
Grouped by eras from ancient to modern, civilization advances, both scientific and societal, offer numerous advantages. Players begin with primitive technology and hence limited possible actions. Scientific research is a focal point of the game. To end war, two players may promise peaceful relations. When all of a player's cities are conquered, he is permanently removed from the game. In war, a civilization may conquer another civilization's cities. Most of them can attack others in battle a minority have non-military functions.Īfter civilizations make contact, they begin diplomatic relations. Units occupy one tile at a time and may move every turn. Analogous to chess pieces, the many different units vary in their functions, mirroring historical types of soldiers and occupations. Typically, each civilization will constantly expand by founding new cities until all of the map is settled. They may build units, city improvements or wonders of the world. All of the map is unexplored except the starting units' immediate vicinity, and exploration is a top early-game priority.Ĭities occupy one tile and harvest yields from nearby tiles: food, trade and production. Players begin with one or a few units, including settlers to found their first cities, in 4000 BC. Different terrain types, special resources and improvements such as irrigation are present on different tiles. A human player may generate a random map based on his specifications, or opt for a pre-made map. The game takes place on a map made of tiles. Only a single-player mode was available until the release of the Multiplayer Addon. The computer will intelligently control multiple rival civilizations. A player, when creating a game, may pick one of 21 historical civilizations or a custom-named civilization. Note the different types of terrain.Īs a turn-based strategy game, Civilization II models the historical development of human civilization. The several units on the map are engineers and a cruiser ship (bottom left). The main game screen and map in Civilization II.
