Civilization IV: Colonization

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization
North American box art
Developer(s)	Firaxis Games
Publisher(s)	2K Games
Designer(s)	H. Edward Piper
Series	Civilization
Engine	Civilization IV (a derivation of the Gamebryo engine)
Version	1.01f (as of March 11, 2009)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X[1]
Release date(s)	September 22, 2008
Genre(s)	Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E10+[1] OFLC: PG
Media/distribution	CD-ROM, Steam download
System requirements Microsoft WindowsOS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista RAM: 512 MB CPU: 1.2 GHz (1.8 GHz for full) Disc drive:4x CD-ROM drive HDD: 900 MB free disk space Video: DirectX 9.0c-compatible 64 MB (128 MB for full) video card with Shader 1.1 support Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization is a remake (a total conversion^[2] using Sid Meier's Civilization IV engine) of the 1994 turn-based strategy game Sid Meier's Colonization.^[3] Players control settlers from one of four European nations, Spain, England, France, or the Netherlands, that are trying to conquer/colonize the New World in the time period between 1492–1792. The final goal of each player is to build up their colonies and a standing army, then declare independence from their mother country and defeat the military force that the King sends to crush the rebellion.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

The Windows version was released on September 22, 2008. A Mac OS X version was released in January 2010.^[9] Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization does not require the original Sid Meier's Civilization IV in order to play.^[10]

Gameplay

Colony interface

In order to build and expand their cities, players must balance negotiations with several separate groups: the natives of the Americas, colonists from the player's home country, and other colonists from the old world. Players may also recruit founding fathers to join their cause — each with a specific bonus that helps them throughout the game. The player influences the direction of his colony through his choices in diplomacy, recruitment, and city management. Additional colonists from Europe or converted natives can result in population increases after food surpluses exceed a preset level.

Economics and trade come into play when the player makes finished goods and sells them in Europe, or trades with the natives for other goods or gold. By harvesting natural resources, skilled craftsmen can convert them into finished goods for sale or trade. Additionally, silver can be mined for direct trade, and ore can be mined to turn into tools and then in turn guns. Skilled craftsmen produce twice as much as regular workers, and specialist buildings can be built to increase overall production as well.

Thus, this is how the Civilization IV Colonization looks:

Colony	Leader(s)	Capital
New England	John Adams, George Washington	Jamestown
New France	Samuel de Champlain, Louis de Frontenac	Quebec
New Netherlands	Adriaen van der Donck, Peter Stuyvesant	New Amsterdam
New Spain	Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín	Isabella

Civilization IV: Colonization — Natural Resources and Finished Goods

Good	Resource	Harvester	Worker	Building	Terrain
Cigars	Tobacco	Tobacco Planter	Tobacconist	Tobacco Shop	Grassland
Cloth	Cotton	Cotton Planter	Weaver	Weaver's Shop	Prairie
Coats	Furs	Fur Trapper	Fur Trader	Fur Trading Post	Forest/Mixed Forest
Rum	Sugar	Sugar Planter	Distiller	Rum Distillery	Marsh

The player's selection of nationality, made at the start of the game, affects the colony's standing in the world: The English receive an immigration bonus, while the Dutch enjoy trade bonuses. The French diplomacy edge encourages more favorable relations with native tribes, while the Spanish Conquistador bonus favors conquest against the natives.^[6]

In addition to single-player campaigns, the new game has a multiplayer component.^[3][6]

Changes from Sid Meier's Colonization

Some Continental Congress members

In addition to updated graphics engine and a multiplayer segment, Civilization IV: Colonization has many new gameplay mechanics. When starting the game, in addition to choosing a starting European nation, a player chooses between two governors, each with different advantages.^[11] In addition, national borders is a gameplay concept taken from Civilization IV. This means that rivals cannot pass into each other's land unless they have an open borders agreement — or they have declared war.

Unlike the original game, nations cannot recruit the same founding fathers. Each founding father is recruited by one and only one nation/player. Moreover, founding fathers will only join nations with certain criteria, namely a certain level of "points" obtained in various categories (political, military, exploration, religion, and trade).^[12]

After the player declares independence, players draft a constitution determining the government style of their independent nation. For example, if a nation chooses a monarchical system, then it can still trade with Europe during the war for independence.^[13]

Additionally, there are no longer any Loyalist victories.

Engine

The game runs on an upgraded version of the Civilization IV engine with changes including enhanced graphics, streamlined code, and redesigned interfaces. With these enhancements, Colonization requires video cards that support pixel shader 1.1.^[3][14]

Critical reception

Gameplay screenshot

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	80%[15]
Metacritic	83%[16]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A[17]
Computer and Video Games	7.9/10[18]
Eurogamer	8/10[19]
G4	4/5[20]
Game Informer	9/10[21]
GameSpot	80[22]
GameSpy	4/5[23]
IGN	8.7/10[24]
X-Play	4/5[25]

The single victory condition – declaring and winning a war for independence – has been both criticized^[12] and accepted^[26] by reviewers. Another criticism of the game is that it only has four playable colonial powers. The exclusion of Europe's less prominent colonial powers has been called a "limiting" factor in the game.^[6]

Variety video games reporter and reviews editor Ben Fritz criticized the concept of the game in his blog because of the injustices that occurred during the colonial time period.^[27][28][29] Firaxis has responded to Fritz's blog post with the statement, "the game does not endorse any particular position or strategy - players can and should make their own moral judgments."^[30]

See also

• FreeCol, an open source Colonization clone

References

1. ^ ^{a b} ESRB listing
2. ^ As noted on the box package text.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Firaxis Games Coming Soon". Firaxis Games, Inc.. http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
4. ^ "2K Games Announces Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization for Games for Windows" (Press release). 2K Games. 2008-06-09. http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=315205. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
5. ^ Joe Keiser (2008-06-09). "2K Games Revives Sid Meier’s Colonization". http://www.next-gen.biz/news/2k-games-revives-sid-meieratildecentacirc. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d} [|Miller, Jon] (2008-06-26). "Civilization IV: Colonization First Look". http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6193071. Retrieved 2008-07-02. 
7. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6196184&mode=previews GameSpot: Civilization Colonization Updated Hands-On
8. ^ Firaxis Games Coming Soon http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21 Updated 9-21-2008
9. ^ http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/story.php?ID=18198
10. ^ http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21
11. ^ "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Dutch Faction Profile". IGN. 2008-08-21. http://pc.ign.com/articles/901/901864p1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
12. ^ ^{a b} Kosak, Dave 'Fargo' (2008-07-18). "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (PC)". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-game-untitled/891987p1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
13. ^ Park, Andrew (2008-07-15). "E3 2008: Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Updated Impressions — New Information and Details". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6194086&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2. Retrieved 2008-08-23. 
14. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2008-06-13). "Q&A: Meier on revolutionizing Colonization". http://www.gamespot.com/news/6192569.html. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
15. ^ "Civ IV: Colonization". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/946846.asp?q=civilization. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 
16. ^ "Civilization IV: Colonization Review - MetaCritic". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/sidmeierscivilization4colonization. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 
17. ^ Chick, Tom (September 25, 2008). "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (PC)". 1UP.com. http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=967615&popup=1. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 
18. ^ Meer, Alec (September 22, 2008). "Civilization IV: Colonization Review - Computer and Video Games". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=197607. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
19. ^ Clare, Oliver (September 22, 2008). "Civilization IV: Colonization Review - EuroGamer". EuroGamer. pp. 2. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=242130&page=1. Retrieved 2008-09-22. 
20. ^ Hunt, Jonathan (2008-09-23). "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (PC)". GameSpy. http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1838/Sid_Meiers_Civilization_IV_Colonization.html. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
21. ^ Biessener, Adam (September 22, 2009). "Civilization IV: Colonization Review - Game Informer". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/games/sid_meiers_civilization_iv_colonization/b/pc/archive/2009/09/23/review.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
22. ^ [|Watters, Chris] (2008-10-03). "Civ IV: Colonization Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/review.html. Retrieved 2008-10-04. 
23. ^ Kosak, Dave 'Fargo' (2008-10-02). "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (PC)". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-game-untitled/915896p1.html. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
24. ^ Butts, Steve (September 26, 2008). "Civilization IV: Colonization Review - IGN". IGN. pp. 3. http://pc.ign.com/articles/913/913968p1.html. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 
25. ^ "G4 X-Play Review: Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization". G4. September 23, 2008. http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1838/Sid_Meiers_Civilization_IV_Colonization.html. Retrieved 2008-10-15. 
26. ^ Butts, Steve. "Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Review". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/articles/913/913968p1.html. "[this winning condition] should appeal to strategy gamers who are unhappy with the less structured victory paths in Civilization IV" 
27. ^ "Civilization IV: Colonization... Wow that looks offensive". Variety. 2008-06-25. http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/civilization-iv.html. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
28. ^ "Civilization IV: Colonization Called 'Morally Disturbing'". The Escapist. 2008-06-27. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/84721-Civilization-IV-Colonization-Called-Morally-Disturbing. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
29. ^ "Variety Troubled By Sid Meier's Next Game". http://kotaku.com/5019849/variety-troubled-by-sid-meiers-next-game. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
30. ^ "Firaxis responds to my Colonization post". Variety. 2008-06-27. http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/firaxis-respond.html. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 

External links

• Official Site (Firaxis)
• Official Site (2K Games)
• Developer's site