<s>
Sid	B-Application
Meier	I-Application
's	I-Application
Civilization	I-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Civilization	B-Application
series	O
,	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
MicroProse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1996	O
for	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
by	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
build	O
a	O
civilization	B-Application
from	O
a	O
primitive	O
tribe	O
,	O
competing	O
with	O
rival	O
computer	O
-	O
or	O
human	O
(	O
in	O
some	O
editions	O
)	O
-controlled	O
civilizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
manage	O
cities	O
and	O
units	O
in	O
a	O
quest	O
to	O
assure	O
their	O
civilization	B-Application
's	O
dominance	O
—	O
either	O
by	O
conquering	O
all	O
other	O
civilizations	O
or	O
by	O
manufacturing	O
advanced	O
space	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
hit	O
,	O
with	O
sales	O
of	O
around	O
three	O
million	O
units	O
by	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
won	O
numerous	O
awards	O
and	O
placements	O
on	O
"	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
"	O
lists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Civilization	B-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
game	O
,	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
models	O
the	O
historical	O
development	O
of	O
human	O
civilization	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
player	O
,	O
when	O
creating	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
may	O
pick	O
one	O
of	O
21	O
historical	O
civilizations	O
or	O
a	O
custom-named	O
civilization	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
each	O
civilization	B-Application
will	O
constantly	O
expand	O
by	O
founding	O
new	O
cities	O
until	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
map	O
is	O
settled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
war	O
,	O
a	O
civilization	B-Application
may	O
conquer	O
another	O
civilization	B-Application
's	O
cities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grouped	O
by	O
eras	O
from	O
ancient	O
to	O
modern	O
,	O
civilization	B-Application
advances	O
,	O
both	O
scientific	O
and	O
societal	O
,	O
offer	O
numerous	O
advantages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
three	O
paths	O
to	O
victory	O
:	O
conquering	O
all	O
other	O
civilizations	O
,	O
building	O
a	O
spaceship	O
that	O
reaches	O
the	O
Alpha	B-Application
Centauri	I-Application
star	O
system	O
using	O
advanced	O
technology	O
,	O
and	O
otherwise	O
surviving	O
until	O
2020	O
AD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Differences	O
from	O
CivilizationCivilization	O
II	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
with	O
some	O
changes	O
to	O
and	O
additions	O
of	O
units	O
,	O
civilizations	O
,	O
world	O
wonders	O
,	O
tile	O
"	O
specials	O
"	O
and	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
map	O
was	O
changed	O
from	O
a	O
top-down	O
view	O
to	O
an	O
isometric	B-Application
representation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
for	O
the	O
human	O
player	O
's	O
opponents	O
was	O
also	O
improved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
the	O
ongoing	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
sequel	O
was	O
kept	O
secret	O
for	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
working	O
title	O
was	O
Civilization	B-Application
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Emulating	O
the	O
recently	O
released	O
Doom	B-Application
,	O
Reynolds	O
implemented	O
support	O
for	O
modding	O
despite	O
Meier	O
's	O
fear	O
that	O
customers	O
would	O
blame	O
the	O
company	O
for	O
poor-quality	O
mods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meier	O
commented	O
,	O
"	O
Civilization	B-Application
greatly	O
favored	O
the	O
military	O
approach	O
to	O
achieving	O
victory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
PC	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
and	O
later	O
using	O
the	O
WinG	O
API	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
released	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	O
Multiplayer	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
required	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
and	O
no	O
longer	O
ran	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
December	O
9	O
,	O
1998Civ	O
II	O
Gold	O
Available	O
:	O
"	O
Microprose	O
has	O
released	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
Multiplayer	O
...	O
"	O
as	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	O
Multiplayer	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
,	O
which	O
bundled	O
the	O
two	O
prior	O
expansion	O
packs	O
and	O
added	O
options	O
for	O
multi-player	O
games	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
tweaks	O
with	O
the	O
disadvantage	O
that	O
it	O
required	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
later	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
original	O
Civilization	B-Application
2	I-Application
version	O
worked	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Multiplayer	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Civilization	B-Application
Chronicles	O
box	O
set	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
,	O
Conflicts	B-Application
in	I-Application
Civilization	I-Application
,	O
included	O
20	O
new	O
scenarios	O
:	O
12	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
makers	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
eight	O
"	O
Best	O
of	O
the	O
Net	O
"	O
by	O
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
a	O
programming	O
bug	O
,	O
the	O
Encarta-style	O
Civilopedia	O
was	O
disabled	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
expansion	O
was	O
Civ	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	O
Fantastic	B-Application
Worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
some	O
scenarios	O
based	O
on	O
other	O
MicroProse	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
X-COM	B-Application
,	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Orion	I-Application
and	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
"	O
Jr.	O
"	O
scenarios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fantastic	B-Application
Worlds	I-Application
also	O
contains	O
a	O
new	O
scenario	O
editor	O
that	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
edit	O
the	O
statistics	O
and	O
icons	O
used	O
for	O
units	O
,	O
city	O
improvements	O
,	O
terrain	O
,	O
and	O
technologies	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
creating	O
event	O
triggers	O
and	O
other	O
enhancements	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
remake	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Test	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
following	O
Sid	B-Application
Meier	I-Application
's	I-Application
Alpha	I-Application
Centauri	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Test	O
of	O
Time	O
has	O
a	O
new	O
palette	O
and	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
animated	O
units	O
,	O
a	O
playable	O
Alpha	B-Application
Centauri	I-Application
to	O
settle	O
and	O
new	O
campaign	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
the	O
third-best-selling	O
computer	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
six	O
months	O
of	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
fifth-highest	O
seller	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
mid-January	O
1997	O
,	O
global	O
sales	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
had	O
surpassed	O
720,000	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
reached	O
1.2	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
by	O
April	O
1998	O
;	O
Terry	O
Coleman	O
of	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
wrote	O
that	O
sales	O
were	O
"	O
still	O
going	O
strong	O
"	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
Gold	I-Application
alone	O
sold	O
171,495	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
September	O
2000	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
PC	O
Data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2001	O
,	O
Jeff	O
Briggs	O
of	O
Firaxis	O
estimated	O
that	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
"	O
about	O
3	O
million	O
"	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
a	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
ventured	O
that	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
may	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
balanced	O
and	O
playable	O
games	O
ever	O
released.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
especially	O
praised	O
the	O
added	O
depth	O
of	O
the	O
combat	O
,	O
diplomatic	O
relations	O
,	O
and	O
trade	O
over	O
the	O
original	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
said	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
ever	O
released	O
for	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
nominated	O
as	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Plus	O
1996	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
lost	O
to	O
Tomb	B-Application
Raider	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
five	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Overall	O
,	O
Civ	B-Application
II	I-Application
remains	O
one	O
of	O
strategy	O
gaming	O
's	O
finest	O
hours	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
welcome	O
addition	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
ranked	O
as	O
third	O
in	O
IGN	O
's	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
100	O
greatest	O
video	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
having	O
previously	O
rated	O
it	O
at	O
number	O
15	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Ted	O
Friedman	O
's	O
essay	O
"	O
Civilization	B-Application
and	O
its	O
Discontents	O
:	O
Simulation	O
,	O
Subjectivity	O
,	O
and	O
Space	O
"	O
from	O
the	O
collection	O
Discovering	O
Discs	O
:	O
Transforming	O
Space	O
and	O
Genre	O
on	O
CD-ROM	O
,	O
he	O
argues	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
simultaneously	O
denies	O
and	O
de-personalizes	O
the	O
violence	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
'	O
exploration	O
,	O
colonization	O
,	O
and	O
development	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Shopper	O
deemed	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
worthy	O
successor	O
"	O
to	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
and	O
"	O
arguably	O
the	O
finest	O
multiplayer	O
game	O
ever	O
created	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
anticipation	O
to	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
New	O
Straits	O
Times	O
described	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
as	O
"	O
the	O
best	O
turn-based	O
empire	O
-	O
building	O
strategy	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
GamesMaster	O
ranked	O
the	O
game	O
sixth	O
in	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
100	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
writing	O
:	O
"	O
Civ	B-Application
2	I-Application
could	O
well	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
most	O
addicting	O
games.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
other	O
games	O
have	O
been	O
heavily	O
inspired	O
by	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
an	O
N-Gage	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
its	O
successor	O
III	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
open-source	B-License
game	O
Freeciv	B-Application
has	O
a	O
"	O
ruleset	O
"	O
that	O
is	O
virtually	O
identical	O
to	O
II	O
's	O
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
researchers	O
at	O
the	O
MIT	O
Computer	O
Science	O
and	O
Artificial	B-Application
Intelligence	I-Application
Laboratory	O
and	O
the	O
University	O
College	O
London	O
published	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
a	O
machine	O
learning	O
system	O
playing	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
in	O
its	O
Freeciv	B-Application
implementation	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
the	O
text	O
from	O
its	O
official	O
game	O
manual	O
to	O
guide	O
its	O
strategy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
Reddit	B-Application
user	O
"	O
Lycerius	O
"	O
posted	O
details	O
of	O
his	O
decade-long	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
game	O
,	O
since	O
dubbed	O
"	O
The	O
Eternal	O
War	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
–	O
entry	O
on	O
the	O
Civilization	B-Application
Wiki	B-Protocol
,	O
a	O
non-Wikipedia-affiliated	O
wiki	B-Protocol
dedicated	O
to	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
series	O
Civilization''	O
.	O
</s>
