Alright boyz, here we go!!! Civ 5 first impressions & tips thread!

[Edward64]

Let's get it started (finally) for the latest edition of Civilization, arguably one of the greatest computer game series around. For those of you lucky enough to play it Tue morning, the rest of us will be waiting for your first impressions.

[Atocep]

I'll be playing at 10am tomorrow morning. Should be able to get some multiplayer impressions later Tuesday and Wednesday as well for those that are interested in that.

[Big Fo]

Do we have a Steam ID thread on here? I couldn't find one with a quick search.

I can't wait for tomorrow morning, I should have most of the day free to play this.

[CleBrownsfan]

D/L'ing the $60 Steam Edition now... Steam ID is Broth32

[mauchow]

will let everyone know. i got an early copy...

its sweet so far..

okay, i'm kidding, i don't have a copy yet.

[SackAttack]

Starting this thread when you can't actually play the game yet should be a boxing. :mad:

[spleen1015]

Starting this thread when you can't actually play the game yet should be a boxing. :mad:

No shit. You can't start the thread unless you've played the freaking game!

[Buccaneer]

I went ahead and got the Deluxe version from Steam since that did include the soundtrack.

[Buccaneer]

Starting this thread when you can't actually play the game yet should be a boxing. :mad:

That's ok, I started the Civ4 thread just before it was released.

[SackAttack]

That's ok, I started the Civ4 thread just before it was released.

Retroactive boxing!

[Flasch186]

this is Bullshit. Making me think the game came out early. Kiss my ass Josh Grobin!

[SackAttack]

I'm curious. I have a 24 hour Walmart near me. I wonder if I could get 'em to sell me the game after midnight? :)

[Buccaneer]

I don't see why not. Even Steam users can download/install all of the files, that's no different than installing from a DVD. Both will be activated at the same time. Perhaps it's the other stuff on the DVD that they don't want you to have until Day 0?

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I don't think having the game at midnight is going to let you play it early anymore than the rest of us who downloaded can play it before 10am tomorrow.

[SackAttack]

I don't see why not. Even Steam users can download/install all of the files, that's no different than installing from a DVD. Both will be activated at the same time. Perhaps it's the other stuff on the DVD that they don't want you to have until Day 0?

What else would be on the DVD, though?

[Buccaneer]

If you get the Special Edition, you would have access to the soundtrack CDs, which they may not want you to listen to until release.

[Bigsmooth]

Thought this came out the 26th. Gonna be awesome....

[Ksyrup]

They might sell you the new Selena Gomez CD, though...:p

[SackAttack]

First impression: the retail copy comes with the tech tree wall poster. Yay!

[Butter]

First impression: the retail copy comes with the tech tree wall poster. Yay!

Sweet! I'm going to be hitting up Best Buy before I head home from work today so I can have it tonight. I either missed or lost the tech tree out of Civ IV, so this is good news!

[spleen1015]

All of you guys at home today that get to play this in about 43 minutes can all go to hell!

I hate you!

[SackAttack]

Sweet! I'm going to be hitting up Best Buy before I head home from work today so I can have it tonight. I either missed or lost the tech tree out of Civ IV, so this is good news!

For sure. I figured with the emphasis on saving dead tree in this version it wouldn't be there, but when I opened it up...a glorious tech tree map was right on top.

[SackAttack]

All of you guys at home today that get to play this in about 43 minutes can all go to hell!

I hate you!

How about those of us who are going to get to possibly fail miserably in an attempt to play this in about 43 minutes? Hatred, or empathy?

[Abe Sargent]

Icon still won't work.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Countdown clock is gone. Icon not working yet. I'm guessing they'll be hammered for a few minutes.

[SackAttack]

Unlocking! 25%!

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I was on the phone with my wife as she was trying to cancel a reservation online and the steam thing popped up, so I guess it's working. But so am I... :(

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Ah, I logged back out and logged in again and now it's unlocking.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

LOL......HUGE banner add on the front of Steam saying 'Play Now'.

I've noticed that Civ V has been on top of the sales chart every day despite lots of deals for super cheap games. Amazing how many copies Sid sells. Make a good game and people will come.

[SackAttack]

Ah, I logged back out and logged in again and now it's unlocking.

Yeah, that's what I did. logged out, clicked the icon, and now up to 37% unlocked.

[SackAttack]

So much for 'you will be able to play immediately.' Assholes. :D

[Greyroofoo]

Yea, the same thing happened with Dragon Age, damn thing took almost 2 hour to "unlock"

[TargetPractice6]

They must have some NSA caliber encryption on this thing.

[SackAttack]

I think 'decrypting' is code for 'installing.' The download last night must've been the install file, and since it requires 8 gigs of space post-install...

[TargetPractice6]

IT'S DONE! I'll see you in two weeks, world!

[SackAttack]

IT'S DONE! I'll see you in two weeks, world!

You go to hell. You go to hell and you die.

*gets behind his 42%, huffs, and puffs*

[SackAttack]

Reading my tech tree map while I wait on the final 51%. Anybody curious about the policy trees? :D

[SackAttack]

Here we go...please run, please run, please run...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

IT'S DONE! I'll see you in two weeks, world!

Pffffff. Obviously a Civ noob. Everyone knows a Civ game runs for just over 6,000 years, not two weeks.

[SackAttack]

The good news: the game WILL run on this decrepit machine.

The bad news (or extra-good, depending on your perspective): I think I need to stay logged out of AIM/Y!IM, etc, to minimize outside disruption which might cause the game to lock up or freeze.

But I can run it!

[MizzouRah]

Free shipping = maybe get it by Friday? :(

[Butter]

The good news: the game WILL run on this decrepit machine.

The bad news (or extra-good, depending on your perspective): I think I need to stay logged out of AIM/Y!IM, etc, to minimize outside disruption which might cause the game to lock up or freeze.

But I can run it!

You've given hope to us all.

But on a separate note: I'm hating all of you right now. Stupid work. :mad:

[SackAttack]

You've given hope to us all.

The game defaulted straight to the minimum settings, for what that's worth. Also defaulted to a 'small' map and the shortest game duration. Not sure if changing either of those would screw with my experience.

And, obviously, it doesn't look nearly as pretty as it will when I do get a new machine.

[Celeval]

The game defaulted straight to the minimum settings, for what that's worth. Also defaulted to a 'small' map and the shortest game duration. Not sure if changing either of those would screw with my experience.

And, obviously, it doesn't look nearly as pretty as it will when I do get a new machine.

How does it look in the strategic view?

[Buccaneer]

Updating Steam took about 30 seconds, now it is verifying the Civ files, slowly: 20% in 2 minutes. Probably lots of uncompressing going on.

Now it is crawling: 1% every 15 seconds.

[Alan T]

First impression?

Steam is crap

Still trying to get it to launch.

[spleen1015]

Will my Steam do all of this unlocking and shit even though I'm not there?

[Greyroofoo]

Screw England

[Ksyrup]

Will my Steam do all of this unlocking and shit even though I'm not there?

I believe so. My wife told me that steam was doing something on its own when she was on the computer.

[Buccaneer]

Validating took about 10 minutes, now it is downloading the remaining files (expansion, soundtrack, patch?). That will take 20-30 minutes, it appears.

[spleen1015]

I believe so. My wife told me that steam was doing something on its own when she was on the computer.

I hope so.

A bit of a funny story. My wife has been giving my 17 year old step son a hard time since Halo Reach came out because he has been shut up in his room all day and night playing. He only comes out to eat. :D

So, I tell my wife this morning "Hey, Civ 5 comes out today. I'll be locking myself in the basement playing for the next week just like Jared."

She says, "Cool. Don't expect me to be here when you climb out of the basement next week...Dork."

[Alan T]

Since Steam sucks, it kept giving me an error of an incomplete installation. I uninstalled and am re-installing to see if that fixes anything. Good thing I'm not losing any playing time right now since I'm working but hopefully this fixes it before tonight

[Butter]

Is this Steam thing going to give me problems installing the retail copy on multiple machines? Anybody with any experiences with other games have any insight?

[Celeval]

Is this Steam thing going to give me problems installing the retail copy on multiple machines? Anybody with any experiences with other games have any insight?

You can only have it on one steam login; however, it can be installed on however many machines you want. So if you want it on desktop, laptop, and work machine for you to use, you're all set. If you and person xyz both want to play at the same time, then not so much.

[Coffee Warlord]

If Steam causes any problems from me playing my store-bought box copy tonight, I'm going to be very, very upset.

[Toddzilla]

It gives me the option of using DirectX 9 or DirectX 10/11.

I have all of them installed, but the DX10/11 option never loads.

9 works, however.

[SackAttack]

DX9 is the one that runs for me, although I can only seem to get about 15-20 turns in before the video card or driver starts throwing fits.

Alas.

Guess I'll need to upgrade the machine sooner rather than later after all.

[Buccaneer]

I'm in and playing (or at least watching the intro).

[Ksyrup]

Maybe we should have had an interim "@#($^&$ Boyz, Civ V/Steam download and decryption bitching thread" before this one got cranked up.

[Buccaneer]

The default video settings on my PC, which is minimum requirements, are mostly low with a couple of mediums.

[Buccaneer]

Even at those settings, the game looks fine.

[mckerney]

If Steam causes any problems from me playing my store-bought box copy tonight, I'm going to be very, very upset.

I think most of the problems are related to unlocking the preload files, which has always taken a while right at release, though you don't need to do that with a box copy. I've very rarely had problems installing games on Steam, though i haven't installed a box copy since the release of Half Life 2 so don't exactly know how that process works now.

[Butter]

You can only have it on one steam login; however, it can be installed on however many machines you want. So if you want it on desktop, laptop, and work machine for you to use, you're all set. If you and person xyz both want to play at the same time, then not so much.

So, if I want to do LAN play with my wife with laptop and desktop both at the same time, it won't work unless I buy 2 copies?

[mckerney]

Since Steam sucks, it kept giving me an error of an incomplete installation. I uninstalled and am re-installing to see if that fixes anything. Good thing I'm not losing any playing time right now since I'm working but hopefully this fixes it before tonight

If anyone else has this happen before uninstalling you can try to verify game files and it should try to find and download any missing files. To do this open properties by right clicking on title in Steam, then the option to Verify Integrity of Game Cache is under the Local Files tab.

[SackAttack]

So, if I want to do LAN play with my wife with laptop and desktop both at the same time, it won't work unless I buy 2 copies?

Correct.

[Alan T]

If anyone else has this happen before uninstalling you can try to verify game files and it should try to find and download any missing files. To do this open properties by right clicking on title in Steam, then the option to Verify Integrity of Game Cache is under the Local Files tab.


The problem I found was Steam servers simply was not responding to me. I guess overloaded by Civ fans.

I decided to step away from it before I really got mad. Came back after making lunch and steam servers magically are responding now. So trying to repair my install now.



For those familiar with Steam, do I have to connect any time I want to play it ever, or is there off line play after you finally get through this hell?

[mckerney]

So, if I want to do LAN play with my wife with laptop and desktop both at the same time, it won't work unless I buy 2 copies?

You might be able to play LAN with one computer using Steam in offline mode.

[SackAttack]

The problem I found was Steam servers simply was not responding to me. I guess overloaded by Civ fans.

I decided to step away from it before I really got mad. Came back after making lunch and steam servers magically are responding now. So trying to repair my install now.



For those familiar with Steam, do I have to connect any time I want to play it ever, or is there off line play after you finally get through this hell?

Only required connection is one-time validation at the beginning (or, I guess, if you install it to another computer). Once installed and validated on that computer, you're set.

[Buccaneer]

I am pleased the keyboard movements work very well with hexes, despite the manual saying you are to move your units with a mouse. Had to turn the grid on so I can see which direction I need to move.

[Alan T]

Nevermind, Steam servers have lost connection again. ugh

[mckerney]

The problem I found was Steam servers simply was not responding to me. I guess overloaded by Civ fans.

I decided to step away from it before I really got mad. Came back after making lunch and steam servers magically are responding now. So trying to repair my install now.



For those familiar with Steam, do I have to connect any time I want to play it ever, or is there off line play after you finally get through this hell?

Yeah, typically when there's a big release either download speeds are slow or unlocking takes a while right at launch.

There is an offline mode that it will give you the option to start in if no connection is detected, or you can choose to go onto it from the menu bar.

[mckerney]

Nevermind, Steam servers have lost connection again. ugh

If the server you're using isn't working well you can try using a different server in Settings.

[Greyroofoo]

England is about to get it's shit ruined.

[spleen1015]

You guys suck. Not only are you playing before me, but you're not posting shit.

This thread better have 150 posts by 2pm for you bitches are in trouble. Understand?

[Alan T]

You guys suck. Not only are you playing before me, but you're not posting shit.

This thread better have 150 posts by 2pm for you bitches are in trouble. Understand?


If Steam would let me play, I would post stuff :)

[Peregrine]

Here's some info on the Babylon Civ for those that got it in a bonus version:

Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II

Earn free great scientist when you discover writing. Earn great scientists at double normal rate.

UU: Bowman (6 combat, 8 ranged -- "stronger in combat than the Archer, both defensively and offensively")
UB: Walls of Babylon (80 hammer, 1 gold maint, 7.5 defense -- not only is better defense than normal city walls, but increases combat during bombardment)

[Alan T]

If the server you're using isn't working well you can try using a different server in Settings.


I'll try that the next chance I get a break from work stuff

[Alan T]

If the server you're using isn't working well you can try using a different server in Settings.


It appeared to have picked New York for me by default. After I switched to Boston and restarted, that seemed to do the trick. Now it is doing yet more downloading! (C++ libraries or something it appears)

[Alan T]

Loaded it up and did the customary first time listening to the opening movie in full room surround sound / big screen.

I'm pumped, so far!

[spleen1015]

Alan, throw a homie a bone. Post a pic of your starting position for your first game.

[Alan T]

Alan, throw a homie a bone. Post a pic of your starting position for your first game.


Got to figure out how to. Normal screenshot buttons don't work and don't at least easily see an in game screenshot. Might have to use a screen scraper, but don't have one on this computer.

[Buccaneer]

That's one of things we don't know yet, I don't think - whether the starting position is optimized or would you need to explore?

[Alan T]

That's one of things we don't know yet, I don't think - whether the starting position is optimized or would you need to explore?

I got placed in the middle of a few nice resources to start off. Then when I didn't do anything for a while, and just left the game running with my settler chosen, a help advisor screen popped up seemingly on its own (unless I did somehow while alt-tabbing) that told me it was an ideal spot to start a city.

So at least in my first game, it seems to be suggesting to ideally build in my initial spot.

[mckerney]

I got placed in the middle of a few nice resources to start off. Then when I didn't do anything for a while, and just left the game running with my settler chosen, a help advisor screen popped up seemingly on its own (unless I did somehow while alt-tabbing) that told me it was an ideal spot to start a city.

So at least in my first game, it seems to be suggesting to ideally build in my initial spot.

If you're alt-tabbing to use a browser you also have the option to use a browser in the Steam overlay. Hit Shift-Tab and there will be a button for Web Browser. Using that is faster than using Alt-Tab for me in most games.

[TargetPractice6]

Three hours into my first game and just toppled Arabia. So far I'm liking the stack-less combat, but not really a big fan of the new interface.

[Greyroofoo]

Three hours into my first game and just toppled Arabia. So far I'm liking the stack-less combat, but not really a big fan of the new interface.

+1

Cities seem to be their own combat unit as well.


I also love capturing London with an American Minuteman.
Suck it Elizabeth!

[Peregrine]

Since you need Steam to run the game, and there is lots of interest, I created a Steam group called FOFC Civilization so we can chat or whatever while we're playing.

Steam Community :: Group :: FOFC Civilization (http://steamcommunity.com/groups/fofc-civilization/)

[Toddzilla]

Is it just me or does it seem like the turns in this version take FOR-F'ING-EVER

[Coffee Warlord]

Is it just me or does it seem like the turns in this version take FOR-F'ING-EVER

You on low end or high end for computer?

[Buccaneer]

For those that are getting the DVD, apparently there are no install files on the disc. It will download from Steam regardless.

[Ksyrup]

So the retail version comes with a decorative coaster, too?

[Coffee Warlord]

...what's the point of having a disc at all then?

[SackAttack]

...what's the point of having a disc at all then?

It does have some install files. It just isn't the core game. It's the peripheral stuff like DirectX.

I think the main reason is because 2K doesn't want to piss off the retailers. Explains why even a retail copy procured before 10 am wasn't playable, though.

[tyketime]

...what's the point of having a disc at all then?

coaster for your favorite night-time beverage?

[Big Fo]

I think it took until about 10:15 or 10:20 until I was able to play with the decrypting and DirectX/other stuff being installed.

I started as the Americans on the third difficult level (the one closest to fair, with a slight advantage) with it being my first game. Stardard size continents map, 8 civs/16 city-states. Like people have said the game seems to look at what kind of PC you have to determine the default video options (everything on high in my case :cool:).

I didn't look around to begin with, I had 2x ivory, sheep, gems, and deer all within two hexes of my settler so I figured that was as good a place as any to found Washington. I explored my starting continent and eventually discovered four city-states but no additional major civs so I haven't gotten into diplomacy on anything past the city-state level.

The city-states have asked me for some favors, mostly with taking out barbarians which I was happy to do, wanting to try out combat for the first time on the new game and also to get some experience/promotions for my units. Eventually Athens and Tyre got into a disagreement and both of them wanted me to take out the other. Athens was already friendly with me so I massed up five units (archer, pikeman, spearman, and two horsemen), surrounded the city (I already love the embark feature, it's so nice not having to bother with transports/galleons) and took it down in a few turns. Athens was grateful and we are now allied.

Now I had read about how it's often better to puppet a city rather than annex it with the happiness penalty being severe but I went ahead and ignored that. I didn't look up how many shields it took to build a courthouse (240, by far the most for any city improvement where I'm at in the Medieval Era) so that was kind of unpleasant when I found out. All of my cities stopped growing until I built a few colosseums to get back into positive happiness. Tyre's courthouse won't be finished for another 15-20 turns. Luxury resources are also a big help with the +5 happiness they provide.

Early in the game I was worried about falling behind in the tech race after three of my seven competitors reached the Classical Era before I did. But soon I built the Great Library (free tech) and got a Great Scientist (another free tech, I couldn't find the option to build the academy which was mentioned in the Civilpedia) and was the first civ to reach the Medieval Era. I recently checked the demographics and am first in food, production, population, and income. Maybe I should have started at the fourth difficulty level or maybe it's just the advantage of not sharing a continent with a competing civ.

For now I just want to keep expanding on my continent while keeping an eye on the happiness while moving towards Astronomy and the Caravel unit so I can sail in deeper water and make contact with another civ.

[Buccaneer]

archer, pikeman, spearman, and two horsemen

Fo, were any resources required to build those? If so, how did you get them?

[Buccaneer]

It seems that one of the subtle differences between Civ5 and Civ4 is that you have to pay more attention to what you build. In Civ4, you just build anything and everything; you apparently can't do that in Civ5.

[Big Fo]

Fo, were any resources required to build those? If so, how did you get them?

Only the horsemen, which require horses as I'm sure you'd guess. I had horse tiles near my first two cities, one of them can support four units that require horses, the other tile can support two units. You just build a pasture, there is no need to link the pasture to your cities with a road like you had to in previous games.

[Ksyrup]

Sounds like they simplified the game to get rid of a lot of the tedious stuff.

[SackAttack]

Sounds like they simplified the game to get rid of a lot of the tedious stuff.

Yeah. If you've played Civ Rev on the consoles, you got at least an idea of where they decided to go after Civ IV in terms of streamlining.

From what I've been able to play, V is definitely not "Civ Rev for PC," but it shares some philosophical elements.

[Ksyrup]

Never seen or played the console version.

[Peregrine]

I have Civ Rev on my iPad and enjoy it, but definitely can't wait for the big dog, Civ 5.

[Greyroofoo]

I like the fact that each unit comes with its own transport boat (of course though there is a required technology)

[Butter]

I tried the demo on my laptop, and it is very slow. If my home computer is similar, I may not be buying this after all. I love Civ and everything, but I am not going to go through some of the frustration I did when I tried to run Civ IV on my last computer. Waiting on those turns was ridiculous.

I guess we'll see later.

[Icy]

So is it a big improvement over IV?

If not i guess i'll pass by now, as with NHL11, FIFA11 coming out next week, and FM11 and NBA2k11 also in a month, i guess i'm going to be busy enough.

[Greyroofoo]

So is it a big improvement over IV?

If not i guess i'll pass by now, as with NHL11, FIFA11 coming out next week, and FM11 and NBA2k11 also in a month, i guess i'm going to be busy enough.

My first impression is that it's a moderate improvement over Civ 4. I like how they streamlined parts of the game but as mentioned earlier I dislike some of the changes to the interface. I really like the city-states and the fact cities can defend themselves now. I'm also really enjoying the 1 unit per hex rule.

My biggest beef is that I took over the continent I was on and there's no f&^&)(* coal.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - too much coming out with FIFA11, NBA2k11, FM11, and EA Sports MMA.

[Izulde]

I'm trying to resist getting this.

[SackAttack]

My first impression is that it's a moderate improvement over Civ 4. I like how they streamlined parts of the game but as mentioned earlier I dislike some of the changes to the interface. I really like the city-states and the fact cities can defend themselves now. I'm also really enjoying the 1 unit per hex rule.

My biggest beef is that I took over the continent I was on and there's no f&^&)(* coal.

Isn't coal one of those things that doesn't get revealed until you have the proper tech?

[Greyroofoo]

Isn't coal one of those things that doesn't get revealed until you have the proper tech?

Yeah, I took over the continent, then developed the tech to discover there was no coal. So I took over another continent, I got the tech that revealed aluminum. Lo and behold there's no fricken aluminum on either continent and I have unhappy people. Though this time it looks like I'll have to bribe a city-state into trading with me.

[spleen1015]

So, I get home, start Civ 5 from Steam and it tells me that my Civ 5 data is very fragmented. I should run a defrag to avoid slow load times.

WTF?!

[duckman]

I can't resist any longer...downloading the deluxe version as I type this.

[Big Fo]

It's amazing to me that anyone who has previously enjoyed the series would choose the yearly update of a console sports game over this. Don't get me wrong, I like those games too. I get the Show and one of the soccer games every year. But this is Civilization ffs. And so far it's really good, and there are tons of differences/additions/subtractions from previous games in the series with most of them being for the better as far as I can tell at this point (closing in on the Industrial Age of my first game).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

So I played through quite a bit of a game this afternoon on a low end computer. Thrilled to see it work, though it's obviously a bit slow processing turns (standard map size). But it's still a very enjoyable experience. PC is 2.2 Ghz processor, 2.5 GB RAM, and an Intel integrated card on my laptop.

Really love the improvements in this game, though it definitely takes some getting used to. Lots more diplomatic options that fill in the spaces from the Civ IV game. I also love where you can apologize to a civ if you attack one of the city states that they are friends with. Ranged attack options are fantastic. Love how the city is a defensive unit in itself along with the ability for the city to do ranged attacks on any incoming troops.

I'm still not totally sure if I'm making optimal decisions at all, but it's a fantastic amount of fun doing whatever the hell I'm doing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

BTW......the culture part of the game has changed quite a bit, but I really like it. You can actually select some options that allow you to be cultured while still going on the warpath. My issue at this point is that I just can't fully gather what effect some of the decisions have on my game overall.

I also LOVE the city-states. Really add a lot to the game. Some really neat agreements you can make with them in addition to getting extra relationship points by doing things like defending them from other civs and/or barbarians. There's even an option where you can increase your relationship by secretly giving units to a city-state to defend against another civ without the other civ knowing you aided them. LOVE that.

[Ksyrup]

Question on strategic resources as I read through the manual - I know they are limited in what you can build with them, but is it like Civ IV in that once you have access to a resource, any city can use it, or is it limited to a nearby city only?

[Passacaglia]

BTW......the culture part of the game has changed quite a bit, but I really like it. You can actually select some options that allow you to be cultured while still going on the warpath. My issue at this point is that I just can't fully gather what effect some of the decisions have on my game overall.

I also LOVE the city-states. Really add a lot to the game. Some really neat agreements you can make with them in addition to getting extra relationship points by doing things like defending them from other civs and/or barbarians. There's even an option where you can increase your relationship by secretly giving units to a city-state to defend against another civ without the other civ knowing you aided them. LOVE that.

Sounds awesome. One of the things I didn't like about Civ was that there weren't enough other countries, especially smaller ones -- this seems to take care of that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Question on strategic resources as I read through the manual - I know they are limited in what you can build with them, but is it like Civ IV in that once you have access to a resource, any city can use it, or is it limited to a nearby city only?

Yes, any city that is connected to the resource can use it.

[henry296]

Can you play in windowed mode? I can't seem to find that option.

[Scoobz0202]

So I played through quite a bit of a game this afternoon on a low end computer. Thrilled to see it work, though it's obviously a bit slow processing turns (standard map size). But it's still a very enjoyable experience. PC is 2.2 Ghz processor, 2.5 GB RAM, and an Intel integrated card on my laptop.



I have a very similar setup. 1.8 instead of 2.2, but 3 GB ram.

I downloaded the demo but I cant read the text. It's blurred, fragmented kind of. Could that be a bad install of is it probably hardware related ya guys think?

[spleen1015]

Can you play in windowed mode? I can't seem to find that option.

Under Options... Video Options... uncheck Fullscreen

[Passacaglia]

Can you play in windowed mode? I can't seem to find that option.

I know it was somewhere in the manual. I don't remember where, but maybe knowing that it definitely exists will help (sometimes that happens for me).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I have a very similar setup. 1.8 instead of 2.2, but 3 GB ram.

I downloaded the demo but I cant read the text. It's blurred, fragmented kind of. Could that be a bad install of is it probably hardware related ya guys think?

Definitely hardware unfortunately.

[henry296]

Hmmm. I uncheck Full screen click Apply/Accept and the game keeps going back to full screen mode. I'm running DX9 if that matters.

[Schmidty]

FINALLY got it to work. I had to go into the game file and install Directx11 from there. I thought I already had it, but I didn't.

[ColtCrazy]

Played for 3 hours tonight, and taking tomorrow off as a belated birthday to myself to play for the day.

First thoughts.

I'm the British, playing on a huge map on marathon.

Graphically, it's a beautiful game.

Interface took a little getting used to, but now I really like it. Seems more streamlined than IV.

Combat is very good. Love the ranged attacks. I attacked a city-state that was close to my capital with 2 warriors, an archer, and a trieme. Bombarded to soften up the city before finally capturing it with the warriors. First attack had to pull back because he wisely focused on my archers. Second attack finally beat the city after maybe 8-10 turns. He sunk the trieme (which was still attacking as I resupplied the archers).

Trading is going well. I had excess silver close to me and have used to it trade. Got a good deal out of it which lasts 90 turns (Flat 200 gold plus 7 gold per turn).

Overall, it's well worth the purchase. I loved IV as well, and this seems like a solid step forward. I'll give more impressions after a day with it tomorrow.

[bulletsponge]

mine up and running well so far. still getting the hang of it

[Buccaneer]

Civ5, at this point (which is only Day 0), feels incomplete. The interface is almost intolerable at lower resolutions and without a simplified option as with Civ4. Diplomacy with civs has very little depth but City-States diplomacy is well done. It is basically a game that you don't need to micro-manage (since economy and science are very much streamlined) so you can focus on combat, gearing towards a more general strategy game audience. The combat model is good and could offer some interesting tactics, esp. if you don't expect the AI to be effective, as usual. The potential is certainly there but it is going to take a lot of work to not only complete the game but to add the needed depth or meat. The same thing happened with Civ4 - compare the first version to BtS 3.19.

[nilodor]

I have a very similar setup. 1.8 instead of 2.2, but 3 GB ram.

I downloaded the demo but I cant read the text. It's blurred, fragmented kind of. Could that be a bad install of is it probably hardware related ya guys think?

I've got the same problem, I downloaded the updated video driver but all that allowed me to do is see the opening video. I'm wondering if I'm missing a text script or something.

[nilodor]

Dola

Here is the thread over at the 2k forums
hxxp://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87615

[Cringer]

Have 2-3 hours in so far, really starting to get into this. When I first started I wasn't sure I liked the graffics, but now I am loving them. The look of the game is a good step up though is still taking some getting used to (especially with all the Civ IV BtS I have played the last month). I am sure I will adjust to the UI, although not being able to hit enter or space bar to end turn sucks. Nation states rock. Notifications are much better IMO, with the exception of pick research/pick to construct not just popping up for you. Seems dumb to "streamline" things yet add an extra mouse click for that.

I started on a pretty easy level with America, marathon length and huge world. It is supposed to move slow yet I feel like I am maybe going too slow. It's 1450 BC and I only have two cities. I don't care though, playing it out since it's a new game and I realize I will probably have to adjust my normal Civ IV yard sticks for how I am doing in a game.

[mrkilla22]

I wonder how good the multiplayer is? It would be fun to play an FOFC game.

[PadresFan104]

Found the intro video to be especially well done... Very classy and sets the mood nicely!

[Cringer]

A couple of things as I continue playing. Just now opened the main advisor screen and I think this may actually be useful, especially with the military advisor letting me know the strength of other Civs.....as long as he is pretty accurate anyways.

[BishopMVP]

It's amazing to me that anyone who has previously enjoyed the series would choose the yearly update of a console sports game over this. Don't get me wrong, I like those games too. I get the Show and one of the soccer games every year. But this is Civilization ffs. And so far it's really good, and there are tons of differences/additions/subtractions from previous games in the series with most of them being for the better as far as I can tell at this point (closing in on the Industrial Age of my first game).Civ V will still be playable, and probably much improved, in a year's time. The sports games? One and done.

[bhlloy]

That 5 hours went by pretty fast :D

Overall, I think they absolutely nailed it. I've never been a hardcore Civ player but I've always enjoyed playing it on Prince and below so this is right up my alley. Combat is ridiculously fun. It took me three tries to take out a pretty strong city-state on my coast but it was really a sense of achievement when I finally did it. Since then I've fought a pretty successful war against the Aztecs that they started and won't back down from, but the fact that cities can bombard and have pretty high strength, combined with the fact that you can only have one unit per square and the fact that ranged units are really useful means there is a lot of strategy and thought that goes into every attack.

Other areas like wonders, great people and social policy feel much more balanced and realistic. Interface (for me at least) and graphics are much better and more intuitive. Little things like being prompted when your city is idle or a barbarian is within range of your city mean I am much more engaged and don't miss something stupid. Honestly, this is a 10 out of 10 for me so far. Will be looking forward to picking my savegame back up all day at work tomorrow.

[Big Fo]

I'm now in the early 1900s (yes, I have spent a somewhat embarrassing amount of time playing this today) and am cruising towards the win on my first game.

I declared war on one too many city-states so another one declared war on me in order to try and back up their compatriot. Unfortunately for them I had better tech, more units, and they were on opposite sides of the continent so they couldn't help each other out much.

After I basically consolidated my home continent (a pretty big one with room for a dozen or so cities with about four hexes in between each other) I started looking for areas to colonize. Sadly there were no empty islands (this is the last time I choose a continents map, I didn't even look for other options but iirc there's Big and Small/Medium and Small plus eventual community map scripts for my next game) so I built a few cities on the Russian continent to get some more luxury resources and to keep them from expanding too much. I also discovered the French who also had their own decent sized continent but they had done a better job of filling in the coastal areas so I never built any cities there.

At this point I had explored a lot of the open space and was still wondering where the other five civs were. Soon enough I found a giant landmass that had all five of them, kind of a weird setup with five civs on one landmass and three civs with their own continents. I traded with them but never got too involved in anyone's business, I am usually a peaceful player against the AI and I was able to try out the new combat system against the local city-states. My big leads in population, manufacturing, money, and science had me well on my way to a peaceful Space Race or "time has run out" victory, or so I had thought.

On that big landmass to the east Japan was gobbling up her neighbors like it the early part of World War 2. The Aztecs, English, Persians, and several city-states were all wiped out relatively quickly. At one point my lead in the overall score was down to double digits and the remaining city-states on that landmass were begging for anyone to come and help them. I felt that I would be in some serious trouble if Japan was able to bring that whole landmass under their control so I sailed about a half dozen units over (at this point in the game I had riflemen and cavalry) and founded a city on an unoccupied part of the landmass near some silver to both gain a foothold on the continent and mine some silver for some much needed happiness.

Nobunaga called me out a few times for settling close to them and having units on their border but wouldn't declare war on me so once I had my troops situated I began the hostilities. The war itself was surprisingly easy to the point that I was disappointed. The first of their cities I found was the capital and it was no trouble taking it down without artillery. I think their units were all on the other side of the continent where they had been conquering the English and fighting the Iroquois. I was able to take out a second city before they finally brought down a few riflemen and a cannon, but using a combination of terrain and flanking I was able to take them all down without losing a single unit.

It was at this point that I was offered the most concessions I have ever seen the AI offer in the Civilization series: six cities, a few hundred gold pieces, and some resources. I accepted and liberated the former city-states (who were grateful and became instant allies) while keeping the former Japanese and Aztec cities. The war has taken a big chunk out of their empire and I am once again the undisputed leader. Unfortunately the French and Russians have chosen to view my actions as a bullying land-grab instead of a noble act of liberation so they are both hostile now. So now I have a bunch of infantry and artillery lined up on the border in case the Russians decide they want to start something.

Now I'm in the Modern Era, I was originally trying for a Space Race win but after reading the manual/Civilpedia I think a Domination Victory would also be possible. I don't need to fight Japan again to take the English and Persian capitals (and probably the Iroquois capital as well, both guys hate each other and won't make peace but Japan is still far stronger) since they have already been taken by Japan. I just have to be the last civ left with my original capital and I could probably take Moscow and Paris after a few dozen turns of military buildup.

I love the game so far but I am already looking forward to finishing this one off and starting my second game for a better challenge. I'll try the next difficulty level up (Prince), I would jump up to King but I think my big lead in this game had more to do with a fortunate starting position than me being particularly skilled.

[Big Fo]

Civ V will still be playable, and probably much improved, in a year's time. The sports games? One and done.

That is true.

But FIFA 12 (or whatever one's favorite sports game coming out this fall is) will be better than FIFA 11 in all likelihood and unlike someone getting Civ V for the same price or possibly cheaper next year after a year of patching and modding, FIFA 12 will cost another $60 when it comes out. So waiting awhile to get Civ V makes sense but so might skipping a year of FIFA or waiting for a Black Friday sale.

Now some people like the sports games more than strategy games and that's fine. To me, as a longtime fan of the Civilization series, the fact that a new version doesn't come out every year makes the release feel special in a way that a new FIFA, FM, NBA2k, etc. never could. And like I said I get two of those games every year and probably will this year as well (kind of on the fence about FIFA).

[TargetPractice6]

The interface is still bothering me. I keep trying to use my mouse wheel to scroll out to the bird's eye view that Civ IV had. I know it has the 2D view, but to me it's practically indecipherable (especially when I'm trying to find out where units are) and not as convenient. Also, the "route to" command for workers really needs some sort of visual indicator of where the new road is going to be.

[SackAttack]

I meant to try the strategy view to see if my computer could handle that better than the regular, but I couldn't figure out how.

[mckerney]

Ancient Infantry Attack! - Civilization Fanatics' Forums (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=380994)

[Galaril]

The first mods are already coming out. One guy has already released a mod that eliminates the restriction on stacking units. I am not interested in that since I support the ahnegs they have made in V. One other mod of interest someone who did the fall from Heaven mod for Civ IV has made a mod that adds a civs The Celts as well as a unique rule, units, building, and traits.I am not sure if it replaces another civ or is a addin.

Civilization Fanatics' Forums - View Single Post - Queen of the Iceni (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9634564&postcount=1)

[Peregrine]

I am really enjoying the game so far - I wasn't sure about the interface at first but now I really like the streamlined nature - everything is there with a minimal amount of clicks to look at. I'm playing the English and so far I've won a war with China and am trying to sort through a tangle of relations with the nearby city states.

[Cringer]

OK, I started over with a new game a bit ago since I clearly blew the early part of my first attempt somehow, doing much better this time. One thing I am coming to enjoy is the land masses in the game. Currently exploring a pretty big area that in Civ IV I would have avoided as pretty unihabitable. In this one though it's actually pretty damn cool and I could see how cities could work there (not being restricted to a specific city growth pattern is huge here). I think it adds a ton to the game and the worlds for me.

[Atocep]

The AI seems improved over Civ 4. I actually saw Washington wipe out another Civ relatively early in the game today.

Wonders seem more balanced though it's hard to say this early. Still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. I haven't seen any that appear ridiculously overpowered (Pyramids in Civ 4).

I'm really liking the social policies so far. I was worried about them dumbing down the game, but they add more depth and flexibility to what you're trying to do.

Combat is improved. I haven't seen any "WTF screwed by the RNG" type of battles yet.

1 unit per hex is amazing and ranged units actually attacking from rage is amazing. The thought of stacks of doom makes me sick to my stomach now.

I like how they removed tech trading, but I think Research Pact is exploitable as well though it doesn't have anywhere near the game-breaking impact trading did.

The reward for circumnavigating the globe getting removed is disappointing.

Getting rid of transports is a big plus.

I liked the impact religion had on the game and wish it was still in. I'm also missing espionage.

City States are game changing in a good way. A lot of added strategy to multiplayer.

Being able to work any tile in your cultural borders instead of only in your fat cross is a fantastic change. The fat cross system really didn't make sense and was rather annoying. This along with the change to how your borders expand give a lot more options on where you can place a city.

[Peregrine]

The first mods are already coming out. One guy has already released a mod that eliminates the restriction on stacking units. I am not interested in that since I support the ahnegs they have made in V. One other mod of interest someone who did the fall from Heaven mod for Civ IV has made a mod that adds a civs The Celts as well as a unique rule, units, building, and traits.I am not sure if it replaces another civ or is a addin.

Civilization Fanatics' Forums - View Single Post - Queen of the Iceni (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9634564&postcount=1)

Wow that Celtic civ seems way overpowered - giving most of your units double attack? Combat units which ignore terrain?

[Alan T]

My first impressions:

I like the new interface finally. It took a little getting used to, but now it seems pretty slick for me. There are some things I miss though, like I hate that I can't figure out any way to see leaders relations with other leaders for instance. But I was afraid that I would miss alot of the things they took out, but so far I really haven't.

The biggest issue that I am having is that I think I am playing on too easy of a level. I decided to just start with the default play now settings to try it out at first. So far through my first game it has been a cake walk. My score is 5 or 6 times the other civs, I pretty much can walk over any of them. I also got a lucky rifleman from a ruin pretty early on while everyone else was still with swordmen and archers. In case you wonder, that is pretty much like having a tank to take out small huts. I pretty much was able to take down single cities with him by himself.

Maybe the lucky rifleman is why this game is so easy, but it felt easy even before that as the AI didn't seem to have much interest in expansion and I took the early strategic foothold.

After I finish this game, I'll start again on a harder level to see if I still experience little challenge.

Overall, I'm enjoying it though, as I was a little tired of Civ IV, so the changes for the most part seem to be ok to me for now. My other biggest complaint is that it feels so quick to build or research things, I just feel like I'm researching/building almost everything everywhere with little downside or strategy there. I don't really have the feel of building a city around being a commerce city or manufacturing city or what not. Maybe that goes hand in hand with the lack of challenge on the default level though. So maybe all I need is to start over several levels more difficult.

[Alan T]

Ok, reading around other places, it does appear my problem is simply the default difficulty level is too easy. I had such an easy time because the happiness penalties are softer at the lower difficulty allowing my expansion to completely dominate my opponents. Looks like I'll need to try at least on Prince level next time to get a better feel for the game as the happiness penalties are stricter when you expand too much.

[CleBrownsfan]

Soooo tired... I swear - 5 hours of CIV time = 1 hour real time.

Love the interface, graphics, and pretty much everything about CIV V. I've been in a rut staying attached to a game for the past couple years. I think that feeling is finally over.

[Peregrine]

I've been enjoying my first game as England - their unique ability plus the great lighthouse gives your navy incredible movement. I started on a continent with China and Siam - ended up in a war with China and thrashed them (playing on normal) and then knocked out their civ. Siam isn't much of a threat but there are a ton of city states on my continent as well.

Longbowmen = the howitzers of the medieval era. That range bonus is killer.

Also, I love the built in mods feature - it's really cool to be able to see and download all kinds of mods from within the game.

[Ksyrup]

So has anyone figured out what the proper spacing is or should be for cities? Now that we aren't limited to the fat cross or even growing in symmetrical ways, and the fact that we can buy land, it seems that building cities just to take up space is not as important anymore. Which I like - I hated having to create a settler just to make sure every square inch of land was in my border.

One thing I was a little disappointed with in the graphics was the zoom. I really liked how close we could zoom in with Civ IV, and 5 years later, it seems like that's taken a step back, which is odd to me. Also, rivers don't look very natural, especially where they flow into the ocean. They are an odd shade of blue that stick out too much.

[Buccaneer]

Regarding the zoom, fnd the config.ini file in My Games/Civ5 and change

Minimum Zoom Resolution (something like that) from 11.00000 to 4.00000.

[Ksyrup]

Thanks!

[Galaril]

Wow that Celtic civ seems way overpowered - giving most of your units double attack? Combat units which ignore terrain?

Yeah, it is just a mod and one I am not going to use actually the units seem some what more fantasy like than real ife plus it changes the appearance of all units on the field to one large unit so the 8 pikemen become one in appearance only.

[Galaril]

The only issue I have had is I have to boot up Steam and left click the game name in steam. I f I try to clcik the icons on my desktop for CIV V I get a DEP issue and after checking for some reason maybe it is Steam you can not turn off DEP for CIV V. Also, the dx/10/11 will not work though I have upgraded everything. Many people from looking on the forum are having the same issue so I am sure they are working ona patch for it. It could also be something with VISTA 64 i guess since that also seems to be part of this.

[Ksyrup]

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.

[Alan T]

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.


During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

[Galaril]

During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

Actually you are suppose to be able to access the game from those desktop icons in offline mode but they are not working. This all points to some issues with Steam. I hope going with Steam was worth it and I am sure it was from a money standpoint.

[bronconick]

Actually you are suppose to be able to access the game from those desktop icons in offline mode but they are not working. This all points to some issues with Steam. I hope going with Steam was worth it and I am sure it was from a money standpoint.

That better be fixed in their first patch. I don't care to have to connect to the internet to play a single player game.

[Galaril]

That better be fixed in their first patch. I don't care to have to connect to the internet to play a single player game.

F@#$ing A right on that.

[Neon_Chaos]

Sigh.

International release date is on the 24th. Even my Steam says so.

[Ksyrup]

During the install, there was an option to setup a shortcut on the desktop AND/OR in your start menu.

I don't think you can start the game outside of steam though. Even the shortcuts still launch the application directly but within steam.

Huh. I don't recall that at all.

[Icy]

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Huh. I don't recall that at all.

I usually get that prompt for most games I install via Steam, but I don't recall seeing it for Civ V. Maybe because I pre-loaded it?

[Neon_Chaos]

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

With Steam open, click on the Steam menu, and click on Go Offline.

[Galaril]

There is an option somewhere in steam for Offline mode or something like that, but not sure where to find it as i have never used it.

Yes if you right click the game in steam it gives you the option but it will not work without steam at this point apparently a bug.

[Bisbo]

I'm really enjoying the game. It feels 'smaller', in the sense that rapid expansion is limited by a number of factors, but that's a good thing. I think the new interface is terrific, too. I really like the social policies - much better than the old government systems. Like everyone else, I think the addition of city states and the new combat system is a real plus. And the elimination of lots of busy work from the older editions is great. I guess I'm in the minority on this point, but I'm not yet sold on the ability of land units to move across the water without transports - I thought the logistical problems of moving invading forces over bodies of water added some depth. I also miss not being able to see how each nation relates to the others, or to being able to see exactly where you stand with another country when a proposal is being made. But overall, the game is great - the whole experience seems more organic. Sucked me in way past my bedtime last night.

[henry296]

I was able to end a turn with Enter. I think I had to have next turn as the option when no orders are left.

[spleen1015]

Any interest in playing a succession game?

[Cringer]

Starting up the game from Steam and it shows I played 10 hours last night. I just woke up BTW, went to bed about 7am.

[mrkilla22]

Any interest in playing a succession game?

succession game?

[spleen1015]

succession game?

You have a group of 5 or so people. Each person plays about 10 turns and pass the saved game to the next person. As you play out your turn, you document and post what you did and why. Then in between turns, the group talks about strategy, what to do next, etc.

I found it was a good way to learn a lot with Civ IV.

[sabotai]

That's something I had a question about - I don't see an option to start the game from anything other than Steam. How do you even get the icons on your desktop? It never gave me that option (that I recall seeing). You wouldn't even know I have Civ V on my computer by looking at my desktop, unless you opened Steam.

The game should be in

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v

(or somewhere inside the Steam folder)

Right click on CivilizationV.exe , Send To -> Desktop

That'll create the shortcut for the desktop. The shortcut will start Steam and then start the game.

[Alan T]

Finished my first Civ V game during a conference call :)


As Japan, won a domination victory in turn 347 with a score of 3889. That was good enough for a ranking of Augustus Cesar.

As mentioned this morning, the default settings are obviously super easy, probably for beginners or people not familiar with Civ games.

Time to crank up the difficulty a few notches and give the game a proper whirl, the first game was absolutely zero challenge.

[Ksyrup]

The game should be in

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v

(or somewhere inside the Steam folder)

Right click on CivilizationV.exe , Send To -> Desktop

That'll create the shortcut for the desktop. The shortcut will start Steam and then start the game.

Thanks. I was going to check that when I got home tonight. Although apparently it won't work right now...?

[Glengoyne]

I haven't taken the plunge yet. I did read Tom Chick's Review (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3181540&p=) though. He's not in love.

I really enjoyed his Parabola description.

[molson]

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.

Which reminds me - how's the gametime in V? That was a big early issue in CIV IV. I like my CIV games to take an obnoxiously long time. Like weeks.

[bhlloy]

I haven't taken the plunge yet. I did read Tom Chick's Review (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?pager.offset=1&cId=3181540&p=) though. He's not in love.

I really enjoyed his Parabola description.

He's right on a few things. Diplomacy has definitely taken a step back and almost feels random now(in my one game so far nearly every nation has been at war with me and then a few turns after peace is declared, they are back to offering me pacts and open borders). I'd have much rather they taken away the additional graphics and voiceovers and just left the old interface and functions in place.

I've also seen some very interesting math with regards to resources, but I don't know if those are bugs or just my poor understanding of how the underlying game works. If the latter, they could definitely be explained more clearly.

All being said, no way that stuff adds up to a C game.

[Glengoyne]

...

All being said, no way that stuff adds up to a C game.

Just by what I've gathered by living vicariously, I agree with you. A grade of C is pretty Harsh. I'm guessing that grade is more indicative of how Civ V a few days in would stand up against the great strategy games of yesteryear. I'm a Tom Chick fan from back in the days of his fight club, but a C looks less than generous.

[Cringer]

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.

Which reminds me - how's the gametime in V? That was a big early issue in CIV IV. I like my CIV games to take an obnoxiously long time. Like weeks.

I have always been a marathon player as long as they have had that mode. It seems like the same old marathon, though I am wondering if I could play marathon all the time on this game. My first game was marathon but due to dumb mistake getting to know the game (I did no pre-reading on Civ V at all) I was doing crappy. The game felt like normal marathon length though even though I only played until 1100 BC. My second game which I still have going I took the next speed down just to give it a try. This speed may be a better fit for me in this game but I will play marathon on game #3 all the way through before I know for sure.

[Sublime 2]

I have terrible willpower, downloading now.

[Passacaglia]

What are the pros and cons of playing marathon (in general, not just specific to this version)?

[Alan T]

Some of his review I agree with, the diplomacy part is one of my bigger gripes so far. I disagree with him on the interface though. The more I play, the more the interface grows on me. I enjoy how it makes some tasks easier.

[Alan T]

What are the pros and cons of playing marathon (in general, not just specific to this version)?


Mostly just a longer game timewise. You have to pace certain things out differently as times for how many turns things take changes. If you really enjoy the different parts of the game you likely will enjoy marathon. If you don't enjoy the early parts of the game and prefer late game, you likely won't enjoy it.

[bronconick]

Just something I've noticed since my laptop surpasses minimum but falls short of recommended, but as you move into the later game and you find yourself sitting for a minute or two while it rotates through after you hit next turn, try going to the dorky looking strategic map just before clicking next turn and I've found it moves a bit faster. I've been doing that while at peace (I prefer to watch my enemies bash themselves on my superior troops when at war) and it picked up the pace some for me.

[mrkilla22]

Anybody up for a multiplayer game sometime?

[Cringer]

Just something I've noticed since my laptop surpasses minimum but falls short of recommended, but as you move into the later game and you find yourself sitting for a minute or two while it rotates through after you hit next turn, try going to the dorky looking strategic map just before clicking next turn and I've found it moves a bit faster. I've been doing that while at peace (I prefer to watch my enemies bash themselves on my superior troops when at war) and it picked up the pace some for me.

Thanks, will try this out if it comes to this. My laptop is the same, about 1/3 of the way between minimum and recommended on Can You Play It? It's new, has a i5, but no dedicated graphics (though I must say for integrated graphics the i5 does a pretty decent job I guess).

[bhlloy]

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

[CleBrownsfan]

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

What lvl are you playing on? I'm playing on Prince and I'm not seeing nations declaring war on me. I had France and Germany pissed off at me but they had their reasons to.

[sabotai]

They ain't kidding when they call it Marathon. I was well passed 300+ turns and still in the BC years.

[Atocep]

Diplomacy definitely has me a bit annoyed so far... I'm basically just rotating between being at war and at peace between the 4-5 nations on my continent. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it either, it's not like I'm ignoring their demands or making any demands myself. Honestly, I don't like what they've done with diplomacy at all and it seems to get worse the longer I play.

The rest of the game is awesome... but this definitely has the potential to be a big downer. Interested to hear if others have the same opinion or if there are ways to play diplomatically and not have the rest of the world declare war on you every 50 turns no matter what.

AI civs seem to be much more protective of their borders and aware of what you're doing. If you build close to a civ that's militaristic then you can pretty much guarantee there's going to be war.

Another thing to keep in mind is the AI actually plays to win now according to Firaxis. Not only that each has a preferred path to victory. However, if a Civ that generally prefers winning one way sees that another civ has them beat there then they will either switch things up or attempt to take you out.

They've supposedly taken a huge step forward with the AI in terms of it actually having a clue what it's doing and having goals. There's probably some things that need to be tweaked over the next couple of patches, but there's definitely going to be an adjustment period for everyone since they're playing against more intelligent AI.

[Cringer]

IF you have an older PC or a laptop just over the minimum requirements, try Game Booster 2. Not sure it helps a ton but it's a nice easy way to shut down all unneeded programs and clear our your RAM for when you are gaming, for some every little thing helps.

It's in beta, and free...
Game better with Game Booster 2 beta | Crave - CNET (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20016272-1.html)

[bhlloy]

Yeah, my second game seemed much better as I wasn't stuck between Germany and the Aztecs (who I assume are 2 civs that like to win military style if they can) They did a pretty good job in the end of ending my first game, just as I thought I'd beaten the Aztec wave for the loss of most of my units but with my cities intact, the Germans showed up with multiple catapults and another 10-15 foot units and just kicked my ass. AI is clearly much better. Still wish there was more feedback on diplomacy and it was more like the old system, but this time through nobody has even gone hostile with me yet.

[Atocep]

Yeah, my second game seemed much better as I wasn't stuck between Germany and the Aztecs (who I assume are 2 civs that like to win military style if they can) They did a pretty good job in the end of ending my first game, just as I thought I'd beaten the Aztec wave for the loss of most of my units but with my cities intact, the Germans showed up with multiple catapults and another 10-15 foot units and just kicked my ass. AI is clearly much better. Still wish there was more feedback on diplomacy and it was more like the old system, but this time through nobody has even gone hostile with me yet.

Lack of diplomatic feedback is probably my biggest gripe so far.

[Butter]

Just ordered my new desktop from Dell, now I have to wait the 2 weeks for it to build and ship and THEN I'm totally playing the shit out of this.

My less than 2 year old other system wouldn't even come close to handling this, so it is now becoming the "kid's computer".

Oh, and btw this was mostly my wife's idea, so I am nominating her for a spot in the wife HoF for this. She'll probably end up playing just as much if not more than me, so it all works out.

[Ben E Lou]

compare the first version to BtS 3.19.I purchased yesterday, played with the tutorial last night, and will start a game tonight, but this is my overarching thought before having really touched it. I'm fully expecting a solid game now, and an amazing game once the patches and expansions are out.

Found the intro video to be especially well done... Very classy and sets the mood nicely!Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

I guess I'm in the minority on this point, but I'm not yet sold on the ability of land units to move across the water without transports - I thought the logistical problems of moving invading forces over bodies of water added some depth. Haven't played yet, but I'm thinking the same thing here.

My impressions of the impressions are positive - sounds a lot like CIV IV when it first came out. I'm still loving CIV IV, so I'm just going to pass on this until the first expansions/mods really get out and rolling. I didn't really get into CIV IV until the longer gametime setting and info Mods were implemented.See above. I'll play it and enjoy it for what it is for now, but the final version of Civ IV will probably remain on my machine (and get played) until at least the first patch. I just finished a very long Civ IV game on Monday, as a matter of fact.

[Alan T]

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.




Seems you have to let it play for a few seconds. I find hitting some combination of Escape, Enter and my left mouse button eventually stops it. Some form of the game must be loading in the background or something at the beginning when I can't stop it. So maybe the slower your machine, the longer it takes before you can interrupt it possibly. usually I can stop the video after 5-7 seconds though

[chesapeake]

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

I had the same problem. I kept banging on esc, enter, and anything else I could think of and eventually it stopped, so it is possible to skip it.

I'm only about 2 hours into my first game and I don't have a full impression yet. I have noticed that standard on V feels a lot like marathon on IV.

[MizzouRah]

Anyone else order from Amazon?

I have a bonus code for "Cradle of Civilzation Map Pack"

Anyone know what that is? My game hasn't arrived yet.

[Galaril]

I purchased yesterday, played with the tutorial last night, and will start a game tonight, but this is my overarching thought before having really touched it. I'm fully expecting a solid game now, and an amazing game once the patches and expansions are out.

Is there a way to stop it immediately, though? Once I've seen it once, I don't need to see the whole thing again. Escape didn't seem to do anything.

Haven't played yet, but I'm thinking the same thing here.

See above. I'll play it and enjoy it for what it is for now, but the final version of Civ IV will probably remain on my machine (and get played) until at least the first patch. I just finished a very long Civ IV game on Monday, as a matter of fact.


Ben,

For those of you who are interested in disabling the intro video here are some instructions:

Navigate to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization V/
Look for the file "Usersettings.ini" and open it in a text editor like Notepad
Search for the variable "SkipIntroVideo = 0"
Change the 0 to 1

Enjoy

[Buccaneer]

Regarding game speed, I believe you take the speed you played Civ4 and go down one. In other words, Epic players like me should play Civ5 at Normal.

[Buccaneer]

SkipIntroVideo = 0

Making this change will produce a black screen for about 30 seconds with no activity before you get to the main menu.

[Buccaneer]

Glad to see Ben and the others here, sort of like a civvers support group.

One of the fears I had with Steam was them preventing me from playing. Once I had a message that it was too busy so I couldn't start up my SP game. That frightens me. I now have it in off-line mode so hopefully I won't see that again.

The other thing is downloading mods. Instead of users being able to control what and when mods are downloaded, we are now at the mercy of @%#$! Steam. Kael has provided one of my requested mods of having single-unit graphics but Steam is having problems allowing some to download it. I haven't checked this morning but I'll get into the game for real once I am able to do that.

[Cringer]

City-states got even better for me when earlier this morning I saw them all band together and declare war on America for being to aggressive towards them. Short time after I attacked one that I had two allied City-states wanting crushed, and I got a warning that the rest of the City-states were watching me to see if I kept attacking them (I had captured one early in the game already).

[JetsIn06]

Wow, I'm absolutely loving this game. I'm having one problem though.

I'm playing as America, and I started off on a continent with Rome and Greece. I took care of Greece quickly, and got into a few battles with Rome but eventually we shook hands and signed a peace treaty.

Now, the issue is, it's almost 200 turns later, and after Rome attacked my buddy city-state of Oslo, I wanted to kick their ass. But it wouldn't let me, saying I can't declare war until our peace treaty is over.

I went into the Diplomacy Overview and we do not have a peace treaty anymore. It must have expired at LEAST 150 turns or so ago.

Is this a bug, or am I missing something?

[the_meanstrosity]

Glad to see Ben and the others here, sort of like a civvers support group.

One of the fears I had with Steam was them preventing me from playing. Once I had a message that it was too busy so I couldn't start up my SP game. That frightens me. I now have it in off-line mode so hopefully I won't see that again.

The other thing is downloading mods. Instead of users being able to control what and when mods are downloaded, we are now at the mercy of @%#$! Steam. Kael has provided one of my requested mods of having single-unit graphics but Steam is having problems allowing some to download it. I haven't checked this morning but I'll get into the game for real once I am able to do that.

Bucc,

Can you download the mod from a third party site and then install it into the appropriate directory? I know TF2 and L4D allow that with maps.

[Buccaneer]

Bucc,

Can you download the mod from a third party site and then install it into the appropriate directory? I know TF2 and L4D allow that with maps.

No, there are only two files in the database - both pre-made maps. Perhaps they are forcing some mods to only be accessible through Steam.

[Galaril]

City-states got even better for me when earlier this morning I saw them all band together and declare war on America for being to aggressive towards them. Short time after I attacked one that I had two allied City-states wanting crushed, and I got a warning that the rest of the City-states were watching me to see if I kept attacking them (I had captured one early in the game already).

Just as a note since someone mentioned City states were spammed in game if you go to advanced game options you can change almost anything even the weather on the map from hot to wet to cold. You can also change how many city states there are, resource seeding amount etc among many other variables before the map gets generated from there.

[McLovin]

Wow, I'm absolutely loving this game. I'm having one problem though.

I'm playing as America, and I started off on a continent with Rome and Greece. I took care of Greece quickly, and got into a few battles with Rome but eventually we shook hands and signed a peace treaty.

Now, the issue is, it's almost 200 turns later, and after Rome attacked my buddy city-state of Oslo, I wanted to kick their ass. But it wouldn't let me, saying I can't declare war until our peace treaty is over.

I went into the Diplomacy Overview and we do not have a peace treaty anymore. It must have expired at LEAST 150 turns or so ago.

Is this a bug, or am I missing something?

Thinking a bug..I'm playing as Germany and wanted to attack England with my new bud Japan but then I noticed England had armies on my land. I thought I had an open borders treaty with them but I didn't , it expired over 150 turns ago

[Ben E Lou]

I'm seeing a fair bit of talk about difficulty levels being too easy. I'm not sure what the default one is. Where should I start?

[Greyroofoo]

I would start at least one difficulty level above where you usually play.

[Schmidty]

I'm assuming that this has been discussed, but isn't there waaaaay too many city-states in the normal game setup?

[Alan T]

I'm seeing a fair bit of talk about difficulty levels being too easy. I'm not sure what the default one is. Where should I start?


The default level of Chieftan is super easy. I'm now trying Prince but haven't had enough time to play it through yet. So far it is better, but still might be easy.

[Alan T]

I'm assuming that this has been discussed, but isn't there waaaaay too many city-states in the normal game setup?


I actually like that aspect myself.

[Ben E Lou]

Hmmm....game is crashing when I try to play a random map custom game, huge map. Is there a known crash with certain kinds of larger maps or custom games or something? My PC should be able to handle pretty much anything (quad-core, 4GB RAM, etc. etc. etc.)

[Ben E Lou]

Maybe it's random maps. Worked fine with Continents and all same settings. I did dial down the graphics as well. (Had everything maxed out.) *shurg*

[Cringer]

Haven't read up on known problems at all. The only problem I have had so far is 10 minutes into my first game the graphics started going wacky on me and when I scrolled the screen there would be a million of everything, the game was still going though so I saved and shut it down. Started it back up and had it open for 9 hrs with no problem. Yesterday I had it happen twice in a row. They all three happened with different graphic settings. Things have been stable where i have them now, which actually isn"t the lowest I have had things set to. No idea...............

[Galaril]

I'm assuming that this has been discussed, but isn't there waaaaay too many city-states in the normal game setup?

Like I said earlier you can change to how ever many you wnat to apear in game. I had a standard map continents and turned it down to 8 from the 12 that was the default.

[PadresFan104]

Took a day off from work yesterday, and played for 10 hours, finishing (winning) my game in 2050 on the default (Chieftain) level. Yeah, I know it's for beginner's - but I wanted an easy go of it since I hadn't played a Civ game in a while. Surprisingly, it was still kinda challenging for a bit, so I obviously am on the low end of the Civ learning curve.

I played as America, and found myself on a large continent with Russia and the Aztecs. I was wary of the Aztecs and made it a point to build up my military in order to take care of them sooner rather than later. After taking 2 of their 3 cities I acquiesced to their call for peace. Big mistake. First of all, during my war with the Aztecs, Russia was expanding big time. Second, as soon as the war was over the Aztecs started re-expanding into lands I wanted, but hadn't secured.

As soon as the peace treaty was over, I decided to make a final push for the Aztec capital, but as luck would have it, the only way I could get to it was by going through Mother Russia's territory. The bitch Catherine wouldn't grant me access, but I was focused on wiping our the Aztecs. So I thought I would just quickly rush my troops through, wipe out the Aztecs, then apologize to Catherine.

My plan didn't work too well, as I was being besieged by Russia's overwhelming land forces before I reached the Aztec capital. And Catherine wasn't taking any of my pleas for peace. Said she needed to teach my war-mongering ass a lesson, or something like that. When the fighting finally ended, I had lost 2 cities.

I eventually took the tech lead and steamrolled over Russia around 1990 (they had conquered the Aztecs in the years prior), and every Russian 19th century unit that died at the wrong end of my mechanized infantry muzzles felt especially gratifying. Great animation for these sequences by the way. Love it when the sword-men rush the armored vehicles and start banging away in vain! Funny stuff...

I eventually won on points alone, but I think I could have won the UN Vote, if I had only known to pay-off the remaining city states. Lesson learned.

So I was engrossed for those 10 hours, which I think is a high complement to Civ 5, since I have owned every version of Civ, but have probably finished less than 15 games total. No crashes in 10 hours of gameplay, and the only bug I noticed was that one of my cities didn't have any "City Tile" graphics, although it worked just fine.

Can't wait to try a game at the next level up!

[SackAttack]

I'm curious if this POS computer could handle Civ 5 on the 'strategy' overlay view, although I have my doubts.

How do I turn that on?

[spleen1015]

I'm curious if this POS computer could handle Civ 5 on the 'strategy' overlay view, although I have my doubts.

How do I turn that on?

It is one of the buttons down there by the mini map.

[SackAttack]

I just got almost three times as far in strategy mode as I ever did in 'regular,' so apparently that doesn't tax the hardware nearly as much. I'd still be playing, 'cept I got a phone call that required me to use my browser and didn't wanna leave the game running in the background.

Hot diggity.

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyone get the "special edition" game on Steam? If so, could you tell me how to get the sound track?

[Buccaneer]

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\sid meier's civilization v\Assets\DLC\DLC_Deluxe\Soundtrack

[CleBrownsfan]

Thanks Bucc

[ColtCrazy]

I'll definitely have to change my plans a little. I'm not a huge warmonger in the game. I play defensively and like to build up my cities production. I might assist others to keep the balance of power aligned, but mostly don't do a lot of wars until later in the game.

Can't do that now. Messed around far too long with some city-states and didn't build up fast enough. Watched Japan become a major power. I didn't roll over in a war with them, lost only one city, but after a 7 hour game, I wasn't where I usually am and that's a cool thing. AI is much better.

I'm playing on Epic, which is tedious early on, but I like being able to stay in an era for a very long time. I've seen some impressive early armies around.

[SackAttack]

spleen1015 is my new favorite poster.

[bhlloy]

I'll definitely have to change my plans a little. I'm not a huge warmonger in the game. I play defensively and like to build up my cities production. I might assist others to keep the balance of power aligned, but mostly don't do a lot of wars until later in the game.

Can't do that now. Messed around far too long with some city-states and didn't build up fast enough. Watched Japan become a major power. I didn't roll over in a war with them, lost only one city, but after a 7 hour game, I wasn't where I usually am and that's a cool thing. AI is much better.

I'm playing on Epic, which is tedious early on, but I like being able to stay in an era for a very long time. I've seen some impressive early armies around.


This exactly mirrors the way I have played in the past and my thoughts on the new game. You can't just skate by ignoring the military side and buying people off through diplomacy to avoid going to war anymore. If you are weak and the AI can take advantage of it, they are going to. It's a bit unsettling at first but in terms of a challenging game, it's pretty awesome.

[Buccaneer]

rah's strategy on using City-States

Apolyton Civilization Site - CITY STATES, who's your buddy (http://apolyton.net/content.php/126-CITY-STATES-who-s-your-buddy)

[RainMaker]

I'm tempted to read that but think I'm going to have more fun figuring out strategies on my own. I was a big fan of going through forums and reading how people played and while it helped a lot, it also made me grow out of the game faster.

[spleen1015]

spleen1015 is my new favorite poster.

Glad to help!

[spleen1015]

I am having a problem seeing how happiness is effected by certain things. For example, I was I believe at 2 :) and I built a new city. Then I went to 1 :(. In Civ 4, I had the ability to see that doing certain things would create unhappiness. Am I missing it here some where?

[SackAttack]

I am having a problem seeing how happiness is effected by certain things. For example, I was I believe at 2 :) and I built a new city. Then I went to 1 :(. In Civ 4, I had the ability to see that doing certain things would create unhappiness. Am I missing it here some where?

Building cities and population growth both drain from the happiness pool. I think it's one or two unhappiness for building a city and one for each new point of population, if memory serves.

[Atocep]

I am having a problem seeing how happiness is effected by certain things. For example, I was I believe at 2 :) and I built a new city. Then I went to 1 :(. In Civ 4, I had the ability to see that doing certain things would create unhappiness. Am I missing it here some where?

Hover your mouse over the happy face and you get a detailed breakdown of what's providing both happiness and unhappiness.

Sack is correct, 2 unhappiness for each city and 1 for each population point in your Civ.

[henry296]

Here are some of my first impressions from my 1st game. Started on Warlord since I normally played Prince in Civ4. Standard sized continents map as Japan (random). I like it... up late that last 2 nights.

1. The AI expands slowly. I had about 5 cities and they only had 2. Still plenty of land for more.
2. I like city-states. I had one just to my north who I quickly allied who served as a cushion between my only AI rival.
3. Later another city-state asked for help on a 3rd so I tested the new combat system. With few units it was just a matter of wearing down their city which I dead.
4. I later got samuri and declared war on Siam my only AI rival. Between Samuri and Horseman and barely need to use ranged attack to wipe them out. However, now I have a happiness problem but I have Colosseum's and Circuses under construction which should help.
5. Just now waiting to discover the other civs.
6. I can launch the game from my desktop and Steam is not open in my taskbar.

So far, so good.

[Atocep]

1. The AI expands slowly. I had about 5 cities and they only had 2. Still plenty of land for more.

Rapid expansionism isn't as important as it was in previous Civ games. There's actually significant downsides to it. Your Civ will have to produce a lot more culture to get Social Policy points, maintenance on roads can add up, and the 2 unhappiness per city and 1 per population point can be a pain.

The upsides are still there, but I like how it's just as viable to win the game with 3-4 cities as it is with 9-10 now. Different routes to get there, but at least there is a route for a small civ to take to victory.

[henry296]

I seemed to be doing okay on the happiness front until I took over their 4 cities. I'll see how this large empire does.

[Cringer]

Rapid expansionism isn't as important as it was in previous Civ games. There's actually significant downsides to it. Your Civ will have to produce a lot more culture to get Social Policy points, maintenance on roads can add up, and the 2 unhappiness per city and 1 per population point can be a pain.

The upsides are still there, but I like how it's just as viable to win the game with 3-4 cities as it is with 9-10 now. Different routes to get there, but at least there is a route for a small civ to take to victory.

I think even if you expand a lot in this game it will never really match previous versions. In Civ IV I would often go after the domination win, over 36% of world population and over 50% of land....something like that. The whole game became a race to expand as fast as possible many times.

I think this game makes it a touch more realistic. It is the 1700's AD and I don't have 30 cities, there is still a ton of space for everyone to expand.

[Big Fo]

Maritime city-states are very useful. I am allied with two of them, both give me +3 food in all of my cities at this tech level (and +5 food in the capital). That helps newer cities get to size 5-6 really quickly which is nice. Plus you can skip granaries and some of the other food boosting buildings and focus on the ones that increase production/happiness/culture.

[NevStar]

Played first game into early Industrial Era, but now my save is corrupted.

Load Game is disabled, I get a "Currently enabled mods are not compatible with this save game" message, but I don't have any mods downloaded. :(

Get the same problem with most autosaves, but one from 1300 AD works. But I don't want to lose about 100 turns. Guess I'll start over. Meh.

[Flasch186]

Im just about at the AD mark and the laptop is slowing down quite a bit. Guess ill turn down on the greed and lower most of my graphics settings :)

[Galaril]

Geez, played first game about 4 hours on standard map on the third level Chieftain I think with 10 city-states, ab undant resources and continents. I was America and quickly built three cities got them up and running and got them all linked with roads. I played peaceful not attacking anyone just so I could grow and that worked good until 1220 AD when damn Russia a real war monger that had been in a long 500 year long confrontation with German who we had sided with alittle attacked us. When she attacked she really brought. Russia attacked two of our cities including the capital with a couple units each and I had not seen it coming so I have very little combat units to battle them. I guess I will be firing up the war machine to deal with this threat. One question:We had just started sending out ships to navigate the oceans and found some new lands owned by France who we traded with. I am not sure if we immediately get those resources for our empire or if we have to get the ship back to one of our maritime cities for it to kick in?

[Ksyrup]

I can't wait to have some time to really play this. Been on the road and work/life in general, all I've really been able to do is make sure it works and play 5-10 turns just to see how tthings function.

I'll be on vacation the week of the 4th, though. Just in time for Jim to release a new FOF. :cool:

[MizzouRah]

FedEx, please deliver my copy today.

[CleBrownsfan]

Nice to have the weekend to really dig into a game. Can't wait!!

[Jughead Spock]

Picked it up tonight. Loaded, runs, that's as far as I've gotten. But this weekend is GONE.

[Ben E Lou]

Oh yeah: I am going to be at a client site over next weekend. I only have to work three hours on that Saturday, none on Sunday. My wife-God bless her wonderful soul-is letting me take her souped-up laptop with me so I can play Civ 5 in the evenings and over that weekend while I'm away.

[MizzouRah]

Mine has arrived!

Installed and played the first 2 tutorials.. going to be a nice Sunday night/early Monday morning.

[Vince, Pt. II]

So my first real crash happened today. Not really sure what it was related to. At the end of a turn right around the BC/AD switch. About to fire it back up to see where my recent auto-save put me.

Playing as France, and I'm really enjoying the culture bonus early on. I was placed on a small piece of a continent completely cut off from the rest by mountains, and I share my piece with a maritime city-state. I too am unused to the lack of expansionism that has been so prevalent in prior editions of Civ, so I quickly grabbed up the expansionist Civics and started expanding. Once I realized that you didn't need to expand quite so quickly, I had already popped out three cities and had a third settler on the way. I expanded across the channel near me to a small island that had nothing but another city-state on it, and I'll probably curb my expansion there.

It looks as if Japan and Arabia are jumping all over the Songhai on the other end of my continent, and they have convinced one of the city-states to jump with them. Arabia seems to be the stronger civ, but the Japanese have a solid 5 cities and a slightly better backbone of land to develop on. The Songhai are only two cities (one recently developed), so I expect them to get steamrolled pretty quickly.

I've decided to start girding myself up militarily - since I'm isolated I have a very weak military at the moment - but I find myself with access to only 2 units of Iron. Looking around, it seems that the only Iron available is WAY over on the other end of my continent, right by a city-state. Happily enough, that very same city-state started asking for The Colossus the very next turn. I churned up the production in one of my coastal cities and managed to knock out the Colossus in about 7 turns (Golden Age fortuitously timed as well). Completing the wonder garnered me about 40 reputation with the city-state, and a nice large gold donation after kicked me way up to 115/60 on the friendship meter, making the city-state my ally and giving me access to the 4 Iron resources that they have! Sadly, this is precisely where my game crashed, so I'll have to see how far back I'm going to have to go to get back up to speed.

I absolutely LOVE the strategy that the city-states have added into the game. Being able to acquire a strategic resource that I otherwise would not have access to simply by garnering favor with the AI - and it wasn't exactly a trivial amount of favor, 500 gold and building a wonder of the world - is incredible. I wonder how City-states work in multi-player? I mean, if I snag this city-state as an ally because of the Iron, I'm certain other civs would be interested in it as well. Can the city-state be allied with more than one civ? I can't wait to explore the game more :)

[tyketime]

Oh yeah: I am going to be at a client site over next weekend. I only have to work three hours on that Saturday, none on Sunday. My wife-God bless her wonderful soul-is letting me take her souped-up laptop with me so I can play Civ 5 in the evenings and over that weekend while I'm away.

Runs perfectly well on my desktop. Not so much on my "souped-up laptop". What kind of specs does your laptop have that allows it to run? Do you run it in DirectX v9 or v10/11?