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Civilization (computer game)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Computer & Video games

                          Sid Meier's Civilization
   Civilization
    Developer(s)   MicroProse
    Publisher(s)   MicroProse
     Designer(s)   Sid Meier
   Release date(s) 1991
      Genre(s)     Turn-based strategy
       Mode(s)     Single player
      Rating(s)    ESRB: Kids to Adults (KA)
     Platform(s)   MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, Amiga, Atari
                   ST, Super NES
        Media      Floppy disk, CD
        Input      Mouse, keyboard

   Sid Meier's Civilization is a computer game created by Sid Meier for
   Microprose in 1991. The game's objective is "...to build an empire that
   would stand the test of time". The game begins in 4000 BC, and the
   players attempt to expand and develop their empires through the ages
   until modern and near-future times. It is also known simply as
   Civilization, or abbreviated to Civ or Civ I. It is generally
   acknowledged to be a pioneer in the genre of turn-based strategy games.

Description

   Civilization is a single-player game. The player takes on the role of
   the ruler of a civilization starting with nothing but a single Settler
   unit (sometimes two of them). The player attempts to build an empire in
   competition with 1-6 other civilizations. The game is turn-based and
   requires a fair amount of micromanagement (although less than any of
   the Sim games).

   Along with the larger tasks of exploration, war and diplomacy, the
   player has to make decisions about where to build new cities, which
   improvements or units to build in each city, which advances in
   knowledge should be sought (and at what rate), and how to transform the
   land surrounding the cities for maximum benefit. From time to time the
   player's towns may be harassed by " barbarians", units with no specific
   nationality and no named leader. Later in the game these threats come
   from the sea, when no unclaimed land is available for the marauding
   barbarians to spawn from.

   Before the game begins, the player chooses which historical
   civilization to play. Minor differences exist, such as which starting
   technology or the initial number of units. In addition it prevents the
   computer from being able to play that race. Computer-controlled
   opponents display certain traits of their civilizations. The Aztecs are
   both fiercely expansionistic and generally extremely wealthy, for
   example. Other possible civilizations include the Americans, the
   Mongols, and the Romans. Each civilization is led by a historical
   figure, such as Mohandas Gandhi (Indians) and Josef Stalin (Russians).

   The scope of the game is huge—larger than most other computer games.
   The game begins in 4000 BC, before the Bronze Age, and can last through
   to 2100 with space age technologies. At the start of the game there are
   no cities anywhere in the world: the player controls one or two Settler
   units, which can be used to found new cities in appropriate sites, and
   also alter terrain and build improvements such as mines and roads and,
   later, railroads.

   As time advances, new technologies are developed; these technologies
   are the primary way in which the game changes and grows. Players choose
   from, at the beginning, advances such as Pottery, the Wheel, and the
   Alphabet to, near the close of the game, Nuclear fission and Space
   flight. Players can gain a large advantage if their civilization is the
   first to learn a particular technology (the secrets of flight, for
   example) and put it to use in a military or other context. Most
   advances give access to new units, city improvements or derivative
   technologies: for example, the Chariot unit becomes available after the
   Wheel development, and the Granary building becomes available for
   building after the Pottery development. The whole system of
   advancements from beginning to end is called the Technology tree, or
   simply the Tech tree, a concept adopted in many other strategy games.
   Since only one tech may be "researched" at any given time, the order in
   which technologies are chosen makes a considerable difference in the
   outcome of the game and generally reflects the player's preferred style
   of gameplay.

   Players can also build Wonders of the world in all the epochs of the
   game, subject only to possession of the necessary knowledge and if no
   other civilization built it first. These wonders are often important
   human achievements of society, science, and culture in human history,
   ranging from the Pyramids and the Great Wall in the Ancient age, to
   Copernicus' Observatory and Magellan's Expedition in the middle period,
   up to the Apollo Program, the United Nations, and the Manhattan Project
   in the modern era. Each of these wonders can only be built by one
   civilization and takes up a lot of resources to build (far more than
   most other city upgrades or units). However, each of these wonders
   provides unique benefits that can be gained by no other methods.
   Wonders can also be made obsolete by technological advances.

   The game can be won either by destroying all other civilizations,
   lasting until the end of the modern era, 2050, or by becoming the first
   civilization to succeed at space colonization, in this case reaching
   the star system of Alpha Centauri.

Legacy

   This game has been one of the most popular strategy games of all time,
   and has a loyal following of fans. The game (by means of all its
   versions and updates) has endured for over a decade and a half, with
   product being offered for sale the entire time in retail stores. This
   high level of interest has spawned a number of free software versions,
   such as Freeciv and C-evo, and inspired similar games by other
   commercial developers, as well.

   CivNet was released in 1995 and was a remake of the original game with
   added multiplayer, improved graphics and sound, and Windows 95 support.
   Gameplay was almost identical to the original game. There were several
   methods of multiplayer, including LAN, primitive Internet play,
   hotseat, modem, and direct serial link.

   In 1992, Civilization won the Origins Award for Best Military or
   Strategy Computer Game of 1991.

   In November 1996 Computer Gaming World's Anniversary Edition,
   Civilization was chosen the #1 of the 150 Best Games of All Time, and
   it was described as follows:

     While some games might be equally addictive, none have sustained
     quite the level of rich, satisfying gameplay quite like Sid Meier's
     magnum opus. The blend of exploration, economics, conquest and
     diplomacy is augmented by the quintessential research and
     development model, as you struggle to erect the Pyramids, discover
     gunpowder, and launch a colonization spacecraft to Alpha Centauri.
     For its day, Civ had the toughest computer opponents around - even
     taking into account the "cheats," that in most instances added
     rather than detracted from the game. Just when you think the game
     might bog down, you discover a new land, a new technology, another
     tough foe - and you tell yourself, "just one more game," even as the
     first rays of the new sun creep into your room... the most acute
     case of game-lock we've ever felt.

Inspiration

   Meier admits to "borrowing" many of the technology tree ideas from a
   board game also called Civilization (published in the United Kingdom in
   1980 by Hartland Trefoil (later by Gibson Games), and in the United
   States in 1981 by Avalon Hill). The early versions of the game even
   included a flier of information and ordering materials for the board
   game. In an ironic twist, there is now a board game based on the
   computer game version of Civilization.

   Meier was the third major designer to plan a computer version of
   Civilization, but the first to actually carry out that plan. Danielle
   Bunten Berry planned to start work on the game after completing
   M.U.L.E. in 1983, and again in 1985, after completing The Seven Cities
   of Gold at Electronic Arts. In 1983 Bunten and producer Joe Ybarra
   opted to first do Seven Cities of Gold. The success of Seven Cities in
   1985 in turn led to a sequel, Heart of Africa. Bunten never returned to
   the idea of Civilization. Ironically, Meier's designs of Pirates and
   Colonization both contain elements of Bunten's The Seven Cities of
   Gold. Don Daglow, designer of Utopia, the first sim game, began work
   programming a version of Civilization in 1987. He dropped the project,
   however, when he was offered an executive position at Broderbund, and
   never returned to the game .

Intellectual property status

   As of late 2004, Atari, the latest publisher of a Civilization game
   sold the intellectual property of the Civilization brand to Take 2
   Interactive Software, who will distribute Civilization games under the
   2K Games label. Take 2 went public with news of the sale on January 26,
   2005.

Sequels

   Civilization has inspired the creation of a number of sequels,
   including Sid Meier's Civilization II, Sid Meier's Civilization III
   and, most recently, Sid Meier's Civilization IV.

Similar games

   In 1994 Meier produced a similar game called Colonization.
   Colonization, while being very similar to Civilization, never became
   quite as popular. It has also been criticized for leaving out slavery
   and other historically important features in the creation of many
   nations and empires. Civilization IV, however, recognized slavery in
   the game play.

   The game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is also by Meier and is in the same
   genre, but with a futuristic/space theme. Many of the interface and
   gameplay innovations in this game eventually made their way into
   Civilization III and IV.

   In 1993 Microprose published Master of Magic, a similar game but
   embedded in a medieval-fantasy setting where instead of technologies
   the player (a powerful wizard) develops spells, among other things. The
   game also shared many things with the popular fantasy card-trading game
   Magic: The Gathering.

   In 1994 Stardock released Galactic Civilizations, a similar turn-based
   strategy game for OS/2 which became one of the best-selling games for
   that platform. They released a reprogrammed Windows version in 2003,
   and a sequel in 2006.

   The designers of the historical strategy game Age of Empires received
   much inspiration from Civilization, with many similar features (e.g.
   technologies, wonders). The main difference here is that Age of Empires
   is not turn-based, but plays in real-time.

   In 1999 Activision released Civilization: Call to Power, a sequel of
   sorts to Civilization II but by a completely different design team.
   Gamers that year had a choice between a new game with the Civilization
   name but no involvement of Sid Meier; and a "space"-themed civilization
   game without the name but clearly designed by the same team ( Sid
   Meier's Alpha Centauri). Call to Power spawned a sequel in 2000, but by
   then Activision had lost the right to the Civilization name and could
   only call it Call to Power II.

Civilization's introduction

   An introduction movie shows when a new game is started in Civilization.
   The movie was added to give players something to look at while the game
   world was being created, though it can be cut short.

   The following words form the actual introduction of Civilization:

     In the beginning, the Earth was without form, and void.
     But the Sun shone upon the sleeping Earth and deep inside the
     brittle crust massive forces waited to be unleashed.
     The seas parted and great continents were formed. The continents
     shifted, mountains arose. Earthquakes spawned massive tidal waves.
     Volcanoes erupted and spewed forth fiery lava and charged the
     atmosphere with strange gases.
     Into this swirling maelstrom of Fire and Air and Water the first
     stirrings of Life appeared: tiny organisms, cells, and amoeba,
     clinging to tiny sheltered habitats.
     'But the seeds of Life grew, and strengthened, and spread, and
     diversified, and prospered, and soon every continent and climate
     teemed with Life.
     And with Life came instinct, and specialization, natural selection,
     Reptiles, Dinosaurs, and Mammals and finally there evolved a species
     known as Man and there appeared the first faint glimmers of
     Intelligence.
     The fruits of intelligence were many: fire, tools, and weapons, the
     hunt, farming, and the sharing of food, the family, the village, and
     the tribe. Now it required but one more ingredient: a great Leader
     to unite the quarreling tribes to harness the power of the land to
     build a legacy that would stand the test of time:
     a CIVILIZATION!

   The game pulled the introductory text from a text file located in the
   game's computer directory, and it was possible to alter the text file
   to manipulate the game's introduction.

Platforms

   Civilization was originally developed for MS-DOS running on a PC. It
   has undergone numerous revisions for various platforms (including
   Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, PlayStation,
   N-Gage and Super Nintendo) and now exists in several versions.

Points of controversy

   A contentious aspect of the game occurs in combat when a modern unit is
   fighting an obsolete or ancient unit. The ancient unit can sometimes
   win what most players consider to be an impossible battle. The most
   notorious of this is the infamous "spearman defeats tank" phenomenon in
   which ancient combat units could defeat modern ones (such as tanks and,
   amazingly, aircraft) due to status modifiers such as terrain,
   fortifications, and veteran status.

   "Veteran players of Civilization were occasionally disconcerted when a
   veteran phalanx unit fortified behind city walls on a mountain would
   defeat an attacking battleship. Mathematically it was possible but the
   image just didn't sit right. How could ancient spearmen destroy a
   modern steel warship?"

   The historian and anthropologist Matthew Kapell has published an essay
   critical of the Civilization series. It suggests that the game uses
   unique American myths of progress and the frontier in culturally
   elitist fashion. (“Civilization and its Discontents: American
   Monomythic Structure as Historical Simulacrum.” Popular Culture Review
   Vol. XIII, No. 2 (Summer): 129-136.)
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