this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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Pic relevant. I've tried playing the new Civ games several times, and quickly end up quitting because I find them too overwhelming and find it hard to want to deal with the learning curve.

It occurred to me that part of the problem might be that I was jumping into a very old franchise that has been getting increasingly complicated over the years. Had a hunch I would have better luck with the original, so I went onto one of those play-dos-in-your-browser sites, dove in, and sure enough I am hooked!

Do I know what I'm doing? Not really, but stuff is happening and my civilization is growing, and it's a good time.

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[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Civ 6 was the one that finally got me, and I actually found that easier to get into than 1 and 2, which I had tried before. I did go back from 6 to play earlier titles and also liked 2, 4, and 5, but I keep coming back to 6. Unfortunately, I could not get into 7. I really tried, but I just wasn't having fun somehow.

Edit: If you like the older titles better, maybe try FreeCiv, which is similar to 2, or UnCiv, which is similar to 5.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] Ascendor@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Most people don't know: There's a multiplayer variant of Civilization 1: CivNet. Barely playable today, as it's a Windows 3.1 game. I loved it till late in the 2000s.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yup, CivNet seemed the most popular for a while. Somebody also put together a mod archive for WinCiv. I also found there's an open-source decomp project that is "playable", but I haven't looked at how mature that one is.

I've been leaning more toward UnCiv and FreeCiv21 with a Civ 1 style tileset. Think I prefer the Civ 2 ruleset though.

[–] SuperSpruce@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm late to the party, but if you're new to Civ and looking for which game to start on, ignore the people who say that you need the DLCs for the "complete" experience.

I started on Civ 6, and fell for this, getting a complete edition (at a deep discount). When I tried to play it, I was quickly overwhelmed by the complexity. Now, 80 hours in, I realized I can play with just the base game rules, and that's what I've been doing, and now I yearn for one more turn. I'll eventually start playing with the DLC rules, but not before I get a good grasp on the base game.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

I started the tutorial for Civ 6 recently, will probably play more. Been bouncing between various Civs off and on, and seems I've been playing UnCiv the most at this point - considering it's right there on my phone all the time.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I guess Widelands could be to your taste? Also, original SimCity, Micropolis.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

I think I downloaded both of these much, but didn't really get around to playing them. Will have to give them another try.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You've got a good point there that I am also often making when talking about gaming and maybe also trying to present gaming to non gamers.

There is so much implicit stuff grown over decades that for some series the barrier of entry is almost impossible for newbies. Be it the control scheme of some fifa or the complexity of a strategy game that just has to surpass its predecessor, not many developers consider this. Sometimes it's even part of a reason for downfall.

[–] AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Even just resolution has an impact as well. I started playing Alpha Centauri now. I can tell that this game's visuals are something I would have loved back when my eyes still worked properly and I'd be playing it on a 1024x768 crt monitor. But now on a 1080p laptop display and my poor sight even with glasses, I'm finding it strains my eyes a lot to play.

By contrast the low rez blocky NES-style visuals of civ 1 are much easier on my eyes, making one more reason this game is easier to get into.

[–] Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Also adds to this on multiple levels, yes. Eyesight for one but also with lower resolution the developer had to focus on what to display.

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