PCF: What happened to multiplay in Civ III?

Sid: We had hoped to have that in the original version, but we really want to do it right. We learned from Alpha Centauri and Civ II that we can't just take the game as it stands and replace the computer AI with other players and call that a multiplayer version... Our goal is to make multiplayer Civ III where the player never has to wait, the player is never at a point where there is nothing to do, and we have some pretty creative solutions to that problem. Hopefully before too long we'll be able to finish that.

PCF: Are there any add-ons planned for Civ III?

Sid: We're learning a lot about what people are interested in doing with the enhancement tools, map creation, scenario creation, changing the rules, mods... We're working on providing better and better tools to allow people to do that. Also there are gameplay ideas people have come up with that we thought were really strong, that we want to incorporate in the game.

PCF: What are your thoughts on the way the current gaming scene just reuses the same old ideas?

Sid: It does feel like we're ready for a new genre. Every year or two there's something new that comes out - you know, there were shooters, then there was real time strategy, and that kind of gave us something to look forward to. I'm not sure what the next thing will be, but I'm sure that something will come along. The Sims was interesting: I'm not sure that it's going to create a new genre, but it certainly was an innovative idea.

PCF: Is there going to be a Civ IV?

Sid: Every idea we thought would improve the game we put into Civ III. At the moment we can't imagine what Civ IV would have that we haven't already put into Civ III, but as time goes on and the community grows, anything is possible in the future. Historically, every five or six years there's been a new version of Civilization.

PCF: What makes a good games developer?

Sid: All of us at Firaxis are game players as well as game designers, so we are fundamentally trying to create games that we like to play. Part of our philosophy of creating a game is to be sure that we're constantly playing the game, testing it, balancing it. Much of our development time is spent playing the game, talking about how it feels.

PCF: What game do you most wish you had invented?

Sid: Tetris! It's like the perfect game. [Laughs] I could have done that! If I'd only thought of it.