4 ms·

Interesting story but I'm a bit offended by the description of the board game as "linear". Having played the boardgame extensively and then played the first cou

Interesting story but I'm a bit offended by the description of the board game as "linear". Having played the boardgame extensively and then played the first couple of versions of the computer game to death, the inspiration was pretty obvious (the similarity between cards representing societal achievements and similar mechanics in the game is utterly striking; and the boardgame has a really clever trading game which the computer game in no way equals), and the idea that Meier didn't even play the boardgame until after designing the computer game seems to me to be disingenuous. Sid Meier's career was built on producing computer-versions of classic boardgames.

bryanlarsen 12y ago
They admitted that Civilization's co-designer, Shelly, had played the board game extensively.
smacktoward 12y ago
> Sid Meier's career was built on producing computer-versions of classic boardgames What? No it wasn't. It was built on flight simulators and wargames. Look at the list of games he worked on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games Before 1991 (the year the first Civ came out), it's nearly all flight sims, with some original IP (Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, Covert Action, Sword of the Samurai) near the end of that run, as he began to grow away from his partner Bill Stealey's focus on flight sims into a designer in his own right.
- contingencies 12y ago
  After reviewing the list, of which I've played over half, I think the stand-outs are Pirates! and Civilization. In case he reads this: Congratulations on a great career Sid, bringing fun, knowledge and appreciation of history to hundreds of millions of people around the world is a brilliant legacy. Keep up the good work!
- Tloewald 12y ago
  No-one remembers Sid Meier's flight sims. Sword of the Samurai (haven't played it) looks like an adaptation of Samurai an Avalon Hill (actually bought from another game company whose name escapes me) which itself was essentially Kingmaker reskinned for feudal Japan. Civilization was clearly inspired by Civilization. Pirates! was -- as far as I know -- pretty original (and my favorite of the lot). Covert Action looks awful but I've never played it and hadn't heard of it before looking at the wikipedia list.
  - avmich 12y ago
    > No-one remembers Sid Meier's flight sims. Don't say so :) . One of early books of Victor Pelevin describes "a problem" one avid player of F-19 had because he played too much. Some players still remember that F-19 had an interesting "unreal" bug, which allowed to fly without fuel arbitrarily long (and quite slow). Upside down. It was possible to start playing the first mission (say, Russian North) ranking as lieutenant and land the first time in the highest possible rank with all imaginable awards. F-19 was, in a sense, interesting enough to be remembered.
  - smacktoward 12y ago
    Just because you don't remember them doesn't mean that nobody does. The F-15 Strike Eagle series, for instance, was a huge success at the time, as was F-19 Stealth Fighter. > Sword of the Samurai (haven't played it) looks like an adaptation of Samurai an Avalon Hill Actually, no; Sword is much more like Pirates!, in that it's essentially a collection of themed minigames, tied together by a strategic overlay. Covert Action has a similar design. The three of them are all variations on a theme, more similar to each other than to any external inspiration. Sword and Covert Action are both available via GOG these days, should you want to confirm this.
  - ianstallings 12y ago
    Actually, I played F-19 and that's what I remember him most for. It was a lot of fun actually, you had to evade radar but it was a little tricky. I mean come on, how can you not love this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kCvSyJaYbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kCvSyJaYbc It even had an ILS landing system at the airport!
- jgalt212 12y ago
  correction > Sid Meier's legacy was built on producing computer-versions of classic boardgames
nevster 12y ago
If anyone gets the chance - have a go at the board game - it's brilliant! (Also make sure to play it with the Advanced Civilization supplement). For a game that can take 8 hours, it's surprisingly easy to learn. The way the game is constructed, you can learn it as you play because very few game mechanics are needed at the start. As your civilizations progress, more game mechanics become relevant. I wish I was playing it now...

bryanlarsen 12y ago

They admitted that Civilization's co-designer, Shelly, had played the board game extensively.

smacktoward 12y ago

> Sid Meier's career was built on producing computer-versions of classic boardgames What? No it wasn't. It was built on flight simulators and wargames. Look at the list of games he worked on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier#Games Before 1991 (the year the first Civ came out), it's nearly all flight sims, with some original IP (Pirates!, Railroad Tycoon, Covert Action, Sword of the Samurai) near the end of that run, as he began to grow away from his partner Bill Stealey's focus on flight sims into a designer in his own right.

contingencies 12y ago
After reviewing the list, of which I've played over half, I think the stand-outs are Pirates! and Civilization. In case he reads this: Congratulations on a great career Sid, bringing fun, knowledge and appreciation of history to hundreds of millions of people around the world is a brilliant legacy. Keep up the good work!
Tloewald 12y ago
No-one remembers Sid Meier's flight sims. Sword of the Samurai (haven't played it) looks like an adaptation of Samurai an Avalon Hill (actually bought from another game company whose name escapes me) which itself was essentially Kingmaker reskinned for feudal Japan. Civilization was clearly inspired by Civilization. Pirates! was -- as far as I know -- pretty original (and my favorite of the lot). Covert Action looks awful but I've never played it and hadn't heard of it before looking at the wikipedia list.
- avmich 12y ago
  > No-one remembers Sid Meier's flight sims. Don't say so :) . One of early books of Victor Pelevin describes "a problem" one avid player of F-19 had because he played too much. Some players still remember that F-19 had an interesting "unreal" bug, which allowed to fly without fuel arbitrarily long (and quite slow). Upside down. It was possible to start playing the first mission (say, Russian North) ranking as lieutenant and land the first time in the highest possible rank with all imaginable awards. F-19 was, in a sense, interesting enough to be remembered.
- smacktoward 12y ago
  Just because you don't remember them doesn't mean that nobody does. The F-15 Strike Eagle series, for instance, was a huge success at the time, as was F-19 Stealth Fighter. > Sword of the Samurai (haven't played it) looks like an adaptation of Samurai an Avalon Hill Actually, no; Sword is much more like Pirates!, in that it's essentially a collection of themed minigames, tied together by a strategic overlay. Covert Action has a similar design. The three of them are all variations on a theme, more similar to each other than to any external inspiration. Sword and Covert Action are both available via GOG these days, should you want to confirm this.
- ianstallings 12y ago
  Actually, I played F-19 and that's what I remember him most for. It was a lot of fun actually, you had to evade radar but it was a little tricky. I mean come on, how can you not love this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kCvSyJaYbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kCvSyJaYbc It even had an ILS landing system at the airport!
jgalt212 12y ago
correction > Sid Meier's legacy was built on producing computer-versions of classic boardgames

nevster 12y ago

If anyone gets the chance - have a go at the board game - it's brilliant! (Also make sure to play it with the Advanced Civilization supplement). For a game that can take 8 hours, it's surprisingly easy to learn. The way the game is constructed, you can learn it as you play because very few game mechanics are needed at the start. As your civilizations progress, more game mechanics become relevant. I wish I was playing it now...