Mastering Civilization IV – Choosing the Nation to Play in Civ IV – Russian Empire

The latest PC playable version of Civilization series, the "Civilization IV" was launched in October 2005. 3 years is an eternity for any computer program - but not for the Civilization series, as even today it is a very playable and enjoyable game.

With the victory options described previously and with most the pre-game selections (choosing the map, the climate and sea level, game speed and world size, Difficulty Levels (A,B)) also covered in earlier articles, we continue with a review of civilization choice from which players can choose to play in the Civ IV game.

Each nation has its unique abilities, that need to be utilized by the player, and the next nation to be looked at is Russia.

The Russians have the Cossack as its unique unit (replacing the Cavalry). This is quite an advantage. Being the same as Cavalry in terms of the requirements (Military Tradition, Gunpowder, Horseback Riding technologies and Horses resource) the Cossack not only receives the Cavalry’s standard +50% with cannon but also 30% withdraw chance. The Cossack is also more powerful than Cavalry (18 vs 15) and has also a +50% when facing mounted unit – making it a frightening opponent for both the Cavalry and the Knight. This means that when playing with Russians you should advance toward Military Tradition and Gunpowder (without neglecting, of course, the Horseback Riding) and keep you Horses resource.

The starting technologies for the Russians are Hunting and Mining. This means that Archery, Bronze Working, Masonry and Animal Husbandry can be researched straight away. The latter is recommended as it leads to Horseback Riding.

The civilization has 2 leaders – Catherine and Peter.

Catherine the Great is set to be “Creative” and “Financial”.

“Creative” means you have +2 culture in each city per turn. This will lead to your territory (defined by “Cultural borders”) growing rapidly and can save you building obelisks in your cities. Theatres are built at double speed, giving you even more culture, and Coliseums (also double speed) will make people happier in your growing empire. Discover Construction (a valuable technology in any case) as soon as possible, and acquire Drama when you can. The Globe Theater should be built quickly.

“Financial” urges you to research “Banking” as soon as possible, as the Banks are constructed at double speed. As you will probably have many banks – consider building the Wall Street wonder as well. Also, you should concentrate on terrains which produce more commerce, as you have a bonus of +1 for each square that generates 2.

Peter the Great is defined to be “Expansive” and “Philosophical”.

“Philosophical” means having a bonus of Great People appearance (+100% birth rate). However, doubling zero is still zero – so you should either build wonders or create specialists in your cities. Universities (that speed up your research by 25%) are built with double speed, so discovering Education and building Libraries (required for University) is very logical. Writing should also be researched quickly.