What Civ game for a dummie

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

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Lots of people talk about how great Civ is and how it's very addicting but I've never really tried it due to its turn based nature and it seems complicated for a dummie like me.

So What Civ should I get? Basically which has the best tutorial! I can play pretty much any of them as I have DOSBox but can run Civ 6. I can also play the console Revelations thing on my PS3 (assuming it came out on ps3).

I love games like age of Empires and seeing my civilisation advance through the ages so I think I should like civilisation games... Once I've got my head around them.
 
Honestly they are all quite different. 4 to me still has the best AI but I really like the changes in 5 and 6. Between 4, 5 and 6 I have about 1200hrs which is not a lot compared to others but still quite substantial.

I believe 6 is free at the moment to trial for a few days so that might be worth a look at?

EDIT: To answer your tutorial question, 5 and 6 have advice pop up for new players that at a later stage you can turn off. 4 does have a tutorial but only in the original and not the expansions.
 
You might also like to play a less detailed civilisation building game first. The Civ series is complicated and it's meant to be because it's very detailed.

I enjoyed "Glory of the Roman Empire" and "Imperium Romanum" (its sequel). They're far, far simpler than the Civ series. You could probably get them legitimately for pennies now. Might be worth a look. IIRC, I paid £2 for both of them. I was genuinely pleased when the inhabitants of the town I'd built were finally pleased enough with my governership to present me with a gift of a fine riding horse :)
 
They're not all that complicated really. They can be if you want to manage every citizen and minmax everything. Alternatively you could attend the DampCat School of Gaming where you settle your cities where it tells you to and don't ask questions. Some work out, some aren't so great; it's just voodoo don't worry about it.

My only tip is don't bother accepting any incoming AI trades, they'll never be in your favour.
 
Any civ before 5 you're likely to get creamed by unit stacking. 5 is probably the best blend of accessibility and strategy, I've heard that 6 kinda sucks but I haven't played it.
 
5 and 6 are lot more user friendly than the previous releases. Not played enough of 6 though
They are by no means complicated in the same way Crusader Kings is but they are little more advanced than AoE.

4 was the sweet spot for me.

Just one more turn....
 
Angilion said:
You might also like to play a less detailed civilisation building game first. The Civ series is complicated and it's meant to be because it's very detailed.

I enjoyed "Glory of the Roman Empire" and "Imperium Romanum" (its sequel). They're far, far simpler than the Civ series. You could probably get them legitimately for pennies now. Might be worth a look. IIRC, I paid £2 for both of them. I was genuinely pleased when the inhabitants of the town I'd built were finally pleased enough with my governership to present me with a gift of a fine riding horse :)
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I stopped at Cex on the way home and got imperium romanum for 50p so definitely worth a shot!

I also got Quake 3 plus expansion and Unreal Anthology for £7 so it's got some competition for my attention :p
 
I gave up with 6 and I've played them all since I was a kid. 5 is pretty decent and I'd also recommend to a newcomer for reasons already mentioned. The AI is dumb as rocks too.

Bickaxe said:
4 was the sweet spot for me.
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Yeah, I think it was the best out of them all. 1 and 2 had a certain charm though (council/city view). I remember 3 being dull and slow.
 
Vexr said:
Alpha Centauri :D
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Definitely.
Nothing since comes close, I love this game to bits.

Alien Crossfire is a worthy addition, although some of the newer factions don't feel quite as good as the originals. (Svennsgard of the Planet Pirates, I'm looking at you....)
 
I'd say go with 5 as you can often get it with all the expansions for silly money (and you do want the expansions). Then if you want 6 in the future the over priced expansions should hopefully have come down by then.
 
almoststew1990 said:
Lots of people talk about how great Civ is and how it's very addicting but I've never really tried it due to its turn based nature and it seems complicated for a dummie like me.

So What Civ should I get? Basically which has the best tutorial! I can play pretty much any of them as I have DOSBox but can run Civ 6. I can also play the console Revelations thing on my PS3 (assuming it came out on ps3).

I love games like age of Empires and seeing my civilisation advance through the ages so I think I should like civilisation games... Once I've got my head around them.
Click to expand...

None. Give a try on EU4 demo, and you will find that CIV games are shallow. (you must do the tutorials).
If you have to try one CIV5 with all the expansion. CIV6 is pants.

Also you might like Total War if you are that sort of thing.
 
Panos said:
None. Give a try on EU4 demo, and you will find that CIV games are shallow. (you must do the tutorials).
If you have to try one CIV5 with all the expansion. CIV6 is pants.

Also you might like Total War if you are that sort of thing.
Click to expand...

The OP mentioned they were worried Civ might be a bit complicated though, in which case I'm not sure EU4 is the best place to start.
 
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