After Hasbro purchased
Microprose, the Sid Meier team seemed to split up and the
demise of the Civilization series seemed close at hand. But
instead, on July 18, 1999, Hasbro pushed the remaining
Microprose team into a competent expanded sequel with a
greatly enhanced game engine and graphical face lift on the
user interface. Civilization II: Test of Time (ToT)
arrived with all new graphics, sounds, and two in depth
scenarios to complete. Included in the package is an
original Civilization 2 that extends into the Centaurus Star
System. A well developed Sci-Fi Scenario called The Universe
of Lalande 21185 & a Fantasy Scenario named, The World
of Midgard are also added. Internet and LAN play for up to 7
players was also standard.
I should also
point out that a new music track was added to the player cd,
and a copyright warning vaguely discouraging the production
and distribution of modpacks in some form or
another. This likely influenced the fan acceptance of
ToT as Microprose had been very receptive to fan
participation when it came to modding the
game. Clearly, Hasbro had not read my essay on
the
difference between mods and scenarios, nor did the company higher ups understand
the Civ community when it came to scenarios for that
matter.
It has really
taken a long time for players to warm up to making ToT
scenarios, but of the ToT scenarios I have played--it is a
fantastic experience. The ToT game engine sports Civ's
first incarnation and experimentation with animated
movement integrated into the playing field and unit
movements.
System Requirements
- Pentium 166 or higher (200 MMX recommended)
- Windows 9x or higher
- 16 MB Ram (32 MB recommended)
- 640x480 16-bit Color w/ minimum 2 MB video card
(1024x768 recommended)
- 4x CDROM
- 60 MB Hard Disk space (235 MB recommended)
- Direct X compatible sound card
- 28.8 Modem (Optional Multiplay)
The game begins around 4000 B.C.
starting out with just a single unit and a small locality.
You have until 2200 A.D. to achieve your objective.
Your goal is to build your civilization
into the supreme force, either by defeating
every other civilization or by sending a spaceship to Alpha
Centauri.
A lot of challenges occur
throughout the game. Your cities must have access to
food, construction and trade resources, and later be
improved by irrigation, roads, mines, railroads, and
farmland in order to be competitive with other
civilizations. Each city only constructs one item at a
time - military units, buildings or Wonders of the World
(there are 28 of these across the different eras of the
game, and only one city can possess each one. Once a wonder
is built it cannot be built by anyone else. Also, wonders
offer special service or effects). The buildings also have
different effects - some improve defenses, while others
improve scientific research, trade or food
output.
There are over 100 scientific discoveries in
the game, and most require "prequisite knowledge" before
they can be discovered. Discoveries depends on your
scientific output, which must be traded off against
financial and military concerns.
Combat can occur any
time or anywhere such as in cities, in the
ocean or land terrain - forests and
mountains offer defensive advantages. Different
than the original Civilization, fights aren't always
won outright - a unit might survive but be damaged
(reducing its movement speed and attacking
abilities but only until it is healed).
If stacked units are in a square that come under
attack, the strongest unit fights - but unless it is a city
or Fortress, all units will be lost if the fight is
lost. If a city has no defensive units left, it is
vulnerable to capture. Special units have the ability
to cover all squares as if they were roads (roads provide
enhanced movement), others can see submarines, and air
units must refuel in a friendly city, etc.
There
are up to 6 Civilizations in a single game (including
your own), and good diplomatic relations can
be crucial. Sometimes you may want to trade knowledge
or military resources with a neighbor - or you may want to
spy on another nation by building embassies using your
Diplomat or Spy unit. Your reputation is affected if
you agree to peace treaties and reneg on
them. You will also meet barbarians which can act like a
civilization if they capture cities but are not a
civilization that you can have diplomacy with. Barbarians
will likely attempt to destroy you at every opportunity,
so a good rule is hunt them down and take them out
first.
Note: This game title was
also published in Chinese and Polish. If you have
screenshots for any of these versions please Contact
us!.
Screenshots
Units
Civilization Advances
Terrain
Cheats
Documentation
Downloads
None available at this time. Please check back
later.
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