion a month ago, and dam thats a god strategy game with lots of depth.