Comments on: No more turns...

No more turns...

afx114 — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:05:09 -0800

"By the time I got to the industrial age, I was a full blown junkie." (Quicktime MOV) Sid Meier's Civilization IV is coming. Civ addicts everywhere now have a place to turn for help. Your recovery is only 12 steps away...

By: jb

jb — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:17:13 -0800

So...are there selfhelp groups for SimCity or the Sims?

By: eriko

eriko — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:17:25 -0800

Oh, fuck me. Please don't port it to the Mac. I've just started getting a life again.

By: herting

herting — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:19:38 -0800

I've already begun bracing my girlfriend for what is to come. Assuring her I love her, but that there will be times she won't see me for days at a time. I would buy her a copy as well, but once she figures out she can compete against me, my desire to play would be minute in the face of her desire to beat me.

By: gurple

gurple — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:21:41 -0800

So... conflicted... hate advertising... loved... that ad *brain explodes*

By: u2604ab

u2604ab — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:28:24 -0800

I got a GTA ad. What gives?

By: u2604ab

u2604ab — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:32:52 -0800

Nevermind. Gotta watch an ad before watching the ad. The fact that the first ad was also for a video game threw me off.

By: freebird

freebird — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:34:40 -0800

I think that says it all about western history since the Enlightenment: "I wanted Civ4, and I got GTA. What gives?"

By: COBRA!

COBRA! — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:37:53 -0800

Kidding aside, I'm pretty amazed at Civ's capacity to take over my brain. If I start a game, I have a lot of trouble thinking about anything else for days. I usually end up dreaming Civ. It seems a little soon for IV to be coming out. I still think of III as "the new Civ." But that's probably just me.

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:38:02 -0800

Oh, fuck me. Ditto that. I just downloaded this huge mod for Civ 3 Conquests (Rise & something) that just fills the tech screen with new options, loads you up with extra civs and new units, and totally takes the game to a new level. That was 3 or 4 weeks last month I'd like back, please.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:47:07 -0800

That's the lamest piece of viral advertising I've ever seen. (But I still can't wait for Civilization IV)

By: mss

mss — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 09:50:14 -0800

That was good viral advertising or not. Love that J Lo and have blocked out a couple months later this year for what will be lack of sleep and focus to life.

By: drgonzo

drgonzo — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:03:28 -0800

yum, lame. what is it about hackety-hack writer/directors that makes them think showing old people cursing is funny???

By: Fozzie

Fozzie — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:03:30 -0800

CivIV? Oh man. Damn that biological requirement for sleep, anyway.

By: nkyad

nkyad — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:08:21 -0800

I haven't been following Civ3 developments recently - has anyone found an OCC (One City Challenge) strategy for 3? In the last months before Civ3 launched I was playing just OCC in Civ2, since it brought a whole new dimension to a game that had already been solved. But in Civ3 the common knowledge was that OCC was not possible due to the culture factor and the AI level of aggression. I wonder how many weeks I will be losing later this year on this game.

By: senor biggles

senor biggles — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:13:03 -0800

thank god/sid for cheat codes. they provide my only escape from the grip of these games.

By: briank

briank — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:18:04 -0800

But WHEN..WHEN..OH WHEN?

By: Peter H

Peter H — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:19:39 -0800

The GW candid was well done. "Latin"

By: crush-onastick

crush-onastick — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:51:51 -0800

COBRA! it's not just you. i still haven't beaten conquests in my preferred manner, so i'm not ready for the next civ and still think of III as new. BTW anyone know how to completely turn-off game parameters in conquests. you know, the ones that force retirement, whether you're interested or not

By: nervousfritz

nervousfritz — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:53:35 -0800

Here's the screen shots from IGN. (slideshow). Looks pretty impressive, thanks for the heads up. Of course my old computer will probably not run it, and I will have to play Civ III to cope.

By: Mr Pointy

Mr Pointy — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 10:57:07 -0800

Oh, fuck me. Please don't port it to the Mac. Ditto to the Nth degree. My wife is gonna kill me. And let's just freely admit that when it comes out I'm gonna have a 5-day flu as far as the office is concerned. Kinda a shame the support group isn't real. I need help.

By: elderling

elderling — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 11:14:47 -0800

freebird: Awesome.

By: Balisong

Balisong — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 11:16:37 -0800

Too bad they "begged the question", I was starting to get excited about the game. And I think they overused the quotation marks.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 11:37:18 -0800

I can't decide if I want Civ IV ported to Linux, should be grateful to avoid it or should actually set up one of my computers to dual boot into Windows so I can play it. Gal Civ III is coming out this fall, as well as Civ IV. This is the first time I've been tempted to install Windows since 1998.

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 11:49:01 -0800

By: Gamblor

Gamblor — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 11:56:06 -0800

Before installing the game, I'll need: 1. A cooler by the computer stockpiled with sandwiches and Red Bull. 2. Adult diapers and/or a bedpan.

By: Skeptic

Skeptic — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:01:00 -0800

My recovery from (serious) Civ-addiction only took two steps, though: 1. Deinstall 2. Throw CDs into trash I just needed to realise that 20-hour long game sessions couldn't be healthy...

By: blindsam

blindsam — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:01:36 -0800

For once, I'm grateful for the horrendous delay in porting to macs. Truly truly horrible advert 'though, makes me think: am I that sad, am I really in a demographic where that's funny?

By: slimslowslider

slimslowslider — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:02:50 -0800

Umm, my name is Jane, and my husband is a recovering Civilization addict. It's just so hard sometimes *sniff sob* and I just don't know what I'll do if this starts all over again! We just got our lives back *sniff sniff*... what about the children?

By: dness2

dness2 — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:14:04 -0800

Best. Post. Ever. When does it come out? I guess I'll know it's out when Metafilter gets really quiet...

By: herting

herting — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:16:58 -0800

Comes out Nov. 2005

By: jiawen

jiawen — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:43:18 -0800

There are actually some things about Freeciv that I like better than CivIII. For example, Modern Armor is no longer totally unbeatable, and true combined arms is required; and the map can use hexes. But I still play CivIII almost every time I boot up Windows. Those screenshots show a "Jewish Cathedral" being built. ???

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:55:38 -0800

"If you are like most Civilization addicts, your story began innocently enough way back in 1991 with the discovery of Sid Meier's Civilization by Firaxis Games." No, Firaxis was founded in 1996. Civ was by Microprose. Damn viral marketeers.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:02:59 -0800

Hah! The blatant misuse of "begging the question" made this into nothing but GARBAGE. Begging the question... mumble... kids today...

By: The Great Big Mulp

The Great Big Mulp — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:22:05 -0800

Well, there goes my future social life. Thanks a lot, Sid!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:37:06 -0800

metafilter - "i said i didn't get up"

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:44:15 -0800

Sid should bring out a new version of Alpha Centari. Spiffy up the units a bit but mostly leave it alone except for better AI. That would be awesome.

By: MiltonRandKalman

MiltonRandKalman — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 13:57:46 -0800

Just two more turns...oh shit, the sun is coming up, my girlfriend left me and the dog is dead from starvation...ok...ok..just one more turn...I mean it. Just. One. More.

By: Mick

Mick — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:01:28 -0800

The awesome mod for civIII mentioned above was Rise and Rule. It rocks my world hard

By: Grimgrin

Grimgrin — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:08:50 -0800

Does anyone else hold grudges against other civs that last hundreds of years? No constant warfare, just a steady building and building, waiting for that tech advantage so I can roll over those damn Iroquois with modern armor (Oooh! You have regular tanks. How cute!) just because they whacked one of my cities in round twenty. Oh hell yes. I will have my terrible armies burn everything before them, venting a thousand years of wrath upon the unsuspecting heads of my foes, on some level not accepting that they're just pixels and data. The sheer sadistic glee of stomping on some puny civ with an elite army of modern armour cannot be overstated.

By: litlnemo

litlnemo — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:09:42 -0800

Civ III came out for the Mac on the very day I started grad school. Thanks a lot, Sid! I wonder how many days of my life I have spent playing Civ since 1991. I suppose I don't really want to know.

By: COBRA!

COBRA! — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:11:01 -0800

The sheer sadistic glee of stomping on some puny civ with an elite army of modern armour cannot be overstated. Or, conversely, out-generaling a modern-armor-armed AI civ with well-used cavalry/artillery/infantry combined forces. There's something satisfying about kicking ass with inferior tools.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:17:19 -0800

No, no, no, no. I can't. I can't. I am just starting to date again. Oh, shit, sign me up. And as for grudges, I will be one step away from completing my Space Ship and will switch production just so I can wipe out a civ that took one of my cities. Even if it lowers my score.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:22:37 -0800

The original Civ was addictive. I can't tell you the number of times I wandered into the comp sci lab to find people I knew had exams or papers due (because they were in my class) and they were there, playing Civ (to be joined by me). But later incarnations... I've fought hard to take a city by military might and somehow lost it to the former empire's culture? Meh. Now Alpha Centauri I loved.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:51:06 -0800

litlnemo writes "I wonder how many days of my life I have spent playing Civ since 1991." If you're anything like me and AlphaCen probably enough to take over a real empire.

By: jopreacher

jopreacher — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:56:17 -0800

The current Minimum Computer Specifications for Civ IV are: 1 GHz Pentium 3 with 256 MB Ram and a video card that supports hardware T&L. From http://www.civfanatics.com/civ4/info/

By: herting

herting — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 15:02:14 -0800

Civ 3 tarnished my regard for Ghandi as that murderous hawk insists upon attacking me without provocation every damn time I stretch myself just a hair too thin.

By: VulcanMike

VulcanMike — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 17:24:38 -0800

"It's like any other addiction," Elizabeth Woolley said last week. "Either you die, go insane or you quit. My son died." Given that video game accition is a real thing, isn't this commercial a bit insensitive? The comments in this thread certainly suggest that the game will cause actual negative disruptions in at least some peoples' lives. *Runs away from approaching reply armies*

By: louie

louie — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 18:02:10 -0800

I strongly, strongly recommend installing Linux. It is the only thing that has saved me from Civ >1 and SimCity >2...

By: infowar

infowar — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 18:11:20 -0800

Heading over to the marketing website allows you to skip the ad. You'll also get to see an angry Tiberius and an even angrier spouse.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 19:08:48 -0800

granted that old people cursing is a cheap laugh, but i would have laughed at that joke even absent that. i mean, c'mon, it's an inevitability -- you get nuclear weapons, you save the game, build a bunch of ICBMs, and blow the planet back to the stone age. then you reload from the save and continue as normal. we've all done it.

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 19:58:49 -0800

as a lad i was introduced to pong as i grew up they presented me with space invaders, asteriods and pac man in junior high i worked on defender in high school i got atari in college they gave me weed, chicks, and something... cant recall, oh yeah, a college edjumacation, and sega and nes through the years ive enjoyed the rise of video games and have felt fortunate to watch them develop into whatever they are now, which to be honest, isnt what it should be with that said, the only game that i was ever addicted to worse than seeing those Tetris blocks in my head, was Civ ive never done crack or heroin but i feel i know what that experience is like so i read this post with mixed emotions cuz, well, how does one resist The Next Big Fix? p.s. i hope it comes packaged with a bucket to piss into and a setting that Makes you drink water every hour.

By: Absit Invidia

Absit Invidia — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:42:34 -0800

Now hold on . . . Since overcoming the insidious Civ. III, I have married, had a kid, and bought a house. I have had a life, with all its ups and downs . . . You know: a regular existence. It's been a quiet life, some might even call it dull, but it's been mine. I have enjoyed it, and have done my best to be a good person every day. But now Civ. IV is coming out, huh? Well . . . I suppose all that other stuff has been nice. I'll miss 'em, though. The smiles, the good times . . . holidays and such, and birthdays . . . I'll miss seeing the little guy grow up, and miss having a home, I guess, but . . . Well, you know. Sigh.

By: cusack

cusack — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:49:18 -0800

ah, crap... after reading these comments i just reinstalled civilization 3... this is gonna work out well.

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 21:48:00 -0800

Alrighty then. Unabashed Civ-membrance. I had created a green empire. we were democratic, peaceful, and environmentally clean. Our few enemies were cowed and marginalized and all looked upon our Wonders with awe. Then came the French. They appeared one year off our west coast (in ironclads! how quaint). They took a city and held it for just a moment before disappearing back into the fog. They steal one tech: nuclear. *years later* hmm hmm-hmm hmm hmm OH MY FRICKIN GOD!!!! *nukes obliterate half my cities, sea levels rise, radiation blights the land*. And thus began my quest to kill every last Frenchman. (sigh) Those were the days... On preview: but you know, they really should make a third Starflight.

By: hammurderer

hammurderer — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 22:51:07 -0800

You guys all know that Civilization isn't really a game, right? It was put here by aliens, and the person who gets the highest score will be taken to a far-off planet to become the last emperor.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 05:04:00 -0800

Man, I haven't played Civ in weeks. There goes that. My husband often complains of being a "Civ Widow" - especially since I started my übernerdy quest of playing one game as each Civ (I started in March and I only have one more to go). It's his fault though. He's the one who bought a PC. And the game. I won't put games on my Mac as I like to see daylight every once in a while. Snood was bad enough. If I had 24 hour access to Civ without someone getting cranky and demanding their computer back... well, there goes bathing.

By: dness2

dness2 — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 07:50:46 -0800

priorities, grapefruitmoon, priorities...

By: croctommy

croctommy — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 10:49:05 -0800

Oh, woe...Well, I can always quit after just one more turn.... I have this horrible feeling I'm gonna' need to upgrade my machine.

By: Zed_Lopez

Zed_Lopez — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 11:22:05 -0800

Last year, while unemployed, I lost about a month to Civ3. But I had two machines on my desk with a KVM switch then, so getting between Linux and Windows was easy. Now that I have just one dual-boot machine, and it'd be such a pain to boot into Windows just for a game, I could have Civ installed easy. It wouldn't be a problem. Nope, none at all. For no-joke versions of computer game addiction: Everquest Daily Grind.

By: infini

infini — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 18:51:33 -0800

I *cough* received Civ3 and the Gold Edition of Age of empires as a Valentines Day present from my then husband. oh..did I mention I'm now divorced? Terrible, really :P