Where Puzzle Bobble was an arcade game changed into an online play, Civilization is among many games designed specifically for the computer. After being bugged all summer, I finally agreed to sit down to what was admittedly a fun, but long session of Civilization.
What I found most interesting about the game was the actual setup. Each person would play turns. Certain characters took so many turns before they joined your team. For example, a scout would take 1 turn but a hunter may take 3 turns. Also, the skills necessary to evolve your community took so many turns as well. Farming would take 3 turns, but then your food income would increase. Learning to mine would lead to blacksmithing which would lead to bigger buildings, etc. Also, workers could be building a new facility at the same time.
In one turn, you could learn archery, make a scout, and build a farm (One skill, one person, and one build.) While at first this makes for slow progress, eventually you go from farmers to knights (Middle Ages) to soldiers (1800s) and so forth until you reach the future age with GIs and space flight. Older knights can also be upgraded and earn extra points for battles won.
A good portion of the game is one player. However, the interaction is necessary between either computer or other players. While you are building your civilization, there are three other civilizations being build in your "world". You can trade, make alliances, and go to war with neighboring countries. There are also extra points for starting a religion and then spreading that religion (through missionaires) to other countries.
Certain buildings allow you to build certain objects/people. By learning Buddhism, for example, you become capable of making a Buddhist temple which in turn will become a site that can yield missionairies and such people on its own.
I grant there are a lot of rules to this game. I played twice through and still didn't learn everything there is to know (and I had an expert playing right along with me!). I think the benefits of this game is the fact you make up the story. Yes, the computer similulates the opposing sides but you decide whether its war or peace between your nations, whether you will focus on religion, art, or technology.
It begs the question: What kind of world would you develop? Mine was based around art and sciences with one religion. I allowed missionaries open access to my civilization so that I ended up with multiple religions. I was overall impressed with the game and thought it was much better than I anticipated (just don't tell my brother!).
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I have lots of questions with this...
ReplyDeleteAre you waiting for the other players to take their turns? and are you bored? Or are you in s sense building together?
Multiple religions: Interesting.
What were the religions like?
Yes, it is turn by turn so at certain points your progress is already going and there are no decisions to make so you simply end your turn. We played on the same computer so we would switch the screen back and forth. It was boring at times-especially if you continued to loose or if the other person had more decisions to make.
ReplyDeleteThe regions are like empty land, like what I imagine colonizing America was like. The land would have areas with mountains, mines, water ways, and farmland. Picking where to lay your city was a strategic move. More mountains meant less enemies can get to your city but it also meant it was hard to move your own troops. Mining gold and iron was easier than mining gems and silver. (Of course you had to learn how to mine and create a miner before you could do any of that to begin with.)
My brother and I played side-by-side so in a sense we were building together. We had an alliance as soon as we found each other (which meant we were either on the same strip of land or that we had learned navigation and sailing). Twists and turns would be who could find new, prosperous lands first or who had the best alliance. I enjoyed playing side by side except when he had a million decisions to make and I had the next ten turns decided!