>>2145004 (OP)
Everything after 4 has limited units per tile, and therefore is not worth playing. Anything before 4 is just 4, but less good. There's no debate to be had, it's obvious which one is objectively the best.
Civ2, Civ3, Civ4, Civ5 and Civ6 all have valid reasons for repeated play to this day. Civ series mostly takes a few steps forward and a few steps back, with 7 being the first one to truly fuck it up.
Civ players often get arbitrarily attached to a mechanic like it is a core civ mechanic and then get confused when it isn't in the sequel when it wasn't present for even earlier games.
Arguably, you could maybe just replace Civ2 with SMAC, at least in terms with mechanics.
>>2145220
I wish devs would understand this. I don't mind time going but holy hell seeing archers around while someone is getting a machine gun is stupid. Not only that it's the fact I can't even commit to anything historical you either have a dumb army that is low tech or none.
>>2145004 (OP)
2
Most competent AI thanks to combination of simplicity and straightforward design, can run on literally anything with display, good map scaling, no gimmicky special powers for Civs.
4 has best mods that elevate the game
3 and 5 are the best for multiplayer
But nothing really compares to 2.
Also, does SMAC count?
Because if so, it easily beats the rest without even trying
>>2146011
Archers v machine guns literally happened irl.
Part of the reason why the samarai eventually got their shit kicked in and Europe ended up carving up the entire African continent.
>>2145011
Dubs of truth. 3 is the best. 4 is the last good one.
3 is in the sweet spot. 1 and 2 had weak AI and 4 began the bloated, eurogame style mechanics that plagues the later titles
>>2145004 (OP)
Civ 4 Colonization is the only game I can play over and over and not get bored. I can't even finish the others anymore.
4 and 5 management isn't engaging enough and 6 is just bullshit joyless math busywork.
Colonization is the perfect civ game, I'd pay a lot of money for a game with other eras but similar mechanics. I don't know why they abandoned it.
>>2147272
Should work, if you're on a modern OS regardless of which version of the game you have installed you'll need to drop indirectsound into the folders detailed here to fix a sound/music bug: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Sid_Meier's_Civilization_III#No_music_or_sound_effects_during_diplomacy
