NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Civilization (series)

Civilization is a series of turn-based strategy games produced by Sid Meier. Basic gameplay functions are similar throughout the series, namely, guiding a civilization on a macro-scale from prehistory to the present day. The series has enjoyed long-lasting popularity. The Civilization franchise has sold more than 5 million copies over its 17 years of history^[1] A turn-based strategy (TBS) game is a game where the game flow is partitioned into well-defined and visible parts, called turns or rounds. ... Computer and video games redirects here. ... Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. ...

General gameplay

All the titles in the series share a more or less equal gameplay method. Each turn allows the player to move any of his or her units on the world map, build new cities and units, and/or initiate the negotiation of a treaty with the computer-controlled players. In-between turns, computer players can do the same. The human player can also be asked which technology will be researched in the background for the next set of turns, consuming the gold points generated from, among other things, a tax rate corresponding to each city. Image File history File links Civ01. ... Image File history File links Civ01. ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] â€“ March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... A random map is a map, usually found in a RTS game, that is randomly generated by a computer, hence the name. ... For other uses, see City (disambiguation). ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... AI redirects here. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ...

Technologies usually allow the player to build new units or to improve their cities in new ways, increasing that city's "happiness rating." Technologies can also be traded to the computer players in exchange for having them sign a treaty.

Before being able to order his/her units to attack those of another player, the player must first declare war formally on the other by means of the window through which treaties are proposed. All Civilization games have had victory through conquest (destroying all the other players' cities) and through score. Since Civilization it has been possible to win by building an interstellar space ship (each part being built as a unit). Civilization III added the possibility of winning by domination (having two-thirds of the worlds landmass within their borders), diplomacy (the computer players like the human player so much that, after any city is improved with the wonder "The United Nations", they elect them Secretary-General of the United Nations, then promote them to Leader of a World Government), and culture (when the game considers the sum of all the player's cities' culture points makes the player's culture a worldwide influence). President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. ... Artists depiction of a hypothetical Wormhole Induction Propelled Spacecraft, based loosely on the 1994 warp drive paper of Miguel Alcubierre. ... The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. ... It has been suggested that World Federation be merged into this article or section. ...

History Of The Game

In 1991, after acquiring the rights to the name "Civilization" from Avalon Hill^[2], MicroProse, founded by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey, published Civilization^[3], Sid Meier was the game's designer^[4]. In 1993 Microprose was bought by Spectrum Holobyte^[5], but the two companies remained separate. In 1996 MicroProse released Civilization II, whose game designer was Brian Reynolds^[6], also in 1996 Spectrum Holobyte consolidated the company under the name MicroProse and in a reaction to Spectrum Holobyte's decision to fire the majority MicroProse's staff Brian Reynolds, Jeff Briggs and Sid Meier left MicroProse and founded Firaxis^[7]. Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. ... John Wilbur Wild Bill Stealey Sr. ... For the complete series of games, see Civilization (series). ... Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... Sid Meiers Civilization II, a. ... Brian Reynolds (born 1967) is a well known computer strategy game designer, formerly of MicroProse and Firaxis Games. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... Brian Reynolds (born 1967) is a well known computer strategy game designer, formerly of MicroProse and Firaxis Games. ... Jeff Briggs is founder, president, and CEO of Firaxis Games, a computer game developer based in Hunt Valley, Maryland. ... Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. ...

In 1980 Francis Tresham designed the Civilization board game and published it through his company Hartland Trefoil and in 1981 Avalon Hill obtained from Hartland Trefoil a license to sell the Civilization board game in the US^[8]. In April 1997 Activision acquired from Avalon Hill the rights to the name "Civilization" on its PC games and seven months later Avalon Hill and Activision sued MicroProse over copyright infringement because of the name "Civilization"^[9]. Francis Tresham (c. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... Activision, Inc. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... This computer/video game related article needs cleanup. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... Activision, Inc. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ...

In response to the lawsuit, in December 1997 MicroProse bought Hartland Trefoil, which was the original designer and manufacturer of the Civilization board game, this move sought to establish "MicroProse as the preeminent holder of worldwide computer game and board game rights under the CIVILIZATION brand"^[10]. Then MicroProse in January the following year sued both Avalon Hill and Activision for false advertising, unfair competition, trademark infringement, and unfair business practices as a result of Activision's desision to develop and publish Civilization computer games.^[11] MicroProse Software, Inc. ...

In July 1998 Avalon Hill and Activision decided to settle the case against MicroProse out of court, under the terms of the settlement MicroProse kept all the rights to the Civilization brand, Avalon Hill had to pay MicroProse $411,000 and Activision acquired a licence from MicroProse to publish Civilization: Call to Power, released in March 1999 ^[12]^[13]. Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... Activision, Inc. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ... CTP Opening screen artwork is a good example of the kind of integration of art styles found throughout the game Civilization: Call to Power is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as an improved successor to the extremely successful Civilization computer game by Sid Meier, competing with...

The reason why Avalon Hill accepted the unfavorable settlement is because Hasbro was already negotiating the acquisition of both Avalon Hill and MicroProse. So less than one month after the settlement on August 1998 Avalon Hill was bought by Hasbro^[14], on this same month Hasbro also bought MicroProse for $70 million^[15]. That means that at the end of 1998 the Civilization franchise belonged to Hasbro. Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ... Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ...

In January 2001, the french company Infogrames bought from Hasbro for $100 million its subsidiary Hasbro Interactive^[16], which included the rights to the Civilization franchise, the rights to the Atari brand^[17] and Hasbro's Game.com handheld game console.^[18]^[19] Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA) is an international holding company headquartered in Lyon, France. ... Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ... Hasbro Interactive was a video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the game and toy giant. ... This article is about a corporate game company. ... A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic machine for playing video games. ...

Hasbro Interactive was renamed to Infogrames Interactive, Inc.^[20] Hasbro Interactive was a video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the game and toy giant. ...

Civilization III was released in October 2001 by Infogrames Interactive. In May 2003 Infogrames officially renamed Infogrames Interactive to Atari Interactive ^[21]. Civilization III was developed by Firaxis and had Jeff Briggs as game designer. Sid Meiers Civilization III is a turn-based strategy computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meiers Civilization II. It was followed by Civilization IV. Also called Civ 3 or Civ III for short, the game is the third generation of the original Civilization. ... Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. ... Jeff Briggs is founder, president, and CEO of Firaxis Games, a computer game developer based in Hunt Valley, Maryland. ...

Take Two bought the rights to the Civilization franchise from Infogrames in 2004 for $22.3 million.^[22]^[23] Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ...

In October 2005 2K Games, a Take Two subsidiary, published Civilization IV, which was developed by Firaxis and had Soren Johnson as game designer. ^[24] 2K Games is a video game publishing subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive. ... Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ... Sid Meiers Civilization IV (Civilization IV or Civ4) is a turn-based strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meiers studio Firaxis Games. ... Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. ... Employed by Firaxis Games in 2000, Soren Johnson co-designed and helped in programming the popular video game Civilization III and its expansion packs. ...

Take Two bought Firaxis for $26.7 million including possible performance bonuses in November 2005. ^[25] So as of 2007 Take Two owns both the developer and the publisher of the Civilization franchise. Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ... Firaxis Games is a computer game developer. ... Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. ...

Main series

For the complete series of games, see Civilization (series). ... Notable events of 1991 in computer and video games. ... Sid Meiers Civilization II, a. ... 1996 1996 in games 1995 in video gaming 1997 in video gaming Notable events of 1996 in video gaming. ... 1996 1996 in games 1995 in video gaming 1997 in video gaming Notable events of 1996 in video gaming. ... 1997 1997 in games 1996 in video gaming 1998 in video gaming Notable events of 1997 in video gaming. ... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ... Sid Meiers Civilization III is a turn-based strategy computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meiers Civilization II. It was followed by Civilization IV. Also called Civ 3 or Civ III for short, the game is the third generation of the original Civilization. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... 2002 2002 in games 2001 in video gaming 2003 in video gaming Notable events of 2002 in video gaming. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in video gaming. ... Sid Meiers Civilization IV (Civilization IV or Civ4) is a turn-based strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meiers studio Firaxis Games. ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... Notable events of 2006 in video gaming. ... (NOTE: Some release dates listed are not global release dates. ... Civilization Revolution (full title: Sid Meiers Civilization Revolution) is a new iteration of Civilization being developed by Firaxis with Sid Meier as designer for seventh generation consoles and hand-helds. ... 2008 2008 in games 2007 in video gaming 2009 in video gaming Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. ...

Compilations

1998 1998 in games 1997 in video gaming 1999 in video gaming Notable events of 1998 in video gaming. ... 2003 2003 in games 2002 in video gaming 2004 in video gaming Notable events of 2003 in video gaming. ... 2005 2005 in games 2004 in video gaming 2006 in video gaming Notable events of 2005 in video gaming. ... Notable events of 2006 in video gaming. ... (NOTE: Some release dates listed are not global release dates. ... (NOTE: Some release dates listed are not global release dates. ...

Other games

When Sid Meier left MicroProse in 1996, the Civilization series was still part of MicroProse's portfolio, leading to a period of legal limbo that included the following games: Colonization is a computer game by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier released by Microprose in 1994. ... 1994 1994 in games 1993 in video gaming 1995 in video gaming Notable events of 1994 in computer and video games. ... Notable events of 2006 in video gaming. ... The SimCity series, a well known example of the city-building game type. ... MicroProse Software, Inc. ...

â€œSMACâ€ redirects here. ... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ... Sid Meiers Alien Crossfire, published in September 1999, is an expansion pack for Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri, a turn-based strategic 4X computer game. ... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ... CTP Opening screen artwork is a good example of the kind of integration of art styles found throughout the game Civilization: Call to Power is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as an improved successor to the extremely successful Civilization computer game by Sid Meier, competing with... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ... Activision, Inc. ... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ... Call to Power II feautures special bonuses for some achievements Call to Power II feautured a reworked diplomacy system Call to Power II is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as a sequel to Civilization: Call to Power, which was, in turn, a game similar to the... 2000 2000 in games 1999 in video gaming 2001 in video gaming Notable events of 2000 in video gaming. ...

Fan games

Freeciv is a multiplayer, turn-based strategy game for personal computers inspired by the commercial proprietary Sid Meiers Civilization series. ... 1996 1996 in games 1995 in video gaming 1997 in video gaming Notable events of 1996 in video gaming. ... C-evo (standing for evolution) is a game similar to Civilization II. The game was written in Delphi and the main programming is done by Steffen Gerlach. ... Notable events of 2006 in video gaming. ...

See also

The following is a comprehensive list of the historical figures in the PC game Civilization IV. The list matches the order in which they appear in the game, which is roughly based on chronological order. ... This is a list of wonders in the Civilization computer game series and Civilization: Call to Power and its sequel. ... This is a list of types of governments from the Civilization series of games. ...

References

^ http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/civilizationiv/news.html?sid=6117117
^ http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1523/the_history_of_civilization.php?print=1
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprose.
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprose.
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprose
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_(board_game)
^ http://www.gis.net/~pldr/fah.html
^ http://www.mimgames.com/tga/tgg/misc/microprose.shtml
^ http://members.aol.com/wergames/hasbro.htm
^ http://www.gis.net/~pldr/fah.html
^ http://www.secinfo.com/d65Ty.79.htm
^ http://www.gis.net/~pldr/fah.html
^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/08/13/BU104878.DTL
^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E4DC1E3FF933A05752C0A9679C8B63&n=Top/News/Business/Companies/Hasbro%20Inc.
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari#The_2000s:_Revival_and_re-release_of_Atari_classics
^ http://www.secinfo.com/d1dzf.4c.3.htm
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasbro_Interactive
^ http://www.civ3.com/pressrelease.cfm
^ http://www.secinfo.com/dsvr4.28Z7.htm
^ http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/civilization2/news.html?sid=6113971&mode=all
^ http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/civilizationiv/news.html?sid=6117117
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_IV
^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143447.html
^ "New 'Civilization' Title Detailed", Totalgaming.net, 2007-03-28. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
^ Geryk, Bruce (November 20, 2000). Call to Power II for PC Review. GameSpot PC Games p. 1. CNET Networks Entertainment. Retrieved on March 1, 2007.

Matus, Victorino (February 26, 2007). 'Civilization' and Its Contents. The Weekly Standard 12 (23). Retrieved on February 28, 2007.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 2000 in games 1999 in video gaming 2001 in video gaming Notable events of 2000 in video gaming. ... GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. ... CNET Networks, Inc. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... (NOTE: Some release dates listed are not global release dates. ... The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative [1] magazine published 48 times per year. ...

External links

Categories: Strategy video game stubs | Civilization franchise | Video game franchises MobyGames is a website devoted to cataloging computer and video games, both past and present. ... Sidney K. Meier (born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer strategy games of all time. ... For the complete series of games, see Civilization (series). ... Sid Meiers Civilization II, a. ... Sid Meiers Civilization III is a turn-based strategy computer game by Firaxis Games, the sequel to Sid Meiers Civilization II. It was followed by Civilization IV. Also called Civ 3 or Civ III for short, the game is the third generation of the original Civilization. ... Sid Meiers Civilization IV (Civilization IV or Civ4) is a turn-based strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meiers studio Firaxis Games. ... Civilization Revolution (full title: Sid Meiers Civilization Revolution) is a new iteration of Civilization being developed by Firaxis with Sid Meier as designer for seventh generation consoles and hand-helds. ... Colonization is a computer game by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier released by Microprose in 1994. ... â€œSMACâ€ redirects here. ... Sid Meiers Alien Crossfire, published in September 1999, is an expansion pack for Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri, a turn-based strategic 4X computer game. ... CTP Opening screen artwork is a good example of the kind of integration of art styles found throughout the game Civilization: Call to Power is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as an improved successor to the extremely successful Civilization computer game by Sid Meier, competing with... Call to Power II feautures special bonuses for some achievements Call to Power II feautured a reworked diplomacy system Call to Power II is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as a sequel to Civilization: Call to Power, which was, in turn, a game similar to the... Freeciv is a multiplayer, turn-based strategy game for personal computers inspired by the commercial proprietary Sid Meiers Civilization series. ... FreeCol is a Open Source (under the GNU General Public License) clone of Sid Meiers Colonization. ... C-evo (standing for evolution) is a game similar to Civilization II. The game was written in Delphi and the main programming is done by Steffen Gerlach. ...

Contents

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