What Has Changed in Sid Meier's Civilization Series | The Leaderboard

Launched in 1991, Sid Meier's Civilization has certainly stood the test of time but not without some controversy. Join The Leaderboard as we explore the different development, legal battle around the naming, changes to gameplay, prominent glitches, and much more in Civilization - Then vs. Now.
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Graphics and Thumbnail by: Elvin Apolonio, Alex Batchelor
Programming Manager: Darrian P. Mack
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Your Home For Video Game Facts! The Leaderboard offers fascinating insights, development history, tips & tricks, the latest in news and commentary about your favorite games past and present. We cover a mix of AAA titles and indie releases with compelling characters and deep stories. We upload about 7 times a week Chat with us on Discord (The Leaderboard Fam) / discord .

[@ActualBottleman]

I love civ, but I hate that the AI are always dead set on hating my guts for the smallest of acts.

[@t40xd]

There will be nukes -Ghandi

[@imadecoy.]

Yeah try using the developer cheat for exploring the whole map on turn one. I tried that and was declared war on by 4 civs in 3 turns.

[@PixelGraphicful]

*passes someones cities* "remove your troops" *1 turn later" *declears war upon you"

[@treybrumley8237]

*purchases one tile about 12 hexagons away from nearest enemy civ* England has denounced you! The Ottoman Empire has denounced you! Venice has denounced you! India has denounced you!

[@logoncal3001]

You are allied with bratislava England steals bratislava with a GM "I see you have become friends with Bratislava. Well, while it is nice, it's best to leave the city state for me" I MEAN, WHAT?!

[@DrK4ZE]

did he not mention how Civ 5 units didn't stack? that was like the biggest change from 4-5 imo... totally changed combat rofl

[@tonyc196]

Agreed. Stacking. Zones of Control. Ranged attacks. Armies. Biggest changes from version to version. Far more important than the gender of the leaders.

[@evanseifert8858]

I was going to say the same thing. The unstacking of units in Civ 5 is also what lead to districts and the unstacking of cities in Civ 6, so it's a real shame not to mention it.

[@nicolaslillo1665]

Zones of control already existed in civ 5

[@mikkoolavijarvinen3653]

It's funny how it goes from "you have this kind of troops in this geographical area" to "archers can literally fire thousands of kilometers".

[@turtle2720]

They're presenters... maybe they saw someone play Civ 6...

[@oldjuniper1617]

The world was a peaceful place. Romans skirmished with Americans in the deserts of Africa, Isabella of Spain and Shaka Zulu traded crabs for iron and horses. Alaska was finally occupied by Napoleon, and the Babylonians tamed the wild Australian lands. But one day, the world took a turn for the worst... Gandhi!!

[@David-qi1ys]

The historian in me wants to point out that the Romans (Italians) and Americans DID skirmish in the deserts of Africa (The Tunisian campaign, WWII), but the child in me is too busy giggling at Isabella and Shaka trading crabs.

[@uzernam303]

Wow I must say that's not what I had in mind when I first laughed about Shaka and Isabella's trade agreements.

[@SuperCraft1999]

Such a bad deal for isabella, could've sold those horses to mongolia

[@vincewilson1]

@@David-qi1ys Yep I am an American. I was thinking about that when I read it.

[@BeaverChainsaw]

Welp! TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE APOCALYPSE

[@PhantomCatMusic]

My main problem with civilization VI is that they still can't make the game harder by making the AI more dynamic on higher diffeculties, but still rely on giving the AI "cheats".

[@erwinekkel9676]

So true

[@bernlin2000]

I also think replacing workers with expendable builders was a lame choice in Civ 6. I've played around with it and I preferred workers who don't disappear after a certain number of usages. Just a lame design choice that was forced on player after several generations of workers.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

my main gripe with Civ VI is that I can basically get most of the experience from similar titles... which makes me sad seeing I've been playing since Civ 2 on my dad's Lap at age 2, it's certainly better than 5, but I feel like its more a trade of things in general from version to version, some things get better, others get worse, Civ 2 Wonders had cutscenes with Soul and Passion, whilst in 4 you're basically seeing the thing getting build up, fun but also very soulless

[@Voron_Aggrav]

@Dale Macarena depends what you like, Personally I'd recommend Civ IV with C2C mod for one of the best Civ experiences, but a game with that will take literally days to go through, if you're more fan of modern titles, simpler and quick go Civ VI, of even Humankind which is a pretty decent Civ analogue

[@dbrek8692]

@Dale Macarena no lmao

[@NicolaiLol]

Ugh please don't make me think about Civ, I will end up wasting my whole day playing that game

[@LunarisRuin]

DO IT! Play Civ! One of the best strategy games EVER! :)

[@m_fairie]

Just one more turn!

[@xtwzyz9000]

Mom: It's time for dinner Me: just let me play one more turn. 5 in the morning---- Me: Is the dinner ready?

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

I like how the later Civ games added a clock to the top bar as if to remind you how long you've been playing XD

[@unexpired1]

... Just a day? I've wasted a whole semester when civ 5 came out

[@salvatorecastello8792]

I really liked the style of Civ V, it has a special elegance in every element. Still my favorite Civ!

[@iswim992]

I liked Civ Rev 1 better but that’s just cuz it’s what I grew up on

[@beaupeterson188]

It’s great

[@QualityPen]

Graphics aside, Civ 4 had the best gameplay and modding community.

[@silverbackwrites]

"Did we miss anything?" Yes, two entire games, in fact; Revolution and Beyond Earth.

[@nathangamble125]

And all the games associated with civ 2 as well. Civilization II: Test of Time Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds Civilization: Call to Power Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

[@jimmym3352]

Call to Power was released by a different company, but still deserves mentioning as the competition.

[@quantumplatinum3029]

Sid meiers colonialisation.

[@nathaniel106]

We don't talk about beyond earth

[@davidholguin2]

We don't talk about beyond earth..... It was hot garbage

[@mithren1358]

2:57 "1-2= -2" *Question mark*

[@poiuyt975]

This is because of the influence of the Apostolistic Palace :P

[@GallorKaal]

Roman numbers?

[@derekfurreal6784]

You know what even stranger.. let’s assume that the actual lowest aggression score was zero.. after the math if his score was 255.. that would mean the maximum aggression score was 2:57 ?????!! Holy hell.

[@AudieHolland]

Civilization II had a bug that caused you to end at bottom rank of all civilizations if you scored too high. Instead of Caesar the Eternal (or whatever) you'd end up as Caesar the Worthless.

[@shadowling77777]

AudieHolland Ayy lmao

[@MarkLangdahl]

There are a couple of factual errors in this video. 1. Sid Meier wasn't a contractor at MicroProse. He started the company together with "Wild" Bill Stealey. 2. Sid Meier was involved with Civilization II. He left MicroProse shortly after publishing it. 3. Sid Meier didn't own the Civilization name. Avalon Hill did and MicroProse had licensed it from them. What had happened was that Avalon Hill had licensed the name to MicroProse for the first game. So in 1997 Avalon Hill made a deal with Activision for future Civilization titles. MicroProse then sued both Avalon Hill and Activision and the case was settled out of court meaning MicroProse kept the naming rights. However both MicroProse and Avalon Hill would soon be bought out by Hasbro meaning the naming rights were now in the same place again. This however meant that Activision got to use the Civilization name for Civilization: Call To Power. They had to call the sequel Call To Power II without the Civilization name though. Hasbro Interactive was then bought by Infogrames together with the naming rights for Civilization... Firaxis didn't acquire the actual name until Civ 4... 4. The fact that another civilization of the same color popped up when one was extinct was also present in the first Civilization game. I remember a game where I played with three civilizations on the map and once I had exterminated the Zulu the Egyptians popped up and once Russia was gone the Romans popped up... It was changed for Civilization III basically because all civilizations now had each their own color. 5. Histography has existed since Civ I just not with that name. The game ended depending on the chosen dificulty. On chieftain you had until 2100. Every dificulty up meant you had to be 20 years faster.

[@jcb3393]

Mark Langdahl thank you for correcting this video that was obviously done by a millennial who never played the originals

[@LBPBumout]

He also pretended Civ V was the first game with an animated map (IV) and leaders (III), although II had animated heralds. Egypt and the Celts are fondly remembered. Then he acted like III was the best version when we all know it was IV.

[@user-bj5ki6sr6c]

That's 5

[@ShaunHickox]

Point 2 sprang out at me as I was watching. Kudos for making such a detailed post about this guy's inaccuracies.

[@577edu]

thanks god that the game doesnt end with Actvision Killer Games Company

[@LegionOfEclaires]

My favorite little feature came from Civilization Revolution on the Xbox 360. You could discover and name different geographic features like mountains, rivers, forests etc. It's just one of those small little details that has no impact on the game play but still interesting.

[@darkforge15]

In my opinion, that's probably the only thing that was good about Civilization Revolution.

[@tjhicks3600]

@@darkforge15 Civ Rev is what got me into Civ in the first place

[@truesparcsi5545]

@@tjhicks3600 🙌 same

[@eddietorres1313]

2:22 *i dOnT fEeL sO GOoD*

[@byron3718]

I legit thought that Gandhi was violent in real life because of civilisation, I trusted that it was right since I had never heard of Gandhi until I saw civilisation but then later on I actually learned about real Gandhi.

[@noahtoad4095]

Nah dude, don't believe those books. Gandhi was a real war hero, who sent thousands of his worthless legions to die and fight other's Riflemen. Gandhi diligently practiced and perfected the graceful art of dropping nukes. Gandhi fought to the bitter end, and I even swore killed his own men standing by other cities with nukes just so he could get P L A S T I C S for his poor civilization, who didn't deserve this hero. Gandhi was forever remembered as the world's worst fricken turd, but also as a nuke loving, RNG favored god in the eyes of the computer.

[@Wjw129]

Noah & Toad But did Ghandi ever make a trade agreement with England?

[@Zorc620]

He was probably pretty young. I first played Civ 3 when I was 8, so I had no idea who Ghandi was, or most of the leaders.

[@byron3718]

beepIL+ don't blame me, blame the history education system in Australia. i was literally never taught any history about things outside of Australia until 6th grade, and even then it wasn't much. I had learnt a decent bit of stuff at that point but that was all from google.

[@beepIL]

Sorry mate, that was a bit harsh and rude of me, i apologize...

[@dataportdoll7918]

No mention of the stack of doom? Shame. Shame. Shame.

[@GameFreak7744]

Oh here comes an enemy unit... and another. and another. and... *5 hours later* and another...

[@anthonyswisher8682]

I think stacking should be allowed. A limit at least... so you don't have to spend 5 hours on one turn moving 50 units...

[@GameFreak7744]

Yeah stacking *with limits* would be fine. Also could have interesting interactions with tile improvements allowing more (or less) stacking, but unlimited stacking inevitably ended up absurd. =P

[@thod8820]

I didn't really like stacks of dumb but maybe they could add a unit that's weak by itself but is able to be stacked to become powerful over time. So each Civ could have a few of there expensive stacks to play a part on combat

[@YourIQDoesntMeanShitToMe]

Shame.

[@MarcMagma]

"In 26 years, Civilazation has changed a lot." So true in so many ways.

[@Chronically_ChiII]

Kinda redundant statement. And the rest of the video was badly researched.

[@rickyrick2330]

@@Chronically_ChiII whoosh

[@Chronically_ChiII]

@@rickyrick2330 What made you consider making such empty statement?

[@rickyrick2330]

@@Chronically_ChiII whatever made you so dumb you didnt understand the original comment

[@fredgrimm5545]

@@rickyrick2330 That was not a wooosh. The comment was not even sarcastic.

[@bleflar9183]

Wait. Civ 4 also had animated map and you could see battles.

[@Burn_Angel]

You can see battles in Civ 3 too. No animated map though.

[@arvindhmani06]

@@Burn_Angel Civ 3's battles are way more rudimentary though; just a pair of units doing their attack move over and over again. Civ 4 was a huge visual improvement.

[@dylanroemmele906]

@@arvindhmani06 they were charming though

[@xNL7x]

Where's civilization revolution??!

[@bnk3rmk259]

What's wrong with Revolution?

[@duckdictator6531]

Or beyond earth! Heresy!

[@therevanchist3443]

Didn't Civ Revolution add natural wonders before 5 too or am I wrong?

[@0079Matthew]

The Revanchist Civilization revolution doesn’t have natural wonders. Civ V and Civ Vi have natural wonders.

[@CrimsonEagleXI]

No revolution had natural wonders they were just rare to find and seriously whats wrong with it it was one of the most popular xbox games at the time hell its still popular today thank to microsoft making backwards compatible

[@AneesaH.]

I only recently discovered this game and I didn’t realize how much history it had.

[@seriousnesstv7902]

Aneesa H. It’s very educational :)

[@coffee-vk2tv]

@@seriousnesstv7902 Yeah.Today I learned that the aztecs captured Berlin from the Egyptians using spearmen in 2453 AD,achieving a religion victory with Chatolicism :))))

[@sandraswan9008]

But... It's a game about history?

[@brothinkhecarti69]

@@sandraswan9008 basically, yes, but no

[@DKforever24]

You say Civ 6 is cartoony in its appearance, but did you ever look at how outrageously cartoony the leaders and their animations are in Civ Revolution!?

[@noahtoad4095]

Some of the Leaders in Civ Rev were really great. I loved how Genghis would just barge in and start slashing at the advisors when just wanting to trade. Or just the priceless expression of pure doubt in humanity that Abraham Lincoln has when he is peeved. Or how Isabella demands and lives by war, but when denied piece, just goes shaking her finger saying, "No no. Naughty boy." Or just Alexander in general. "Surfs up, ma dude!" The Romans, Egyptians, Zulu, and Japanese are all great too.

[@paristsekouras]

Yes, and the same was true in Civ IV, as well. BTW, "Apostolistic" Palace?

[@carlosalmonacid8958]

DKforever24 CIV rev is generally considered a spinoff rather than one in the main series. Still, it would be good to see a mention of the influence.

[@theonlytrue8t88]

great video, but, that music makes me twitch and headache

[@shawnbretthauer]

I think you should have also included the console only Civilization Revolution in this video. A simplified version with much of the intricate mechanics still intact that you find in the main games.

[@limetwistanimations8628]

Shawn Bretthauer civ rev was actually my first civ game

[@ryuman757]

My first too. Was so great to have on consoles for us that didn't have powerful PCs (though I guess Civ 3 & 4 could have ran fine on my laptops), but it was also super fun! Especially with the fact that you could combine units??? Really wish they'd add that to these future games. Making an actual army was so much more fun for me. But I've still been having hundreds of hours of fun with Civ 5 over the years as well.

[@ryuman757]

It's actually ironic that they didn't, when they used Cleopatra from Civilization Revolution in the thumbnail, lol.

[@yazidefirenze]

My only civ game

[@salkin350]

@@ryuman757 they censord her for the ds version. But in the cover art she was uncensored

[@cecarter10]

My all time will always be Civ3. I remember to this day opening that cool khaki box sliding the disk in and my jaw dropped at the graphics compared to Civ2.

[@jeremybridges6015]

I remember purchasing the strategy guide and devouring it over coffee before my first playthrough.

[@myaccountisntthisone]

And borders. Borders was such a fantastic improvement over earlier versions.

[@chrisa3289]

This

[@PoizenJam]

I thought Civ VI's graphical style was the most beautiful yet... Until I had played a few hundred hours. See, in Civ V, there was a contrast between the more realistic, muted tones of the game-board layer and the more cartoony, brighter tones of the UI interface. This made everything easily readable at a glance. But with the shift to a much more brighter, saturated colour scheme for the game board in Civ VI, I often find UI elements like unit icons (especially sleeping units) completely blending into the background and disappearing. It's quite awful, and I'm not even colour blind. I like where the series is going, and hope 1UPT gets refined a little better. Maybe even pushed a little further towards a tactical combat style like Advanced Wars. But they really need to get their poop together when it comes to fixing the clunky as hell UI in Civ VI.

[@jojolapatate6662]

I agree. All this shiny colours and the map which keep changing with the new art style (discovered, undiscovered, discoverd but no unit around) after 2 hours, my eyes are bleeding.

[@endrsgm]

if you like one unit per tile games why not focus in on grand strategy games like "strategic command world at war" which takes that 1upt and does quite well with for a beer and pretzel game.

[@bernlin2000]

Honestly, if they could have made the AI smart for once, I could forgive Civ 6's lame UI (love being able to see all the stats for all my cities at once...yet have no ability to select the city from that menu 👎)

[@johnyapple8447]

This video-though containing accurate information often-is not a complete archive of “The Evolution of Sid Meier’s Civilization Series” because lots of the information is either skewed, misleading, or missing entirely. Most of these errors were made because (1) not enough research was done (at all or with reputable sources) prior to posting the video, and (2) the narrator/writer does not have a strong, experienced understanding of the series in general. For example, Civilization Revolution, Civilization: Beyond Earth, and many mobile versions of Sid Meier’s Civilization games are not even mentioned. Also, disregarding DLC’s is a major mistake because they contribute a lot to the “evolution” of Sid Meier’s Civilization! (It also makes you sound like you either don’t care enough to play/research Sid Meier’s Civilization games thoroughly, which may work for other games but not for a strategy game with a loyal fanbase.) I love the premise of the video-the fact that the “evolution” of one of the best strategy game series of all time is supposed to be discussed. However when comparing the video to reality through research with reputable sources, the premise does not match the information found in the video. [By the way, praising Civilization VI’s graphics and gameplay gives away that you are not familiar with how much better many of the earlier games were. (I’m not trying to be condescending, but please, please do more research before posting a video which could be rich with truthful content.)]

[@3tou6bi88]

apostolistic palace, wtf!?!

[@RossPeterson06]

LOL I'm glad someone else caught that.

[@jcb3393]

Yes, obviously not Catholic, and doesn't want to attempt to sound it out either.

[@miraloran7039]

Lol, you don't have to be Catholic to be literate.

[@frosths1178]

Haha noticed it as well.

[@shawnvee14]

why am i watching this?

[@ryanscheffer2302]

When comes to the Civilization series, the first game I played was III. Course my favorite one would have to be Civilization IV Beyond The Sword.

[@poiuyt975]

I read the comment section to find statements like this one :) It's good to know that there are still many of us. I've been playing the series since Civ I, but my first Civilization experience was... Colonization :)

[@cgyh68748]

why?

[@nathaniel106]

Honestly, if they fix a few problems I have with Civ 6, it would be the perfect game for me. But as it stands, 5 is still my favorite overall. Perhaps that will change with DLC, as it did with 5.

[@davinhartono259]

the dlc rise and fall will change the AI and system in game

[@uzernam303]

"the dlc rise and fall will change the AI and system in game" Nope. :(

[@forbiddensyndicateproducti3087]

2 DLC's for Civ 6 released now, whats your opinion Civ 5 or 6. Personally Civ 5 is my favourite

[@Hurttoto]

They fix it in the form of dlcs

[@endrsgm]

@@davinhartono259 rhys and fall

[@dominatorandwhocaresanyway9617]

Ghandi is a big meme. none would remove a meme that makes your games enjoyable and memeable :D

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

Does Alpha Centauri count as a Civ game? That one is still one of my favorite games and had tons of features I have yet to see in any of the Civ games. Things like customizing units (spy boats and colony planes!), destroying tile improvements with artillery (though I think you can do that with bombers in some Civ games?), altering the terrain, etc. I liked how in some games the planet would start to flood in the late game, so suddenly the leader with the strongest navy could turn the tide (no pun intended) against someone with a large land-based military, or if they didn't have pressure domes they would lose whole cities. Not to mention the mind worms put barbarians to shame.

[@moosemoosington1441]

@@fragotron If they did a remake of Alpha Centauri, I'm sure it would sell well. Updated graphics would do wonders for that game.

[@jeremybridges6015]

I loved the flavor of that game, it truly felt like I was learning new tech, and in space. But moreover, the tactical options of specialized units (like armored resource gatherers,) via customization was intense. Don’t forget being actually able to spy in that game and know the entire layout of your opponents positions and makeup of their armies

[@rburk854]

Civ4 is still my favorite. The number and scope of mods was amazing, and 5 and 6 never reached that level of mods.

[@bernlin2000]

But it's not particularly playable today if you have enjoyed 5 or 6: that square grid is obviously exploitive (diagonal movement is more valuable than moving side to side) in addition to the awful "stacks of doom", which could see the AI suddenly bringing 20-30 units all under one banner. I'll never go back to that "concept"...it was the lamest part of Civ 4, an otherwise fantastic game.

[@myaccountisntthisone]

Only version in the series i didn't play.

[@salkin350]

@@bernlin2000 you can play the last add on perfektly on win 10

[@noahtoad4095]

Don't hate me. I really liked Civilization Revolution, like maybe even being my favorite. The maps may be smaller, and the game may be quicker, but I liked those changes, and I felt it really worked for consoles. I thought, though still imbalanced, the Leaders felt like they all had one strength that made them feel like they had a special advantage to the game. Unlike fighting games where each fighters moves are being different for the sake of being different, I feel that every civilization has at least one unique perk that really changes the game and makes it a little different every time you play. Sure, the game may not be up to the match of it's PC counterparts, the AI is not smart and likes to cheat to make up for it, but I wanted to play a good civ game with a controller, and this is a great civ game with a controller. At the very least, I don't have to spend the WHOLE night trying to put Gandhi back in his place.

[@respectorofwomen6648]

Noah & Toad I've been really into the civ series right noe, but I don't have any of the games so I mostly just watch videos of it. But I'm thinking of getting civ revolution, from what you said, I think I do want to get it. I would actually prefer a civ game being quicker rather than taking hours to complete.

[@ryuman757]

You can still customize the games on PC with the pace, map size, number of AI and so on. I'd personally go with Civ 5 if you have a PC that can run it well because it's my favorite, lol. I haven't really played any others, but I started on Civ Revolution, and moved to Civ 5 when I finally had a PC that could run it, and I adapted extremely well to it and have been playing hundreds of hours of it since it was released, along with the expansions adding a lot to it as well. Civ Revolution was definitely a whole lot more laid back, but it was unbelievably fun for console players! Especially with the fact that you could stack up to 3 units to give you more versatility with combat, which is something that I've found to be extremely disappointing on the PC games.

[@carterbarnett4734]

Civ Rev was my introduction to the Civ series, and I loved it. I wish my PS3 still worked, or that they ported it to PS4, because I would play it on the regular if so.

[@KaiDiesAgain]

*Abe lincoln herr her herr herhrrr herrrerrer noises*

[@sigmaballsnetwork]

@@carterbarnett4734 they did port it to PS4, you just need PlayStation Now

[@AeonQuasar]

The most important feature from 4 to 5 was no more unit stacking. That made a huge impact of the tactics in these games. Fighting became much harder, but in the end it also became more fluid. Tactical positions and logistic became immensely more important.

[@bryancomlor1435]

Civ V will always remain in my heart. Never expected a game could be that great

[@matesajben5274]

Yeah, the the first Civilization game I ever played too. I've become totally addicted to it. I don't care about those dinosaurs who claim that the previous ones were better.

[@bryancomlor1435]

@@matesajben5274 hahahaha yeah i know those dinosaurs. But to the kids who now are in awe of Civ 6 will probably call us dinosaurs in a few years, if not now. xD

[@RAClaus3]

Civ 2, Test of Time, was my first Civ Game, I love the Midgard Scenario.

[@navypaladin9753]

I wonder will there be 107 Fact about Sid Meier's Civilization?

[@TheLeaderboard]

+Navy Paladin maybe

[@NinjaBusCow]

This video was fun to watch! My first Civ game was Civ Revolution, that game introduced me to the series and I grew to love it(and became addicted for a while). Thanks for the lesson in Civ history!

[@Red-fu5nb]

9:03 "The Apisolistic Palace" lol you've made my day

[@retrodel6580]

aww why didn't you include Civilisation Revolution?

[@TheLeaderboard]

+Neodel65 well we were looking at the core game, I can go back

[@croja07]

Shhh we don't talk about that game

[@retrodel6580]

aww

[@retrodel6580]

oh ok then

[@SadisticSenpai61]

Civilization Revolution was basically a slimmed down version of Civ V for consoles. It wasn't bad and I played the heck out of it for probably a year (which also happened to be the year I didn't have a PC that could play Civ V). I think it's a great way to introduce the game to new players, but it wasn't a full Civ game.

[@bsm239]

2:22 "Mr Gandhi, I don't feel so good..."

[@salserio6727]

Excellent video and walk down memory lane. My only gripe is that you omitted one of the serie's greatest achievements. Civ IV's theme, "Boba Yetu," was the first piece of music composed for a video game to be nominated for and win a Grammy.

[@TheNetherlandDwarf]

I like how you source the clips on the screen. And the background music is nice too.

[@BloodRider1914]

You should have counted the spinoffs like beyond earth, alpha centauri, and colonization all count as civ games

[@auditmail4842]

I feel kind of disappointed with the fact that the micro management charm of corruption, political ideology and other things like that, that we grew akin to in Civ 3 and 4, were kind of over simplified and brushed over in the two newer games.

[@davepederson]

Love it! I've been playing since 91 when I got a 386SX with 1mb of memory. Great stroll down memory lane for my favorite game!

[@beflap1991]

Something you didn't mention, but very game changing, was the combat system introduced in Civ 5 where you couldn't stack units anymore. I loved that change tho, more tactics on the battlefield and no sudden death by one rogue legion.

[@lilykile]

I get the feeling that this narrator hasn’t actually played any of the civs

[@veralenora4033]

I bought Civ6, but don't play it much, still playing 5. When i first received it and saw "Cleopatra" I was really angry and tried to get my money back. Not possible. Cleo was a scholar, diplomat, protected the Great Library and so much more. Civ6 is also so much more complex I keep getting confused. Anyhow, if you're a Civ fan you must go to DoorMonster.com and see their ridiculous Civ story videos.

[@carsonpuzey9685]

It’s a Leaderboard video. NONE of their narrators have played the games and act like they know what they’re talking about, most likely from a script.

[@Ulkomaalainen]

With the exception of Civ I (Civ II was just a plain improvement on it without too many changes), I think of each incarnation as something to come back to for its unique things. Then I remember that almost all of them also have weaknesses not found in other games. So yeah. But will buy Civ VII while blindfolded.

[@myaccountisntthisone]

But what about the awesome ocean railroads in Civ I. That's something to go back for.😂

[@donhaymaker6514]

I really liked your commentary, I would like to know however that you missed two things in Civilization 4. The first being that the opening song Baba yetu is the only video game song up until that point to win a Grammy. Secondly the technology was narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Thanks for the wonderful commentary

[@TheLeaderboard]

Youre so welcome and glad you enjoyed it - Darrian

[@nathangamble125]

I'm disappointed you didn't mention the spin-offs/adaptations of civ 2. Alpha Centauri. Fantastic Worlds. Test of Time. Call to Power. They each had a load of really cool aspects and mechanics that are sadly missing from other civ games. Completely different settings - undead, dinosaurs, aliens... Really awesome wonder/project videos Multiple layers within a single map - different planets, underground, in space... UI, government and diplomacy features which were used in civ 4, 5 and 6, but not in 3. Also, resources weren't introduced in civ 3. Civ 2 had them, (though they were all bonus resources - no strategic or luxury resources).

[@anthonydelfino6171]

If you're going that direction they also did Colonization, which was a pretty fun game in its own right.

[@nathangamble125]

Yep, good point - both for the original and the civ IV version.

[@StopFear]

Imagine you play one game for like 6 hours move after move, and then even on quick game speed you lose the game due to some civ invading everyone or by culture, and you lose and all time has been wasted.

[@user-jo2cv1dy1b]

The true civ experience

[@thaidenslounge]

Great series, will always stay with me.

[@Rehabsockstar]

Thanks dude such an informative video. I haven't played civ yet but needed just this video to see where I need to start. Thanks a lot man.

[@undeadnightorc]

Corruption was one of my biggest peeves about civ3. I also didn't like how you could only see the top most unit of a stack defending an enemy city , making attacks a bit of a risky gamble because you had no idea what else was defending or how many. Civ IV got rid of the corruption (instead making distant civs pay more maintenance $$$ for being further from the capitol) and it also made all enemy units behind enemy walls visible.

[@TinieMx]

Though it had its flaws on release, and a lot of people still dislike it, I absoutely LOVE Civ 6.

[@doncarlin9081]

I always seemed to favor the even numbered Civs, excepting for the original game of course. Spent countless hours on Civ 2 and Civ 4, not so much on Civ 3 and Civ 5. With the GS expansion I'm starting to rack up the hours in Civ 6. But Civ 4 with all the expansions still remains my favorite.

[@nercoG]

I thought I missed a few Civs since the beginning.. but after watching this video I realized I played them all to death :D

[@SomeName_AlsoHandlesSucc]

If they make a civ 7 I want the era-based pfp

[@derekfurreal6784]

13:54 oof. Sid Meiers Civilization Revolution would like a word with you.

[@dmon007]

What, no Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri? (aka the best Civ game ever)

[@gs8494]

First Civ I played was 2 and I couldn't get into it for some reason, it appealed to me though and why it never hit with me is puzzling, maybe I should go back to it if I can find a copy. As for getting back into it I never really intended to. I remember looking for a copy of Steamworks or BG 2 around the time 3 dropped but I couldn't find a copy and I saw Civ 3 and asked if I could have a look at the manual, I liked what I saw, bought it and the rest is time sink history, 3 or 4 is my favourite, then 5 and 6. Revolutions was fun, I didn't play Alpha Centauri till long after its release but loved that to.

[@TimEssDub]

Corrections: Civ 1 did feature "zombie civilizations" (same color used when its previous one was vanquished Civ 1 also had an histographic victory

[@mirtsyn]

Um... "Apotholistic Palace?" at 9:04 HAHAH what happened man?

[@lactosepilled]

Hey mate, wheres Civilization Revolution 1 & 2?!

[@Cruor34]

They were terrible, super simplified, shortened, dumbed down versions of civ and do not deserve a mention. They were made for children or adults with attention deficit disorder and are not what Civ games are about.

[@Peashooter521]

The trash can

[@notalex8212]

@@Cruor34 damn, go in hun lmfaoo. it was a good introduction to the civ games for most people. spread positivity instead of talking down to people. sheesh.

[@EdKolis]

Nice overview! You did forget the one unit per tile rule from 5, though...

[@kablah777]

Nice vid, man! Well done.

[@longamud]

fix the damn AI, Sid

[@Hurttoto]

Your telling me my children are broken again- Sid

[@TheSuperhomosapien]

"The people, they can't help, fallin' in love with you."

[@linagrote161]

This game has chat room?

[@0spidey1]

As someone who started the series with Civ6 (thanks Epic) I'm surprised how many of the features I took for granted were added so late to the game, like hexes and religion...

[@anthonydelfino6171]

Depending on your play style you may not have noticed this, but up until Civ VI it was possible to play the game with a weak or no military and rely entirely on your ability to provide trade and good diplomacy with the AI to survive. However, with Civ VI the AI is actively aware of the size of your military and will act much more aggressively to you if they know they have a superior military force. This really tripped me up at first since for years I was used to playing the French cultural victory route.

[@madogthefirst]

Anthony Delfino How I get culture victories: Kill other more cultured civs and assimilate them. Maybe I'm playing wrong?

[@anthonydelfino6171]

Focus in putting out as much culture as possible in the beginning. This will keep you from being influenced by other Civs and give you a head start. Founding your own religion as early as possible is also important. For a cultural victory you want to make sure that you have the cathedrals perk for your religion as they give you a place to display great works of art. Try not to go to war with anyone EVER. Civs that have a negative opinion of you are harder to win over culturally, doubly so if you're at war with them

[@FriendoftheDork]

AI knew your military size in civ5 too. And they would be very agressive on higher levels if you had a smaller army.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

Did it? I didn't notice it as much in Civ V. In every game up to this point I'd keep a very minimal military presence and mostly just sent them out to explore. In Civ VI they seem much more aware of how large a military I have and where it is, and get REALLY aggressive if I'm not keeping up on that end as much as the AI thinks I ought to have.

[@muchograndeyolatengo]

My strategy in Civ 3 was to set my research bar at 0% and then buy all the tech from other civilizations and resell them to everyone else. This made me insanely rich and popular. I didn't spend much money on military either. When someone declared war on me, I bribed everyone else to declare war on them. This was the only way I've managed to win on the highest difficulty.

[@jimbobjoebriggs9898]

what about civ beyond earth

[@handgunbobcat4451]

We don't talk about Beyond Earth

[@aandatv]

You mean Spacey Civ 5?

[@lordseth8517]

Beyond earth is a total failure, it meant to be forgotten.

[@RayMerrell68]

I wish they spent as much time on the AI as they did on the don't-matter graphics.

[@ryanwallace1511]

What if in Civ 7 they let you customize your leader or even create your own civ. That would be so epic!

[@navypaladin9753]

I think Humankind, 4X turned based from developer of Endless Space and Endless Legend, should be answer to what you need.

[@Legendendear]

I will never forget CIV 2 That feeling of nostalgy when the pictures popped up ^^ I'd love to play that game again, but sadly it's not possible on the Win 10 OS... :-(

[@jimtorguson7913]

Win 10 OS did not kill Civ 2. 64 bit machines did. I loved and played Civ2 for years. But it was a 16 bit game and wii not run on a 64 bit computer.

[@connerpayne9844]

civ 3 is best change my mind

[@endrsgm]

3 was really good. it is my 2nd favorite. i still prefer 4 to 3 in some ways (better city control, religion, civics, etc, graphics, etc) but still think 3 is much better in terms of combat and units and mechanics.

[@jeremybridges6015]

It was the first”modern” civ game imo, but 2 is my fav, or 6

[@POPE_FRANC1S]

I love 3

[@highlymedicated5936]

I've been playing Civ since the first game. Civ 6 is the best. Also, you forgot CivNet and Civilization: Call To Power.

[@ortegaperu8510]

When I went to the house of one of my best friends that I know my entire live the first birthday since we knew each other I brought a copy of civ4 as a present

[@skofnung7110]

Ohhh.. Civ 1... played it on both Amiga and my 3-63 Pc.... the much feared "Battleship-dies-to-spearman" never gets old :D

[@jvomkrieg]

Alpha Centauri was my favorite civilization game, even though it's not part of the series. Beyond Earth was such a let down in comparison.

[@apheirox]

Indeed - AC may be universally the best Civ game (those quotes!!!) while BE is almost certainly the worst they ever created.

[@jvomkrieg]

Yeah, I was so amped for BE and it was just a bit flat. I think if I hadn't have played a lot of Civ 5 it might have been a lot better, but it was just...... meh. I still got my money/time out of it. But it just felt slightly unfinished and unpolished.

[@monaeist]

I agree. The level of unit detail and actual real diplomacy and alliances etc that game was ahead of it's time. I still play it I so so wish that they would upgrade it, really upgrade it not change it to something different but reskin it and improve upon what is there. Beyond Earth made me so sad. I realize they said it wasnt Alpha Centauri and boy they were right it didn't hold a candle to it.

[@EcnalKcin]

They can't do anything with Alpha Centauri because Firaxis doesn't have the full rights to it. I think the other company involved at this point is EA, you know, the company that kills all the good franchises. To update it, it would need a reskin, squares converted to hexes, and a big AI improvement, as the AI kind of fell apart late game and if you could make it to late game, you won, so long as the ai didn't have a bunch of planet busters stockpiled. It would be cool to see a truly challenging Alpha Centauri game, with a plethora of added options, because it isn't Alpha Centauri without 15 things you can do that you almost never actually use. Raise/lower terrain, supply crawlers, etc.

[@aandatv]

Beyond earth was like a reskin of civ 5. It felt more complete than vanilla civ 5. I think BE is like a budget civ game.

[@shivan2418]

Civ 5 was not very pretty when you consider how the resource demanding it was. Take for example rivers and forests, they looked so dead in 5 yet the game was a total resource hog. Civ 4 was clearly the high water mark of the series.

[@siryuke]

Units were speaking in their own languages as well in Civ 4.

[@harmagician1]

Suddenly getting a hero in Civ 3 that can be used to build an army was incredibly satisfying. It's like winning big on a slot machine - addictive. One of the reasons why Civ 3 is still one of my favorites.

[@tatertom2641]

I like civ 5

[@mxviii]

No one ever talks about civilization a call to power hahaha

[@anthonydelfino6171]

I wish they'd take some of the Civs and mechanics from that entry into the main series

[@GameFreak7744]

Yes. We do not speak of this.

[@ritterderkokosnuss3379]

I liked it back in the days but I was 6 years old so...Was it really that bad?

[@PennyAfNorberg]

Not a part of the series but the torus maps where nice, and the future, well parts of it.

[@FrankCastle-tq9bz]

I noticed that too - a pity, really. "Call to Power" was actually a pretty good game even if it did overreach with the "space" mechanic.

[@PaddyMcMe]

His point about cultures not being static things, changing over time and with time, is a very good point. Nice going blackey.

[@Stuteba]

One thing i miss is .. Civ 3 evolution leader. They start with préhistoriques clothes, and it evolve with time.

[@AMM278]

Man I wish Civ 6 was on console. Stuck with Civilization Revolution lol

[@TheLeaderboard]

+Antone Mika I am always waiting with baited breath for the hope of another civilization on console

[@Malus1531]

Strategy games are of course more at home on PC, and many games just plain wouldn't work with a controller. Civilization seems like it would work though.

[@m.i.n.ipekka6347]

Antone Mika u can play civ 6 on cheap pc

[@fatguygoestothegym1868]

Coming to switch

[@Grizzlywer]

Just get a SteamLink + SteamController and you're good to go :-)

[@TheLeaderboard]

Enter Our Weekly Console Giveaway here: www.leaderboard.nyc/giveaway What’s one of your favorite game in the series??? Sound off in comments below and don’t forget to tell us which game you want us to cover next!! You can continue the conversation with us on Discord (The Leaderboard Fam): discord.gg/ddnfPwH

[@blackstarford652]

The Leaderboard hey leaderboard

[@falloutdave459]

Where’s civ Rev??

[@victorluna9434]

The Leaderboard one of my favorites was civilization revolution to bad you guys FORGOT ABOUT IT :(

[@paperplanez104]

wheres civ revolution

[@DragonKazooie89]

STILL waiting for Team Fortress 2

[@canolorenzo]

I remember putting the floppy disk for civ I in my college dorm room back in 199something. little did I know that so many hours would be wasted playing the series. endless nights planning my strategic moves and diplomatic maneuvers. still playing civ 5. enjoying playing each civ with its unique units and qualities like drinking a unique wine. eventually will get to civ 6 but what is the rush. this game is meant to be tasted drop by drop. long live Sid Meier's!!!

[@MrJingres]

Like a lot of these iconic titles, I did not play the first iteration, but loved the second and beyond! Civ II and III were great!!

[@alenarsoto]

CIV III I like the best

[@Cruor34]

Civ 6 was deserving of the lowest score, and should have been much lower. Only an idiot liked it out of the box. The AI was flat broken. !00% incapable of waging wars across continents and 80% incapable on a pangea. They spam religious districts and fall behind in economy, production, and science. The only people who like that are people who like easy, free wins. After a bunch of mods, such as AI+, the game becomes playable on a one landmass map... the AI is still VERY poor. Not only that, they cut units, and made it like Civ Revolution. Knight doesn't upgrade until tanks? Are you kidding me? They fixed that crap in Civ 2 and then six undoes it? The AI just can't handle one unit per tile... worst change in Civ history, although Civ 5 became playable after both expansion packs plus mods. Civ 4 + expsnsions and Rise of Mandkind mod was the best, Civ 5 with expansions and mods is 2nd, Civ 6 modded is 3rd. If we judge on how good they were for the time, then Civ 2 was the best by far, Civ 3 also could actually fight... Chinese/Russian tactics, AKA just mass waves of units but at least I lost a city once in a while in Civ 3 and 4... in 5 and 6 the AI just gets into traffic jams with the damn 1 unit per tile.

[@wes5052]

I miss civilization 2 had a lot of playing this game as a kid especially with the advisors they made the game fun to me wished they keep them in all civilization games

[@exukvera]

Great. CIV 6 is awesome, I love to play it and the second expansion added more depth to the game than ever. Enjoying the game, at least until XCOM 3 is released.

[@elkano2430]

Civ 5 the best

[@poser1X]

Civ I on the Amiga had me addicted. All other Civ incarations followed. IV was great. V was so-so at first, and then improved drastically with the add-ons. Excellent. Civ VI? The cartoonish leaders are an instant turn-off. No, thanks. It makes Civ look like a kid's game. I haven't bought VI -- the first Civ that I've skipped since the original.

[@Donagalthegamer]

I'm only young in relation to the Civ series, but my best memories of the series are playing Civ II Test Of Time with my mum, and trying to survive on Alpha Centauri

[@lw8814]

I still to this day see people playing Civ Rev on xbox. I’m pretty sure it was more popular than some of the ones you mentioned.

[@beepIL]

I just hate the new art style... the cartoonist leaders... NO thank you!

[@98Dreadboy]

It threw my off as well, I still bought it but I have barely played it. I have about 30 hours on it compared to my 300+ hours on CIV V, a game I love very much and the art is more realistic in it too.

[@beepIL]

Now that i have some hours in Civ VI, i find it hard to put my finger on it, but i can't even get to the modern age (playing marathon) even ONCE, not a single play-through i had got me to the modern era... I end up just giving up, i don't lose... not at all, i just get... bored. I just cant understand what exactly is it that lacks so much in Civ VI compared to V, in V i spent even more than 300+ hours easily... i LOVE that game, but what makes V so great and what is it exactly in VI that's just not there? it is not just the art obviously.... did you figure this out yet? I can't be the only one feeling this way with Civ VI

[@98Dreadboy]

I like the leaders a lot more, the technology tree is more appealing and fun, the gameplay flows better in my opinion, I also don't like how the map looks after you explore it just grows dark and boring the artsyle is REALLY dull meanwhile in Civ V when you uncovered the map you got a sense of accomplishment.

[@grklein00]

beepIL - Same with me, I haven't completed a single game in Civ VI, I soon get bored. I still play Civ V regurarly.

[@elenakusevska6266]

They were like that in Civ IV too. I like that better. It's more true to what the game is about. Civ I-IV had a nice element of humor to them, a legacy of games in the 90s, to not take themselves too seriously. The art style of the leaders in Civ V was like, overly dramatic in a way that younger generations today will buy. Because today it's all about effects and megalomania. Makes kids feel more grand or important or something. It's just a game...

[@dragonking322]

Yeah.. civ 6 is not anywhere near gorgeous.. I mean i didn't like civ 5's graphics given the year it came out and how underwhelming i thought the maps looked in that.. but even civ 5 looks better then 6 IMO. Also i love how you got so excited for things they did in later games... that where also done in previous installments.. Specifically "Watching battles play out"...... now TECHNICALLY you aren't wrong.. you can watch battles playout with ZOMG SO MANY UNITS!!!! but yeah that's been in since at least civ 3.. yeah in that it was just watching a little combat animation and then seeing one guy.... oh... so it was the same damn thing... except with more bodies?... Now i'll concede that Civ 5 probably has some of the most indepth combat mechanics of any civ game and that 6 carries on that tradition... but you forgot the most important thing 5 did to earn that reputation... remove unit stacking... which is also one of the worst things it did for gameplay. "But how does that ruin gameplay?" I hear you ask, well simply put they didn't go far enough with it to make the new problem of where to station all these troops when not at war actually worth the trade-off. Now If forts and cities with appropriate buildings could allow for unit stacking then hey look now this building actually manages to matter in gameplay for more then just their passive modifiers.. which to be blunt have never stopped me from getting the job done. also you happened to leave out that you pay full price for a game.. then roughly 10 bucks for each new civ you want to try out... aand youre starting to see why civ 5 sours the series and why 6 isn't seen quite so favorably... it's a holdover from 5.. Which for all its faults and sins against civ fans did manage to at least be a refreshing update to the formula.. 6 just hasn't really done enough to make it seem like a step forward from 5

[@Malus1531]

+Accrsd I've only played Civ 5 but I love it. It's my most played game on Steam behind Skyrim. I bought the complete edition (or whatever they call it) a few years after release with all civs and expansions, so I didn't feel nickel-and-dimed or anything. I'll probably do the same with Civ 6. Civ 6 seems lacking compared to 5+expansions from what I've seen. I'm sure it'll get better with time though.

[@luckygozer]

Civ 5 graphics were ''realistic'' and aged poorly as a result. Altho i suppose it already looked dated when it came out. While i am not a fan of the style of civ 6 overall the decision to go for this stylized look was a much smarter one. Because the Civ model now seems to be a holding pattern to continue selling DLC and Expansions and be played for years. They want it to age well visually.

[@dragonking322]

oh i have nothing against a "Stylized" look but i'd actually say that while civ 5 claimed to be going after a "realistic" look that it instead was a Simplistic one. Not as overly simplistic look like the "paper" mapmode, or was it strategic? point being is that even with settings maxed and with the exception of "Hills" the terrain in 5 looks almost smooth and plastic, the unit models (at least from player perspective) where not a noticeable improvement over what 4 could do and the only thing that really looks like an improvement is leader screens.. Which while, ok aren't bad looking also didn't really add anything to the game.. Side note: the problem i have with 6 isn't it's style of art but the claim that the graphics are better because it's more colorful.. I mean that may have been an issue back in the early 16-32 bit ages but in a modern game just being bright and colorful doesn't actually constitute graphical improvement just personal preference.

[@jimmym3352]

I like the brighter graphics. Personally I feel the game map looks better in Civ6. But the leader screens in Civ5 look way better.

[@luckygozer]

I believe there is already a mod for that

[@MakNCheese88]

Nice video for those unfamiliar with the series. Maybe it will garner some new players because of this, cheers

[@StefanLopuszanski]

Surprised you didn't cover the expansions more. And even more surprised you didn't cover combat changes. The "single unit per hex" was a huge change between 4 and 5 and completely changes how combat works.