How to win in Civilization IV – an ultimate guide to the strategy game. Choosing strategy depending on Map Size - by John Sinitsky

Civilization 4
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Introduction

It is widely known and recognized by many strategy gamers that Sid Meier’s Civilization game was THE computer game when it was introduced in 1991. It was first real turn-based strategy ever, with the latest PC playable version of Civilization being “Civilization IV”, launched in October 2005. For a computer game 3 years is an eternity - but not for Civilization series game – it is still a very playable and enjoyable game today.

With game victory options described in “Civilization IV – Part I” article, and several the pre-game selections (choosing the map, the climate and sea level) covered, we continue our overview the effects of map size - and relevant game-winning plans.

World Size

After you have selected a map-type (discussed here) , you have to choose the size of the world on which you will play. There are 6 World sizes in Civilization:

  • Duel
  • Tiny
  • Small
  • Standard
  • Large
  • Huge

The size of the world will have important effects on the game. For one thing, it limits the number of civilizations that will be in the world. A “Duel”- sized world can hold up to three civilizations for example (usually having 2), while a “Standard” can hold eight, and a “Huge” world a whopping twelve civilizations. Of course, you can always choose “Random” to meet the unknown - however it is not recommended since the algorithm seems to “favor” smaller maps - and you will often find yourself playing with only 3 civilizations - not real fun…

Effects and Strategy

As a general rule, the larger the world, the longer the game will take to complete. Civilizations will be larger and thus take more effort to conquer. A larger world generally means that there are more units and cities in play, and this means that each turn will take longer to complete. It may be fun to conquer a huge world, but it may also be a big time commitment.

Different victory conditions have to be used wisely on different worlds. While “Conquest” and “Domination” are a logical choice for smaller maps, “Cultural” or ‘Diplomatic" victories are easier achieved at larger maps.

It is recommended to play first few games, you stick with “Standard”- sized maps - or even smaller. Also, remember - a huge map can be a serious challenge for your hardware – especially computer memory and graphic accelerator.

This post is part of the series: Civilization IV - Guide To Sid Meier’s Civilization IV PC Game

This series on Civilization IV tells you how to get the best out of the classic Sid Meier PC game. Game strategy and options are reviewed and disscussed

  1. Mastering Civilization IV - Victory Conditions
  2. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game Part I – Selecting a Map (A)
  3. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part II – Selecting a Map (B)
  4. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part III – Climate and Sea Level
  5. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part IV – Map Size
  6. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part V – Difficulty Levels (A)
  7. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part VI – Difficulty Levels (B)
  8. Mastering Civilization IV – Starting the Game - Part VII – Game Speed
  9. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing the civilization - Overview
  10. Mastering Civilization IV – The American Empire in Civilization IV
  11. Mastering Civilization IV – The Arabian Empire in Civilization IV
  12. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Your Player Nation – Aztec Empire
  13. Mastering Civilization IV – Playing As The Chinese Empire - Choosing Your Playable Nation
  14. Mastering Civilization IV – Playing as the Egyptian Empire in Civ IV
  15. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Your Nation – English Empire
  16. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Which Nation to Play – French Empire
  17. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Playable Nations – German Empire
  18. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing A Playable Nation – Greek Empire
  19. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Which Nation to Play – Incan Empire
  20. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing the nation – Indian Empire
  21. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Which Nation to Play in Civ IV – Japanese Empire
  22. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Which Nation to Play – Malinese Empire
  23. Mastering Civilization IV – Mongolian Empire in Civ IV - Choosing the Nation to Play in Civ IV PC Game
  24. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing Playable Nations – Roman Empire
  25. Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing the Nation to Play in Civ IV – Russian Empire
  26. Mastering Civilization IV – Playing as the Persian Empire in Civ IV - Player’s Guide to Choosing their Nation in Civ IV
  27. Mastering Civilization IV – Selecting Playable Nations in Civ IV – Spanish Empire