Civilization V First Thoughts Part 2


Civ 5 tells me I need to set some city production
Civ 5 tells me I need to set some city production

Interestingly, the game appears not to pop up and tell you to choose city production, you have to notice that in the bottom right, same for science and so on…..At least it doesn’t let you skip a turn before you worry about that.  So I actually like it better.  It was far too easy to say you’d deal with something later and then forget.  And all the messages queue up there for you to read.  I used ALWAYS lose track of those in civ 4.  Especially since they used to appear when I was busy on something else and disappear before I could act on them.  And here’s what it looks like when you decide to what to build.

Civ 5 Choosing what to build in my first city
Civ 5 Choosing what to build in my first city

I choose a scout first and that turns out to be a good thing as I’ll reveal later.  Then it’s time to choose where to go scientifically.

Civ 5 selecting technology to research
Civ 5 selecting technology to research

Since i’m right next to a mountain, I go for mining first.  Then I send my warrior out to explore this continent.

Civ 5 exploring
Civ 5 exploring

I like how the advisors are grouped together rather than spread out.  Before it was so tedious to visit them all.

Civ 5 Advisors
Civ 5 Advisors

Ruins take the place of huts and that makes a bit more sense in Civ while huts make more sense in Colonization.

Civ 5 Finding Ruins
Civ 5 Finding Ruins

And here’s some info about ruins.

Civ 5 Some info on ruins
Civ 5 Some info on ruins

Looks like you can’t use space to end turn, but I guess that’s because of the interface changes to let you know to move units and build in your cities.  Units can still be told to chill with space and r still builds roads.

Civ 5 - I love the banner on top that tells you the year
Civ 5 – I love the banner on top that tells you the year

First improvement I build is a farm…rather than irrigation?  In fact, it looks like irrigation is gone now.  I find a second set of ruins.  Then I find some enemy units in a fortification (barbarians).

Civ 5 - Barbarians!
Civ 5 – Barbarians!

War looks awesome.  Not killing a unit doesn’t mean you die.  In other words, you can have combat where you lose hit points but don’t die.  It’s not as final as in civ 4.  It’s more like everyone has the withdraw upgrade from civ 4.  (Imperfect analogy)

Civ 5 - my workers finish up with the farm and glow with potential?
Civ 5 – my workers finish up with the farm and glow with potential?

It costs culture to change civics – now called policies so you need to know which to pick.  They provide much more targeted bonuses now.  It’s pretty awesome.  Wheels needs to be discovered for roads.

Civ 5 - awesome new city screen
Civ 5 – awesome new city screen

Met my first city state.  Unfortunately, it’s militaristic!  Actually, at least at the easiest difficulty level, this turns out to be a good thing.  It means he gifts me military units.  At first, keeping them happy sucks.  It takes so much money.  But later they ask me to get rid of those barbarians I found above and then they’re essentially my friends forever because now it’s easy to just shunt a payment off to them every once in a while to keep the friendship and keep the free units coming.

Civ 5 - first city-state I meet
Civ 5 – first city-state I meet

Tip:  you have to click “show queue” to queue up city production.  Oh, so now there are natural wonders and you get benefits for building near them.  I found Mt Fuji.

Civ 5 - finding Mt Fuji
Civ 5 – finding Mt Fuji
Civ 5 - Most well-fed civs
Civ 5 – Most well-fed civs

Found the Germans.  it’s so cool that he speak German when I meet Bismarck.

Civ 5 - Germans!
Civ 5 – Germans!

Then I met the second city state, Dublin.  Also militaristic!  Third city state – copenhagen.  They’re at least maritime.  Finally found Berlin  Got my fist golden age!  Apparently this comes from happiness now!

My second city – Shanghai – gives me my first wonder, The Colossus.

Civ 5 - The Colossus under construction
Civ 5 – The Colossus under construction

I reach the midieval era by turn 88.  Turns out I’m rich!

Civ 5 - People who like Shiny Things
Civ 5 – People who like Shiny Things

Turns out only a certain number of horses are available to  use.

Civ 5 - Limited horses!
Civ 5 – Limited horses!
Civ 5 - fear the mighty army of the Chinese!
Civ 5 – fear the mighty army of the Chinese!

Eventually I get my first trireme!

Civ 5 - first trireme!
Civ 5 – first trireme!

Then I get two great scientists.  Bismarck gets a bit testy about that army I showed you above.  I like that the AI is playing more realistically, even on Cheiftan level!

Civ 5 - Bismarck is unhappy
Civ 5 – Bismarck is unhappy

Dublin attacks germany so I take my chances that he’ll be distracted and decide to go to war with him since he made a city where I’d wanted to make one before.

Civ 5 - ranged attack!
Civ 5 – ranged attack!
Civ 5 - I have you surrounded!
Civ 5 – I have you surrounded!

I take a city and have puppet, annex, and raze as options.  I annex it.

Civ 5 - Hamburg is mine!
Civ 5 – Hamburg is mine!

Bismark sues for peace and gives me 6 gold per turn, access to iron, access to horses,  329 gold, and his second city.  I raze this city because it’s too far.

Civ 5 - Bismarck Sues for Peace
Civ 5 – Bismarck Sues for Peace

Last thoughts?  The fact that you cannot stack units means you need to have more strategy because units can’t pass each other as easily.   In other words, the unit has to have enough movement points to make it past the other unit.  This is the first civ game wehere it makes sense to have your units on the edges of your civ, which is neat because it’s more realistic.  Finally, I get a great artist and a great work of art now called a culture bomb!  (Which is what it always was!)  I leave you with a view of my empire.

Civ 5 – My empire 1
Civ 5 - My empire 2
Civ 5 – My empire 2
Civ 5 - My empire 3
Civ 5 – My empire 3

8 responses to “Civilization V First Thoughts Part 2”

  1. Looking good!

    I hope you meet some more civs that might be a match against you, unlike ze Germans.

  2. Why is there no way to que what worker does?

    Why do i have to click “Change Production” and then show que to add to a cities que?
    And they why can I inject it first (with control key) as it will always be last.

    Why is there no mouse sensitivity option?

    Why on dual monitors, the game doesn’t recognize the right boarder and my mouse leaves the game…

    Otherwise amazing job. Actually i have a few more critiques…
    Great looking land scape, love the new combat system.

    No way to change camera angle? (control + arrow key in civ 4)

    Ai is some of the best of any game ever made.
    Except for city worker allocation. What a pain to manage compared to civ 4.

  3. But still the best game series ever. Or at least equal to the blizzards addictive series.
    Oh btw… BNet 2.0 could have be legendary.