Civilization II is a turn-based computer strategy developed and published by MicroProse in 1996: a continuation of Civilization . Sid Meyer and Bruce Shelley - the game designers who worked on the first Civilization - did not participate in the development of the sequel.
| Civilization II | |
|---|---|
 Game box cover | |
| Developer | Microprose |
| Publisher | Microprose |
| Part of a series | Civilization |
| Date of issue | 1996 |
| Version | 2.42 |
| Latest version | |
| Genre | step-by-step strategy 4X , global strategy , wargame , open world |
| Age rating | ESRB : E (Everyone) |
| Creators | |
| Producer | |
| Game designers | Brian Reynolds Douglas Caspian-Kaufman Jeff Briggs |
| Composer | |
| Technical details | |
| Platforms | Mac OS , PlayStation , Windows |
| Game mode | single user |
| Carrier | CD |
| System requirements | Intel 80486 processor with a frequency of 33 MHz, 8 MB RAM , 2X CD-ROM |
| Control | mouse keyboard |
In 2002, Atari re-released the game for new operating systems, such as Windows Me and Windows XP .
Content
Gameplay
In the game Civilization II , as in other games in the series , the player is the leader of one of the data on the choice of civilizations. Throughout the game, it is necessary to develop your country throughout human history: from Antiquity to Modernity , studying new technologies (which are collected in a single technology tree ), engaged in military expansion, building great miracles and contacting with other civilizations.
Compared to the first game, in Civilization II there were new units, civilizations, wonders of the world, technology, graphics acquired an isometric view [1] . Units now have health points . Scenarios appeared (before that it was possible to play only on a randomly generated map or a map of the Earth ), of which the original game presents a scenario about the Second World War and the expansion of the Roman Republic . For the first time, it became possible to modernize obsolete units, but this required the presence of a miracle of light “ Leonardo's Vinci Workshop” ( English Leonardo's Workshop ).
As before, victory in the game could be achieved in three ways - to destroy all opponents, send the spaceship to Alpha Centauri or on points at the end of 2020. Civilization II, after summing up, offers a further simulation of the game world at the player’s choice, which can last for any time. There is a known case when one of the players continued the game for 10 years of real time, simulating the development of civilizations until 3991. In his version of the development of events, the three remaining superpowers are waging an endless total war using nuclear weapons . This case was publicized in publications by The Guardian and CNN , which found parallels with the 1984 novel, and Sid Meyer noted that, according to their information, this is the longest game in Civilization [2] [3] [4] .
The game also allowed players to create their own modifications , changing and improving the game. This feature has been preserved in the following parts of the game series.
According to Sid Meyer, in the first part of the series there was a strong advantage towards achieving victory by force. Starting with Civilization II , developers began to gradually introduce other aspects of achieving victory, in particular, developed mechanisms of diplomacy and trade, which began to significantly affect the gameplay [1] .
A significant innovation was the Supreme Council, consisting of five advisers responsible for a specific area of civilization - military, scientific, financial, international and cultural. Advisers performed by live actors may complain about the deplorable state of affairs or, conversely, rejoice at the good state of the situation, offer to study a certain technology, develop trade and international relations, build up military forces, advise to pay more attention to the needs of ordinary people.
Each time, when the era changes, the actors also change their appearance: a military adviser from a legionnaire of ancient times turns into an ever-drunk knight, and then into a stereotypical American general with a cigar in his mouth; the science adviser is first represented by an ancient Greek thinker, then by a court stargazer, and finally by a typical modern scientist in a white coat; financial adviser - an enterprising trader, and then a slippery businessman with a well-suspended language; Advisor on international affairs - a spy with a pronounced Russian accent; cultural advisor - a parody of Elvis Presley , not taking off his sunglasses even in ancient times. Sometimes they can squabble with each other if a conflict of interest arises between them. The culmination of their disagreement with each other is the change of state system, when each of the advisers tries to shout out the others, until the portraits of each of them are replaced by the symbol of Anarchy [5] .
Civilizations
As in the first part of the game, in Civilization II civilizations were distributed between 7 colors, and at the same time in the game there could be only one civilization for each color: when the civilization (for which the computer plays) is destroyed, “BC”, appears on the closed part of the map another of the same color with a uniform number of units. If in the first part there were 2 civilizations for each color, now it is 3. For the eighth color - red - barbarians ; their leader Attila appears in the dialogue of diplomacy if they can capture a city without a fight and offers to pay them a "tribute" (when attacking an unprotected leader, on the contrary, the player already gets a ransom).
| White | Rome ( Caesar , Libya ) | Russia ( Lenin , Catherine ) | Celts ( Kunobelin , Boudicca ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Babylon ( Hammurabi , Ishtar ) | Zulus ( Shaka , Jackal) | Japan ( Tokugawa , Amaterasu ) |
| Yellow | Egypt ( Ramses , Cleopatra ) | Aztecs ( Montezuma , Nazca) | Spaniards ( Philip II , Isabella ) |
| Turquoise | China ( Mao Zedong , Wu Zetian ) | Americans ( Lincoln , E. Roosevelt ) | Persia ( Xerxes , Scheherazade ) |
| Orange | Greece ( Alexander , Hippolyta ) | England ( Henry VIII , Elizabeth ) | Carthage ( Hannibal , Dido ) |
| Blue | France ( Louis XIV , Joan of Arc ) | Germany ( Barbarossa , Maria Theresa ) | Vikings ( Kanout , Gunhild ) |
| Violet | India ( Gandhi , I. Gandhi ) | Mongols ( Genghis Khan , Borte ) | Sioux ( Sitting Bull , Sakajavej ) |
Development and release
According to game designer Brian Reynolds , who led the development of Civilization II , MicroProse considered the development of the second part as a non-priority project, preferring the multi-user reissue of the first part of CivNet , which was being developed at the same time. Thanks to this, Reynolds and Jeff Briggs were able to introduce several new ideas into the gameplay of the game being developed [6] . The development was carried out in secret for several years, the official announcement of a new game, which had the working title Civilization 2000 [7] , was published at a time when the game was almost ready. [one]
The game was released on December 29, 1996 on the Windows platform. Civilization II quickly became a bestseller, leading the first lines by April, [8] and holding the third position throughout the summer [9] [10] .
By mid-January 1997, total sales of the game exceeded 720 thousand copies. [eleven]
In August 2001, according to Jeff Briggs, the total circulation of Civilization II reached about 3 million copies. [12]
Additions and Reprints
Two additions came to the game. The first addition, Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization , contained 20 new scenarios, 8 of which were the work of fans of the game selected by MicroProse [13] . The second addition, Civ II: Fantastic Worlds , also contained 19 new scenarios, including scenarios in the fantasy (Midgard script) and space setting (scenarios of the colonization of Mars), as well as scripts in the setting of X-COM , Master of Orion , Master of Magic . The delivery also included a new script editor, which allowed to create new units, urban buildings, land types, technologies, game triggers and other improvements.
In 1997, the game was reissued with the subtitle Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition and contained both add-ons and the ability to play online and in hotseat mode.
In 1999, a remake of a game called Civilization II: Test of Time was published. Among the improvements of the new version are animation of units and a completely redesigned appearance.
Criticism
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Foreign language editions | |
| Edition | Rating |
| Allgame | [14] |
| Game informer | 7.75 out of 10 (PlayStation) [15] |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 96% [17] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 96% [16] |
| Russian-language editions | |
| Edition | Rating |
| Game country | 5- out of 5 [18] |
| SBG Magazine | 9 out of 10 [19] |
The game received positive reviews among gaming critics. In 1997, Computer Gaming World awarded her the title "Strategic Game of the Year" [20] . In 2007, IGN put the game in third place on the list of the 100 best games of all time [21] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Civilization 2 (Eng.) // Next Generation . - Imagine Media , 1996 .-- April ( no. 16 ). - P. 66 .
- ↑ I've been playing the same game of Civilization II for almost 10 years. This is the result. : gaming
- ↑ By Larry Frum, Special to CNN. 10-year-long video game creates 'hellish nightmare' world . CNN Date of treatment September 4, 2017.
- ↑ Jordison, Sam . From Civilization to Big Brother: how a game recreated Orwell's 1984 , The Guardian (13 June 2012). Date of treatment September 4, 2017.
- ↑ Civilization 2 Advisors . Date of treatment October 2, 2018.
- ↑ Alex Walker. Remembering Civilization 2, 20 Years On . Kotaku (February 4, 2016). Date of treatment October 4, 2016.
- ↑ Big Pc Sequels Change And Enhance (link not available) . Date of treatment February 15, 2019. Archived on April 19, 1997.
- ↑ Staff . Top Software Best-selling Titles: Games (June 29, 1996). Archived April 2, 2018.
- ↑ GamerX. June's top 30 games (link not available) . CNET Gamecenter (August 8, 1996). Date of treatment February 15, 2019. Archived February 5, 1997.
- ↑ GamerX. August's top 30 games (link not available) . CNET Gamecenter (September 27, 1996). Date of treatment February 15, 2019. Archived February 5, 1997.
- ↑ Bauman, Steve. Ch-ching - Westwood cashes in . Computer Games Strategy Plus (January 15, 1997). Date of treatment February 15, 2019. Archived June 15, 1997.
- ↑ Staff. Firaxis Interview (inaccessible link) . PC Gamer US (August 22, 2001). Date of treatment February 15, 2019. Archived on August 28, 2001.
- ↑ Apolyton site, Civ II expansion scenarios . Apolyton.net. Date of treatment November 7, 2013. Archived June 16, 2010.
- ↑ Sutyak, Jonathan Sid Meier's Civilization II - Review . Allgame . Date of treatment June 4, 2014. Archived November 14, 2014.
- ↑ Civilization 2: Control Your Destiny . Web.archive.org. Date of treatment November 7, 2013. Archived October 3, 2000.
- ↑ PC Gamer Online: Civilization II (July 1996) . Web.archive.org (October 8, 1999). Date of treatment November 7, 2013. Archived November 13, 1999.
- ↑ PC Gamer | Civilization 2 (Issue 28) . Web.archive.org (February 19, 2002). Date of treatment November 7, 2013. Archived on August 28, 2002.
- ↑ Sergey Lange. Overview of Civilization II (rus.) // Country of games : magazine. - Gameland , 1996. - August ( No. 05 (05) ). - S. 44-48 . - ISSN 7157-1000 .
- ↑ Yuri Pomortsev, Denis Davydov. Civilization II (Russian) // SBG Magazine: CD magazine. - 1996. - No. GOLD .
- ↑ CGW 154 (May 1997).
- ↑ IGN's Top 100 Games (link not available) . IGN. Date of treatment July 23, 2007. Archived December 2, 2007.
Literature
- Chronicles of "Civilization" - a large-scale material by Troy Goodfellow about the formation and development of the Civilization series