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Civilization was originally developed for DOS running on a PC. It has undergone numerous revisions for various platforms (including Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Amiga and Super Nintendo) and now exists in several versions. Beginning with Civilization III, the game has been developed by Firaxis Games and published by Infogrames (now Atari).
Civilization is a single-player game (although there was a separate multiplayer version called CivNet and both Civilization IICivilization II is a computer game, the sequel to Sid Meier's Civilization''. Brian Reynolds was the lead designer. It was released in 1996 and later ported to the Sony PlayStation. Description Civilization II is very much like the first Civilization with and III have multi-player versions). The player takes on the role of the ruler of a civilizationFor alternative meanings see Civilization (disambiguation Teotihuacan, Mexico. Building projects of this size require the social organization found in civilizations. A civilization or civilisation has a variety of meanings related to human society. The te starting with nothing but a single Settler unit (sometimes two of them). The player attempts to build an empireFor alternative meanings, see Empire (disambiguation An empire (also known technically, abstractly or disparagingly as imperium comprises a set of regions locally ruled by governors, viceroys or client kings in the name of an emperor. By extension, one ca in competition with a number of other civilizations (from 2 to 6). The game is rigidly turn-based and requires a fair amount of micromanagementThe term micromanagement (in this context, often abbreviated to simply micro is used in strategy computer games to describe a facet of gameplay. In turn-based strategy games, micromanagement is a style of play where the player manages the fine details of (although less than any of the Sim games).
Along with the larger tasks of exploration, war and diplomacy, the player has to make decisions about which improvements or units to build in each city, where to build new cities, and how to transform the land surrounding the cities for maximum benefit. From time to time the player's towns may be harassed by " barbarians", units with no specific nationality or leader. These threats disappear later in the game when no unclaimed land is available for the marauding barbarians to settle.
Before the game begins, the player chooses which historical civilization to play. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which only affect the very beginning play in earlier versions, starting with different advancements or more settlers, for example, but has agreater effect on overall gameplay in Civ III, affecting the speed of workers and the unit types available. As opponents, certain traits of specific civilizations do come through. The Aztecs are fiercely expansionistic, for example. Other possible civilizations include the AmericansThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, the Mongols, and the Romans. Each civilization is led by a historical figure.
The scope of the game is huge—larger than most other computer games. When the game begins, the player controls one or two Settler units, which can found new cities and also alter terrain and build improvements such as mines and roads and, later, railroads. The time at the beginning is 4000 BC, and, if you manage to last so long, the game forces you to retire in 21st century.
As time advances, new technologies are developed; these technologies are the primary way in which the game changes and grows. Players choose from, at the beginning, advances such as Pottery, the Wheel, and the Alphabet to, at the close of the game, Nuclear fission and Space flight. Players gain a large advantage if their civilization is the first to learn a particular technology, the secrets of flight, for example. Each advance gives access to new units, city improvements or derivative technologies: for example, the Chariot unit becomes available after the Wheel development, and the Granary building becomes available for building after the Pottery development. The whole system of advancements from beginning to end is called the Technology tree, or simply the Tech tree, a concept adopted in many other strategy games.
Players can also build Wonders of the world in all the epochs of the game. These wonders are often important human achievements of society, science and culture in human history, ranging from the Pyramids and the Great Wall in the Ancient age, to the Statue of Liberty in the Industrial Age, up to the Apollo Program, the United Nations and the Manhattan Project in the modern era. Each of these wonders can only be built by one civilization and takes up a lot of resources to build (far more than other city upgrades or units). However, each of these wonders provides unique benefits that can be gained by no other methods. Wonders can also be made obselete by technological advances. See also List of Wonders in Civilization
The game can be won either by destroying all other civilizations or by becoming the first civilization to succeed at space colonization, in this case reaching the star system of Alpha Centauri. In the latest installment of the series, Civ3, other ways to win have been added, including cultural victory (buildings like Temples and Libraries add culture points to a civilization) and diplomatic victory (being elected United Nations Secretary-General).