Sid Meier
Sid Meier is a renowned programmer and designer of some of the most commercially and critically successful computer games of all time. Meier has won several accolades for both his contributions to the computer games industry and for the titles which have gained huge commercial successes. Meier is considered one of the legendary giants of the computer games industry even today.
Career
Sid Meier founded MicroProse together with Bill Stealey in 1982. MicroProse is where Meier developed the game series for which he is most widely recognized, Civilization. Meier eventually left MicroProse and in 1996 founded Firaxis Games along with veteran gaming executive Jeff Briggs. Today Firaxis makes strategy games, many of which are remakes of classic Meier titles, such as Civilization III and Pirates!.
In 1999, Meier became the second person to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame. The first to receive that honor was Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo.
Happily married with children, Meier makes his home in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
Quotes
"A game is a series of interesting choices."
Games
Titles developed by Meier span three decades. Some of the more notable titles are listed below in chronological order.
- Solo Flight (1984)
- F-15 Strike Eagle (1985) - one of the first combat flight simulators
- Silent Service (1985), a World War II submarine simulation game
- Pirates! (1987)
- F-19 Stealth Fighter (1988)
- Covert Action (1990)
- Railroad Tycoon (1990), an economic simulation game, that paints the early development of railroads in the United States and Europe, a time when competition between railroad companies was very fierce
- Civilization (1991), Meier's most successful game to date. It has lived through several versions (see below) and sold over 5 million copies. This game is a turned-based strategy game.
- Colonization (1994), a turn-based strategy game themed on the early European colonization of the New World, starting in 1492 and lasting until the age of independence in 1850. To achieve victory in this game, the player must declare independance, and win in a revolutionary war agianst their mother country in Europe, (France, England, The Netherlands/Holland, or Spain)
- Civilization II (1997) This game is a remake to Sid Meier's successful game Civilization.
- Sid Meier's Gettysburg (1997)
- Alpha Centauri (1999), a remake of Civilization with improved gameplay and graphics. Alpha Centauri is set in a futuristic setting on an alien world, with factions substituting civilizations. This is a much more versatile version of Civilization, featuring economics and unique military customation, as well as diplomacy.
- Civilization III (2001), a remake of his classic game with improved rules, graphics and gameplay. This is a turned-based strategy game allowing you to go from the Ancient Times to the Modern Times. It features diplomacy much like that of Meier's other game, Alpha Centauri.
- SimGolf (2002), a joint project with the Sim- masters at Maxis
- Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004), a remake of the acclaimed Pirates! game from 1987, updating the graphics and featuring some entirely new gameplay elements, including romance with governers daughters, and an all new ballroom dancing segment.
- Civilization IV, in the making. Civilization IV is the newest game in the Civilization series.
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