how do i learn to play?

[satyesu]

the tutorial is buggy or something and i'd rather not miss anything important by diving in.

[Blaupanzer]

Some writeups are available in the "sticky" portion at the top of this forum. Most of us dove in, got eaten, came here and asked questions, got the concepts down, and now try to learn more over time. Also, you should have a manual for basic Civ IV on your discs somewhere.

[ColdWizard]

Dive in, then come up for air and read the stickies and manual a bit, then go right back in. Repeat as needed.

[OzzyKP]

Yea, I second all that.

Diving in.

[rah]

As long as you've played at least one incarnation of the game, yes, dive right in.
If not, read some of the threads here. You'll start to get a feel.

[Boracks]

And keep coming back here, you'll keep learning. I still learn stuff here and I've been playing since Civ I.

[Alex]

Dive in. Play at 'Settler' difficulty at first (it's almost impossible to lose at that difficulty level). Refer to the Civilopedia in-game (F12 key), especially the 'game concepts' and 'hints' sections. Read the manual.

You may want to take a look at the pdf file you can download here, it helps you to understand some of the most basic strategies.

Most of all, play the game. Ask anything about the game in this forum, most vets will be happy to help you.

[DaveV]

Sullla's walkthrough gives a nice summary of the game features.

[Ming]

As people are saying, just dive in, but use the easier levels at first. You might want to concentrate on a single thing in your first few attempts, just to get the hang of how they work. Focus on one of the game concepts, like trying to maintain an economy, how to work your cities, how to fight, the different civics.

I also wouldn't recommend you try to finish any of your early games. Learn something, than start a new game and learn something else. Don't try to finish a game until you have the basics down.