Why Did You Do That? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Civilization

Before you start your game you must first choose which tribe to lead and a map to play on. As this game is based on a board game the map is divided in tiles, each containing one or more of the three available resources: food, production and commerce. Food makes your cities grow and production is used to make buildings, wonders and units (mostly military) in the city. Commerce breaks down into money, science and in some versions also luxuries, culture or espionage. While money is merely used to pay for it all, science is one of the most important concepts of this game. With the accumulation of science new technologies are unlocked which gives the player the possibility to make better buildings, stronger units, etc,... After you've built your first city you start collecting the resources from the tiles. Each turn represents a number of years and with each turn the resources accumulate. This way your cities keep growing and your empire expands. Of course there are other civilizations to compete with, so conflict is almost inevitable. The goal of the game is to build several cities and develop into a mature empire.

"Civilization" was conceived and designed by Sid Meier and its first installment was released in 1991. Over the years many titles and expansion packs have been released and while the basic gameplay remained the same each version improved on the previous one and added new features such as culture, unique abilities, unit promotion, bombardment and great leaders, as well as a number of new civilizations and historical leaders to choose from. In the first two installments the game could only be won by destroying your opponents, by winning the space race or by scoring the most points, but in "Civilization III" new victory conditions were introduced: domination, cultural and diplomatic victory.

The fourth installment of the franchise was released in 2005. "Civilization IV" built upon the previous titles and added several new concepts such as social engineering (civics), which replaced the previous system of governments and brought a whole new level of depth into the game. "Civilization IV" (and its expansion packs) include 34 different civilizations and 52 leaders, all with their own combination of unique abilities, unique units and unique building, which gives the game endless replayability. Because of this deep tactical gameplay and replayability "Civilization IV" is generally considered to be the pinnacle of the franchise.

In 2010 "Civilization V" was released in an attempt to make the game more accessible for the average player and decrease the huge amount of micromanagement, while at the same time introduce new features such as a hexagonal grid and city states.

"Rise of Nations" and "Empire Earth" are similar games in the sense that they also start in prehistory and require the player to build an empire that lasts until the modern age. However, unlike "Civilization" both are played in real time. "Cossacks" combines RTS and turn based elements and is set 17th and 18th Century Europe.

Answer: Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

The game is set in the early Middle Ages just after the Roman Empire has fallen. Your civilization is no more than a humble village with limited population, resources and technology. It is your task to evolve into a great Medieval Empire and destroy competing civilizations. The game is played during four eras, called ages. With each age the player can build more enhanced units, buildings and defence structures. The game starts in the Dark Age and runs through the Feudal and Castle age into the Imperial Age.

In "The Age of Kings" the player has the choice to lead one of the 13 available civilizations (or 18 with the expansion pack "The Conquerors"). Each civilization comes with its own unique unit and technology. There are also other, more subtle differences between the civilizations, e.g. the Byzantines have defensive bonuses, while some civilizations (such as the Turks and the Spanish) can create gunpowder units. All action goes on in real time. Units can be moved by clicking on them and dragging them to the desired spot. The player starts with a limited amount of resources and a town hall that spawns workers. Workers can construct buildings and collect the four resources: food, wood, gold and stone. Buildings spawn military units for a given amount of resources. Resources are also needed to research technology and evolve through the ages. Warfare follows the stone-paper-scissors formula. For each unit there's another unit that can beat it, e.g. cavalry is strong against archers but weak against pikemen; pikemen are weak against archers. Although the game is geared towards military conquest there are also two alternative ways to win: build a wonder of the world (which takes a huge amount of resources) or collect five holy relics in your monastery. You can also play five campaigns based on historical events (nine with the expansion pack).

The first installment of "Age of Empires" was released in 1997 with a similar gameplay but set earlier in history: from the stone age to the iron age. There were 12 playable civilizations grouped in four cultures. The expansion pack "The Rise of Rome" added 4 new civilizations, among which the Romans. "Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings" was the second installment of the "Age of Empires" franchise and was released in 1999. In 2005 "Age of Empires III" was released, set in colonial times. Two expansion packs followed. The franchise has also produced a spin-off called "Age of Mythology" in which the storyline is based on Greek, Norse and Egyptian myths rather than actual civilizations. The Expansion pack "The Titans" added Atlantis as a playable civilization.

The three wrong answers are all turn based games in a fantasy setting.

Answer: Total Annihilation

Humanity has learned how to effectively transfer consciousness into machines, thereby granting eternal life. The artificial intelligence called the Core (COnsciousness REpository) demanded everyone to undergo that procedure. Some refused to leave their bodies to join the Core, and formed a rebel band called the Arm. This has sparked a war that has lasted for millennia and now the final battles await.

In this RTS game the player has the choice to command either the Core or the Arm. The game starts with the defence of your home planet and, over the course of 25 missions set on a number of different planets and moons, the aim is the total annihilation of the opposing faction. The player starts with a Commander Unit which creates structures and units to form an army. There are two resources, metal and energy, needed to make the units and keep them running. The Core and the Arm have a similar arsenal of weaponry at their disposal, although they look different and there are small variations in strengths and weaknesses. The Arm's units have better mobility while the Core's units are a little harder to destroy.

"Total Annihilation" was first released in 1997 by Cavedog Entertainment. Later two expansion packs were added: "The Core Contingency" and "Battle Tactics". In the first installment of "Total Annihilation" each side was allowed to use 200 units, but patches cranked up this number to 5,000 per side.

The three wrong answers are all 3D RTS games set in outer space, with an emphasis on spaceship battles.

Answer: Black and White

The game starts when you save a young boy from drowning. His parents are so grateful they start worshipping you like a god. You are omnipotent and the power you wield over the people and their environment is represented by a hand which controls all the actions you can take in the game. Although this is basically a sandbox game where you can do about anything you like, the goal is to become the sole god that is worshipped on the islands. By completing missions you can converse souls and compete with other gods. If more people start worshipping you your zone of control increases and you gain more power to create miracles. These missions can be accomplished by treating your subjects nicely and help them in their daily life, or you can also take the easy way and treat them harshly, e.g. by picking them up and shaking them about, by destroying their crops or by unleashing lightning storms upon their village. Villagers who believe in you will build a temple where you will be worshipped. After a while the environment will become a reflection of your personality. Good behaviour will result into in happy villagers, a good looking temple and a shiny white hand, while if you act badly you will end up with terrified people, a dark temple beset with sharp spikes and a devilish looking hand with claws. The game is very flexible and there's a lot of freedom in how you go about with your missions. There's lots of action to be undertaken on the islands and the gameplay itself is more rewarding than the eventual outcome.

One of the most important aspects of the game is your creature, who will represent you on the islands and acts like an avatar. You have to train your creature and its behaviour depends on what you teach it. You can teach your creature to act kindly towards your villagers, act mischievously or even downright cruel. In the original game there are three creatures to choose from: a tiger, a monkey and a cow. The creature starts as a baby and you will see it grow throughout the game and gain more abilities. It can also help you in your struggle against the other gods by fighting their creatures.

"Black & White" was released in 2001 and developed by Lionhead Studios. In the expansion pack "Black & White: Creature Isle" the emphasis lies on the creature, which was considered by many to be the most fun part of the original game. There no longer are other gods to compete with. The game was followed by the sequel "Black and White II" and its expansion pack "Black & White II: Battle of the Gods".

The three wrong answers are other examples of so called god games.

Answer: Master of Orion II

"Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares" is the full name of the game. The Antarans referred to in the subtitle are a mysterious alien race who were defeated in a war set in a time long before the game begins. The victorious Orions imprisoned the defeated Antarans in a pocket dimension. In the game the Antarans break out of their prison and pop out randomly destroying colonies and ships. The Antarans play an even more important role in this game because they offer the player an alternative victory option. You can win by destroying all your opponents, by being elected supreme leader, but also by opening the gateway to another dimension and destroy the Antaran homeworld.

"Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares", or MOOII as it is often called, was developed by Simtex and released in 1996 by Microprose as the sequel of "Master of Orion" (1993), the highly acclaimed first installment of the game. While MOOII has at the core the same setting and gameplay it improves on the previous installment by adding several layers of depth. Most of the gameplay goes on on a map of the galaxy and the player starts with only one colony on chosen race's home planet. Many of the typical turn based elements are used: improve your production to construct buildings and build spaceships, increase your science output to unlock new technologies from the tech tree, make sure your population is fed, manage your finances, explore the galaxy, build new colonies on newly discovered planets and build a large fleet to conquer your enemies.

One particular fun element is that you can customize races and spaceships. Each of the thirteen races has a number of characteristics and by combining those you can create your own unique race. Spaceships can also be customized by selecting the number and type of weapons and by choosing some of the many special systems that become available throughout the game. When you've unlocked most of the technology you can install a stellar convertor on a doom star and blow up entire planets! The large variety of solar systems and planets (from radiated or toxic planets that are difficult to inhabit to heavenly Gaia planets) adds even more flavour to the game.

In 2003 a third installment of the game was released, but "Master of Orion III" was mostly received with disappointment because of its clumsy interface and overly complicated gameplay.

The three wrong answers are older turn based strategy games in a space setting, too. "stars!" was released in 1995, "Spaceward Ho!" in 1990 and "Reach for the Stars" in as early as 1983.

Answer: Europa Universalis

The game is played on a very realistic world map, divided into thousands of provinces, each with lots of historically accurate details. You can play the Grand Campaign which runs over a period of approximately four centuries or play a mission in a shorter time period. There are many countries to choose from and they vary enormously in power. You can play as an superpower like Spain of France and dominate through militaristic ways. But you can also choose to play as a smaller nation, or even a tiny one that consists of only one province. The choice of nation will greatly influence on how you play the game. A smaller nation won't be able to dominate through military conquest but there are other possibilities such as trying to corner the trade markets or building an empire through colonization. Some provinces in the Americas, Africa or Asia don't belong to a specific nation in the beginning of the game and are open for colonization. Building a local power out of a tiny nation can be very satisfying, sometimes even more than taking the military route. The game has a built in defence against overly aggressive gameplay. When one nation conquers too many provinces the other nations will start ganging up against the aggressor.

The fact that are no specific goals doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. You have to manage your economy, build a military force and take care of your scientific development. Exploration and colonization plays an important role as well as the religious affairs you'll have to deal with. There are many diplomatic options to forge political alliances such as royal marriages, insults and trade embargoes. Another important aspect of the game is the internal stability of your empire. Neglecting internal revolts or the people's response to an unjustified war or change of religion can seriously hamper your progress. Thousands of historical monarchs, generals, and explorers will appear as well as a number of historical events that will influence your gameplay. Although the game is played in real time the player can adjust the pace or even completely stop the clock when needed. There is no resource gathering as in so many historical strategy games and most of the game mechanics are represented abstractly in the provinces. However, there are armies and fleets that can be moved across the map.

"Europa Universalis" was developed by Paradox Development Studios. Between the first installment in 2000 and 2013 three sequels have been released. In the first version of the game only eight great powers could be played in the Grand Campaign. From the second installment on the player could choose any of the 100+ nations to lead. The game has changed in many other ways since its first release. Non European nations are better developed with e.g. the addition of predominantly Asian religions. Other concepts such as espionage and national ideas (which work as a replacement of a traditional tech tree) have been added. Because of its slow gameplay and its gigantic scope (over 1,500 provinces) the game might be off-putting for the average gamer. The latest version of the game tries to deal with that problem by automating many of its features. No longer the player has to repeat the boring job of sending his traders, missionaries, diplomats and spies to their destination.

In 2008 a spin-off of the game was released: "Europa Universalis: Rome". This game is played during the Roman Republic (208 - 27 BCE). The player can 'only' choose between 53 factions.

The three wrong answers are similar games also developed by Paradox. "Crusader Kings" concentrates on building a dynasty and is set in an earlier era (1066 - 1452 CE). "Hearts of Iron" is set in a time period around WWII and has a greater emphasis on warfare. In "Victoria" the player has to manage the industrial, economical, political and social development of a state during the industrial revolution.

Answer: StarCraft

The Terrans are descendants of humans who were expelled from earth in the 21st Century. After years of civil war the Confederacy of Man emerged as the strongest faction and offered stability. This came with a price as the Confederacy brutally rooted out all forms of opposition. The dissidents founded the Sons of Korhal to fight the Confederacy. Suddenly the Terrans were attacked by an alien race called the Protoss. As it turned out the Terrans were already infiltrated by a second alien race, the Zerg, and the Protoss were trying to prevent the Zerg from spreading. The Zerg are insectoid aliens who strive for genetic perfection and are obsessed with assimilating other races. The Protoss are humanoids who possess advanced technology and psionic abilities.

The single player mode follows a storyline that consists of three campaigns, each with ten missions. In each campaign the player leads one of the three races. The first missions are easy and are designed to learn how to play each species but they become harder as you go on. The game mechanics are similar to most RTS games. You gather resources (minerals and vaspene gas) and use them to build your units. The strength of this game lies in its balanced gameplay. The Protoss have an advanced technology and use powerful units, but they are expensive and take long to build. The Zerg quickly produce cheap units, but they are weak and rely on speed and overwhelming numbers. The Terrans take the middle ground, with versatile and flexible units. Although the three factions use completely different units and require different tactics no one has an advantage over the others.

"StarCraft" also had a popular online multiplayer community. There were professional competitions, especially in South-Korea, where some tournaments were televised and had millions of viewers.

"StarCraft" was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 1998. Later that year an official expansion pack "StarCraft: Brood War" was released, which continued the story where "StarCraft" had ended. In 2010 the long awaited sequel "StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty" was released. It was the first of a trilogy with each sequel focussing on one of the three species.

The three wrong answers are all other Sci-fi RTS games, too.

Answer: Darwinia

"SimCity" is perhaps the best known title in the city building genre. The first installment was already released in 1989 and five more titles have followed since. The game starts on a blank map and the player has to build a viable city by providing the inhabitants with various services for health, education, safety, leisure, etc.,... They also need electricity and water utilities and (in later installments) waste management. Of course you'll need lots of money to create all this, which can be obtained through taxes or by constructing special buildings. Later versions of the game introduced more types of facilities and increased the level of complexity. They also introduced new concepts such as agriculture and trading with other cities. In 2000 spin-off series "The Sims" was released, which became the best selling computer game up until 2012. This game concentrates on the actual lives of the characters living in SimCity. "SimCity 4" provides the possibility to import characters from "The Sims" into the city building game.

"Anno 2070" is a city building game set in the near future. Due to global warming the ice caps have melted and our former cities have disappeared under the rising sea level. The player starts with a mobile ocean-going base and builds cities on former highlands, now turned into islands. You can lead either of two factions: the Tycoons who expand quickly but have problems with resources and pollution, or the Ecos, who are inefficient and expand slowly but build sustainable cities. There are four other games in the "Anno" series, all set in the past.

"Caesar IV" is the fourth installment of the "Caesar" series in which the player is a governor who has to build cities in newly conquered Roman provinces.

"Darwinia" doesn't qualify as one particular genre but combines elements from strategy games and god games with action and solving puzzles. Darwinia is a virtual world inhabited by artificial life forms. However, when Darwinia becomes infected by a computer virus the player has to rescue the Darwinians and drive out the virus.

Answer: Total War

The first title of the "Total War" series, "Shogun: Total War", was released in 2000 by The Creative Assembly. The game was set in 15th to 17th Century feudal Japan, a period of continuous warfare for control over the country. In this game the player leads one of seven clans and has to conquer Japan to claim the title of Shogun. The turn based part of the game is played on a realistic map of Japan, divided into provinces where infrastructure is built and units are trained. There is no resource gathering and the amount of micromanagement is limited. Instead, the number of units that can be trained depends on the economic and agricultural strength of the provinces the clan controls (expressed in 'Koku', or bushels of rice). The player can improve the output by enhancing the infrastructure of the provinces, or by increasing the tax rate. Each turn military units, as well as diplomats, spies and assassins can be moved from province to province. Battle commences when military units move into an enemy province that has units to defend. The player can let the computer calculate the outcome or lead the troops himself. In the latter case the game shifts to a 3D-map where the two opposing armies fight the battle in real time. The battles look realistic because terrain, morale and fatigue are taken into account to determine the outcome. The player can also ignore the turn based part and replay five historical battles.

"Shogun: Total War" was a commercial success and by 2013 seven more games were released in this franchise. Four of them were set in a new time period: during the Middle Ages ("Medieval: Total War"), the Roman Republic ("Rome: Total War"), the 18th Century ("Empire: Total War") and the Napoleonic age ("Napoleon: Total War"). Three other releases were sequels to earlier titles ("Medieval II", "Shogun II" and "Rome II").

A lot has changed since the release of the first "Total War" title. The graphics of both campaign and tactical maps have improved dramatically. Cities, roads, resources, a beefed up technology tree and family members to appoint as governors or generals have been introduced, to name but a few of the enhancements. Attrition has been introduced to the real time battles to give them an even more realistic feel. All this has deepened the gameplay but also increased the amount of micromanagement to deal with. The two versions set later in history ("Empire" and "Napoleon") also introduced a number of features typical for that era such as naval battles, ministers, government changes and revolutions.

The three wrong answers are all RTS wargames. "Company of Heroes" is set during WWII, "Act of War" is set in the near future and "World in Conflict" is set in an alternate version of modern history.

Answer: Alpha Centauri

"Alpha Centauri" is considered a sequel of the "Civilization" series. Sid Meier, who thought up and developed the original "Civilization" game, and Brian Reynolds, who had designed "Civilization II", together created "Alpha Centauri". One of the victory conditions in the "Civilization" games is to build a spaceship and be the first to reach the star system Alpha Centauri. "Alpha Centauri" picks up where "Civilization" ends, when humanity has finally landed on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. The colonists are divided about how to govern the newly discovered planet and split into seven factions based on their ideology. Those ideologies are environmentalism, totalitarianism, capitalism, militarism, fundamentalism, peacekeeping and technocracy. Each factions comes with a distinct set of advantages and weaknesses.

The player has the choice to play either of the seven factions. The map of the planet (called Chiron) is divided into a grid and the gameplay is somewhat similar to the "Civilization" series. You'll build bases in stead of cities, secret projects in stead of wonders, you'll terraform the land and barbarians now are mindworms. The goal of the game is to build up your empire and win via conquest, diplomacy, economy or by completing the 'Ascent to Transcendence' secret project.

The release of the expansion pack "Alien Crossfire" added seven new factions and a new victory condition. Some of the novelties from "Alpha Centauri", such as social engineering, were later incorporated in "Civilization IV".

"Galactic Civilizations" and "Space Empires" are turn based strategy games in a space setting, too. "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" is set in the near future, at the time of a hostile alien invasion.