Sid Meier gets Civilized
- 21 Feb 08, 02:55 GMT
is one of the games industry's true giants - so when he speaks about games people tend to listen.
The queue outside the Q&A session told its own story, wanting to hear from the man who co-founded Microprose, developed Railway Tycoon and, of course, .
He is this year's recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers Conference and still highly active, currently at work on a new Civilization sequel, called Revolution.
"We're starting with a blank slate on Revolution. But I also want to do the things I wish I'd been able to do the first time," he said.
"Designers dream of being able to go back in time and repair the past."
Meier, together with Bill Stealey, pioneered simulation games on home computers.
His biggest success, Civilization, is one of the most popular strategy games of all time.
"We went into it with the philosophy of making it as fun as it could be," he said.
"I did not expect the game to be as addictive as it was. It was quite scary.
"We had broken through to a new level of seeing the future of games. We were struggling at that point with being seen as geeky people.
"It was a kind of portent of how games could be something people want to spend a lot of time playing."
His insight into why people play games was fascinating.
"People actively enjoy learning as part of playing games. People don't like to be educated but they do like to learn."
He also explained why he still created games.
"I write games to play a game that hasn't been written yet. I do feel the games I create are games that haven鈥檛 been written yet but fill a void."
But most pertinently when asked why his games were addictive, he turned the question on its head.
"I鈥檓 more intrigued why people don鈥檛 play games: I think they are tonnes of fun and a great way to exercise your mind and do cool things you could never do in real life."
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Comments
I started playing Civ when I was 14 years old. I'm now quickly approaching 31 and I'm still playing it. And I'm not bored yet. I cannot think of another game that has the same longevity or addictive qualities.
I was introduced to Civ 4 last Sept by a good friend. The Civ games give you a great insight as to how Civilization's may develop and rise to Power. but I also wanted to know more about many of the Civilizations featured in the game. This led me to do my own research on the internet. I now know of the downfall of Inca's, theories as to why the Mayan's died out, and how the Ottoman society functioned.
Well done Sid, you have educated me in a way no schooling could have.
Indeed this is a classic series. I played Civ 2 years ago, and loved it. There simply is nothing else like it. Civ 4 took the game and the genre to the next level, such a shame when I got hold of it a couple of years back it would not work on my PC!! I am an avid pc gamer, been PC gaming since 1996, and I'll never give up.
I've followed the Civ series from 1 to 4, through Colonisation and Alpha Centauri: every one worth the weeks and weeks I poured into them. They are intriguing and addictive, you learn very real history and strategy without even knowing it. There are few games out there to touch these simple (in terms of accessibility) masterpieces.
Sid Meier's a genius and very deserving of the lifetime achievement award; here's to the upcoming 'Revolution.'
Like Ian I've played Civ since the first version hit screens and I'm looking forward to the upcoming console and DS version.
It's now pretty much the only game I play and here's why: Sid says:
"I'm more intrigued why people don鈥檛 play games"
Well it's because a lot of games aren't fun for casual players. They largely require precision instincts honed from hours of playing and often employ very frustrating time limits or require minimum scores to proceed to a next level
Casual players, people who want to have a quick blast or drive after work are pretty much ignored by games makers.
To get more people playing it's going to be necessary to open up the experience.
If I want to play the latest GTA game why shouldn't I have the option to extend or remove time limits?
Why can't I skip a mission or level I'm unable to complete?
Why can't I play more games in invulnerable mode without looking for cheats on the web?
Of course to some people this would defeat the point of playing but the issue here is one of allowing the player to set the rules for themselves so that the game can be fun or relaxing for them.
Too much of the industry is focused on the hardcore gamer for whom playing games is as important as following a football team or a soap.
you have got to love him game after game and not one of them is bad, Railway tycoon is still one of my favourites. Cant wait to see what revloution holds.
I also started off with Civ 1. On an A500.. nice to see they have reused the intro music from the first version on the movie intro the Civ 4, re mixed of course but still the same tune.
why is it so addictive? 15 years and 4 versions later i'm still playing.
I have played one of the Civ games myself and I agree with Ian when he say their addictively fun. I have never played a more fun strategy game.
One of the legends of games, I remember getting it for my Amiga and feeling that there was nothing else like it in terms of losing hours on a Saturday just immersing myself in my Nation, it taught diplomacy and the fine act of balancing research and improvements against arming your soldiers and conquering other nations. I always had to be on Britain or America, if only school lessons had been as much fun!
Civ addictive? Not at all.
Staying up till 4am and having to phone in sick at 8am as i was too tired to go to work but then firing Civ back up and carrying on.
Thats not addiction. Perfectly normal behaviour isn't it?
The problem was you always wanted to see what happened next, there was no end really until the very end so it was always a case of just another 10 minutes followed by just another.
One of the great things about Civ, and the follow-ups, is the ability to create random lands to play on. So each time you played, it was different each time. That is what was so engrossing for me :)
Over the years Civ and its sequels have taken up many months of my life and I loved them all. There is something compelling about exploring, building and developing a Civilization, and each game it is different. Sid Meier, I thank you.
Also fast approaching 31 I couldn't agree with Ian more. Not only does it offer true video gaming nostalga for me it still features high in my top ten games of all time.
Remake alpha centuri! The ability to create your own personalized units and literally destroy land with devastating weapons is awesome!
Sid Meirs Civilisation on the Amiga almost cost me my GCSE's, instead of revising I was determined to just finish killing the mongols, or the bagylonians, or some other empire that I felt had wronged me. Now here I am, 16 years later, and tonight, at 8 o'clock, 4 mates will log online and duke it out in the latest incarnation. The game looks shiner, and has way more options, but is still as addictive as ever.
I used to play civilization when I was young. It was not only fun, but also taught me alot without realising it, like the different types of government, major figures within different cultures, world wonders and how technology progressed through time. Great game series as are the rest of Sid Meier's.
I grew up with the Civilization era of games and remember people going crazy for it, though I could personally not see it's fascination - the frustrations of playing it were just too much for me.
Colonization on the other hand - now THAT was addictive and I spent years of my life at. Only a few years apart, but FAR superior!
I must have devoted literally months of solid play time to Sid Meier's games over the years, including Civ 1, 2, 3 and 4, all the expansion packs, Colonization, Alpha Centauri and Pirates. I'm 29 and still thoroughly enjoying Colonization and Civ 4 immensely.
My only regret is that my acquisition of each Civilization seems to have co-incided with a period where I probably should have been revising for exams instead. Oh well, I have no regrets!
Now, you'll have to excuse me while I make those cheeky Greeks pay for taking Minsk...
Big fan of Sid Meier games expecially civ for 15 years can wait to see what Revolution looks like on the ps3.
Civ is an amazing game for a number of reasons, but I think the fact that each game is infinitely configurable, and no two games are ever the same, help to ensure you never tire of it - and who wouldn't want to conquer the world every now and then? Sid Meier is an incredible talent.
Big fan of Sid Meier games for 15 years. I remember playing colonisation on my comodore amiga when i was no age. Can`t wait to see what Revolution looks like on the ps3.
I enjoyed playing Civilisation II and Alpha Centauri actually became quite a problem addiction for me, the amount of I wasted playing that game is frightening! So, I was not sure whether to be disappointed or relieved when I found civilisation III completely unplayable.
I have no intention of playing civilisation IV, or is it V now, but would give Alpha Centauri II a go. Please don鈥檛 release it; I need to sleep at night!
His games aren't my favourite, but his games have been revolutionary.
I first played Civ shortly after I got my first PC, some time around 1992 / 93 and was addicted. I later re-discovered my addiction with CivII, and now I have just (literaly 5 days ago) purchased CivIV and im addicted again.
I began playing Alpha Centauri while I was younger, and it quickly engrossed my friends and I. We still run it on the LAN for old times sake every once in a while...with games running on for days....
I've been playing the Civ games for years, and have also suffered from the addiction that keeps you playing for just 10 more minutes...or until that particular Wonder is finished...or 10 more game years...there is always something to keep you hooked to your PC and away from teh comfort of bed.
I'd love to play it online but unfortunately suffer from being appalingly bad at the game.
Never played it; don't see the fascination; far better (real world) things to do with my time.
Playing civ on the Amiga and all the later versions on the PC is one of the reasons I鈥檓 now a doctor of archaeology. Although I had to give it up during my PhD its too addictive :-)
They may be fun games, but the Civilisation series isn't going to teach you much history. At the very least you're stuck with a Marxist historical framework. A game where the Mongols have to urbanise and build up an industrial base before sending off their cavalry to war is a very strange game indeed.
I hate Civilization games...
Not because they're bad, but because time flies too quickly and then I lose an entire night.
Flight Simulator and Civilization.
Nowhere close to my favourite games but damn additive.
Alpha Centauri is crying out for a remake, I loved it and the add-on, played them for hours!!
The only minor mistake Sid ever made was railroads, it was nothing in comparison to railroad tycoon. I would love a true Railroad Tycoon 4, I guess i'll just have to stick to versions 2/3 and Chris Sawyers Locomotion.
Alpha Centauri is crying out for a remake, I loved it and the add-on, played them for hours!!
The only minor mistake Sid ever made was railroads, it was nothing in comparison to railroad tycoon. I would love a true Railroad Tycoon 4, I guess i'll just have to stick to versions 2/3 and Chris Sawyers Locomotion.
I want to see a remake of Colonization like he did with Pirates, nothing has ever come close. Not even Civ 4!
Railway Tycoon was actually called Railroad Tycoon. The concept was developed further by Chris Sawyer when he produced Transport Tycoon. Personally, I think Transport Tycoon is one of the most addictive games that is available, and the fact that TTDPatch and OpenTTD are still played by so many is testiment to this.
Another game that Sid wrote was Colonization, which was also pretty good
I've played each version of Civ since it first came out and the game is indeed highly addictive. It's also a lot of fun.
CIv IV is definitely the best of the genre but Sid, I sure miss my paratroopers.
Indeed this is a classic series. I played Civ 2 years ago, and loved it. There simply is nothing else like it. Civ 4 took the game and the genre to the next level, such a shame when I got hold of it a couple of years back it would not work on my PC!! I am an avid pc gamer, been PC gaming since 1996, and I'll never give up.
Like Sid, I wonder why more people don't play games. Television is so passive - no input or interaction at all - and yet more popular. I think even the least "intellectual" games stimulate the brain more, just in the simple process of learning patterns and discovering the rules of the game world. Complex games challenge the mind even more.
But, as awesome as Civilization is, like Jim above I had to give it up to focus on PhD work...have to stick to quicker games now :-)
Having played them all, some are better then others, Civilization Call To Power was bad, the rest of the Civilizations are alot of fun. Alpha Centauri being one of the all time best conquest games. The Technology tree is awesome, the level of customizable units is something alot of other games needed, and missed. It would be nice to be able to run Alien cross fire, it no longer installs on updated Windows machines. Sid Meier you are a Gaming mega star, Sid Revolution should be like Superpower crossed with Civilization, and you'd have a winner.Designing units to out match your opponent, and using them to conquer other players is all the rage. Thank you Sid.
Remember playing the original Civilization, and having nights turn into dawn as I played for "one more turn".
All of them are classics, but I think Civilization 2 was the pinnacle.
I have only one thing to say: Just-one-more-turn syndrome.
Just one more turn...
Civ can destroy your life if you are not careful. I have caught myself playing Civ at 5am before. Colonization was also awesome.
When i first played CIVILIZATION i was only 13 and a had a 80286 PC i was really amazed with this game playing for hours with my friends. Yes CIV 2 was the big hit.I hope they still continue to advance now and create another one. I play all of them i had never skipped one since it was created.
Been a Meier fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up on waking up before my dad to get on his Apple laptop to play Civ. It was a pirated copy too, and every now and then it asked you a question from the manual. Because I played the game so much I knew the answers without having the book!
And Pirates! It's brilliant. Nothing beats broadsiding an escort Sloop with roundshot, sailing between it and the Spanish Treasure Galleon and massacring the crew with grapeshot. Oh joy of joys!
Thank you Sid... for all the sleepless nights and days spent inside. For the countless times I went way past my deadlines; from homework in middle school to papers in University and self-imposed ones at work (which is at home... why do I put myself in this position?).
At the moment Civ III and IV are locked away in a drawer and deleted from my harddrive, the same fate Civ I and II have been subjected to many times. Its not that I look down at them.. it's for my own good.
I fear the moment boredom overcomes my inhibition and I slide that game so deliciously into the slot and immerse myself in that wonderful world of my own making... and breaking.
Thank you Sid.. I mean it.
Came to Civ with its 2nd incarnation. Fantastic Worlds was a wonderful add-on!
Then Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire - Hours spent playing that one.
Civ3 passed into Civ4 (each with add-ons).
Yes, Beyond the Sword makes some major changes to the way 4 plays, but that's a benefit!
Each incarnation has been different. Some things improved, some didn't - but that's the way it goes.
Too many hours of life gone on one series of games. But I've yet to find a game that relieves the stress of the day anywhere near as much - invading your neighbour can be so stress relieving!
A re-make of Alpha Centauri is long overdue!!
sid a legend,
i still have me original amstrad for playing pirates on
but on a serious note, has there every been a remake of colonization and if so where can i get it from
I too have played every version of Civ. I'm now 42 and still playing. I'm married with 2 kids and my wife accepts that whenever a new version comes out I will be spending the weekend glued to the pc - if I can get the kids off first.
The game has been put together over the years with few bugs, and these have been corrected quickly. Perhaps Microsoft could ask for some advice.
I'm one of the guys who have gone through the entire Civ series and I currently have Civ III and IV installed on my home PC and have Civ I, II, Colonisation & Alpha Centauri installed on an older machine!
While I agree that the Civ series are without a doubt among the best strategy games around (and among my favourites), nothing ever matched Colonisation for addiction. I'd have to add my name into the "Please Remake Colonisation" list.
Thanks Sid!!
I'm one of the guys who have gone through the entire Civ series and I currently have Civ III and IV installed on my home PC and have Civ I, II, Colonisation & Alpha Centauri installed on an older machine!
While I agree that the Civ series are without a doubt among the best strategy games around (and among my favourites), nothing ever matched Colonisation for addiction. I'd have to add my name into the "Please Remake Colonisation" list.
Thanks Sid!!
Civilization is the only game I play.
I still got Civ I and II. But I like Civ III not Civ IV where I think the game lost the sense of proportion and maps and graphics are awful. I think this probably due to Firaxis tinkering with the game. Also Firaxis introduced some sort of spyware on Civ III.
Kaspersky Security 7.0 screams as soon as you fire up the game!
Civ games are the greatest time wasters on earth and most gamers know it. Did anyone try the microsoft versions of the same thing?
In more serious tune, it teaches ecomomic, political and geopolitican win or loss in a simplistic fashion. Otherwise a decent game on average.
Computer tech is changing so fast it be simpler to put a trash bin in the store close to where the tech and soft is being purchased to save on recycling time.
Grown in a non-English speaker family, games had taught the language to me better than any English teachers I ever had. Especially with the rich vocabularies I would rarely get from daily conversations, Civ series (and other Sid's great games) made me open a dictionary just to make sure that I made the right decision in the game, plus enriching my knowledge. Thank you Sid...
I couldnt agree more with the general bent of the posts here, that being that the CIV series is one of the most addictive, fun and interesting games I have ever played.
However I would have to agree with Fogoneri in that I believe that CIV IV was not as entertaining as CIV III, yes it had improvements that I really liked but the whole timeline seemed rushed through the earlier ages and before I knew it I had progressed from spear chucking savages to rifle weilding troops (and yes I was on Epic timeline).
Lots of incredible news regarding Micrprose this week, the news about its original founders and the big news about Microprose making its return back onto the scene: