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'''Civilization IV''' is a turn-based strategy game for the PC developed by [http://www.firaxis.com/ Firaxis Games]. Players are challenged to develop a civilization from its beginnings in 4000 B.C. up to the modern era and beyond.  
{{Header Nav|game=Civilization IV}}
{{Game
|completion=2
|image=Civilization IV.jpg
|title=Civilization IV
|developer=[[Firaxis Games]]
|publisher=[[2K Games]]
|year=2005
|systems={{syslist|win|macos}}
|version=1.74.0.0
|ratings={{ESRB|E}}{{PEGI|12}}
|genre=[[Turn-based strategy]]
|players=1-12
|modes=[[Single player]], [[Multiplayer]]
|expansion=[[Civilization IV: Warlords|Warlords]]<br />[[Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword|Beyond the Sword]]
|preceded by=[[Civilization III]]
|followed by=[[Civilization Revolution]]
|series=Civilization
|website=http://2kgames.com/civ4/
|pcgamingwiki=Civilization IV
}}
'''Sid Meier's Civilization IV''' (typically shortened to ''Civilization IV'') is a turn-based strategy game for [[Windows]] and [[Mac OS]] developed by [[Firaxis Games]]. Players are challenged to develop a civilization from its beginnings in 4000BC up to the modern era and beyond. This version added religion as a game mechanic, among other things.


== External Links ==
{{ToC}}


*[http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/home.htm Civilization IV] - The official site of the game.
==External links==
*[http://www.civfanatics.com/ Civfanatics.com]
* [http://www.civfanatics.com/ Civfanatics.com]: A fan site with excellent information and forums
*[http://apolyton.net/ Apolyton.net]
* [http://apolyton.net/ Apolyton.net]: Another fan site
*[http://civ4info.com/Sullla/civ4intro.html Sullla's Walkthrough] - An excellent walkthrough of a full game with screenshots.


== Leader Traits ==
{{Civilization}}


This section covers all eight traits, bonuses, and associated leaders. You’ll also find strategic commentary for
[[Category:Firaxis Games]]
each.
[[Category:2K Games]]
 
[[Category:Turn-based strategy]]
'''Aggressive'''
[[Category:Single player]]
 
[[Category:Multiplayer]]
*Free promotion (Combat I) for all melee and gunpowder units.
*Barracks and Drydocks constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
A player with battle plans should consider a leader with the aggressive trait. An aggressive leader receives free "Combat I" promotion for all melee and gunpowder units. The Combat I promotion increases a unit’s strength by 10%. Capitalize on the trait by focusing your warmongering force on melee and Gunpowder units.
 
Take advantage of the half-cost Barracks to further increase your units’ promotion. Combine further with the Vassalage civic (additional unit experience points) or the Theocracy civic (additional unit experience points in cities with a state religion) to create very strong, experienced units. Continue military specialization with wonders like West Point, Pentagon, and Heroic Epic. Maintain an aggressive stance and get your experienced units into combat situations to further increase their promotions and abilities above and beyond any competing civilization’s military force.
 
The following civilization leaders feature the Aggressive trait:
 
*Montezuma, Aztec Empire
*Napoleon, French Empire
*Alexander, Greek Empire
*Huayna Capac, Incan Empire
*Tokugawa, Japanese Empire
*Genghis Khan, Mongolian Empire
*Kublai Khan, Mongolian Empire
 
'''Creative'''
 
*+2 culture per turn per city.
*Coliseum and Theatre constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
A city’s culture defines its borders--essentially its influence. A city’s entertainment and arts create a culture that can be adopted by rival cities. What this means in terms of gameplay is that your culture can increase your borders and envelope a rival city--the rival city becomes influenced by your culture and becomes part of your civilization. A creative civilization provides more culture per turn, which helps increase influence faster; though note that there are wonders (such as Stonehenge) that provide nearly the same benefit.
 
Being creative helps in the early game land grab; secure valuable resources Before rival civilizations get them! The culture bonus means more land space with less cities early on. If you’re choosing to focus on culture (though
wonders, Great Artists and their works, etc), the creative bonus certainly helps but you may find other leader trait benefits more useful to a balanced gameplay strategy. A creative leader can construct the Coliseum and Theatre at half the production cost. The Coliseum and Theatre increase happiness based on culture rate; the Theatre also enhances the Dye resource and necessary for artist specialists.
 
The following civilization leaders offer the Creative trait:
 
*Hatshepsut, Egyptian Empire
*Louis XIV, French Empire
*Frederick, German Empire
*Kublai Khan, Mongolian Empire
*Cyrus, Persian Empire
*Catherine, Russian Empire
 
'''Expansive'''
 
[[Image:CivIv_Screen1.jpg]]
''Genghis Khan combines expansion with military might.''
 
 
- +2 health per city.
 
- Granary and Harbor constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
A city’s health basically determines its population growth. When unhealthiness eclipses healthiness, you lose
food. If you lose more food than there are mouth’s to feed, you begin to lose population. Excess health
means food supplies remain high and population can continue to grow. The extra health is a valuable bonus
and means bigger cities--providing the potential for better production, more specialists, etc. Like with
creative, there are wonders and buildings that provide similar expansive benefits (even city placement can
increase health) but these same items further enhance the expansive trait. Use in combination with Victoria
and Financial (for Cottages to ramp up commerce), Isabella and Spiritual (for happiness), and Peter and
Philosophical (larger cities can use more specialists to create more Great People). The Granary further
increases health from any Corn, Wheat, or Rice resources and also stores 50% of food after each growth.
This essentially means your city can grow faster because it doesn’t have to recollect all food to reach the next
population level. The Harbor enhances trade route yield and also further increases health from Clam, Crab,
and Fish resources.
The following civilization leaders feature the Expansive trait:
 
- Victoria, English Empire
 
- Bismarck, German Empire
 
- Genghis Khan, Mongolian Empire
 
- Cyrus, Persian Empire
 
- Julius Caesar, Roman Empire
 
- Peter, Russian Empire
 
- Isabella, Spanish Empire
 
'''Financial'''
 
- +1 commerce on spaces generating 2 or more commerce.
 
- Bank constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
Filling your coffers with commerce is never a bad thing. Higher income means more commerce devoted to
research or, if you research Drama, devoted to culture. Excess funds help offset maintenance costs and can
be used as a bargaining tool with other civilizations for technologies, trade, or alliances. The benefits can pay
off immediately for coastal cities. Once available from research, use Workers to construct Cottages to increase
tile commerce. This benefit can pay off exponentially if you’re dedicated to work each tile and enhance for
maximum commerce--it’s certainly a benefit that gets better the longer the game goes. Your late game can
feature large armies, expansive cities, high upkeep civics, and still maintain high research or culture output
from your income. Financial leaders can construct Banks at half their production cost. Add a Bank to each city
to further increase commerce (+50% gold).
The following civilization leaders offer the Financial trait:
 
- Washington, American Empire
 
- Qin Shi Huang, Chinese Empire
 
- Elizabeth, English Empire
 
- Victoria, English Empire
 
- Huayna Capac, Incan Empire
 
- Mansa Musa, Malinese Empire
 
- Catherine, Russian Empire
 
'''Industrious'''
 
- +50% wonder production.
 
- Forge constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
An industrious leader is adept at building wonders. This provides the civilization a lot of flexibility because
wonders offer unique benefits, which could include some portions of the benefits from other leader traits.
Most players would agree that the wonders in Civilization IV aren’t quite the power of previous games but
that doesn’t mean they aren’t potent, especially when integrated into a focused strategy. Settle near stone or
marble to expand the benefit even further. When selecting an industrious leader, consider your goals as you
begin to construct wonders at the improved production time. Do you plan to focus on specialists and Great
People? Do you plan to focus on a military? Do you plan to focus on expansion or culture? Utilize the leader’s
secondary trait when considering your wonder options. The industrious leader also constructs the Forge for
half-cost production. The Forge increases production 25%, adds happiness from Gems, Gold, and Silver
resources, adds engineer specialists, but decreases a city’s health.
 
[[Image:CivIv_Screen2.jpg]]
''Industrious is a popular trait...players love wonders! Focus wonder construction to complement your leader’s other trait.''
 
 
The following civilization leaders offer the Industrious trait:
 
- Roosevelt, American Empire
 
- Qin Shi Huang, Chinese Empire
 
- Louis XIV, French Empire
 
- Napoleon, French Empire
 
- Bismarck, German Empire
 
- Gandhi, Indian Empire
 
'''Organized'''
 
- -50% civic upkeep cost.
 
- Courthouse and Lighthouse constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
An organized civilization is an efficient civilization. Organized leaders have "trimmed the fat" so to speak and
bear less civic upkeep costs. Essentially it’s the trait for the player who wants a huge expansive empire but
without all the expensive costs. Obviously if you aren’t planning to focus your game on civic choices. The
Organized trait also allows construction of the Lighthouse and Courthouse at half the production cost.
Lighthouses increase food from water tiles and Courthouses decrease maintenance costs for cities far from
the civilization’s capital.
The following civilization leaders feature the Organized trait:
 
- Roosevelt, American Empire
 
- Washington, American Empire
 
- Mao Zedong, Chinese Empire
 
- Asoka, Indian Empire
 
- Tokugawa, Japanese Empire
 
- Julius Caesar, Roman Empire
 
'''Philosophical'''
 
[[Image:CivIv_Screen3.jpg]]
''A strategy focused on the creation of Great People can be powerful. Select a leader with the Philosophical trait.''
 
 
- +100% Great People birth rate.
 
- University constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
Focusing your strategy on Great People births can be extremely powerful. Great Artists can be used as
"culture bombs" by instantly increasing a city’s culture by 4,000 (could be enough to envelop a rival border
town) or a Great Engineer could complete a valuable wonder in just a single turn. Of course there are also
free technologies and super specialists as well. When choosing a leader with the Philosophical trait, add to the
civilization’s benefit with the National Epic wonder to increase Great People birth rate further (the downside is
against an Industrious civilization, you may very well lose out on this and other wonders). Switch to the Caste
System civic for unlimited specialists--the more specialists, the higher the Great People birth rate or use
Pacifism to further increase birth rate. A philosophical leader can construct the University at half the
production cost; the University increases research by 25%.
The following civilization leaders offer the Philosophical trait:
 
- Saladin, Arabian Empire
 
- Mao Zedong, Chinese Empire
 
- Elizabeth, English Empire
 
- Frederick, German Empire
 
- Alexander, Greek Empire
 
- Peter, Russian Empire
 
'''Spiritual'''
 
- No anarchy.
 
- Temple constructed at 1/2 production cost.
 
A spiritual civilization suffers no anarchy penalty from switching civics or state religions. This provides a lot of
flexibility well into your civilization’s development. The freedom to switch civics depending on your current
need (do you need to train a military or continue to construct wonders?) or situation without penalty can be
extremely powerful. You could speed production (Organized Religion) or train experienced units (Vassalage)--
all in the span of several turns. Obviously spiritual civilizations also typically focus on religion. Half cost
Temples add to the civilization’s happiness and open up the priest specialist. Most of the Spiritual civilizations
begin with the Mysticism technology already researched; this means Spiritual civilizations can found religions
faster than other civilizations should they chose to do so. It’s a good idea and founding first can often mean
spreading it to other civilizations which maintains a good relationship because of the shared religion.
The following civilization leaders offer the Spiritual trait:
 
- Saladin, Arabian Empire
 
- Montezuma, Aztec Empire
 
- Hatshepsut, Egyptian Empire
 
- Asoka, Indian Empire
 
- Gandhi, Indian Empire
 
- Mansa Musa, Malinese Empire
 
- Isabella, Spanish Empire
 
{{wip}}

Latest revision as of 20:34, 17 March 2024

Box artwork for Civilization IV.
Box artwork for Civilization IV.
Civilization IV
Developer(s)Firaxis Games
Publisher(s)2K Games
Year released2005
System(s)Windows, macOS
Expansion pack(s)Warlords
Beyond the Sword
Preceded byCivilization III
Followed byCivilization Revolution
SeriesCivilization
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Players1-12
ModesSingle player, Multiplayer
Latest version1.74.0.0
Rating(s)ESRB EveryonePEGI Ages 12+
LinksOfficial websiteCivilization IV at PCGamingWikiCivilization IV ChannelSearchSearch

Sid Meier's Civilization IV (typically shortened to Civilization IV) is a turn-based strategy game for Windows and Mac OS developed by Firaxis Games. Players are challenged to develop a civilization from its beginnings in 4000BC up to the modern era and beyond. This version added religion as a game mechanic, among other things.

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External links[edit]