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In Depth: Civilization IV
The fourth entry in the Civilization series looks to be the best yet
Tags: Civilization IV Categories: PC Previews, Previews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 5th, 2005
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV is a step in the right direction for those gamers wanting to get into the “sim” or strategy genre but are possibly intimidated by the difficulty level. Don’t think however that this entry in the franchise will leave veteran players in the dust, as there is still plenty of depth and gameplay changes to keep things fresh and the gameplay going for a very long time.
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Civilization is a franchise of world building – but not in a way that many RTS games would have it (such as starting with nothing, adding technology, and doing a hostile takeover). Instead Sid Meier’s goal has been to elevate the game experience to that of almost education as well as providing a lot of fun. Players will start out with a small patch of land, and expanding from there, attempt to bring civilization to the rest of the world.
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What sets this franchise apart is that military force is only an option, and sometimes not even the best one. Spanning the time between the stone age to the space age, Civilization IV isn’t just a simple “take over a world” it is a matter of keeping a balance between expansion and development. The idea is to take a group of people, guide them through the discovery of early technology (such as the wheel) and on through other technological advancements through the ages.
All in all there will be 18 different civilizations on the world map that will be encountered, each with their own advantages and disadvantages with regards to interactions. Some will be outright hostile, others will want to trade for mutual benefit. Military dominance is only one way to progress in the game. Players will find that diplomacy, trade, even technological superiority will advance their cause often just as well if not better.
The game is now fully 3D, with a “what you see is what you get” attitude – all of the various assets will be visible on the screen. If a mine is in operation, it will be on the map. This will aid in seeing what is working and what isn’t, and attack plans can be coordinated accordingly. Every resource is a potential for trade, so keeping the borders open could be beneficial (though having a few sentries posted might not be a bad idea either).
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Also new is trading along rivers – which seems a natural as this is how trade has been conducted for centuries, but only now is it possible in the game. This not only expands the potential markets, but adds to the realism of the game and deepens the strategy in a way that is natural for both novice and veteran players.
Religion has been added to Civilization IV, which included Holy Cities. This completely changes the dynamics of how the game can be played, as missionaries can be employed to spread the word of a religion. While a county won’t automatically shift alighnment due to religion, it does make things easier, especially if a trade route has been established previously.
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There will still be direct combat in the game. The more combat a player experiences, the more bonuses such as specialized skills and units the military will receive. This plays into the technology tree, as the more you flex a certain muscle, the stronger it will become. So too with the military. The technology tree has a myriad of branching paths, leading to a high replay value allowing players to try out different things each time
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To aid in the replay value is the new speed – it is a bit quicker than previous games. This was designed specifically for new players to feel a sense of progression as well as to allow players to go through the game multiple times without feeling like … well, civilization is passing them by. Players will also be able to start the game in different eras (such as beginning in the stone age or middle ages) and vary the game speed. The normal game speed is estimated to be approximately 20% faster over Civilization III, and a whole game can be played in about 4 to 5 hours, though that will lose some of the game’s intended depth.
The government types are not “canned” this time around. Now the governments are “categorized” for a “mix and match” style. Want elections? Want a council? Want both? Want a representative form of government or a dictatorship? It’s all a matter of choices. Each leader of the various different civilizations will have their own preference – it is a matter of finding the balance between religion and civics that will win game. All told, there will be 26 different world leaders in the game.
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More changes include the absence of riots, as this was seen as a detriment to the overall game experience. Players are also no longer forced to watch the computer take its turn – things will move along at a speedy clip. Buildings within cities will aid the overall culture and civilization. Increasing a city’s culture, particularly one that is important to a nation, can see a nation’s culture and overall civilization “ranking” rise.
There are different levels of interactivity for the game, and playing the basic game is only one of them. There is multiplayer, in both competitive and team based play over the internet or LAN. In the team game, it will be possible to not only share resources, but various “wonders” as well. These rallying points, these marvels of the world are rare and a precious commodity.
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Another method of interactivity will be the ability to play around with the XML editor to modify things such as combat and create custom scenarios. For the more experienced players this will be a very welcome addition.
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV looks so far to be not only the best entry in the series, but the best game of this type for players of all skill levels. A new benchmark may be unleashed when this game hits retail.
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Tags: Civilization IV
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 5th, 2005 and is filed under PC Previews, Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
