Civilization

As the nation's leader, you have many responsibilities. You have to build cities and then micromanage them, constructing various buildings. Most of the people in your cities will be working on neighbouring lands to get food, production, and trade. You decide how much trade you want to invest into each area. You also have to make sure that your people are in a good mood; if they get too unhappy, the city will collapse into disorder.

Building Wonders of the World can be an option for ambitious leaders. These epic constructions give unique benefits but take a long time to build and eventually stop working. There are also barbarians and other nations in the world, so you'll have to invest into the military to protect yourself and attack others. You can sign peace treaties or exchange scientific knowledge with them.

Controlling your military units on the world map is crucial. You can use settlers to build cities, create roads, and improve land around cities. Diplomats can be sent to negotiate with other nations or create embassies, while caravans can increase trade in foreign cities. Caravans can also help in building Wonders of the World.

Scientific progress is an important part of the game. The more science your cities produce, the faster you research new technologies. Researching technologies gives you new units, buildings, and other things. Some technologies have interesting effects, such as pollution, which can cause global warming if there's too much of it.

How your cities prosper depends partially on the type of government that your nation has. You start with Despotism but may need to switch to another form of government to stunt growth and promote civilization.