Looking for a Civ-like game

[Malignanttoe]

So, I was hoping to find a game that is similar to Civilization in that you build up your own population of people and guide them in their development, but has more politics involved with the other people of the world.

I own Civ V (and Kings and Gods) and I love it, but I wish it went a little deeper in your interaction with other civilizations; something to make them feel like real people instead of a string of code that will either attack you or beg you for money depending on how their army compares to yours.

If any one has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks!

 

[woodaba]

My pick would be Alpha Centauri, which is a civilization spin-off. Each faction has their own set personality and belief system, so some will respond positively to you, say, focusing on technology, while some will find that blasphemous. It's not quite what you're looking for, but I believe the set personalities really do help with the atmosphere and politics of the world. You can get it off GOG.com for about 10 dollars.

 

[Vern5]

If you've played and enjoyed Civ5 then your safest bets would be to start trying out demos (assuming they exist) of all of the previous Civ games. Actually, there is a freeware remake of the first Civilization called FreeCiv or something to that affect.

If you want Civilization for the Sci-Fi then another safe choice would be Alpha Centauri. However, a more radical but equally rewarding alternative would be Galactic Civilizations 2.

If you prefer Civilization with magic then I would recommend going all the way back to Master of Magic (find it on GOG). But, I could understand if you did not enjoy the dated visuals, in which case I would have to recommend Age of Wonders, Elemental, or Warlock.

Just start googling a few of these titles, download demos where you can find them and try them out.

 

[Wayneguard]

Warlock 2 had an article on the front page yesterday. It looks really awesome.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

If you want a game that's like Civ5 only deeper, try Civ4

for something more recent and with a good focus on diplomacy, I've heard great things about Endless Space