Civilization V!!

[TinCow]

Then again, given my tolerance for things like Dwarf fortress (a current fad, if you hadn't noticed), I may count as one of the weirdos who like games that give them a headache.

Nice of you to mention DF, actually. I've been considering getting into it lately, but have been turned off a bit by the constant reports of just how steep the learning curve is. I have a pretty high tolerance for high-difficulty and high-complexity games, so DF itself seems like something I'd enjoy, but I don't feel like I have the time at the moment to spend an entire week learning how to play a game before it becomes fun. Is it really as hard to learn as the reports say, or are those reports generally written by pansies with no stomach for hardcore PC strategy gaming?

[al Roumi]

Is it really as hard to learn as the reports say, or are those reports generally written by pansies with no stomach for hardcore PC strategy gaming?

The interface is pretty sadistic, but once you've got over that, it's actually not that complex. The route to understanding is quite well trod and the wiki is very comprehensive -I do play with it open in the background though!

The absolute best thing to do though is to give this step by step tutorial a go. There have been some changes since this version of the game, but they aren't major enough for it to be an issue when moving on to the current version.

The gameplay detail and freedom available for how you build your fortress is pretty breathtaking. I honestly couldn't consider playing this game without a tileset though :) If you like the feeling of developing and crafting something, I don't think I've ever played anything which provides such a strong dollop of it as DF. Definitley worth a try.

(Mod may like to move this to the Dwarf fortress thread, In the meantime I thought I should reply directly to Tincow)

[tibilicus]

Well I picked up a copy of the game today so have some initial thoughts.

I'm personally pleased with how turns seem a lot more interesting. By this, it appears that more seems to happen than in your average civ 4 game. I haven't yet found myself hammering the space bar through boredom to try and skip turns where nothing happen. The combat is an obvious improvement and I also like the way cities and the expanse of an empire works. Instead of expanding at a set point (when the culture reaches say 500, as in civ 4), it seems that borders expand in a much more organic way.

The only major negative I've picked up on so far is the way the new diplomacy interface works. It seems the AI is very sensitive and gets annoyed at the most minor thing. I browsed the civ fanatics fan site and it appears I'm not the only one with this gripe. It is a bit ludicrous for a civ to end all trade agreements simply because your building too many wonders.

So far though, I think I'm impressed. I only had time to play the game briefly earlier but I could already feel the familiar "one more turn" feeling sinking in.

[Krusader]

http://play.tm/news/32192/mongols-an...new-civ-5-dlc/

Mongls coming as free DLC, Babylonians as pay-for-DLC.
Surprised they release a free pack, and unsurprised they release a paid one.

[Kekvit Irae]

Played it for a week on launch day, then got bored with it and moved on.

As I've said on the Escapist, I equate games with gum.

Civilization V has a flavor that is bland, nothing you haven't tasted before, but you soon forget about that it until you realize 18 hours later you're still chewing the first piece.

[al Roumi]

Played it for a week on launch day, then got bored with it and moved on.

As I've said on the Escapist, I equate games with gum.

That's an interesting analogy.

I was giving CIV4 BTS a go again earlier this week and I do still prefer that version of the game. I intensely dislike civ5's city/tile/economy thing. For me, the strong focus on building cities around resources from civ4 was a very positive step forwards from civ3. Civ 5 has basicaly gone back to the city-spam of civ3

I do think the military is improved but I'm kind of ambivalent about the city defense of civ5. Hexes I could take or leave.

[xploring]

http://www.civilization5.com/bravenewworld/

It's official!! The next expansion is called Brave New World, set to release this summer!

A quick rundown:

-9 new civilizations, including Poland (led by Casmir III, with the Winged Hussar UU and a UA that gives a free social policy upon entering an era); another yellowish civ is pictured in a screenshot, which could be Assyria or the Hittites, among others.
-8 new wonders, including Broadway, Effizi Gallery, and the Parthenon.
-International trade routes - send physical units back and forth with other civs, but Science/Religion/etc. can "leak out" to other civs along the way.
-More complex diplomacy in the form of the World Congress, which initiates when one civ has met all other civs. Civs have a certain number of delegates and vote on two policies per session, like enforcing a trade embargo. The World Congress can help control runaways.
-A "more active" strategy for culture victories is less dependent on turtling, as culture is now external. A culture victory is now triggered upon having "majority culture" with all other civs in the game.
-Cities in the same civ can share food, production, and more with internal trade routes.
-Great Artists are now Great Writers, Great Artists, and Great Musicians, all of which can create Great Works, which increase tourism. Great Works can be "hosted" in culture buildings (like Opera Houses) or the Great Library.
-Archaeologists can investigate city ruins and ancient battle sites to find artifcats.
-Near the end of the game, you choose Ideologies, which affect diplomacy more than the choice of Freedom/Order/Autocracy did previously

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=490784