Freeciv?

[cblnchat]

How do i play freeciv?
Ive skimmed thru the wiki, but id like ppl whove actually played it to give an opinion. And maybe some help. Ive also tried to play it quite a few time and i just dont know whats going on or how to work anything!

Thanks

[3Miro]

Free Civ is a remake of Civilization II. Civilization series is one of the most complex games out there (although II is not as bad as III and IV).

A simple post cannot explain all the details. You build cities, in the cities you build buildings that make your cities more powerful and units which you can use to fight with other civs. Cities also produce commerce which is split into cash (used for support of the units and buildings) and research that gives you new technology that in turn gives you access to more powerful units (you start with a pointy stick and you go all the way to tanks and stealth bombers). An important part is to use some of the Settlers to build roads, mines and farms around your cities.

I don't know how many Civ II tutorials would be out there, the game out before the Internet was so widely spread. You can check:

http://www.civfanatics.com/

http://apolyton.net/

those are the two biggest Civilization forums out there.

[krapp]

Freeciv also sucks.

Civilization and some of its (proprietary) imitators (Call to Power, etc.) are great fun, of endless replay value, and, yes, very very complex.

Wesnoth is the best turn-based strategy game available for Linux.

[johnb820]

Yea freeciv is not very good. I think older releases used to be better but now the map generator produces weird maps, AI plays to near perfection being able to keep track of and optimize every aspect of the game, and the graphics still haven't improved. I have been trying to hunt down instructions for how to open the map editor in the newer versions and I am completely lost.

[cblnchat]

Freeciv also sucks.

Civilization and some of its (proprietary) imitators (Call to Power, etc.) are great fun, of endless replay value, and, yes, very very complex.

Wesnoth is the best turn-based strategy game available for Linux.


Why does it suck so bad? I get its the free version of a game and that that game is an older one.

And ill look into Wesnoth.

[Dustin2128]

Why does it suck so bad? I get its the free version of a game and that that game is an older one.

And ill look into Wesnoth.
Freeciv is wicked hard- if you're new to RTSs do wesnoth. It's basically freciv stripped down to the military aspects with a story- also, many maps are hand designed, and it has a non-omnipotent AI. On freeciv though, no matter what, before I can enter the steam age I am slaughtered by invincible Babylonian archers.

[krapp]

Yeah, the AI design is very flawed. I get either owned or get bored quickly with cheats.

Wesnoth isn't really like Freeciv. Freeciv is like SimCity + a turn-based Age of Empires, whereas Wesnoth is like playing Warcraft 3 on a hexagonal map, so D&D RPG + RTS (minus real-time) + Risk, I guess.

[cblnchat]

Freeciv is wicked hard- if you're new to RTSs do wesnoth. It's basically freciv stripped down to the military aspects with a story- also, many maps are hand designed, and it has a non-omnipotent AI. No matter what though, before I can enter the steam age I am slaughtered by invincible Babylonian archers.

It is really hard...i just dont understand how to play. But something like that happened to me...i had some explorers set on auto explore and one of them ran into something...im not sure what and he just kinda died. And i couldnt find whatever it was by the time i got my warriors there.
And what do you mean by non-omnipotent?
Starcraft is the only RTS ive ever played. But ive never played and turn based games, their really really hard to me.

[cblnchat]

Yeah, the AI design is very flawed. I get either owned or get bored quickly with cheats.

Wesnoth isn't really like Freeciv. Freeciv is like SimCity + a turn-based Age of Empires, whereas Wesnoth is like playing Warcraft 3 on a hexagonal map, so D&D RPG + RTS (minus real-time) + Risk, I guess.

I didnt know you could cheat in Freeciv.

But ive never played Warcraft...so im not sure what your talking about.

[krapp]

It is really hard...i just dont understand how to play. But something like that happened to me...i had some explorers set on auto explore and one of them ran into something...im not sure what and he just kinda died. And i couldnt find whatever it was by the time i got my warriors there.
And what do you mean by non-omnipotent?
Starcraft is the only RTS ive ever played. But ive never played and turn based games, their really really hard to me.

He likely got whacked by some barbarians/enemies.


I didnt know you could cheat in Freeciv.

But ive never played Warcraft...so im not sure what your talking about.

Warcraft 1 and 2 are like a fantasy-themed, less sophisticated Starcraft, from the same developer. Warcraft 3, which I have barely played, mixes elements from Action RPGs, like Diablo, where units level up, with the existing RTS tradition established in the first two installments of the series.

[Dustin2128]

It is really hard...i just dont understand how to play. But something like that happened to me...i had some explorers set on auto explore and one of them ran into something...im not sure what and he just kinda died. And i couldnt find whatever it was by the time i got my warriors there.
And what do you mean by non-omnipotent?
Starcraft is the only RTS ive ever played. But ive never played and turn based games, their really really hard to me.

Year 4000BC- make first contact with babylon. Year 3999BC- everything I own is zerged by babylonian archers.

[user1397]

so freeciv is comparable to the world map portion of the total war series? like rome total war, medieval total war, etc

[MasterNetra]

Year 4000BC- make first contact with babylon. Year 3999BC- everything I own is zerged by babylonian archers.

lol I know right, as soon as you meet the bastards they hate your *** for no reason and kill you off with absurdly strong armies, its almost impossible to win without cheats unless you some kind of strategy genius. Even then, I think the AI cheats.

[Swagman]

Do NOT EVER play "Nicomen" at Civilisations/FreeCiv

http://my.opera.com/nicomen/about/

I swear that dude help code, or at the very least Beta test Civilisations. <-- He's an Amigan

[PhillyPhil]

Freeciv is wicked hard- if you're new to RTSs do wesnoth. It's basically freciv stripped down to the military aspects with a story- also, many maps are hand designed, and it has a non-omnipotent AI. On freeciv though, no matter what, before I can enter the steam age I am slaughtered by invincible Babylonian archers.

RTS is "Real Time Strategy" (eg Startcraft), whereas Civ is turn based strategy - two opposite ends of the strategy game scale.

And other than the fact they're both TBS, I don't see any relationship at all between Wesnorth and Civ.

Some tips I'd give to Civ newcomers are: don't over-extend, optimise your cities, maximise your trade points, and advance your technology as quickly as possible.

[Ctrl-Alt-F1]

I've found FreeCiv to be one of the best Civilization games I've played. I've played Civ 1, 2, 3, 4, Call to Power, and Call to Power 2. I haven't played Civ 5 yet. FreeCiv stands it's ground against any of these imo.

My personal favorite is Call to Power 1, but that's because of the future techs that I really enjoy playing, not because the ruleset is better.

[krapp]

I've found FreeCiv to be one of the best Civilization games I've played. I've played Civ 1, 2, 3, 4, Call to Power, and Call to Power 2. I haven't played Civ 5 yet. FreeCiv stands it's ground against any of these imo.

:shock:

Please elaborate why.

[ssam]

+1 for freeciv. used to play civ2. freeciv takes the best of civ2, and fixes all the rubbish bits.

it is very big and complex though. civ2 had a tutorial mode, but i don't think freeciv has it. there are some tutorials on the web though.

you try setting a large map, with few players. that would give you some time to get used to the game without getting killed.

[Ozor Mox]

Freeciv is an excellent game, although it certainly has quite a learning curve if you haven't played the Civilization series (particularly Civ II) before. I suggest reading through the game manual (http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Game_Manual) and playing the tutorial, which can be selected after clicking 'Start Scenario Game' on the main menu.

As well as having complex gameplay, the AI is also very unforgiving. Unlike the commercial games, the AI is not there to entertain you. It will crush you sometimes with no good reason. If you need proof, there is a place in the code where the AI's war reason is given as 'none' and the comment reads "We have no legimitate reason... So what?" :???: I have played the game many, many times, and I still never increase the difficulty beyond 'easy'!

Make sure you play version 2.2.4 or above. From this version, a bug with the AI was fixed where if you went to war with them, they would hate you through the whole game and their attitude would never recover (my first patch for an open source project :))

The AI expands very quickly, so if you don't like to build tons of cities, but prefer to develop your cities well, try reducing the size of the map and increasing minimum distance between cities. If you are still struggling, make teams when setting up the game and give your side more nations. It removes the diplomacy aspect, but gives you a much better chance, plus you have to worry less about trying to keep everyone happy!


Please elaborate why.

I don't really see why Ctrl+Alt+F1 should elaborate why it is a great game when you gave no reason for how "it sucks".

Whoever said that it takes all the best bits of Civ II and removes all the annoying bits I think had it spot on. Plus, the multiplayer is excellent (although it can be hard to find a game when not playing people you know). Given the cold reception that has been given to Civ V, I would say Freeciv is a very good alternative to the commercial games.

P.S. If anyone wants a game some time, PM me, my friend runs a server :KS

[krapp]

I don't really see why Ctrl+Alt+F1 should elaborate why it is a great game when you gave no reason for how "it sucks".

Whoever said that it takes all the best bits of Civ II and removes all the annoying bits I think had it spot on. Plus, the multiplayer is excellent (although it can be hard to find a game when not playing people you know). Given the cold reception that has been given to Civ V, I would say Freeciv is a very good alternative to the commercial games.

P.S. If anyone wants a game some time, PM me, my friend runs a server :KS

Fair enough, but I wasn't arguing with him; I was more soliciting persuasion and an exposition of the virtues of Freeciv, because I've had such a hard time finding them.

[cblnchat]

Year 4000BC- make first contact with babylon. Year 3999BC- everything I own is zerged by babylonian archers.
I havent had it quite that bad yet...but i just cant seem to get on my feet. I make a few cities then, as im exploring, my guys get killed randomly and then the ones who kill them disappear. But i havent gotten much farther than making a few cities so i havent actually been attacked yet.

lol btw "zerged". I used to play starcraft a lot!

[JDShu]

It's not amazingly complex IMO, and you certainly don't need to understand how everything works to play it casually. The most important thing to understand is how resources work.

[drawkcab]

Free Civ didn't work so hot a few years ago when I tried it but I've always loved Civ II.

[PhillyPhil]

I'm waiting for a free, quality port for my (Android) phone. That will be the end of the rest of my life...;)

[cblnchat]

Wesnoth is the best turn-based strategy game available for Linux.

Ive been playing Wesnoth and it is a great game! It seems very like Starcraft to me tho, just turn based. Im kinda having a hard time with the tactics tho. I just cant seem to win the novice campaign yet. And when i play a game against the AI i lose before i can get more than 5 or 6 guys out