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Instead of going through the hassle of getting credit card information released to EB Games or other online vendors, I jumped at the chance of downloading from Direct2Disk. It's only for sale to residents of several nations but luckily my parents live in Canada and I could use their address. Direct2Disk accepted my Korean Visa card with no problems.
Downloading was hassle-free but the problems came later. A few text files seem to be missing as well as some music files. It doesn't stop me from playing the game but it is annoying. The most annoying thing is the lack of a pdf manual. I guess they expect me to buy the strategy guide from them. In case you're thinking of buying from them, please note that patches and expansion must be all gotten from Direct2Disk or else they won't work. That said, the company is owned by Gamespy and so patches and expansions should be available quickly. One of the nice things about buying online is the freedom from having to put in a CD every time you want to play the game.
I first tried the tutorial because that's usually where I begin and because I had no manual to read. Having Sid as the teacher is a nice touch but he looks like a zombie. The tutorial is well done and idiot-proofed. For example, the tutorial won't let you send a scout too far west and discover the other civ before the diplomacy section begins. Alas, I never got to that point because at one point Sid tells me to use the 'build road to' function but my worker can't do it. The 'build road to' button is darkened and unusable. So the tutorial ended there for me.
So, I started up a game with a random map and chose the Indians on Noble level. What I basically did for my first game was to follow all the game recommendations since I had no idea what was going on. I was on a continent by myself and so the first few thousand years were very dull. I met the Persians and they converted to my religion and signed a defensive pact. Yay. Somewhere about 1900 the Japanese decided it was time for me to disappear. And so they did me over.
The impression of my first game was not a very good one. I liked the diplomacy but I thought the game was boring and it was difficult to see where my units were and where the enemy were going.
But instead of giving up on the game, I started a new one using the inland sea map where I was guaranteed to meet other civs early. I also adjusted game settings so I could track enemy moves, skip the fight animations that were eating up RAM I don't have, and several other settings. This time things went much better. I really slowed down and read the Civilopedia for every unit and tech I came across. Things went much better and I was quickly hobnobbing and trading with my neighbours. Catherine is indeed a fine figure of a woman as everyone says.
Alas, I made the mistake of building cities too close to my neighbours and by about 100 AD both Catherine and Cyrus were at war with me. That's as far as I've gotten in the game so far but in the next game, I can tell you, I'm not going to neglect my military like I have in this game. Ouch. Too much expansion and not enough building up my strength.
All in all, I think I'm going to enjoy civ4 for a long time. Especially when I start playing PBEM. I highly recommend it but probably you should buy it in a store.
Downloading was hassle-free but the problems came later. A few text files seem to be missing as well as some music files. It doesn't stop me from playing the game but it is annoying. The most annoying thing is the lack of a pdf manual. I guess they expect me to buy the strategy guide from them. In case you're thinking of buying from them, please note that patches and expansion must be all gotten from Direct2Disk or else they won't work. That said, the company is owned by Gamespy and so patches and expansions should be available quickly. One of the nice things about buying online is the freedom from having to put in a CD every time you want to play the game.
I first tried the tutorial because that's usually where I begin and because I had no manual to read. Having Sid as the teacher is a nice touch but he looks like a zombie. The tutorial is well done and idiot-proofed. For example, the tutorial won't let you send a scout too far west and discover the other civ before the diplomacy section begins. Alas, I never got to that point because at one point Sid tells me to use the 'build road to' function but my worker can't do it. The 'build road to' button is darkened and unusable. So the tutorial ended there for me.
So, I started up a game with a random map and chose the Indians on Noble level. What I basically did for my first game was to follow all the game recommendations since I had no idea what was going on. I was on a continent by myself and so the first few thousand years were very dull. I met the Persians and they converted to my religion and signed a defensive pact. Yay. Somewhere about 1900 the Japanese decided it was time for me to disappear. And so they did me over.
The impression of my first game was not a very good one. I liked the diplomacy but I thought the game was boring and it was difficult to see where my units were and where the enemy were going.
But instead of giving up on the game, I started a new one using the inland sea map where I was guaranteed to meet other civs early. I also adjusted game settings so I could track enemy moves, skip the fight animations that were eating up RAM I don't have, and several other settings. This time things went much better. I really slowed down and read the Civilopedia for every unit and tech I came across. Things went much better and I was quickly hobnobbing and trading with my neighbours. Catherine is indeed a fine figure of a woman as everyone says.
Alas, I made the mistake of building cities too close to my neighbours and by about 100 AD both Catherine and Cyrus were at war with me. That's as far as I've gotten in the game so far but in the next game, I can tell you, I'm not going to neglect my military like I have in this game. Ouch. Too much expansion and not enough building up my strength.All in all, I think I'm going to enjoy civ4 for a long time. Especially when I start playing PBEM. I highly recommend it but probably you should buy it in a store.
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