Do you like the game of Civilization 4?

[Undecided]

Hi there,
I bought Civilization 4 gold edition and now I feel like I made a mistake. I am a huge fan of Age of Empire series. I have been playing AOE III for so long which I managed to unlock the boxes for each civilization. After all the game became quite boring and I went out and bought Civilization 4 Gold edition last weekend. I tried a few times hoping the next round would be more enjoyable. Alas, wasn't.
I can't move the army all together from one city to another. Only 3 army members can move together and they only move one square. I kind of feel that I am playing checkers. When I want to move my ships the game is asking me if I am declaring a war? Why doesn't it let me to explore the ocean? I can't even plan on my cities growth because the small box appears on the left of my screen showing recommendations what I should do next. There are many more things..
I am sure it is an enjoyable game once I get the hang of it. It is a game rated 9.5 out of 10 at one time.
If you like this game could please tell me how I should play to be able to enjoy it. If you have played any of AOE you would know what I mean.
Right now I feel like I wasted my money on something totally frustrating.
I am sorry, my explanation of the question took a little long
Thank you for all your replies.

 

[Carl Marks]

I'm a huge Civilization fan, and Civ 4 is, without question, a great game.

Still, I could see you being frustrated if you were expecting a real time simulation....Civ is and always has been turn based.

The reason your units only move a space each turn is because it represents the technologies you have early in the game (caveman days, basically). It forces you to position them strategically....typically near borders where someone could attack (or you want to attack from).

And, a stack of units will only move as fast as the slowest unit. You might not want to slow down your horse units by stacking them over artillery, etc.

Once you build roads, develop railroads, horseback units, armored units, etc.....you'll move around the board a lot faster. Games do take a long time though in Civ....that's for sure.

The Civilization series is much deeper than the Age of Empire series....but not everyone wants that depth.