Steam: Civilization IV Complete Edition $36

Serik

Serik

CAGiversary!


What's included: Civ IV, Warlords, Beyond the Sword, and Colonization. Awesome compilation.

If you purchase it from Steam, you only need to install BtS to play Civ IV (unless you're really intent on playing the Warlord-specific scenarios).

For comparison:

Amazon: $37
GoGamer: $37.90

Note: the retail edition is entirely DRM-free; not even a CD-check is required. The retail compilation does not come with tech trees or a substantial manual.
 
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holy crap thats a good deal :hot: I already own the first three from Direct 2 Drive but I might rebuy them just to have them on Steam + Colonization
 
A Third Party Seller on Amazon are selling Civilization IV Complete (does not have Colonization) for $21.38 shipped.

Colonization is alright, nothing special really to be honest and not worth the $15 price difference.

Quick question, does Beyond the Sword have the civilizations introduced in Warlords?
 
thepik241: Yes. BtS has everything Warlords had plus some with the one exception of Warlords-specific scenarios as pointed out by the OP. And trust me I know those civs/leaders are in BtS because Wang Kon, Shaka, and Ragnar are all on my shitlist. There is very little reason to buy Warlords by itself if you were presented with that option.
 
Damn I just bought the regular Civ IV for $30 off Steam a few weeks ago. Great game although it's quite a time sink. I think I'm going to pick up Civ Revolution for 360 since it's more streamlined and games go quicker.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']Question: Why would you want to save a dollar, but lose out on the ability to have a hard copy, free from Steam DRM?[/QUOTE]
It's a legitimate question and I am interested in the answer. Why would anyone not spend the extra dollar to have a copy of the game you can play for the rest of your life, install anywhere, anytime, and have a full printed copy of the manuals/charts/etc?
 
Do we need to have a debate every time there's a digital deal? No, a thousand times, no. Zing, why don't you and UncleBob go create a physical disc lovers' club and keep the conversation there instead of derailing valid deal threads? That way everybody wins.
 
[quote name='Zing']It's a legitimate question and I am interested in the answer. Why would anyone not spend the extra dollar to have a copy of the game you can play for the rest of your life, install anywhere, anytime, and have a full printed copy of the manuals/charts/etc?[/QUOTE]

because I don't like having a spinning disc in my drive
 
[quote name='eastx']Do we need to have a debate every time there's a digital deal? No, a thousand times, no. Zing, why don't you and UncleBob go create a physical disc lovers' club and keep the conversation there instead of derailing valid deal threads? That way everybody wins.[/QUOTE]

Agreed, this shit is worse than 360 vs. PS3 flame wars. If you don't like it just get out.

I for one am willing to pay extra for Steam games considering I will never lose the game. However, I always thought Civ to be the same game every time so I wouldn't want to buy all of them.
 
Whelp.....

Steam = DRM

Disk = No DRM, I.E. you can play it without DVD with alcohol 120.

Me, I'm buying it from gogamer.
 
There is no need to have this thread be another Download vs. Trad. Retail argument. Everyone here understands Unclebob's point that saving a dollar is not worth giving up the benefits of a retail copy. For others, those benefits are unimportant or outweighed by the upsides of Steam.

Hopefully, CAGs have determined where they fall along that continuum. If not, I'm sure there is a "DRM lemmings vs. Hard-copy troglodytes"-type thread raging in the discussion forums to confuse them with misinformation and overwhelm them with invective.

A point worth bringing up for discussion would have been if this thread was about...say, UT3, Prey, etc. Would relatively small savings be worth giving up the ability to have both a retail and Steam-registered version. Sadly, publishers and Valve have not seen fit to offer too many of these hybrids.
 
[quote name='eastx']Do we need to have a debate every time there's a digital deal? No, a thousand times, no. Zing, why don't you and UncleBob go create a physical disc lovers' club and keep the conversation there instead of derailing valid deal threads? That way everybody wins.[/QUOTE]

YES. PLEASE. I'm getting tired of "hard copy" lovers jumping into EVERY Steam, Impulse, D2D deal thread and bashing the services and everybody who buys digitally.

So just let us discuss the game and buy digitally in peace without being criticized. I honestly don't care if you buy retail. You like having a hard copy? That's your prerogative and I could care less. Just let us buy our games in peace without you coming in here and spouting how YOUR copy of the game is better than ours.

Let's hope this doesn't turn into what the Defense Grid and Impulse Weekend Deal threads turned into last week.
 
[quote name='Zing']It's a legitimate question and I am interested in the answer. Why would anyone not spend the extra dollar to have a copy of the game you can play for the rest of your life, install anywhere, anytime, and have a full printed copy of the manuals/charts/etc?[/QUOTE]

The just-released Complete Edition is entirely DRM free (no CD check), but doesn't come with any charts or manuals, just a quick start guide. Based on this description from a 2K rep, Complete comes in one of them newfangled slim cases. If you want the manuals, you have to get the original miniboxes.

You can also "jailbreak" Beyond the Sword from the Steam client, allowing it to start independently of Steam.
 
My intention was *not* to start a disc vs. download debate - but was a honest question. Bucky said something about it being a 'great deal' and I honestly (yes, honestly) was wondering why a mere 10% off regular price and a dollar less than a physical copy was a 'great deal' - wondering if there was some advantage to ordering from Steam that I was unaware of.

Instead of discussing the merits of the deal, I get flamed.
 
Because you're just criticizing digital downloads in a roundabout way. You're not fooling anyone.

If you just wanted to know if there were any specific advantages to purchasing the collection through Steam, you could easily do that without the stealth trolling.
 
It must be super-stealth trolling if even I didn't know that was my agenda.

So, I'll rephrase the question - "Are there any specific advantages to purchasing the collection through Steam besides the $1 savings?"

You know, ignore that. That question isn't what I really want to know. As I stated above, I really wanted to know if paying a dollar less for Steam service was worth losing the physical copy. If you think that's trolling, then, quite frankly, don't feed me and ignore my posts. To anyone who can actually provide me an answer as to why it's worth paying very slightly less for less product, please do take the time to answer me - I sincerely want to know. Does Steam offer some kind of exclusive content? Better online play? Or, is it just $1 savings? I'm interested in knowing if this deal is for me - and if $1 savings is the only thing I get, I'd rather just buy the physical copy.

I know not everyone is like me - and I'm not trying to say this isn't a deal and isn't worth it. I'm simply asking a question to determine if this deal is something I'd be interested in. Again, if you think I'm trolling, then just ignore my posts. It'll work out better for both of us.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']It must be super-stealth trolling if even I didn't know that was my agenda.

So, I'll rephrase the question - "Are there any specific advantages to purchasing the collection through Steam besides the $1 savings?"[/QUOTE]

I find Steam to be way more convenient than physical copies. Mostly because I don't like clutter. I don't understand why you're saying Steam DRM is a disadvantage either. It's not obtrusive.
 
[quote name='UncleBob']My intention was *not* to start a disc vs. download debate - but was a honest question. Bucky said something about it being a 'great deal' and I honestly (yes, honestly) was wondering why a mere 10% off regular price and a dollar less than a physical copy was a 'great deal' - wondering if there was some advantage to ordering from Steam that I was unaware of.

Instead of discussing the merits of the deal, I get flamed.[/QUOTE]

I believe he was referring to the package and not where it comes from or the 10% off.
 
Steam Pros

  • You don't have to drive anywhere or wait several days for shipping.
  • As long as Valve exists, you'll be able to download any of your Steam games to any computer as many times as you want.
  • You never have to worry about losing/damaging disks or losing your CD key.

  • You don't have to put a disk in your drive to start your games
Steam Cons

  • You lose out on having the retail package w/ the physical manual and disks (i.e. Collector's Editions are just not the same)
  • You can't resell your games
  • You have to be logged into Steam to play your game (and you can only have one computer logged into your Steam account at a time)
  • You can't really let your friends borrow your games (unless you give them your Steam login info. Hope they're a good friend :) )

I'm sure there are other in both categories, but this is mainly what I think. I love Steam and don't find Steam to be intrusive. With that said, if I can buy a physical copy of a game for the same price (or a little more) AND activate it on Steam (Dawn of War II, Empire: Total War, etc) I'd rather do that. But, everyone has their preferences and own opinions about digital distribution. Bottom line, if you like it, great. If you don't, they still sell physical copies.
 
Wow, you guys are super defensive. Like the other dude, I was sincerely asking the question. I have never used Steam, everything I know about Steam is from before it was released, I don't own a PC, and I haven't played any computer games since World of Warcraft years ago. I have no agenda.

So far the benefits of Steam seem to be "I won't lose the disc". Who loses a game disc? I still have my original copies of Myst and 7th Guest from when I bought them in 1995.
 
[quote name='Zing']Wow, you guys are super defensive. Like the other dude, I was sincerely asking the question. I have never used Steam, everything I know about Steam is from before it was released, I don't own a PC, and I haven't played any computer games since World of Warcraft years ago. I have no agenda.

So far the benefits of Steam seem to be "I won't lose the disc". Who loses a game disc? I still have my original copies of Myst and 7th Guest from when I bought them in 1995.[/QUOTE]

Sorry but I see people derail threads all the time to diss on Steam so the instant I see any shape or form of it I pounce like a cougar.

Anyhow, I move from house to house often so not having to lug things around is a big + for me. Steam also keeps games up to date so I don't have to manually patch. Many games offer Steam Achievements which are fun. I also lose things like a mad man so it really works well for me.
 
You lose out on having the retail package w/ the physical manual and disks (i.e. Collector's Editions are just not the same)
Click to expand...

I personally haven't seen a damn thing worth buying a CE for.

You can't resell your games
Click to expand...

That's why you buy the ones worth a damn or games worth REALLY cheap during a Steam sale.

You have to be logged into Steam to play your game (and you can only have one computer logged into your Steam account at a time)
Click to expand...

Meh.

You can't really let your friends borrow your games (unless you give them your Steam login info. Hope they're a good friend )
Click to expand...

Tastes always vary.

Here's two more:

-Pro: Valve has asserted that if Steam is lost, they'll leave a way for users to have access to games.
-Con: Downloading and re-downloading of games whenever a huge problem occurs or you've reformatted your drive.
 
[quote name='Akira119']Steam Pros

  • You don't have to drive anywhere or wait several days for shipping.
  • As long as Valve exists, you'll be able to download any of your Steam games to any computer as many times as you want.
  • You never have to worry about losing/damaging disks or losing your CD key.

  • You don't have to put a disk in your drive to start your games
Steam Cons

  • You lose out on having the retail package w/ the physical manual and disks (i.e. Collector's Editions are just not the same)
  • You can't resell your games
  • You have to be logged into Steam to play your game (and you can only have one computer logged into your Steam account at a time)
  • You can't really let your friends borrow your games (unless you give them your Steam login info. Hope they're a good friend :) )

I'm sure there are other in both categories, but this is mainly what I think. I love Steam and don't find Steam to be intrusive. With that said, if I can buy a physical copy of a game for the same price (or a little more) AND activate it on Steam (Dawn of War II, Empire: Total War, etc) I'd rather do that. But, everyone has their preferences and own opinions about digital distribution. Bottom line, if you like it, great. If you don't, they still sell physical copies.[/QUOTE]

This is pretty comprehensive list of pros and cons. I would only add couple more:

Steam Pro:

  • Steam would automatically patch your game as new patches are released
Steam Con:

  • You live and die with the financial stability of Valve, who provides the service. If Valve goes, so do all your beloved games.
  • if you are in mods, they are sometimes very difficult to install and make work right if you have Steam version of the game vs physical disk install.
 
[quote name='Zing']Wow, you guys are super defensive. Like the other dude, I was sincerely asking the question. I have never used Steam, everything I know about Steam is from before it was released, I don't own a PC, and I haven't played any computer games since World of Warcraft years ago. I have no agenda.

So far the benefits of Steam seem to be "I won't lose the disc". Who loses a game disc? I still have my original copies of Myst and 7th Guest from when I bought them in 1995.[/QUOTE]

I've lost discs before for sure. For me though that's not why I use steam.

Steam is great because it's flat out quicker to install from there than putting in a DVD or CD for me. It installs faster and no need to put in a code.

Plus, you immediately have access to your entire game library anywhere you login to STEAM and your games are automatically updated.

Plus, it's also possible to use steam offline so you don't NEED a connection.

Still, my favorite thing about it is the shift+tab overlay. I can use it to access my friends list (for text/audio chat game status), server lists, and the built in web browser. Tabbing out of a game to check the internet and back in is a real pain most of the time. With Steam it's super fast.

Because of this I literally add all my non-steam games to steam as well just so I can get this extra functionality.
 
Can we just sticky a digital vs. retail thread in the PC section so these threads don't have the same arguments ad nauseum? Hell, I'll even link to that thread in my OP.

Now let's talk about how awesome Civ IV is and how Shaka is a real jerk.
 
Thank you to all who honestly answered my question. While I've been interested in Steam deals before, I've never bitten. I've recently gotten back into Civilization (although I'm still playing Civ1/CivNet) and I've been keeping an eye out for a good deal on Civ4 Complete. I guess I'm just too big of a consumer whore - I like having "stuff". After picking up a copy of CivNet (finally), I went and found the official guide for it. Together, with the box, manual and everything, I just like the stuff. I think I'll hold out awhile longer (I can still play everything from the Civ Chronicles I just picked up from NewEgg for $28) until something comes along that suits my needs better. Thanks again.
 
UncleBob, I will add my apology in there as well. But like Hydro2Oxide said, we see a lot of people come into these threads and belittle the digital distribution services and harass the people who buy games from them. So I get a little uppity when I interpret somebody trying to start something again.
 
I guess I accept that he's not a troll too. But like Hydro and Duke said, it's easy to mistake the first comment for that of an anti-DRM nut.
 
[quote name='Nohbdy']
-Pro: Valve has asserted that if Steam is lost, they'll leave a way for users to have access to games.[/QUOTE]
Please do not include that as a Pro. I am not an anti-Steam nazi by any means: proof

But this comment is unfounded. Until there is a CONTRACT with a THIRD-PARTY agency guaranteeing this it will simply not be true. There is much more here than Valve's "goodwill". Let's imagine Valve has some catastrophe and they are no more. What unemployed individual is going to go back and "crack" all of Valve's old games? Are they going to be compensated? Better yet, are they going to be SUED by all the other developers that have their games on Steam? They aren't going to be happy when someone starts releasing cracks for all of their games.

You have to keep in mind that when a company truly goes under, their employees are no longer employed by the company. They are just your average joe like you and me. If they release a crack for Steam games, they just became a software cracker. Now there are cracks for Steam games already out there but if you think Valve has some contingency plan if everything goes awry, you are delusional. They won't even have to answer to their promises since they will be nonexistent at that point.

I own MANY games on Steam but don't kid yourself about what will happen if they go under and certainly don't rely on a promise that you expect some defunct company to keep.
 
[quote name='Zing']It's a legitimate question and I am interested in the answer. Why would anyone not spend the extra dollar to have a copy of the game you can play for the rest of your life, install anywhere, anytime, and have a full printed copy of the manuals/charts/etc?[/QUOTE]

well you can only play / install it wherever / whenever you have the disk. with a digital copy you can download it anywhere, anytime you are connected to the internet.
 
[quote name='thepik241']So do both the retail versions of Civilization IV Complete Edition and Civilization IV Complete has CD checks?[/QUOTE]

The new Civ IV Complete Edition has no DRM of any kind.
 
[quote name='Serik']Can we just sticky a digital vs. retail thread in the PC section so these threads don't have the same arguments ad nauseum? Hell, I'll even link to that thread in my OP.

Now let's talk about how awesome Civ IV is and how Shaka is a real jerk.[/QUOTE]

Let me say that the civ 4 complete pack for 35 or so bucks from any place is a good deal. I think I paid a bit less then that for the collection during the steam xmas sale but that didn't include colonies. But from what I hear I'm not missing much.

And I agree we should have a digital vs physical FAQ thread someplace. Because even XBL and PSN are putting out digital copies of games like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Burnout Paradise. It still kinda shocks me how some people have never used steam, but these people show up in every major steam thread it seems.

And I love how some people still think steam is the same pile of garbage it was back in 2004 and crashes all the time. Or logging in with one universal username password to access you games is the worst DRM in the universe. I guess these people don't ever use user ids & passwords log into any IM clients, PCs or web sites.
 
Valve is a stand up company.. One of the few left who truly love and cares for games.

Based on their history, I am VERY sure that if something were to happen to Valve, they would have some contingency for people to download and keep playing the games they purchased.. I'm sure it wouldn't be perfect, but they would NOT just leave us all hanging... of that I'm sure.
If they were that type of company, we'd be playing a shitty Half-Life 6 alpha and Gordon Freeman Cart Racing right now..

my .02 as a long time gamer...
-Mike
 
[quote name='KingDox']Let me say that the civ 4 complete pack for 35 or so bucks from any place is a good deal. I think I paid a bit less then that for the collection during the steam xmas sale but that didn't include colonies. But from what I hear I'm not missing much.

And I agree we should have a digital vs physical FAQ thread someplace. Because even XBL and PSN are putting out digital copies of games like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Burnout Paradise. It still kinda shocks me how some people have never used steam, but these people show up in every major steam thread it seems.

And I love how some people still think steam is the same pile of garbage it was back in 2004 and crashes all the time. Or logging in with one universal username password to access you games is the worst DRM in the universe. I guess these people don't ever use user ids & passwords log into any IM clients, PCs or web sites.[/QUOTE]
You hit alot of the stuff I wanted to say. It's funny that Steam is DRM done right yet it's still bashed. Can't we save the bashing for ridiculous forms of DRM like Securom or starforce? Alot of us get defensive because we love steam, we use it everyday and even use it to IM people instead of messenger. Then someone comes in and has to shit all over a deal, because "they" don't like Steam. It just gets to ya after awhile.
 
totally worth it, civ 4 is a fantastic game - even this far past its initial release - and i havent played colonization, but i figure it is much in the same vein
 
that con about having to reformat your HDD or whatever with all your downloaded games, you can back up your games and burn them onto DVD or CD to install again that way. easy!

I for one do not care for clutter of packaging material unless I feel it's worth collecting for myself or there's something special about the casing. B/c I end up just tossing the packing for PC games that are registered on the computer.

but I'll stop as it's all opinion.
 
I've never played a Civilization game. Would like to ask you guys for opinions.

1. Is it real time like warcraft/starcraft? Like you collect resources and tech your way up?
2. Is it easy to get into as a beginner? Especially having played no Civ games?
3. I don't really like playing RTS online, so does this have a good single player?
 
[quote name='Xiemos']I've never played a Civilization game. Would like to ask you guys for opinions.

1. Is it real time like warcraft/starcraft? Like you collect resources and tech your way up?
2. Is it easy to get into as a beginner? Especially having played no Civ games?
3. I don't really like playing RTS online, so does this have a good single player?[/QUOTE]

1. Not real time, turn based. I forget how the multiplayer works with the turns though...
2. All the Civ games are essentially the same with a few additions here and there, better graphics etc. so no previous knowledge is necessary. It's pretty simple to grasp.
3. Excellent single player, bots are challanging on hard and you can play to win different ways ala warlord or peace keeper etc.
 
[quote name='Xiemos']I've never played a Civilization game. Would like to ask you guys for opinions.

1. Is it real time like warcraft/starcraft? Like you collect resources and tech your way up?
2. Is it easy to get into as a beginner? Especially having played no Civ games?
3. I don't really like playing RTS online, so does this have a good single player?[/QUOTE]

Grab the Civ IV Demo.
If you like it, but want the price of Civ IV to drop more, Civ III complete is $4.99 on Steam.
 
I would have been all over this but I already had Civ IV. I was going to buy it anyway, but then I found Beyond the Sword on clearance at Target for $4.96 yesterday. It appears that most of the content from Warlords that I would be interested in is also in Beyond the Sword as I don't really play scenarios much. This simply leaves Colonization which I almost bought full price around Christmas.

Has anyone seen any good deals on Colonization by itself anywhere?
 
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