# Civilization IV: Colonization

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***Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization*** is a [remake](/source/Video_game_remake) of the 1994 [turn-based strategy](/source/Turn-based_strategy) game *[Sid Meier's Colonization](/source/Sid_Meier's_Colonization)*.[4] Players control settlers from one of four European nations – [Spain](/source/Spanish_Empire), [England](/source/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain), [France](/source/Early_Modern_France), and the [Netherlands](/source/Dutch_Republic) – that are trying to conquer/colonize the [New World](/source/New_World) in the period 1492–1792. The victorious player is the first to build up his colonies and army, declare [independence](/source/Independence) from the mother country, and defeat the military force that the king inevitably sends to crush the rebellion.[4][5][6][7][8]

The Windows version was released on September 23, 2008. A [Mac OS X](/source/Mac_OS_X) version was released in December 2009.[9] *Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization* does not require the original *[Sid Meier's Civilization IV](/source/Civilization_IV)* in order to play.[10]

## Gameplay

To build their cities, players must balance negotiations with several groups: the [natives](/source/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas) of the Americas, colonists from the player's home country and other colonists from the [old world](/source/Old_World). Players may also recruit [founding fathers](/source/List_of_national_founders) to join their cause, each with a specific bonus that helps throughout the game. The player influences the direction of his colony through choices in diplomacy, recruitment and city management. Additional colonists from Europe or converted natives can result in population increases after food surpluses exceed a preset level.

Economics and trade come into play when the player makes finished goods and sells them in Europe or trades with the natives for other goods or gold. By harvesting natural resources, skilled craftsmen can convert them into finished goods for sale or trade. Additionally, silver can be mined for direct trade and ore can be mined to turn into tools and then in turn guns. Skilled craftsmen produce twice as much as regular workers and specialist buildings can be built to increase overall production as well.

The player's selection of nationality, made at the start of the game, affects the colony's standing in the world: the English receive an immigration bonus, the Dutch enjoy trade bonuses, the French diplomacy edge encourages more favorable relations with native tribes, while the Spanish [Conquistador](/source/Conquistador) bonus favors conquest against the natives.[7]

List of civilizations[nb 1] Civilization Leader(s) New England John Adams George Washington New France Louis de Frontenac Samuel de Champlain New Netherlands Adriaen van der Donck Peter Stuyvesant New Spain Simón Bolívar José de San Martín England King of England France King of France Netherlands King of the Netherlands Spain King of Spain Apache Mangas Coloradas Arawak Agueybana Aztecs Montezuma II Cherokee Oconostota Incas Huayna Capac Iroquois Logan Sioux Sitting Bull Tupi Cunhambebe

In addition to single-player campaigns, the new game has a multiplayer component.[4][7]

*Civilization IV: Colonization* has many new gameplay mechanics. When starting the game, in addition to choosing a starting European nation, a player chooses between two [governors](/source/Governor), each with different advantages.[11] In addition, national borders is a gameplay concept taken from *Civilization IV*. This means that rivals cannot pass into each other's land unless they have an open borders agreement — or they have declared war.

Unlike the original *Colonization* game, nations cannot recruit the same founding fathers. Each founding father is recruited by one and only one nation/player. Moreover, founding fathers will only join nations with certain criteria, namely a certain level of "points" obtained in various categories (political, military, exploration, religion, and trade).[12]

After the player declares independence, players draft a [constitution](/source/Constitution) determining the government style of their independent nation. For example, if a nation chooses a [monarchical](/source/Monarchy) system, then it can still trade with Europe during the war for independence.[13]

## Development

The game runs on an upgraded version of the *Civilization IV* engine with changes including enhanced graphics, streamlined code, and redesigned interfaces. With these enhancements, *Colonization* requires [video cards](/source/Video_cards) that support [Pixel Shader](/source/Pixel_shader) 1.1 ([Direct X](/source/DirectX) 8.0).[4][14]

## Reception

The single victory condition – declaring and winning a war for independence – has been both criticized[12] and accepted[15] by reviewers. Another criticism of the game is that it only has four playable colonial powers. The exclusion of Europe's other prominent colonial powers has been called a "limiting" factor in the game.[7]

*[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))* video games reporter and reviews editor Ben Fritz criticized the concept of the game in his blog because of issues such as the depopulation of [Indigenous Americans](/source/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas) and the [Atlantic slave trade](/source/Atlantic_slave_trade) that occurred during [European](/source/European_colonization_of_the_Americas) and [American colonization](/source/Territorial_evolution_of_the_United_States).[16][17][18] Firaxis has responded to Fritz's blog post with the statement, "the game does not endorse any particular position or strategy – players can and should make their own moral judgments."[19] Trevor Owens contributed to the conversation in an article that considers the game's usage of different, arguably problematic elements, asking "wouldn't, and shouldn't, any game about that period in the Americas be racist and offensive, if it were even remotely faithful to that time period?"[20]

## See also

- *[FreeCol](/source/FreeCol)*, an open source *Colonization* clone

## Notes

1. The only playable civilizations are the colonies.

## References

1. I. G. N. Staff (September 23, 2008). ["2K Games Announces *Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization* Now Available"](https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/23/2k-games-announces-sid-meiers-civilization-iv-colonization-now-available). *[IGN](/source/IGN)*. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

1. Kozanecki, James (September 22, 2008). ["AU Shippin' Out September 22-26: *Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway*"](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/au-shippin-out-september-22-26-brothers-in-arms-hells-highway/1100-6198001/). *[GameSpot](/source/GameSpot)*. Retrieved July 17, 2024.

1. ["Aspyr Ships *Sid Meier's Civilization® IV: Colonization*"](http://www.aspyr.com/software/news/119/307). December 22, 2009. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100124074126/http://www.aspyr.com/software/news/119/307) January 24, 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-11-06.

1. ["Firaxis Games Coming Soon"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080828023645/http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21). Firaxis Games, Inc. Archived from [the original](http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21) on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-06-17.

1. ["2K Games Announces Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization for Games for Windows"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080610140222/http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=315205). [2K Games](/source/2K_Games). 2008-06-09. Archived from [the original](http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=315205) on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-09.

1. Keiser, Joe (2008-06-09). ["2K Games Revives Sid Meier's Colonization"](https://archive.today/20130115044207/http://www.next-gen.biz/news/2k-games-revives-sid-meieratildecentacirc). Archived from [the original](http://www.next-gen.biz/news/2k-games-revives-sid-meieratildecentacirc) on 2013-01-15.

1. Miller, Jon (2008-06-26). ["Civilization IV: Colonization First Look"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081207020440/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6193071). Archived from [the original](http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6193071) on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2008-07-02.

1. ["Civilization Colonization Updated Hands-On"](https://archive.today/20130110222557/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6196184&mode=previews). GameSpot. August 19, 2008. Archived from [the original](http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6196184&mode=previews) on January 10, 2013. Retrieved 2012-06-28.

1. Brown, Christopher. ["Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141114163440/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=65518). *[AllGame](/source/AllGame)*. [All Media Network](/source/All_Media_Network). Archived from [the original](http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=65518) on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2018-04-24.

1. ["Firaxis Games: Games: Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080828023645/http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21). Firaxis.com. 2009-07-23. Archived from [the original](http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=21) on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2012-06-28.

1. ["Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Dutch Faction Profile"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080825040340/http://pc.ign.com/articles/901/901864p1.html). IGN. 2008-08-21. Archived from [the original](http://pc.ign.com/articles/901/901864p1.html) on August 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

1. Kosak, Dave 'Fargo' (2008-07-18). ["Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization (PC)"](http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-game-untitled/891987p1.html). GameSpy. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080821131630/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-game-untitled/891987p1.html) August 21, 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

1. Park, Andrew (2008-07-15). ["E3 2008: Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Updated Impressions — New Information and Details"](https://archive.today/20130110215327/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6194086&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2). GameSpot. Archived from [the original](http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sidmeierscivilizationivcolonization/news.html?sid=6194086&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2) on January 10, 2013. Retrieved 2008-08-23.

1. Thorsen, Tor (2008-06-13). ["Q&A: Meier on revolutionizing Colonization"](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6192569.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090813214659/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6192569.html) August 13, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-06-15.

1. Butts, Steve (26 September 2008). ["Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization Review"](http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/26/sid-meiers-civilization-iv-colonization-review). IGN. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130723042131/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/26/sid-meiers-civilization-iv-colonization-review) July 23, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 26, 2013. [this winning condition] should appeal to strategy gamers who are unhappy with the less structured victory paths in Civilization IV

1. ["Civilization IV: Colonization... Wow that looks offensive"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080627220501/http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/civilization-iv.html). *Variety*. 2008-06-25. Archived from [the original](http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/civilization-iv.html) on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-09-10.

1. ["Civilization IV: Colonization Called 'Morally Disturbing'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080713135405/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/84721-Civilization-IV-Colonization-Called-Morally-Disturbing). The Escapist. 2008-06-27. Archived from [the original](http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/84721-Civilization-IV-Colonization-Called-Morally-Disturbing) on July 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-18.

1. ["Variety Troubled By Sid Meier's Next Game"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081020093321/http://kotaku.com/5019849/variety-troubled-by-sid-meiers-next-game). June 26, 2008. Archived from [the original](http://kotaku.com/5019849/variety-troubled-by-sid-meiers-next-game) on October 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-18.

1. ["Firaxis responds to my Colonization post"](http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/firaxis-respond.html). *Variety*. 2008-06-27. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100930155207/http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/06/firaxis-respond.html) 2010-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2008-09-17.

1. ["Sid Meier's Colonization: Is it offensive enough?"](http://www.playthepast.org/?p=278). *Play The Past*. November 23, 2010. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170207054159/http://www.playthepast.org/?p=278) February 7, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2016-10-14.

## Further reading

- Owens, Trevor & Mir, Rebecca (2013). ["Modeling Indigenous Peoples: Unpacking Ideology in *Sid Meier's Colonization*"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170209122637/http://www.trevorowens.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mir-owens-colonization-proof-2013.pdf). *Playing with the Past: Digital Games and the Simulation of History*. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 91–106. [doi:10.5040/9781628928259.ch-006](https://doi.org/10.5040/9781628928259.ch-006). ISBN 978-1-6235-6728-6. Archived from [the original](http://www.trevorowens.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mir-owens-colonization-proof-2013.pdf) on February 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2016.

## External links

- [Official website (2K Games)](https://2k.com/en-US/game/civilization-4-colonization/)
- [Developer's site](http://www.firaxis.com)

1. [Mac OS X](/source/Mac_OS_X) port developed and published by [Aspyr](/source/Aspyr).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Civilization IV: Colonization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_IV%3A_Colonization) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_IV%3A_Colonization?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.