OS Neutral is it just me or is civ 5 not as fun as civ 1-4?

[madeirabhoy]

I consider myself a Civilization veteran. I played the very first game on my Amiga 500 back in the days, it was a pain in all sorts of ways and it's evident the game has evolved substantially since then.

I still consider the fourth iteration, together with the expansions, the best but Civilization V isn't far behind. Why? Because of the latest expansion released in July. Brave New World gave the game a meaty middle that I have missed in previous versions. If it wasn't for the first expansion being so-so I'd say this is the best Civilization to date. Hopefully they'll release another expansion in a year's time to finally surpass Civilization IV.

but why can't they just make it a good game in the first place. civ 5 30 euros, gods and kinds, 30 euros, i have to spring 30 euros for brave new world just to make the game fun

 

[Sanatogen]

but why can't they just make it a good game in the first place.

My guess is that they have a lot of things they'd like to include in the game but can't due to time restraints so they put those things in expansion packs instead.

The consequence is a somewhat watered down main game that relies on expansion packs to feel like a full game. Unfortunately that is a trend that is becoming more and more common these days.

civ 5 30 euros, gods and kinds, 30 euros, i have to spring 30 euros for brave new world just to make the game fun

I bought BNW when it was on a sweet discount in the summer but I don't think G&K is worth it even with a discount. That expansion looks more like a waste opportunity unfortunately.

 

[madeirabhoy]

My guess is that they have a lot of things they'd like to include in the game but can't due to time restraints so they put those things in expansion packs instead.

The consequence is a somewhat watered down main game that relies on expansion packs to feel like a full game. Unfortunately that is a trend that is becoming more and more common these days.



I bought BNW when it was on a sweet discount in the summer but I don't think G&K is worth it even with a discount. That expansion looks more like a waste opportunity unfortunately.

id agree, it was an impulse buy one evening....steam is far too easy to buy from

 

[Happybunny]

lost my degree to playing civ 1 too much.
civ 2 got me through my first years abroad on my powerbook.
didnt play civ 3 much but civ 4 was good.

trying to get into civ 5, but it seems i dont know.....

the world is a much smaller place.
i love big sprawling empires but it seems the best way to play it is 2 or 3 cities.
taking cities is far more difficult and therefore war is.
theres no swapping of techs!

i know it has much more 'improvements' but im struggling to find the love. it seems hard to get a handle on whether you are ahead or not, whereas in the old days, swapping techs told you whether you were or not

Well here is my 2 cents worth.

I do think that you are comparing two completly different games with each other.

Civilization IV is best viewed as a straight out war game, with some add on bits. Build those cities, build those armies go fight & destroy all others. With the ease of stacking in Civ IV tactics are minimal, "God is on the side of the big battalions" as Napoleon once said.

Civilization V basic game made tactics far more important, because of the limits on stacking. This gave other strategies far more chance to develop. But with the add on Gods & Kings it really comes into it's own, now you can use the dark arts of religion & espionage.
Sea power is now of far more complex and makes defending cities on the coast that more difficult.

I have been playing the Civilization series since 1993, except for Civ III.

Most wins Civ I Germany
Most wins Civ II Rome
Most wins Civ IV Russia (The Seberian Riches really help)
Most wins Civ V Netherlands (This is of course a no brainer)

 

[Count Blah]

... I find that cities fall very quickly when attacked with the right mixture and amount of elements. ...

... Taking over a city isn't that difficult as long as you use some type of siege weapon or aircraft. ...

So now I have to wait until I get aircraft or Cannons? I keep on seeing folks say that city capture is easy. Yet, in practice, I do not find this to be the case.

I followed previous advice for early city capture, and it takes a VERY long time. If I wait for cannons, I'm approaching 1500AD+ with little to nothing to do but build the next structure. A thousand years can go by with nothing but explore, squeeze in cities and attempt a 15+ turn takeover of a city.

I guess I am just an idiot who managed to have fun with all prior versions, but find this one really stacked(pun intended) against any kind of early/early-mid game military approach. Waiting for cannons means i have to play for hours and hours before attempting city capture.

I'm not seeing the ease. Could you all please offer some advice? Hate to throw money away on this, and just go back to Civ4, or abandon a series I used to REALLY enjoy.

 

[searsandrew]

I'm not seeing the ease. Could you all please offer some advice? Hate to throw money away on this, and just go back to Civ4, or abandon a series I used to REALLY enjoy.

I understand your frustration. When I first moved from Civ 4 to Civ 5 I felt the same way. The thing is, it's not "easy" early on to take a city. Without artillery or boats, you don't get any really high hits against cities (even once you get artillery, planes, or boats it can still be difficult). I find the key is to distract the cities with infantry up against the walls (but not having them attack, because they will be killed by follow up bombardments) and hit the city with your ranged units (archers). You can also cycle out infantry by having a unit with movement move on top of them and they switch place.
This may not be the best tactic, but I've found it works for me against cities.

 

[cal6n]

It's entirely possible to play an early aggression in Civ 5 but it takes a little planning and forethought.

1. Choose your leader wisely. If you know you're planning a bloodbath, don't play as Brazil or France. Go for the Huns and make use of their battering rams. Or try Japan, who fight at full strength to the last man.
2. Catapults are devastating to unwalled cities. Enough said!
3. Don't neglect population growth, production or research. You need the infrastructure to support your military.
4. Culture, wealth and religion are less important and can take a back-seat until you've established your military presence. That said, the ability to purchase units through faith can give you a real edge later on.