Scott Stephenson History of Computer Game Design
Scott Stephenson History of Computer Game Design Civilization: Sid Meier’s Legacy Acclaimed as one of the greatest computer games of all time, Sid Meier’s Civilization and its follow-up Sid Meier’s Civilization II rocked the gaming world with a delicate balance of strategy and simulation. Listed as Gamespot U.K.’s number one all- time series among both computer and console games, “Civ” and “Civ II” are universally recognized for the level to which their creator, hall-of-fame designer Sid Meier, raised the bar in terms of overall outstanding game-play. Few games have risen to the level of excellence that these games have achieved in computer gaming history. Civilization, published in 1991 by MicroProse, puts the player in the role of a lone settler in a vast, uncharted world in the year 2000 B.C., and gives him the task of building an empire to “stand the test of time.”1 To accomplish this goal, the player must take on the roles of general, city manager, diplomat, scientist, and economist, as winning involves not only managing the art of war against rival civilizations, but also maintaining the prosperity of the player’s empire. The player must balance “the four impulses of Civilization”—exploration, economics, knowledge, and conquest—to become more powerful, either through peaceful negotiations or world domination. In 1996, MicroProse released Civilization II, a sequel that vastly improved on the original Civ while maintaining the integrity of the original’s game-play. The inspiration for Civilization came from the Avalon Hill board game of the same name, set in the Mediterranean area of Europe and North Africa.
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