Pocket Civ: Civ1 for the Palm OS

Pocket Civ
for Palm OS Classic

Lead your civilization from the dawn of recorded time through to the modern age.

Download
Version 16
Sep 4, 10
406K on a Palm Centro

Version History
(Changelog/Screenshots)

Supported: Palm OS 3.1+ (Palm III / Handspring Visor or any later handheld, up to and including Palm Centro smartphones)
Palm Web OS is not supported, however it's possible to run the game using the Classic emulator, with 95% compatibility

In the beginning, the earth was without form, and void.

Then came Pocket Civ!

About The Game

Pocket Civ is a civ-like game for Palm OS, having some degree of playability, but lacking many of the elements of the PC game. The ultimate goal of creating a game similar to Sid Meier's original Civilization (Civ 1) is more of an abstract destination; it's the journey that counts.

News

Sep 4, 10

Version 16 released!

In-Game Help

Information available under the in-game Help menu describes the buttons on the main screen, terrain types, etc.

GoTo

To use the GoTo feature, tap G, then use the world map (mini map) to find the general area of your destination, then tap on the main map to tell the unit where to go.

Resume Course

Got held up by some enemy units along the way to your destination? No need to GoTo again. Find it under the Orders menu.

Tech Tree

Tech	Requires	Allows
None	None	Militia, Settlers
Alphabet	None	Nothing
Bronze Working	None	Phalanx
Ceremonial Burial	None	Nothing
Horseback Riding	None	Cavalry
Masonry	None	City Walls
Pottery	None	Granary
The Wheel	None	Chariot
Automobile	Combustion, The Wheel	Armour
Banking	Trade, Writing	Bank
Bridge Building	Iron Working, Construction	roads over rivers

Tech	Requires	Allows
Chivalry	Horseback Riding, Feudalism	Knight
Code of Laws	Pottery	Nothing
Combustion	Refining, Metallurgy	Nothing
Conscription	Gunpowder, University	Riflemen
Construction	Masonry, Bronze Working	Aqueduct
Currency	Bronze	Marketplace
Electronics	Metallurgy, Ceremonial Burial	Hydro Plant
Feudalism	Monarchy, Masonry	Nothing
Gunpowder	Bridge Building, Pottery	Musketeers
Industrialization	Mathematics, The Wheel	Factory
Iron Working	Bronze Working	Legion
Labor Union	Automobile, Writing	Mech Inf

Tech	Requires	Allows
Mathematics	Alphabet, Masonry	Catapult
Metallurgy	Gunpowder, University	Cannon
Monarchy	Code of Laws, Ceremonial Burial	Monarchy
Nuclear Power	Electronics, Automobile	Nuclear Plant
Refining	University, The Wheel	Coal Plant
Robotics	Electronics, Refining	Mfg. Plant, Artillery
Trade	Currency, Code of Laws	Caravan
University	Mathematics, Writing	University
Writing	Alphabet	Library

Fortification

Fortification is one of the trickier Civ1 topics.

Units may be fortified, increasing their defense by 1.5x.
City walls increase a unit's defense by 3x.
Settlers can build fortresses, which increases the defense of any unit present in that square. (This feature is not available in the current version of Pocket Civ.)

The defense multiplier is simply the best type of fortification available to that unit. So fortifying a unit behind city walls has no effect.

The A / (A + D) Battle System

When attacking another unit, the chance of winning the battle is: A / (A + D).

Most units have a fair chance of winning, even against modern units. For example, consider an ancient Chariot attacking the best defensive unit in the game - a MechInf:

The Chariot has a 4 / (4 + 6) = 40% chance of winning!

D is multiplied by fortification and terrain type.

So if that same MechInf is placed in a city that was built on a river (1.5x), and has city walls (a further 3x), then its effective defense becomes 6 * 1.5 * 3 = 27.

Then the Chariot has only a 4 / (4 + 27) = 13% chance of winning.

Military Units

What are these A and D values? Civfanatics has the best chart.

Use Stats/Current Unit within the game to check the A/D/M values of the currently active unit.

When more than one unit is present at the same location, you can pick which unit to activate.

At least one other unit occupies the same square as the Knight

Civilizations

Each civilization you can encounter plays with a slightly different style. They are: The Aztecs, Babylonians, Chinese, English, French, Mongols, and Russians.

Workers

The amount of food, production, and trade earned each turn is determined by the placement of workers surrounding each city.

By default, this is taken care of automatically. Auto-placement can be toggled by tapping on the city square in the center of the worker area on the city screen. Placing a worker manually will turn off auto-placement. If you don't like micro-management, just leave it on Auto.

Terrain

The terrain type affects movement, defense, and the resources generated by a city. Help/Terrain in the game shows a detailed chart.

Blinking unit

Use the Game menu to switch this off if desired. Your Palm uses slightly more battery power when blinking in enabled.

Automated Settlers

Settlers can be automated by tapping 'A'. Automated Settlers improve terrain near your cities, but never found a new city.

Trade

Use Caravans to establish trade routes. Trade is also earned by workers on terrain surrounding the city. Trade is then split into gold and science. Use the Game/Trade Rates menu to change the allocation.

Hint: Build roads to increase trade!

Gold

If there is not enough gold to pay for the upkeep of city improvements, citizens will react by permanently closing them down. One random city improvement is destroyed in every city until the budget balances.

Check the Stats/Civ Stats menu to see whether your civilization is earning or losing gold each turn.

To earn extra gold, raise taxes (Game/Trade Rates), demand tribute during diplomacy, establish trade routes, or sell city improvements. One city improvement may be sold per turn in every city.

Resource Usage

Units require resources for maintenance. Shields and food may get used up by supported units. Check resource usage by tapping 'Res' on the city screen.

Military units require 1 shield. Settlers require 1 shield and 2 food.

Under Despotism and Anarchy, units do not require shields until the number of units exceeds the size of the city. Settlers require only 1 food under these forms of government.

Units are maintained by their home city. Use the Orders menu to change it.

Government

Despotism and Anarchy provide some relief in resource usage, but cripple the benefits of surrounding terrain. Any resource that is 3 or higher is reduced by 1. e.g. Oceans with Fish normally give 3 food, but under Despotism and Anarchy they only give 2. (See Help/Terrain to see how many resources are generated by each terrain type.)

Monarchy allows a civilization to benefit from terrain improvements such as irrigated grassland, but requires shield maintenance for all military units.

To switch between Despotism and Monarchy (once it's discovered), use Game/Revolution. Anarchy occurs for a few years while the citizens are revolting.