The player takes on the role of the ruler of a civilization, starting with one (or occasionally two) settler units, and attempts to build an empire in competition with two to seven other civilizations.
玩家扮演著一個文明的統治者，從只有一個開拓者單位開始（有時候是兩個），並需嘗試建立一個與其他數個（1~23）文明處於競爭关系的帝國。