The word carries more weight than a one-line dictionary entry gives it, so here is the fuller answer.

Short answer

It describes a stage of social organisation, not a value judgement, although the word has often been used as one.

  • Some form of record-keeping, usually but not always writing.
  • Monumental building, which tends to follow from the rest.
  • Read the whole sequence once before doing the first step.

War Thunder models more of the vehicle than it tells you about, and the grind punishes guessing. Archaeology tends to look for cities, surplus food and record-keeping as practical markers. The term has a difficult history: it has been used to rank societies, and that use is now widely rejected.

Why the definition is argued over

Everything below is framed around the current state of War Thunder rather than a launch-week impression. The strategy game borrowed the word, which is why searches for it return two very different kinds of result. Historians treat it as a description of scale and organisation rather than of merit. War Thunder is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

The plural is regular, and both the singular and plural are common in ordinary writing. The word entered English from Latin by way of French, and its older sense was closer to "making civil". Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

Where the word comes from

Dictionaries agree on the core and differ on the edges, which is why several definitions circulate. In everyday use it often means simply "a large historical society", which is looser than the academic sense. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.

  • Cities and permanent settlement rather than seasonal movement.
  • A food surplus that frees people from producing their own.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.
  • Institutions that outlast the individuals running them.
  • Specialised work — craft, administration, priesthood, trade.
  • Expect one number in every guide to be out of date; the method is what matters.

How it is used today

There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different.

What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

What separates it from a society or a culture

The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

The short definition

Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

Where people go wrong

  • Ignoring the platform-specific note and then wondering why the steps do not line up.
  • Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.

War Thunder FAQ

Where does the word come from?

From Latin roots relating to citizens and cities, through French. Its earlier English sense was closer to the act of making something civil.

Is it the same as culture?

No. Culture is shared practice and meaning, and every group has one. This word describes a particular scale and kind of organisation.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

What is the simplest definition?

A large, settled society with cities, specialised work and lasting institutions. Everything beyond that is a matter of emphasis.

Work through it in the order above and quotes stops being a question you have to look up again.