In today’s post, we talk about the granddaddy of all civilization sim games, Sid Meier’s Civilization 1. This game, simply called Civilization, civ, or civ 1 by fans, combines war strategy games like Risk with building and management sim gameplay to create an experience that stands the test of time.
About Civilization Gameplay And Objectives
Sid Meier’s Civilization 1 was so revolutionary in terms of gameplay that it spawned an entire series and a few spin-offs.
At the start of the game, you have one or two units, and the goal is to use them to explore, expand, and build an empire. The strategy part of the game comes from other civilizations played by the computer. At any point, one of them could invade you and start a war or come asking for diplomacy.
As you advance, your civilization will discover new things like the alphabet and the wheel. These discoveries and technological advancements build on each other until you have multiple cities with fully-operational railroads and the ability to travel to space. The order you choose to pursue advancements in will also determine how soon you can build various aspects of a thriving empire.
Along the way, you might gain and lose a few allies, build a few Wonders of the World, and more. To win the game, you must either conquer all other civilizations or be the first to reach Alpha Centauri, a star system.
The following is a sample of Civilization gameplay in early stages.
How To Download And Play Sid Meier’s Civilization
The original game in the civilization series is now considered abandonware, so you can download a free copy here and play it using a Dos emulator.
- Download the Civilization (Dos) file above.
- Unzip the file
- Open the resulting civ1 folder
- Locate the civ application (.exe)
- Drag and drop that into your emulator of choice, i.e. DosBox
Do you have questions about Civ gameplay? Just want to share memories? Let us know in the comments!