CIVILIZATION:CTP PREVIEW
PART 2: PAGE 2

Once you've passed all this stuff, you just wait to copy all the files to the disk, and there comes a nice idea: instead of watching in game screenshots and units walking in front of your face(guess on which game I'm referring), you see some of the original hand drawn sketches the art team made while designing units and city buildings. Great idea, but lets start a game...

III) STARTING, SETING UP A GAME

Civ selection windows, game creation screen in the background

What you see when you start a game

When you start the game, after the excellent video introduction(which we have already seen in a smaller size some time ago), you see the main game screen. The options are: single player, multiplayer, credits and quit.

Clicking on single player will present you with new choices: new game, load game, options(from which you change settings about the gameplay, sounds, graphics, etc.) and tutorial. The tutorial is nice, I didn't actually use it, and you shouldn't more than a couple times. It will be useful of course to lots of people. As no maps or scenarios are included in the game yet there were no "start scenario" or "start on a premade map" options. A note is needed: the map editor with some pre-made maps will be available a couple of days after the release from the official Activision site. The scenario editor will follow after than accompanied with scenarios.

You'll find that the options when you create a new game are pretty much the same with Civ2, with some differences though. The civilization choices are now 42. Activision made some interesting choices: Arabs, Babylonians(there are Persians though) and Aztecs are missing, some controversial choices are in(Jamaicans, Cubans, Nicaraguans). But also some good ones too(Mayan, Native American, Phoenician). The map size has four levels, from 24x48 to 70x140. There is no "custom size" button, but you can edit the choices from a text file. The difficulty levels are the same as civ2, but this doesn't mean that the difficulty is the same(we'll get into it later).

Moving on the other side of the new game screen, you have the choice on the world shape: earth(east/west edges connected) and doughnut(east/west and north/south edges connected). The rules choices have been cut down two: pollution(the effects of pollution on the environment) and bloodlust(kill everyone to win) can be turned on or off. You can't select your computer opponents as in civ2, and eliminated civs are not restarted, so there is no "don't restart eliminated players" option. The numbers of civilizations that can be in a game has increased to eight(from civ1/2's seven) and finally you have the options on the type of map. You game gives you six settings(each with eleven levels) on the map type, allowing numerous possibilities.

Ok, everything set, let's click "Launch"!

PAGE 1 I) INTRODUCTION II) OPENING THE BOX, INSTALLATION

PAGE 3 IV) FIRST CHANGES YOU NOTICE FROM CIV1/2, INTERFACE

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