Firaxis opens its Civ IV site!

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph


Down with Sid!

More Elvis instead!

Blasphemy!!!

[Tattila the Hun]

Bring back the civ 2 cultural advisor!

[Vince278]

How about that hot foreign advisor?

[DerSchwarzfalke]

The background graphics look a lot like Warcraft III, I find. This is not a huge deal; graphics across the industry have been plateauing, and I at least applaud Firaxis for not succumbing to the lowest of the low, ie "modelling the hair on a man's arms" as the cutting edge of graphics.

My interest in this game is growing after the severe let down I felt with Civ III. I grow cautiously optimistic.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by DerSchwarzfalke
My interest in this game is growing after the severe let down I felt with Civ III. I grow cautiously optimistic.

Appearently, you never tried Master of Orion 3.

[DerSchwarzfalke]

Heh, you are correct.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by DerSchwarzfalke
Heh, you are correct.

Don't.

[biru biru]

Web page has links for some good games ( i loved pirates!). There is nothing on it for civ II though (or civ I). The tendency to forget what made this legacy great, and instead to focus so much on a frankly worse sequel (by which I mean civ III) is a general tendency that I fear may continue to show up. It's as if someone in charge wants to forget about civ II, and promote civ III. It will be too bad if civ IV ends up as more of III, and remains blind to II. (and superficial skim of the info out looks a lot like III...)

Anyway, Sid rocks, and civ is the best. No complaints about the best game ever, just genuine hopes for it to live to its potential...

[Max Sinister]

Originally posted by Solver
3125 IF no civics options are mutually exclusive, which I doubt.

Though some might look a bit improbable... a pacifist police state? Maybe even a communist / fascist / theocratic one?

[Solver]

Yup, that's unlikely. But maybe it's possible. After all, if the real USSR was officialy religion free, maybe Civ 4 lets you have your religios communist state...

[Ennet]

Originally posted by alva
I'm assuming the AI will start to 'think' while you are still on your turn to shorten the time it needs, or at least make it seem go faster.

As generally an AI would check all possible moves and choose what lands them in the best position. That position would be determinated by a set of values which are predefined.
By coming up with better values the AI would become "better", by telling the AI to use predefined tactics and skip to check possible moves of a certain class (you know is useless, but AI dont) you can save up some neat AI time.
This is not completly correct as im too tired to produce a better explanaion, it being 1am here, and my limitations of the english languague, i'd need a grammar book and a translator.

[Solver]

As generally an AI would check all possible moves and choose what lands them in the best position. That position would be determinated by a set of values which are predefined.

There's a crapload of possible moves. Assume early game with 5 units. Each unit can move in 8 adjacent squares or not move, that's 9 actions. That's 9^5=59 thousand possible moves already...

[Ennet]

Chess is a great example, it is played on a 8x8 tile board and there are 32 units, 9 uniqe types, and a coupple of special rules. It's not until the last years the AI have been able to defeat the world elite of players.
And yet the possibilities in chess are VERY limited to thoose in civ for example.
And theese super chess computers still take quite a lot time figuring out what to move. An AI for Civ would not be able to work this way as it would take a year or two to play each turn and we dont have that patience, really. (not to mention the system req. that would be needed)
Let me just clarify: Moves are not necessary moves where you allocate a unit but a list of possible actions the AI can undertake.
The AI will check diffrent options and will go on with the one that will put them in the most favourable position.
The definition of what is favourable position and what is not, and to which degree is what will to us players become the AIs skill.
Simple and not too accurate examples of the definition could be: "2 cities are better than one", "it's better to have spearmen defending your cities than archers" or better to capture that undefended city than to get killed while attacking the pikeman army fortified on that mountain" etc.
Ofcourse they are not defined like that but that's what you get in practic in the game.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Ennet
it would take a year or two to play each turn

Sounds like my PC on gigantic 32 player map.

[Zoid]

Originally posted by Ennet
Chess is a great example, it is played on a 8x8 tile board and there are 32 units, 9 uniqe types, and a coupple of special rules. It's not until the last years the AI have been able to defeat the world elite of players.
And yet the possibilities in chess are VERY limited to thoose in civ for example.
And theese super chess computers still take quite a lot time figuring out what to move. An AI for Civ would not be able to work this way as it would take a year or two to play each turn and we dont have that patience, really. (not to mention the system req. that would be needed)
Let me just clarify: Moves are not necessary moves where you allocate a unit but a list of possible actions the AI can undertake.
The AI will check diffrent options and will go on with the one that will put them in the most favourable position.
The definition of what is favourable position and what is not, and to which degree is what will to us players become the AIs skill.
Simple and not too accurate examples of the definition could be: "2 cities are better than one", "it's better to have spearmen defending your cities than archers" or better to capture that undefended city than to get killed while attacking the pikeman army fortified on that mountain" etc.
Ofcourse they are not defined like that but that's what you get in practic in the game.

The Ultimate Civ4, now released for Cray computers!