Header image: The original Civilopedia from the original Sid Meier's Civilization 1 (1991).

Civilopedia Influence

Civilopedias are computer-game encyclopedias that present the accumulated knowledge of civilizations, complete with "hyperlinks." That is, you click on an entry to be taken to pictures, descriptions and stats that define the entry. Civilopedias are static rather than dynamic knowledge-bases; that is, they do not update with new entries as campaigns progress.

The origin of the Civilopedia is Sid Meier's Civilization (1991). The object of Civilopedias is to increase in-game interpretable interaction without needing to reference game manuals. 

Here we can see that Civ1's Civilopedia has not only appeared in subsequent Sid Meier games, but has also influenced or has analogues in the Reference UI modes of non-Civ games and even non-TBS games, such as real-time strategy games and computer role-playing games.

• Sid Meier's Civilization 1 --- Civiliopeda.
• Sid Meier's Civilization 2 --- Civilopedia.
• Sid Meier's Colonization --- Colonizopedia.
• Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri --- Help System.
• Dune 2 --- Mentat Tab.
• X-COM UFO Defense -- UFOpedia.
• X-COM Apocalypse --- UFOpedia.
• Planescape: Torment --- TNO Journal.
• Temple of Elemental Evil --- Hyperlinked 3.5 Ruleset Referencing.

In X-COM UFO Defense, the UFOpedia is a dynamic encylopedia that represents the expanding knowledge-base of X-COM science, engineering and intelligence. As players progress through the X-COM campaign, entries are added to the UFOpedia in reflection of their accumulated knowledge on X-COM technology as well as alien technology, biology and civilization.

In Planescape: Torment, a dymamic, updating journal records the experiences of the protagonist, The Nameless One. However, it also records the companions, NPCs and monsters that TNO has encountered (with pictures and descriptions, but not stats).

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