Sid Meier's Civil War Collection

Discount Price: $39.48

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

VG game, needs a major overhaul for XP [Posted on 2005-03-17]
I love Sid Meier's games. I had never played Gettysburg before but have always been fascinated by the battle. I picked up the Civil War Collection for under $20 the other day and have been both exhilarated and significantly disappointed with it.

First, the exhilarating stuff:

The gameplay is very interesting and can be extremely challenging. I've been playing RTS games for years, including AoE, AoK, AoKTC, Empire Earth, Empires: DMW, RoN, AoM and a couple of others. Gettysburg is refreshing compared these games because your sole focus is fighting (no economy to micro-manage) and the fighting is far more historically accurate than other RTS games in terms of the use of formations, flanking attacks, morale and line of sight.

Take note that another recent review has stated some things that aren't correct: Brigade commanders can move regiments at the Double-Quick simply by pressing "Q" while the Commander is selected, and while the units are already moving to a destination. Also incorrect is the assertion that cannon do not fire "canister" rounds at close range. This element of game design is transparent, but it is noted in the manual that all cannon (especially Napoleon batteries) do more damage from close range than from a distance - in order to simulate the use of canister rounds by intelligent artillery officers, so no need to micro-manage this.

Second, the not so good stuff:

The game is now 8 years from original release, and it shows in ways that are crucial to the player's ability to actually play it. Most players are using Windows 2000 or XP these days, and the Antietam and South Mountain add-on games don't actually work fully on XP. There is no sound for the add-ons, which is a shame because they are actually newer code than the original Gettysburg is. Of course, Firaxis has a "patch" that "allows" the Windows XP platform to run the game, but the patch is incomplete and there are still major issues with the game as a result. For instance, one can't see the name of saved games when trying to reload an ongoing battle! Also, there are issues with map scrolling which cripple enjoyment of the game. Specifically, after loading up the game and playing the first scenario of the day, you cannot continue to the next scenario in sequence because the map will not scroll at all. So you are forced to shut down CWC and restart it to get the scrolling screen back. This is VERY annoying.

I've tested these issues on two completely different XP machines over the last week, and it is a consistent problem with both with a default install of the game (default directories, etc.). The game is broken; perhaps because of a DirectX incompatibility (I have 9.0c (latest version) on both XP systems.

So, very good game with major bugs for XP users. If you're still running Windows 98, go ahead and get it. Sid, please have Firaxis fix/update this game!

CWC- Gettsburg! and Antietam! work on WinXP(SP2) [Posted on 2005-06-16]
A complete set of instructions to allow Gettysburg! and Antietam! to be fully functional on Windows XP (Service Pack 2) can be found at http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewforum.php?f=8

This should re-assure buyers of this software package that their investment in this purchase will not be wasted, and that CWC is as playable now as the individual titles were when they were introduced.

True classics...

1/2... Relive the Civil War in your PC [Posted on 2005-07-08]
Ready your regiments, perch the artillery high up over those hills yonder... Sid Meier's "Civil War Collection" is a compilation of the series brought forth from the groundbreaking Sid Meier's "Gettysburg!". Esteemed programmer and game designer Sid Meier created a classic with "Gettysburg!" with it's historically accurate gameplay and fine graphics. Choose whether you will command the Union or Confederate armies to glory or infamy. Learn and experience what it's like to be a Civil War General: familiarize yourself with terrain, tactics, arms, uniforms, etc. You will learn how to deal and triumph with the ruminations of mid 19th-Century warfare, with all the intricacy of it's details and challenges.

"Gettysburg!" is broken down into different scenarios from the actual battle. The nice touch of the game is that the result of each scenario you play will affect the course of the battle. Want to better Marse Robert? Then you'll have to win each scenario or if not most of them. You'll get to witness being involved in historical encounters like Little Round Top, Culp's Hill, the Devil's Den, and many more. Playing Pickett's Charge is a delight, and will enlighten one even via computer screen the horror and heartbreak those valiant Southerners underwent. One can also have the choice of choosing the "Historical" version of the battle, which will accurately situate the battles as they actually occured; and the "Variant" option, which will randomly position units and scenarios across different areas of the battlefield, adding units or subtracting from those that actually participated, offering endless replayability for the gamer. One can also decide to play different scenarios from the battle alone and even choose the size of the contest one wants to play if the grognard doesn't feel like playing the entire battle. And with a competent AI who will parry your every move and exploit your slip should you falter, then you're all set. A nice tutorial will assist the beginner, while a good story of the battle with maps will inform the reader on how the battle actually occured historically.

"Gettysburg!" also includes videos of re-enactors portraying scenes from the end of a day of battle; if you had a good day, a festive group of talented thespians in historic garb will be feasting, relating the days successes by the fireside to joyful period music; if one's tactical faculties were a bit dulled, the result would be a group of moping men bemoaning the battle's unfortunate turn of events.

"South Mountain!" and "Antietam!" are from the same game engine, and will be immediately familiar to a veteran of "Gettysburg!". There are some differences, like the uniforms are more detailed, and for "Antietam!", one can play the entire battle in the same number of hours it happened historically. They also include the text of Ezra Carman's detailed and exhaustive narrative of the battles.

The downside of the series is it's age and the improvements needed, particularly for "South Mountain!" and "Antietam!". The graphics, as good as they are, creak with the passing of time. "South Mountain!" and "Antietam!" could use good AI co-management, for trying to control each and every unit in a large battlefield is like trying to grasp a handful of water in a shower. And the game needs a good revamp for ongoing computer changes, like the one for Windows XP and it's Service Pack 2.

Enjoyable, thrilling, frustrating, and challenging, the "Civil War Collection" is the best in the market. A landmark in gaming and RTS wargaming for PC, it has yet to be surpassed in the genre.

Great game, hope to see future advanced release [Posted on 2006-08-02]
* The game's control lets you focus on the strategy, not keyboad typing or mouse moving. So you can enjoy more in virtual commanding.

* Out of my experience in playing all kinds of civil war games, dos or win, this is the best (the whole collection).

* Of course it has room to improve to increase the enjoyments:
- General quick attention (1~9 are not enough)
- Variants of brigade format: surrounding format, for example
- F1 map overview scrollable
- Mini map for quick locating or pointing to move troops, and points of fighting or attention
- Brigade charge function
- Commanding by bugle
- Bridges grouping
- More division or corp level commands
- Location bookmarks for quick checking
- Commander replacing or switching or promotion or demotion
- General review info
- etc

It is a fun game and makes you feel like a general

Too out of date... [Posted on 2008-07-01]
I was looking for a cheap game that would hopefully give me a few hours of entertainment. This was not the right choice...way too out of date.

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