Civ 4/5, Stronghold... Learning curve?

[Rakewell]

Never played any of the civ games, and Amazon has an unbelievable price for 4 & 5, plus Stronghold.

I'm thinking of buying, but before I do: What's the learning curve like?

Plus,

I played TA, C&C, & SupCom over the years ... Will I like Civ?

Thanks -

 

[HydroSqueegee]

Civ is turned based... soo maybe. really fantastic though. Stronghold may be right up your line though. another great game.

 

[darkewaffle]

I'd never played any of the Civ games but still thoroughly enjoyed Civ5. It's a bit overwhelming at first trying to get a handle on the best way to build and expand to reach a winning condition, but it starts making much more sense after a few games. Multiplayer is great too with some friends, just make sure you turn on the turn timer lol.

 

[biostud]

It's pretty easy to play, but difficult to master. You can just play on an easy setting and there will be lots of tutoring during play. Civ V is easier as it isn't as complex as IV, I prefer V but many hardcore players prefer IV. Very good games. Prepare to loose a lot of hours

 

[paperfist]

Play Civ 4 first if you buy! It does have a bit of a learning curve as there's a lot to do and master. There is a guided tutorial to help along the way.

 

[sigurros81]

You'll get it just fine. I'm not a big turn-based gamer but I got into Civ4 pretty easily. There are a lot of things that you'll discover as you play, so don't concern yourself with not being a pro player right away.

I find that Civ5 is a much easier game to get into, but overall not as fun of a game compared to Civ4.

 

[clamum]

I bought IV about a month ago and have put a few hours or so into it, and I have never played a Civilization game before (though plenty of RTS games). Thankfully like others said there's some in game tips to help you along.

The biggest thing for me has been deciding (more like guessing really) what to build, research, etc in order to ultimately win. It's definitely a complex game!

 

[PowerYoga]

Just remember.

spearman > tanks.

That's all.

 

[Ashenor]

Whats the deal on amazon right for them? Thinking about trying them also.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Already had Civ 4/5, but Stronghold collection for $10 on Amazon lightened my wallet a bit today.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

civ can have a high learning curve imo, but i you have played any of the early ones shouldn't be a problem.

stronghold didnt have much learning curve from what i recall, they ease you into it

 

[SMOGZINN]

The key thing to remember about Civ is that you don't win all every game even in single player. As someone else said, it is an easy game to play and a hard game to master. The brilliance of the game is that you enjoy it even when you lose.

 

[Kalmah]

Stronghold is one of my all time favorites. Too bad the sequels have been piss poor. (crusader was good though) It's easy to get into. It's not really complex but loads of fun. I'm not sure how the graphics will look though.

 

[Zstream]

Civ 5 is super easy, I played it on easy/medium?/hard and always quit because I know its only a matter of time before I beat my enemy. I did purchase Civ 4 but have not played the game at all.

 

[Craig234]

I was thinking 'play civ 5' first, it's more 'polished' and a bit easier to play and then if he wants more, try civ 4.

 

[darkewaffle]

Civ 5 is super easy, I played it on easy/medium?/hard and always quit because I know its only a matter of time before I beat my enemy.

That's why you play on "higher than hard". Emperor and Deity (iirc) are pretty punishing.

 

[frozentundra123456]

civ can have a high learning curve imo, but i you have played any of the early ones shouldn't be a problem.

stronghold didnt have much learning curve from what i recall, they ease you into it

I have tried several time to get into the Civ games. I have to admit I just cant get the hang of it. Game just seems to go on and on until finally I reach parts of the map that block further exploration and i dont know what to do. I really want to like it, but seem to always get stuck in a stalemate.

 

[Mopetar]

I have tried several time to get into the Civ games. I have to admit I just cant get the hang of it. Game just seems to go on and on until finally I reach parts of the map that block further exploration and i dont know what to do. I really want to like it, but seem to always get stuck in a stalemate.

If you hit ocean, build a boat.

Might not hurt to start with Civ II either. It's a lot less complex than the later entries so there's less to get bogged down with.

 

[Nebor]

I got hooked on Civilization Revolutions on my phone a while back, so I bought Civ 5 on Steam. The first time I started the game I was deluged with Steam messages from friends telling me I was about to have an awesome time, that we should play together once I got the hang of it, etc. I played for over 2 hours and didn't really feel like I'd made any substantial progress. I quit and asked a friend, and they said that a normal game can take up to 24 hours. I never tried it again.

 

[MeldarthX]

Love the Civ games - pretty much played all of them - why Civ was voted by many on many occasions as the greatest game of all time; because it started it all

Stronghold is also one of my favorites - 2 was ok once patched. Same with 3 - I like 3 over 2 simply because goes back to the original story and is pretty damn brutial on settings

Civ 5 tends to be a bit easier than 4 but both are a blast to play.....you will lose hours......

 

[SMOGZINN]

I have tried several time to get into the Civ games. I have to admit I just cant get the hang of it. Game just seems to go on and on until finally I reach parts of the map that block further exploration and i dont know what to do. I really want to like it, but seem to always get stuck in a stalemate.

You should be building cities as you go, at least some of those cities should be on the coast so they can build boats. Boats will let you explore the water, and you can load units onto boats to transport to new continents.

But eventually you run out of things to explore. Then you have to focus on building your cities larger and more powerful so you can create a powerful military to defend your cities and conquer other empires and expand into those conquered cities.

I got hooked on Civilization Revolutions on my phone a while back, so I bought Civ 5 on Steam. The first time I started the game I was deluged with Steam messages from friends telling me I was about to have an awesome time, that we should play together once I got the hang of it, etc. I played for over 2 hours and didn't really feel like I'd made any substantial progress. I quit and asked a friend, and they said that a normal game can take up to 24 hours. I never tried it again.

Civ games are not played in one sitting. You play a few rounds (then a just a few rounds more) and then save the game and come back to it later.

 

[thm1223]

I'm truly bummed that Firefly Studios never made a quality sequel to Stronghold Crusader. It was truly a great castle sim, and all of its predecessors were complete crap. The thought of how much more intricate the graphics could be today, let alone the gameplay mechanics, makes me cringe.