Try "Zeus, Master of Olympus" and "Children of the Nile" for ultra-complex agrarian city-states (with regional trading partners/allies/rivals) for building-up rather than blowing-up civilization. Why gamers prefer destruction over creation is understandable, but it's still stupid.
@4 Depends. Civ 4, with a mod called "A New Dawn", is a substantially more complex game than Civ 5. Empires can fall to revolutions, there are a lot more techs and units, as well as corporations and religions to spread and deal with. But that does not necessarily mean more fun. I am really enjoying 5, but also still play 4. To me they are very different games with 4 being a long drawn out empire building game where you have to focus on lots of different things. 5 is more of a tactical game with the one unit per tile rule and an end to building massive armies.
The AI is a bit better in 4, but that has a lot to do with years of fan effort to improve it.
I love me my Civ, but when are they going to make Alpha Centauri II? Though I'll be honest, I won't be happy until they combine Civ & SMAC in one game.
As far as game play, my favorite was Civ II. The graphics were primitive by today's standards, but I liked the gameplay. Each version after that seemed to get better graphics but worse gameplay. But Civ V seems to be getting universally good reviews.
I don't have time to sink into Civ V right now. I'll probably put it on my X-mas list. :D
It's pretty great. The way that territory and combat are managed is a huge improvement over previous games. There are far fewer stupid accidents of bad luck that end the game for you.
I'm a huge fan of the series, and so far I think this may be the best overall game out of them all. It's different enough that I'll still continue to enjoy IV for what it offers, but I think V is ultimately a more rewarding experience.
@1 yeah, that's actually true.
The AI is a bit better in 4, but that has a lot to do with years of fan effort to improve it.
@5 Jesus fuck Will
I didn't really like CotN because of interface design issues, but I think I'll give it another shot. My dream game is a well-designed Rome civ game.
I'm kind of all over Minecraft right now, really.
I don't have time to sink into Civ V right now. I'll probably put it on my X-mas list. :D
I'm a huge fan of the series, and so far I think this may be the best overall game out of them all. It's different enough that I'll still continue to enjoy IV for what it offers, but I think V is ultimately a more rewarding experience.