Locutus
July 16, 2008, 09:56
American pop culture magazine <strong>Entertainment Weekly</strong> interviewed Sid Meier about the release of <em>Civilization: Revolution</em>. For the benefit of his non-gamer audience interviewer Matt Cabral asks Sid to explain what <em>Civilization</em> is, following that up by asking why he decided to port the franchise to the console:
<q>This new generation of consoles can do amazing things, especially in regard to graphics, connectivity, and multiplayer modes. We're also seeing that consoles are being played by a wide range of ages: it's not just for kids anymore. Plus, it just seemed like the right time to introduce something a little bit different for the Xbox 360 and PS3.</q>
Sid talks more about why he thinks <em>CivRev</em> will appeal to a casual gaming audience, the differences between the console and <strong>Nintendo DS</strong> versions and how this is the first <em>Civ</em> since the original he designed himself. When asked how making a <em>Civ</em> game has changed since the original game, he says:
<q>Obviously the technology has come an incredible distance; we're able to bring the game world to life in a way we couldn't back then. The original had 16 colors, and it was a top-down map. There was no such thing as 3D. We didn't have multiplayer back in the 1990s, and that adds a huge dimension to the gameplay. Revolution looks, plays, and sounds a lot better than the original because of the great technology.</q>
The article further discusses translating the mouse-and-keyboard controls to a controller, the possibility of porting the game to <strong>Wii</strong> and <strong>PSP</strong>, moving other Sid Meier titles to console, other games he admires and more. The final question is about what games Sid himself plays:
<q>I think it's important as a designer to be current in terms of what other games are doing. I really like driving games, so I'll spend lots of time with those. I definitely try and take a look at everything. As a designer you're always saying ''Well, I would have done this or that a little differently...'' Because of that, I probably can't enjoy games as much as other people. [Laughs]</q>
You can read the full three-page interview on the <strong>Entertainment Weekly</strong> <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20212763,00.html">website</a>.
<q>This new generation of consoles can do amazing things, especially in regard to graphics, connectivity, and multiplayer modes. We're also seeing that consoles are being played by a wide range of ages: it's not just for kids anymore. Plus, it just seemed like the right time to introduce something a little bit different for the Xbox 360 and PS3.</q>
Sid talks more about why he thinks <em>CivRev</em> will appeal to a casual gaming audience, the differences between the console and <strong>Nintendo DS</strong> versions and how this is the first <em>Civ</em> since the original he designed himself. When asked how making a <em>Civ</em> game has changed since the original game, he says:
<q>Obviously the technology has come an incredible distance; we're able to bring the game world to life in a way we couldn't back then. The original had 16 colors, and it was a top-down map. There was no such thing as 3D. We didn't have multiplayer back in the 1990s, and that adds a huge dimension to the gameplay. Revolution looks, plays, and sounds a lot better than the original because of the great technology.</q>
The article further discusses translating the mouse-and-keyboard controls to a controller, the possibility of porting the game to <strong>Wii</strong> and <strong>PSP</strong>, moving other Sid Meier titles to console, other games he admires and more. The final question is about what games Sid himself plays:
<q>I think it's important as a designer to be current in terms of what other games are doing. I really like driving games, so I'll spend lots of time with those. I definitely try and take a look at everything. As a designer you're always saying ''Well, I would have done this or that a little differently...'' Because of that, I probably can't enjoy games as much as other people. [Laughs]</q>
You can read the full three-page interview on the <strong>Entertainment Weekly</strong> <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20212763,00.html">website</a>.