Civilization (video game)
| Industry | Video game development and publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Sid Meier, Bill Stealey |
Key people | Sid Meier, Bruce Shelley |
| Products | Sid Meier's Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, Covert Action, F-19 Stealth Fighter |
Sid Meier's Civilization is a turn-based strategy 4X game released in 1991, developed and published by MicroProse. Initially created for IBM PC compatibles running MS-DOS, it was subsequently adapted for various other platforms. Players assume control of a civilization through thousands of years, overseeing city growth, exploration, governance, commerce, scientific research, and military operations. Gameplay entails managing units, expanding territories, engaging in diplomacy or warfare, selecting government forms, adjusting tax levels, and prioritizing technological development. Civilizations face off against computer-controlled rivals in a contest of strategy and negotiation.
The game was designed by Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley, following their previous successes with titles such as Silent Service, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Railroad Tycoon. Civilization has reached sales of 1.5 million copies and is widely credited with founding the 4X genre. It is also noted for its educational qualities in illustrating historical dynamics. Numerous publications rank it among the greatest video games ever created. A multiplayer version titled Sid Meier's CivNet, was released in 1995 for PC. The series expanded with sequels beginning with Civilization II, which offered enhanced or additional gameplay scenarios.
Gameplay
Civilization is a single-player turn-based strategy experience where the player guides a civilization starting with one or two settler units to establish an empire, competing against between two and seven other civilizations. Available civilizations include the Americans, Aztecs, Babylonians, Chinese, Egyptians, English, French, Germans, Greeks, Indians, Mongols, Romans, Russians, and Zulus.
Players manage various aspects such as exploration, combat, diplomacy, city planning, unit creation, and technology research. Decisions involve city placement, infrastructure improvements, unit production choices, and research focus to maximize development. Throughout the game, cities may be threatened by barbarians who emerge from unexplored territories or huts; these threats decrease as players expand their explored map.
At the beginning of each game, players pick a civilization which determines factors like leader titles, city names, musical scores, color schemes, and starting locations on the "Play on Earth" map—affecting initial resource availability but excluding randomly generated or custom maps. The selected civilization is unavailable to the AI opponents along with its corresponding color variant. Each civilization possesses unique characteristics influencing gameplay; for instance, the Aztecs are known for their rapid expansion and wealth. Historical leaders command each civilization—for example, India is led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The timeline extends from 4000 BC to AD 2100 on the easiest difficulty setting, encompassing periods from pre-Bronze Age societies through to futuristic technologies of the Space Age. Players start without any cities and use settler units to establish new urban centers and build infrastructure such as mines, irrigation systems, roads, and railways that enable unrestricted movement.
Progression hinges on technological discoveries. Early inventions include pottery, the wheel, and writing systems; later breakthroughs cover nuclear fission and space travel. Being the first to acquire certain technologies offers strategic advantages. New technologies unlock advanced units and structures—for example, chariots become available after researching the wheel while granaries follow pottery—forming a branching technology tree that requires players to research one item at a time.
Throughout different eras, players can construct unique Wonders of the World once specific conditions are met. These landmarks range from ancient marvels like the Pyramids and Great Wall to Renaissance achievements such as Copernicus' Observatory and Magellan’s Expedition, extending to modern feats like the Apollo program and Manhattan Project. Wonders are expensive to build and limited to one per game world but provide powerful benefits that impact cities or entire civilizations; for example, Magellan’s Expedition enhances naval movement speed. Some wonders become obsolete as new technologies emerge.
Victory can be secured either by defeating all rival civilizations militarily or by winning the space race through reaching the star system of Alpha Centauri.
Earlier Civilization-titled games
In 1980, British game designer Francis Tresham launched the board game Civilization through Hartland Trefoil, with Avalon Hill later distributing it in the United States starting in 1981.
Prior to 1990, several efforts were made to adapt Tresham's board game into a digital format. After completing titles such as M.U.L.E. and The Seven Cities of Gold at Electronic Arts, Danielle Bunten Berry intended to develop a computerized version but never resumed the project. Similarly, Don Daglow, known for designing Utopia, began programming a version in 1987 but halted development upon assuming an executive position at Broderbund.
MicroProse development
Co-founders Sid Meier and Bill Stealey established MicroProse in 1982, initially concentrating on military strategy and flight simulation games drawing from Stealey's Air Force background. Around 1989, following the completion of F-19 Stealth Fighter, Meier sought to expand beyond flight simulators. Influenced by the popularity of god games such as SimCity and Populous, he recognized the engaging nature of construction and management gameplay. At this stage, Meier was contracted by MicroProse, receiving upfront payments, delivery incentives, and royalties.
MicroProse recruited designers from Avalon Hill, including Bruce Shelley, who had experience adapting Tresham's railroad-themed board games into video formats. Initially contributing to F-19 Stealth Fighter, Shelley soon partnered with Meier on design projects. Together they developed concepts for Covert Action and subsequently Railroad Tycoon (1990), which garnered positive reception but did not align with MicroProse’s core offerings. A sequel was planned but ultimately canceled by Stealey.
Drawing from their work on Railroad Tycoon, Meier and Shelley appreciated the appeal of managing interconnected systems—a concept they deemed ideal for a civilization-building title. Inspired by the original Empire, Meier challenged Shelley to suggest modifications; Shelley proposed twelve changes. By May 1990, Meier unveiled a prototype that evolved into Civilization.
Meier likened the development process to molding clay, merging features from Empire, Railroad Tycoon, SimCity, and the board game Civilization. The initial build was a real-time simulation incorporating zoning mechanics akin to those in SimCity. Shelley took on roles as producer and playtester while Meier handled programming solo. Concerned that the project diverged from MicroProse’s usual catalog, management paused development to focus on completing Covert Action, released in 1990.
Following this hiatus, Meier and Shelley resumed work on the prototype, shifting away from real-time gameplay toward turn-based mechanics and replacing zoning with city management and military units inspired by Empire. Meier stressed that competition was vital for player engagement, integrating combat alongside territorial expansion. He introduced a technology tree to facilitate non-linear strategic decisions and enable trading with opponents. Historical precision was secondary to enjoyment; research was limited mainly to chronological accuracy and correct spelling. Shelley emphasized that their design prioritized entertainment over strict realism.
Meier focused on emphasizing enjoyable gameplay elements rather than exact simulation fidelity, removing features like civilization collapse to prevent frustrating players who might reload saves after setbacks. Multiplayer alliances were excluded due to AI exploitation concerns leading to unfair advantages; technologies such as jets and helicopters along with online multiplayer were omitted for balance reasons and audience limitations. The game supported both 16-color EGA and 256-color VGA graphics to ensure broad compatibility on IBM PC systems.
Reflecting on development, Meier noted that working independently accelerated progress but limited external input. As completion neared, internal delays arose from a lack of financial incentives tied to Meier’s contract terms. Despite these challenges, Shelley managed publication activities while Meier finalized coding.
Adhering to his philosophy of "double it or cut it in half," Meier reduced the map size shortly before release after playtesting revealed larger maps were tedious. Automated city management features were refined to increase player involvement. Minor technologies such as beer brewing were removed from the tech tree during balancing adjustments alongside unit tweaks. Much of the original artwork was created by Meier himself; MicroProse’s art team completed final assets. Shelley authored detailed "Civilopedia" entries and the instruction manual.
The name Civilization was selected late in development. To avoid conflicts with Avalon Hill’s identically titled board game—which shared elements like technology trees—MicroProse licensed the name from Avalon Hill. Adding Meier’s name served as a branding strategy devised by Stealey to attract players familiar with Meier’s prior successes; this approach proved effective.
Development expenses totaled roughly $170,000 (adjusted for inflation). Released in September 1991 with minimal marketing due to internal company issues, strong sales were driven primarily through word-of-mouth. The game was later ported to multiple platforms with code support from Meier and Shelley provided to contractors engaged by MicroProse.
CivNet
Originally, Civilization was designed as a single-player experience competing against AI opponents. However, by 1995, as home Internet usage expanded, MicroProse introduced Sid Meier's CivNet, which allowed multiplayer gameplay for up to seven participants through LAN, early Internet connections, modems, or direct serial cables. This version incorporated both turn-based and simultaneous play modes, enhanced compatibility with Windows, a local hotseat feature, and included customization utilities such as a map editor and the "king builder" for tailoring civilizations.
Brian Reynolds, who led development on Civilization II, remarked that MicroProse anticipated CivNet would surpass their single-player sequel in importance. The sequel's lower-risk nature enabled more creative freedom in Civilization II, which ultimately eclipsed CivNet following its 1996 launch.
Post-release
The triumph of Civilization marked a prosperous era for MicroProse, opening doors for additional strategy titles, though internal conflicts emerged between proponents of military-themed and simulation-focused projects. After Shelley exited in 1992 to contribute to the creation of Age of Empires, Stealey’s strategy to expand into console and arcade sectors resulted in financial difficulties. This led to MicroProse’s acquisition by Spectrum HoloByte in 1993, which preserved it as an independent division.
Meier continued collaborating with Reynolds, Briggs, and Kaufman to develop Civilization II, released in early 1996 as the first authentic Sid Meier sequel. Following Spectrum HoloByte’s consolidation in 1996 and subsequent staff reductions, Meier, Briggs, and Reynolds departed to establish Firaxis Games. By 2005, Firaxis had become a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive. After several corporate transitions and legal restructurings, Take-Two currently owns the Civilization franchise, with Firaxis maintaining development under Meier’s leadership.
Reception
Civilization is broadly recognized as a seminal title within the strategy genre, inspiring numerous open-source adaptations as well as commercially similar games.
Computer Gaming World hailed it as an innovative "god game," likening its influence to the invention of the wheel. In 1992, Dragon magazine awarded a perfect score of five stars, emphasizing its expansive scope, virtually endless strategic possibilities, and exceptional entertainment value. White Wolf magazine highlighted its attraction to players who enjoy global-scale strategic challenges. Meanwhile, Pyramid magazine praised its capacity to deeply engage players through unique outcomes each time.
The game earned the 1991 Origins Award for Best Military or Strategy Computer Game. A 1992 survey by Computer Gaming World rated it five stars, describing it as "addictive" with rich complexity and named it Overall Game of the Year that year. It was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1993 and was later declared the greatest game ever made in 1996.
The Super NES adaptation received mixed reactions: while Next Generation criticized its interface and graphics quality, it acknowledged the solid gameplay; conversely, GamePro commended its user interface and audiovisual presentation compared to other SNES strategy titles.
By the year 2000, Civilization ranked among the most influential video games according to GameSpot (10th) and IGN (4th). It also featured on numerous global best-of lists from publications like Retro Gamer, German industry events, Polish media outlets, and was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 greatest video games in 2012.
In 1994, both PC Gamer US and PC Gamer UK placed it among the top computer games ever released. In 2007, The New York Times recognized it as one of the ten most significant video games.
Sales had exceeded 850,000 copies by the release of Civilization II in 1996; this figure grew to one million by 2001. In a 2016 interview, Brian Reynolds confirmed total sales approximating 1.5 million units.
In 2022, Sid Meier’s Civilization was honored with induction into The Strong National Museum of Play's World Video Game Hall of Fame.
Reviews
- Casus Belli Issue 70 (July 1992)
Legacy
The Civilization series grew with multiple follow-ups such as Civilization II (1996), Civilization III (2001), Civilization IV (2005), Civilization Revolution (2008), Civilization V (2010), Civilization VI (2016), and the anticipated Civilization VII (2025). Additionally, in 1994, Sid Meier created a related game titled Colonization.
Recognized as a pioneering title in the "4X" genre—encompassing exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination—Civilization set foundational design standards that shaped many later strategy games.
One enduring legend from the game's history is the "Nuclear Gandhi" myth, which claims that the historically pacifist leader Gandhi becomes aggressively nuclear-armed due to an integer overflow glitch. Both Sid Meier and developer Brian Reynolds have denied this tale, confirming no such error existed in the original versions. This myth most likely originated from a 2010 humorous feature in Civilization V, where Gandhi was deliberately programmed to favor nuclear weapons, subsequently becoming a widespread meme within gaming communities.
Another aspect of the game's legacy involves its combat system, which allowed early-era units to survive into later periods with veteran status bonuses. This sometimes resulted in these older units overpowering more advanced forces—a balance issue attributed to unforeseen player strategies. Subsequent entries refined combat mechanics to mitigate these imbalances while maintaining complex tactical gameplay.
Sid Meier’s 1999 release, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, though not a direct continuation, shares thematic and gameplay elements with a futuristic setting; its innovations influenced later titles in the Civilization franchise. Firaxis' 2014 game, Civilization: Beyond Earth, reinterprets this concept utilizing the engine from Civilization V.
The success of the original Civilization inspired numerous strategy games throughout the 1990s, including MicroProse’s 1994 release Master of Magic and Activision’s 1999 title Civilization: Call to Power, which sparked legal disputes over naming rights. Eventually, Activision renamed its sequel to Call to Power II after divesting the associated trademarks.
Open-source initiatives such as Freeciv, designed to replicate the gameplay of Civilization and its sequel, alongside public domain projects like C-evo, demonstrate the lasting impact of the franchise on strategy game development.
References
- The Official Guide to Sid Meier's Civilization, Keith Ferrell, Edmund Ferrell, Compute Books, 1992, .