Civilization (I, II, III, IV)

Civilization is a computer and video turns-based strategy/simulation game series developed by Sid Meier and first published in 1991 by MicroProse. It is one of the most successful strategy game franchises of all time, selling over 8 million copies and spawning four sequels, several expansion packs, and innumerable clones. Civilization has been released on numerous game platforms, including Atari ST, Amiga, Super NES, PlayStation, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360, but its most famous incarnation is as a PC and Mac game. It remains popular, appearing third in IGN's top 100 games of all time 2007, the second highest position for a computer game after Tetris.

The game traces the emergence of embryonic civilizations from their prehistoric origins (4000 b.c.e.) through to the nuclear age and beyond. After adopting a nation, players compete against other computer-controlled nations on a randomly generated world map. The game begins with only one or two settler units, which can be used to explore the local environment, transform the landscape, and found cities. Once founded, the resources of cities can be diverted toward different activities, such as creating more playable units of different kinds including military units, creating city improvements such as temples, harbors, and later power stations and airports; improving the wellbeing of citizens; and researching new technologies.

At first the game is invariably spent establishing and managing a handful of cities, setting research and development targets, and revealing more of the map through exploration, allowing the local environment to be converted into productive land. But sooner or later the embryonic civilizations in the game-world encounter each other, and competition over the limited resources—pursued through both war and diplomacy—commences. Victory is achieved either by destroying all other civilizations, reaching the end of the modern era with the highest score (2100 ce.), or developing the technology to build and successfully launch a spaceship that reaches Alpha Centauri.

One of the most distinctive features of Civilization is its knowledge and technology mapping system. By devoting resources to research, civilizations eventually “discover” new technologies that can be exploited in different ways. These discoveries are dependent on one another in a hierarchical tree; thus the player cannot begin working on advanced technologies, such as nuclear power, before working their way through more basic technologies, such as the alphabet, navigation and map-making, and later metallurgy, chemistry, and nuclear physics. Technological development holds the key to exploiting the game world, allowing the player not only to develop more advanced combat units, but also to keep their citizens happy and their civilization well-managed. Thus the game is more a matter of a race for knowledge than a race for power and military domination. But this pursuit of knowledge is tempered by the necessity to maintain and develop functioning city-states. The player must therefore also devote resources to developing civic amenities, building wonders of the world, and developing trade and diplomacy. Different forms of governance can also be deployed through periodic revolutions to help maintain the emerging civilization.

Civilization was widely praised on its release for its ambitious scale, absorbing game play, and vast historical scope. Its potential educational uses were also widely discussed. Sequels were met with similar acclaim, each retaining the general game play, while strengthening the game mechanics, adding detail, and improving the audio and visual appeal. The original top-down map of the game world was superseded by an isometric map in Civilization II, and by a fully-rendered three-dimensional map in Civilization IV Anomalies in the game mechanics that allowed ancient combat units to defeat modern combat units were removed in Civilization II.

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