Why do people love Civ 4 so much? | Civ 4 Review

After many requests today I'm discussing and reviewing Sid Meier's Civilization IV! The classic and revolutionary title in the series - while not without its flaws, set up civ 5 and civilization 6 to be the games they are today. In many ways, Civilization 4 goes a step further than that though, by arguably having better features or systems in areas such as diplomacy and international relations.
I'll describe what is good about civ 4, what makes civ 4 the best civ game, why civ 4 contests the top spot, and some comparisons will be drawn like civ 4 vs civ 5, and civ 4 vs old world, and civ 4 vs civ 6. Let's discuss: is civ 4 still good in 2021?

#OneMoreTurn #Civilization4 #Civ #Review #Civ4 #2021 #JumboPixel #Humankind #Civ6

Contents:
0:00 - Baba Yetu Baby
1:00 - A Revolutionary Step Forward: Civilization 4
1:50 - Leaders in Civ 4
2:30 - Civ 4's Religion
3:45 - Community support, modding and maps
5:00 - Vassals, espionage, and diplomacy in Civilization 4
6:10 - Why play civ 4 in 2021?
7:10 - is civ 4 worth it still? My recommendations

Thanks for watching!

Titles: Civ 4 Review | Is it really as good as they say? in 2021?

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[Afronautsays]

Civ4 is the last game of the series that made me feel like I was building a civilization instead of just playing a 4x game.

[peacefuldawn]

One of the many things I love about Civ 4 that can't be found in the newer civs is border expansion, since your borders expand by rings rather than tiles. This meant you could gain control of more ground faster, leading to your borders actually meating with the borders of other civilisations, as opposed to the vast majority of land being unowned like in Civ 5 and 6. It makes it feel more realistic, and it's fun when your dominant culture causes your borders to encroach on enemy land.

[DC_Greed]

I miss the vassal system, and the random diplomacy events you could react to. I also preferred the tech tree progression through the ages. Civ6 feels like the ages jump too far from one to the next. I feel like there is so much missed, not per age, but altogether. Missing a little bit each age adds up to a lackluster tech tree,

[Jon]

Plus you have a great narrator in the game: Leonard Nimoy. He’s probably my favorite out of 4, 5, and 6.

[Murrangurk]

You didn't mention the map! The fact that you could zoom out and see the map in relation to the globe was AWESOME and a feature I feel is sorely lacking from following editions.

[CrimsonSpd]

The intro song is an absolutely beautiful song that can bring me to tears.

[jessel]

Civ 4 is my favorite because of the combat. Stacks allow you to have armies of different sizes, are easier to move, and the AI is the best in the series and actually a challenge because they can manage stacks.

Stacks are also more realistic. Civ maps are not big enough for 1 unit per tile. In WWI Germany marched the majority of their army through Belgium to attack France. Try doing that on an earth map with 1 unit per tile.

[LazyAceDia]

What I love about this game is how challenging it is. After hundreds of hours, I can only win about half of my games on Monarch difficulty, while after a couple games in Civ 6 I already feel like I could take on Deity. Maybe it's because the AI can't handle 1UPT, but they don't feel like a genuine threat in 6 like they do in 4.

Something I love about religion in civ 4 that's not mentioned in the video is how it ties into diplomacy. Generally, the AI will be friends with civs of their religion and enemies with civs of any other. Religion is the key factor in determining how the player needs to strategize diplomatically for the first half of the game. Adopting a religion can help you secure good relations with dangerous neighbors or create powerful allies who will help you in wars. It's very simple on its own, but ties neatly into the grander scope of the game

[Phlebas]

I think the best thing about Civ 4 that future Civ games didn't quite get right were:

1) Its UI. Everything was super transparent. Want to see who's friends with who at a glance, maybe before accepting an alliance offer? Check out the diplomacy screen. Want to see why the AI likes or dislikes you? The information is there right away (nothing hidden behind diplomatic visibility). Want to know how switching government types will affect your economy in every detail? All in the government screen. There was no guesswork in Civ 4 so every decision you made felt fully informed.

2) It felt like a role play game. The AI was not meant to simulate other players, it was meant to simulate a civilization with its own agenda and you were in a world with them. Civ 5 and 6 deliberately stepped away from this design choice and I think it was a mistake. It was nice to have an AI that didn't metagame.

[anteeko]

To me the most amazing civ experienced.. I loved it so damned much:)
I couldn't get used to CIV 5/6

[Peachrocks]

The interesting thing is doom stacks are largely a myth. Siege weapons are so devastating to them that all things being equal, the defender has a massive advantage. Especially where the AI is concerned.

[hoosierflatty]

Us old dudes basically want the Civ4 fundamentals but with hexes. Would be cool to have the different policy trees and other newer features too in some areas.
The AI just doesn't do 1UPT well so STACK OF DOOM it is for me.

[OrgullosaMenteNerd]

Civ 4 has the best opening song, I steel singing it today, but I must say, mí favorite Civ of all time is Civ 3, nothing beats the personalization of you own palace, the music of the first era is still playing in my head.

[NettiGaming]

I marveled at the genius of civ one on my amiga, obsessed over civ 2. Civ 3 blew my mind as a stepping stone to the later games. Civ 4 was amazing. Words don't explain how much I loved it. Introducing religion. The music as well. Some cracking leaders. Exceptional mechanics. I loved the stack mechanic.

Colonization. A masterpiece.

Civ V was good later once the later dlc came along. Loved the graphics style.

Civ 6 has so much in it it feels bogged down. Mabie it's me but civ 4 was the golden age for me. Right in the MSN messenger era I spent hours on this even days. I think that's probably why my first relationship failed 🤣

Thank you for the lovely memories. I still play civ colonization in the 4 era.

[mattiyito]

Civ 4 is a lot more deeper than what came afterwards

[rafaellouro]

Civ 5 and Civ 6 - NO YOU CANT HAVE WARRIORS AND ARCHERS INSIDE THE SAME CITY/TILE THERE IS OBVIOUSLY NO SPACE!!!

[UnstoppableAW]

Civ 4 is just so fleshed out, both the mechanics and the atmosphere. For me, it is easily the most immersive Civ game.

The mechanics are very well executed and balanced. Religion, for example. I much prefer Civ 4 religion to 5 or 6 because it's not just a build-your-own stat bonus. Religion takes on a life of its own and forges alliances and rivalries with other Civs. And if you know how to use it, you can really manipulate the strategic and diplomatic angles of the game. The AI is also not just competent (something 5 and 6 still have never achieved) but actually surprisingly clever and rational. Finally, while unit stacks are definitely not great, there's more strategy to the combat, with siege weapons and collateral damage, than most people give it credit for.

The mods are legendary. Beyond the Sword brings you Rhye's and Fall of Civilization, which makes Civ as close to a historical simulator as it's ever been, and very challenging too. The Road to War WW2 mods and Final Frontier (space total conversion) are also excellent. Beyond the Sword is to Civ 4 as Brave New World is to Civ 5, but even moreso.

And finally, the atmosphere. The soundtrack is unparalleled, among Civ games but also just games in general. There are tons of songs, and the soundtrack changes dynamically based on civilization and time period to really capture the feeling of a time and place. And then of course, there are the Leonard Nimoy technology quotes :)

[jrave]

Civ IV is the perfection of the concept originally conceived in Civ I. Firaxis couldn’t really improve on this concept any further so they had to reinvent Civ for Civ V, and they’ve improved on that template for Civ VI.

I wonder if Civ VII will be an even further advancement of the “Civ V style, ” or if they’ll try to reinvent the game once again

[Yara-Alvarez-Fan]

Because it actually feels like managing a civilization throughout history, rather playing a board game.

[Kjotleik]

A good comment overall on a not-so-new game. I won't call it an old game. After all, it was released in THIS millennium.

The one thing I disagree with in your comment is the one you made about the stack-of-doom. Having all your military units in one stack, that you can move around together, makes wars go a lot faster than in later Civ-games. It is the one-unit-per-tile in Civ V and VI that slows down war to a never-ending and boring excercise. If you know what you're doing, wars in Civ IV can be done really fast, thanks to the stacks.