IGN PREVIEW UPDATE
"CTP2 also offers the chance to get your feet wet with national management. Rather than issuing orders to each and every city in your empire, you can command multiple cities at the same time. You can eliminate particular cities from the national management group as well. Let's say you discover the technology to construct walls and you want all your cities to begin construction on them. You can add City Walls to the production queue underneath whatever is currently being constructed."
...
"The game has had a few other minor tweaks in terms of interface. The menu system is still very Windows oriented with bar menus along the top of the screen. But the messages are better integrated so that they're not popping up in your face all the time. Many of the game menus are still on the largish side, but what can you do with a game that puts so much hinkfo right at your fingertips? The radar map is about 30% larger than you remember it (unless you're one of these people who remember things bigger than they really were). The radar map also comes with some neat filters to aid in comprehension."
Source: Announcement Press Release
IMPROVED INTERFACE AND MENUS
Source: IGN Preview
FIRST LOOK ON CTP2!
On the Interface and new easy ways to do things:
"Units can now be moved in a myriad of different ways. Players can click on a unit and drag it to the location they wish it to move towards, they can right click on the unit to get a menu of its available options, or they can use one of the several included keyboard shortcuts to get things underway."
...
"The interface still covers up the map from time to time, but a lot of effort has gone into minimizing the interface."
CGO PREVIEW
On the game's interface:
"Although [CTPII] includes a wide range of elements and factors to control on any given turn, the detail seems easier to manage this time around. Screens are cross-linked nine ways to Sunday, with multiple ways to reach any given piece of information quickly. Advisor screens show all the stats you need to act on their advice, as well as connections to related screens".
ST SWITHIN POSTS
On the buttons on the radar map:
"There are filter buttons on the radar map for units, cities, borders, terrain (i.e. land/sea vs. all terrain types), and fuzzify(make units and cities stand out over terrain). You can also hide/show the radar map and the control panel."