Is Civ IV hard to get into?

There's a lot to learn, but there is a smooth tutorial that will quickly get you up to speed on the fundamentals, and a broad range of diffculty levels - as well as other alterable options, such as number of civilisations to play with, and map size, mean you will be able to play games that help you learn a lot at your own pace.

You could, for example, play against two other civilisations on easy on a large map which is mostly water, so you can take your time learning what's going on, and not find yourself constantly fighting enemies.

So yeah, it's nota game you just pick up and play, but it knows it and is designed as such.

There's a lot to learn, but there is a smooth tutorial that will quickly get you up to speed on the fundamentals, and a broad range of diffculty levels - as well as other alterable options, such as number of civilisations to play with, and map size, mean you will be able to play games that help you learn a lot at your own pace.

You could, for example, play against two other civilisations on easy on a large map which is mostly water, so you can take your time learning what's going on, and not find yourself constantly fighting enemies.

So yeah, it's nota game you just pick up and play, but it knows it and is designed as such.

mfsa

ditto, I saw your thread and was just going to say there is an excellent tutorial. You are missing out if you don't give it a try.

Civ IV is actually the most accessible Civ game yet, but it's still rather complex. I suggest you start at the easiest difficulty on a small map until you get the hang of it. Prepare yourself for a lot of sleepless nights. :wink:

I played Civ 3 before I got Civ 4 so I knew what i was getting into. Civ 4 is, in my opinion, the best turn-based strategy game. Its the kind of game that will always keep you coming back for more. I find I've played this game more often then any other in my collection.

There is a lot to learn, but as was posted before, the tutorial is very good. Even after playing Civ 4 all this time, I find myself still learning new things. And that is why i find it so fun to play.

If you don't already have this one, get it! The phrase, "One more turn..." will be with you forever in your civilization building mind...

Civ IV has one BIG and NASTY drawback... It can cause the "One More Turn" Syndrome. This appears when you are about to stop playing the game. All of a sudden, you will sense a NEED to play one more turn and see how your army of riflemens supported by artillery cannons capture that city. The weird thing is that it will be the LONGEST TURN of your life, since, most likely, 4 or 5 hours will pass since you said "one more turn"...

To be honest, I dont think that Civ IV is easy to get into. Sure, the tutorial will fill you in about the basics. But there is a LOT to learn about this game. I've played Civ 1, Civ 3 and all expansions and Civ IV. And Civ IV is COMPLETELY differente from the others so it took a while for me to get used to the new features.

My advice: set aside a full weekend for yourself. Wake up early on saturday. Play the tutorial. Start a game with a medium-small world and 3-4 civs and go from there. Youll see that before you know it, it will be sunday evening...

I don't think CIV IV is hard to get into especially if you play at the settler level where Sid gives you tips on how to play. I think I would say that it would be a good idea to avoid the 2 expansions, especially Beyond the Sword if this is the first time you are playing CIV. I've played from day one and I must say there is SOOOO much content added to BtS that it even leaves me scratching my head from time to time.

You can also look to http://www.civfanatics.com for tutorials and guidance in both their forums and in the War Academy section of their website.

You could also play online with someone here who can guide you through a game or two.

UpInFlames, when are we going to play online :P I spent all weekend playing with some friends...

I love strategy games of all types. I really want to try this game, but is it hard to get into? I have never played any Civilzation game before, and the only sid meiers game i played before was Pirates! So whats the learning curve like?LaNoOm

Your crossing bounderies here between RT and Turn Based style of strategies... if you don't like careful planning and logical decisions forget this Civilization Thing.

:), just kidding.

Just try

I've had Civ 4 since the first day it came out and I still haven't really gotten into it like I did back in the other Civ games, especially Civ 3.

I'm not sure why exactly, I think it could be minor annoyances like the way the music only plays if you are focused in far enough on the zoom, or the slow as hell pace of things... (takes a while to set up the game at a speed of development that you will be able to live with but not go to bored with either, I cannot find the balance)

I have been told by a lot of people that Civilization 4 is one of the best games ever. So if you have played strategy games before, I don't think it would be very hard to get into. I never tried playing it because there are so many other games that are equally interesting for me.

But it is definitely worth a try, so grab the demo and give it a shot.

I've had Civ 4 since the first day it came out and I still haven't really gotten into it like I did back in the other Civ games, especially Civ 3.

I'm not sure why exactly, I think it could be minor annoyances like the way the music only plays if you are focused in far enough on the zoom, or the slow as hell pace of things... (takes a while to set up the game at a speed of development that you will be able to live with but not go to bored with either, I cannot find the balance)

Old_Gooseberry

Interesting because I love the way the music plays when you are zoomed in/out. It gives cities a little charm IMHO.

With Beyond the Sword you can pick advanced start which it let you spend X amount of points to build cities, research, and basically setup the game faster instead of building everything 1x1. You can also pick your era with any CIV IV game which starts you up further down the tech tree. Also if you put the game on 'quick' for the speed it takes a lot less time to research and build things. The game will still drag during war or near the end game.

Quite easy, but before you try variations (scenarios have variant rules), you may want to stick with the basic for a few games.

You will also find the first "4" levels of difficulty incredibly easy. (that 4 is for me, might vary for other) and after that the game start scaling up seriously.

The AI isn't that developped, the game basically cheat to compete with you at harder difficulty setting, yet it isn't cheating as you allow it to be done that way. I think the first and second level of difficulty, you are actually cheating against the computer, while the 3rd is on par...and the 4th the computer cheat only slightly.

It may be impossible to win some maps/scenarios on some harder setting, especially on bigger maps where the "cheating bonus"gets exponential. I win once at the hardest setting, and I have everything set precisely. I wouldn't want to replay at this hardest setting, I didn't enjoy the experience. Usually play on 5th level...or if I just want to mess around, on 4th.

Once you are in the game much, try the scenarios...they change the rules completely. Once you done all the scenarios, you can download more from the official forums, some are modded by players, some are modded by devs on freetime. Some are modded by devs at other companies that would have like to work on Civs a little...many mods are plainly awesome.

You may also consider trying: History of the World for multiplayer games, it isn't anywhere as deep as civ, and you play various civilisations, but it sure is fun as well, despite all it light-hearted (imagine a mix between Civilisation and RISK...hehehehe)