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09/08/2001 Archived Entry: "Civilization"

I have this strange quirk which makes me associate songs of my youth with computer games that I played at the same time. Back a long time ago, when my brother and I were playing Wing Commander 3, and then a bit later when I spent an entire summer playing Civilization 2, the memory of the songs that were on the radio are tightly locked into my mind. OMC and OMD featured quite significantly with regards to Civ2, at least.

Of late, I've been listening to a lot of classical music. I've always enjoyed listening to classical music but a few months ago it didn't occupy many of the slots on my mp3 playlist. That changed when it came to my end of year exams. Since I tend not to want to break into song when I'm trying to revise, classical music seemed the ideal choice for something that would help me concentrate and find a rhythm - and it was music that didn't have words!

Anyway, I bring up all of this vaguely interconnected mess of memories because I'm really looking forward to the release of Civilization 3. Civilization has always represented to me - and to countless others - a wonderful game that withstands replaying so many times. Now that a new version is being released with some incredible new features, well, I'm paying close attention to its development. So I interested to read a claim by Firaxis (the developers - don't worry, old Sid Meier is still behind the helm) that in Civ3, unlike previous Civs, the game AI will not cheat unless on the highest difficulty setting, Deity.

This has caused no small amount of mirth among die-hard Civ fans who are all too well aware that in Civ 1 and Civ 2, you couldn't move for the amount of cheating that the AI did, at all levels. I quote from one poster:

"Regarding the AI having no cheats except on Deity; I remember when I first got Civ2, I saw an interview with Sid Meier where he proudly proclaimed that the AI didn't cheat at all, except when it came to Trireme movement. I remember it well, because many times in later years I would curse their cheating ways and think about the sheer chutzpah of making that statement. So beware of the hype on that point, the track record from the man himself isn't good."

'Curse their cheating ways,' I love that. But remember kids, this stuff is important. It matters to people. Civ isn't just a game; it's a way of life.