(P)REVIEWS - Civilization IV Preview by Solver
Politics: Choose Your Poison
Yet another remarkable addition to CivIV is the civics system. Simply put, instead of the seven or so governments in previous Civ games, CivIV offers you a selection of civics - there are five main categories (Government, Legal, Labor, Economics, Religion) with five choices in each. You start the game with the basic civic in each category, not giving you any bonuses, and gain the ability to employ different civics throughout the game.
Why exactly is this an improvement? Look at it in terms of numbers. Five civics in five categories means 3,125 possible combinations. If more than three thousand extra government options compared to what was available in former Civ games isn't an improvement, then I don't know what is.
Firaxis has done a good job at balancing the civics system as it feels quite right. There is no one right combination of civics to run, although there are naturally combinations that are better for war or for peace. Pacifism is a civic that will increase your Great Person birth right, but is less than perfect for war. Elsewhere State Property will cut your maintenance costs, Caste System will let you use more specialists, and so on.
Civics are excellent in the simplicity of the basic idea. There isn't a lot of a explaining to be done about what they are or how they work, but they add a lot to the game. I have no doubt that CivIV strategists will greatly enjoy examining the possible civics combinations and their uses.
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