Civ 4 vs. Expansions?

Although Steam has all the expansions/addons listed with their different features, I'm somewhat confused. Can somebody explain how they work together? Are they each separate games or do the expansions simply add more features to the original? I've never played Civ at all so I'm a little lost. Can somebody help me out here?

[Ciaos]

Civilization 4 is the base game.
Warlords adds scenarios/leaders/units.
Beyond the Sword has everything Warlords has bar some scenarios with added leaders/units/buildings.

Beyond the Sword and Warlords need Civ4 to be purchased first to play.

Colonization is a remakes of Colonization in the Civ 4 engine.

[SmilerGrogan]

Originally Posted by Ciaos

Colonization is a remakes of Civ1 in the Civ 4 engine.

No, Colonization is a remake of Colonization, which was available for Amiga, Mac and PC in 1994:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Colonization

thanks ciaos.. so it's all still one game that you get new units/etc to work with? Would it be silly just to buy CivIv for $5 and save myself $5 =)

[Ciaos]

Originally Posted by SmilerGrogan

No, Colonization is a remake of Colonization, which was available for Amiga, Mac and PC in 1994:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Colonization

Ahh my bad. Thanks for correcting me, shows you I have never fired that game up

Originally Posted by aznguyen316

thanks ciaos.. so it's all still one game that you get new units/etc to work with? Would it be silly just to buy CivIv for $5 and save myself $5 =)

You can't buy Civ4 on it's own and the expansions have to have Civ4 for you to buy it, so you pretty much have to buy the complete pack and have Colonizations as well.

When you start playing, just install Beyond the Sword and it'll have the majority of the new stuff.

[Geowil]

Originally Posted by aznguyen316

thanks ciaos.. so it's all still one game that you get new units/etc to work with? Would it be silly just to buy CivIv for $5 and save myself $5 =)

If you don't mind not having some of the new units + maybe a nation or two then it wouldn't be.

Originally Posted by Ciaos

You can't buy Civ4 on it's own

http://store.steampowered.com/app/3900/

Originally Posted by aznguyen316

thanks ciaos.. so it's all still one game that you get new units/etc to work with? Would it be silly just to buy CivIv for $5 and save myself $5 =)

Beyond the sword doesn't just add new units/buildings/scenarios but introduced new features like corporations and random events, expanded existing features like espionage and made considerably AI/gameplay/UI improvements. Definitly worth buying IMO

Heres a link to wiki with more details

[Genexi2]

Is there a recommended install order for the Civ4 titles?

I mean, how does Steam treat the expansions, do I have to download the base game first, then each expansion pack, or will installing Beyond the Sword (the latest, since Colonization is stand-alone I heard) install all the required data from Warlords and the Base given it has the file-size of both combined (according to Steam)?

That or perhaps installing the base game reduces the estimated file-size from Steam for the expansions? I don't know, I'm just trying to save myself some bandwidth here since I'm pretty limited currently.

[Geowil]

Originally Posted by Genexi2

Is there a recommended install order for the Civ4 titles?

I mean, how does Steam treat the expansions, do I have to download the base game first, then each expansion pack, or will installing Beyond the Sword (the latest, since Colonization is stand-alone I heard) install all the required data from Warlords and the Base given it has the file-size of both combined (according to Steam)?

That or perhaps installing the base game reduces the estimated file-size from Steam for the expansions? I don't know, I'm just trying to save myself some bandwidth here since I'm pretty limited currently.

I think it goes as such:
Civ 4
Warlord
BtS
Colonization

But since each are their own games, there is no true install order. You just have to have Civ4 installed piror to playing Warlords or BtS

So wait, I can't play with content from Beyond the Sword and Warlords at the same time? I have to launch one or the other?

[doominator70]

No you can play all the content in the expansions as one no matter which you open- obviously BtS but colonies being stand alone will not load the units into your base game. Its like the sims it just adds the content like a DLC practically.

[minerva79]

Colonization is pretty much a standalone game. It's a much smaller universe too, since the premise are quite different. You do not need to install it if you're not interested.

For Civ4, if you have the pack, install Civ4, warlords and beyond the sword. Running anyone would result in the same thing, though to be safe, just run beyond the sword.

[Gene]

Thank you for the help, everyone.

[Geowil]

Originally Posted by Geowil

I think it goes as such:
Civ 4
Warlord
BtS
Colonization

But since each are their own games, there is no true install order. You just have to have Civ4 installed piror to playing Warlords or BtS

Originally Posted by Kerrick

So wait, I can't play with content from Beyond the Sword and Warlords at the same time? I have to launch one or the other?

What I meant by that is that the content does not get installed into the civ4 folder, they each get their own folders.

Plus, it was mentioned else where either in this thread or similar, that Warlords has some unique content that is only available in that game, and not present in BtS. But by and large BtS has most (99%) of the content of the other two.

[Cynegetician]

Originally Posted by Ciaos

Civilization 4 is the base game.
Warlords adds scenarios/leaders/units.
Beyond the Sword has everything Warlords has bar some scenarios with added leaders/units/buildings.

Beyond the Sword and Warlords need Civ4 to be purchased first to play.

Colonization is a remakes of Colonization in the Civ 4 engine.

Thank you SO much!