Civilization IV Preview

Diplomacy has also been somewhat expanded, so you will be able to incite war between two civilizations even if you are neutral with them, and even engage in promoting peace between two rival civilizations which are at war with each other. The combat, as well as the diplomacy, has also undergone some changes in the latest Civ sequel. It is possible for units to gain experience in combat, and leveling up does not only mean your units will fight better - they'll also gain a special ability of your choice. The 'promotion path' of each unit allows the unit to gain a specific bonus, specializing in its area of expertise. This way, the unit can gain movement or defense bonus, or some even more specialized bonuses.

Yup, I was right. *dies from arrow wounds*

I'm building a Jewish Cathedral because I've always had a strange penchant for long braids and bowler hats.

The concept of the health bar is gone and replaced by the concept of units formed in groups, where the group is represented by three units, which are eliminated one by one if attacked. This means only one unit will get damaged and destroyed, at which point it will be replaced by another one, all the way to the final destruction of the entire unit group. Unit stats are simpler and feature the unit's base strength instead of separate offense and defense stats. Of course, some units will be more effective against a particular type of unit, making them extra useful in certain situations.

The building process has also been crafted with a lot of attention to detail, allowing you to observe the process for yourself and see which blocks are being used. Also, the resource system has been expanded, introducing new and tradable resources.

And finally, let's say a few words on the updated Civ graphics. From what I saw of the game at the press presentation, I must say I liked it. Granted, Civ games are never about graphics, but it's still nice to see the game's intricate new game play system in action. Like Sid Meier's Pirates!, Civilization IV will be using the Gamebryo engine. The obvious change over the previous titles is the switch to 3D (About damn time -Ed.). I was pleasantly surprised by the animated units and combat. Wonders of the world and your city environment were visible on the world map, which is a very useful and timesaving option apart from being an obvious visual enhancement. Several camera views rotating and zooming into the world, allow you to enjoy every single detail on the map, giving you a more personal and intense experience of the game.

Civilization IV is also expected to demonstrate a more advanced and more "natural" AI, which Firaxis promises will be competitive and challenging, but not frustratingly difficult.

The game will offer several multiplayer modes, from multiplayer via hotseat, to multiplayer via Internet and LAN, also with the Pitboss - the Persistent Turn-Based Server (PTBS) present and play-by-email enabled. It also brings the map editor, including XML and Python (an accessible scripting language) support, as well as many tools designed for the creation of customizable content. Team play will be present both in single and in multiplayer mode. In the words of Firaxis' Senior Producer Barry Caudill: "Coop will work in a similar fashion to what you would expect from an RTS like 'Age of Kings' or 'Warcraft 3.' Players on the same team will share line of site, the benefits of wonders, research (they can even research the same thing to try to get it faster), unit trading, and share territory. All of these additions deliver a plethora of new strategic and tactical options to the players."

I used to be quite good at manipulating people and making other civilizations extinct. I can't wait to see if I'm still good at this. The game ships at the end of the year, or at least that's what the Firaxis folks assured us. Can't wait to spend more... nay, a lot more time with it.