Civilization V for Linux Review

When it comes to turn-based strategies, Civilization is probably one of the first names that need to be mentioned in a conversation. The power and the prestige accumulated by this game are phenomenal, so it’s no wonder that people pay really close attention when a new title in the series is launched.

Some of the Linux users might not know anything about this game, but the news that the latest Civilization title in the series, the fifth one, arrived on Steam for Linux really shook up the open source community. Very few games have the ability to really make the Linux gamers talk about what is actually arriving on their platform and Civilization is a major topic.

The game was released four years ago on the Windows operating system and it’s been one of the most played titles on Steam, always hovering in the top ten. Civilization has a huge number of fans out there and it’s no wonder that some of those fans are also Linux users.

The port was done by Aspyr Media for Linux and it turns out that 2K Games and Firaxis made a very good choice. The quality of the port is very good and you can’t actually tell that version apart from the other platforms unless you are really, really picky.

Story and Gameplay

The game doesn't have a story and you can consider it more like a skirmish experience. You can choose to play the default setup, which puts you in the shoes of a famous historic character, or you start your own campaign, with your own rules.

If you choose to play your own map, you will be able to pick from numerous historic leaders, like Alexander the Great, Genghis Han, Napoleon, and so on. Each of them has various traits that can help you, depending on what kind of leader you want to be. You can also choose the type of map (continents, islands, etc), the difficulty of the game, and the pace. If you use the default pace, you will find that the game can stretch for a very long time.

No matter what you choose, you will always start in the same way, with a settler unit and an army unit. Establish the first city and set the warrior on exploration mode. From here on out everything will be different each time you play. It all has to do with your neighbors and your choice of conquest.

It’s important to establish right from the start what kind of victory you want. This is a 4X game at its core, which stands for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. There are several ways to finish the game: by military conquest, through science, through diplomacy, and through domination.

Each of those paths has difficulties but, as you can imagine, the militaristic approach is actually the easiest. Succumbing to the dark side happens quickly, especially if you are the most developed civilization on the map and if you feel that things are progressing too slowly.

Unlike previous Civilizations games, it’s now much more difficult to keep everybody happy, even if you have the money to do it. The other AI players have various needs and partnerships, so you will inevitably annoy someone with an army.

I said that it was difficult, but not impossible. Achieving the military or domination victory forces the player to expand fast, ignoring the science and cultural aspects. It’s easy to fight and win battles, at least on the regular difficulty, because the enemy never really expects to be hit in full force.

Whenever the AI attacks for the first time, you never see it bring the entire force of its army on a single point, which is actually a weak spot. On the other hand, if you want to achieve a scientific victory, you will have to eventually launch a spaceship with colonists towards Alpha Centauri, and if you want a cultural victory, you will need to build the United Nations and have the support of the other countries.

Keeping other civilizations happy is probably the hardest thing you will have to do in this game. The war, the research, and the constant fight for money pale in comparison with the task of keeping a warmongering civilization off your back by giving it what it desires most, which most of the time is something like fur.

It may sound ridiculous, but most of the things you do in the game are more like metaphors for the real thing. In the real world you can't reason with some people no matter how hard you try and there is always someone who wants what you have.

Even if you decide to go for the science or diplomatic victory, you will have to arm yourself. If the neighbors feel that you are too weak and they need room to expand, they will attack, no matter how good your relations with them are.

There is also some advice I would like to offer because there are a few problems and issues that you won’t be prepared for. Let’s take for example the beginning of the game. No matter what you've decided in order to guide your civilization, you will need to start other cities and fast. In a medium-sized map you will need to have at least four by the time the game reaches the halfway mark. Anything less than that and you will be caught between much larger empires with little chance of winning.

The roads are also something that needs to be addressed. Whatever you have planned, never be too busy to build roads between cities. After you research the railroads, make sure you build those too. The roads are one of the major economic boosters in the game and you will need all the money that you can spare.

At last, don’t forget to invest in science, even if you want to conquer everything. Accept the research agreements and make the most of the Great Persons that are born in your cities from time to time. Don’t waste their talents by starting a Golden Age, unless it’s an artist.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion

Editor’s note:

At the time of this writing, the DLCs and the Workshop had yet to be ported.