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I'm sure Solver will find another reason to close this thread 
June 23, 2005 - It's been a month since we last saw Civilization at E3 so, not being able to stand it any longer, we finally took a trip out to see Firaxis to get a look at the latest build. Senior producer Barry Caudill walked us through a lengthy demo of the game, showing off the new features and the streamlined interface. Lead designer Soren Johnson was also on hand to discuss the overall development of the game. Firaxis president Jeff Briggs and franchise creator Sid Meier also took time out of their day to sit and chat with us about their contributions to the game and their expectations for its release.
While the basic premise of the game is largely unchanged, the designers wanted to question some basic assumptions about how the game works and break free of some of the series' bad habits. As a result, the new game seems much more streamlined and full of personality. Combat animations are specific to the units involved in the fighting, the diplomatic screen shows lively and expressive opponents, and short movies once again announce the completion of specific wonders. Gamers who have been turned off by the drier presentation of previous versions are likely to find Civilization IV to be much more engaging this time around.
Gamers who've had to struggle with the complications of the interface are also in for a treat. The actual game map now reveals which terrain tiles are being worked and shows off a number of civic improvements. Little pop-up windows and small suggestions about how to improve the area around each city will definitely help new players get started quickly. Those players who do choose to dive down into the detail of city view will find that information is much clearer there as well. Each city improvement will list the specific bonus it imparts to a city's coffers, contentment and culture. No more guessing or thumbing through the civilopedia to find out just how much those temples are helping you.
When you start a new game you'll have the option to select from a variety of civilizations, each with their own historical rulers -- Gandhi for the Indians, Elizabeth for the English, etc. About eight of the eighteen civilizations in the game have a pair of rulers to choose from. Each ruler has their own personality and preferences and you'll be able to tell a lot about a ruler just by watching their reactions on the diplomacy screen. When dealing with the flirtatious Hatshepsut or the jowly dandy Louis XIV, you'll be able to see their attitudes and personality in their animations. If you're making an offer in their favor, they'll act pleased and happy.
Some rulers are a bit more inscrutable. The only difference you can tell between the angry and happy states of the Chinese ruler Qin Shi Huang is the elevation of his eyebrows. Rulers like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar are much more expressive and there's no misreading their angry scowls. Julius Caesar even gives a gladiatorial thumbs-up or thumbs-down to indicate his thoughts on your current proposal.
Each ruler has two defining characteristics, each of which grants them a unique bonus and lessens the cost of two city improvements by half. The Philosophical characteristic grants a ruler a 100% in his or her people's birthrate and half-cost libraries and universities. Being Spiritual allows a ruler to avoid the period of anarchy that comes with a change in government and also get cheaper temples and monasteries. Creative rulers gain a bonus to their culture and half-price theaters and broadcast towers. Rulers with the Organized characteristic reduce their civic upkeep costs by half and can buy labs and courthouses more cheaply. Expansive rulers will be able to heal units inside cities much faster and also get a break on granaries and grocers. New units produced by rulers with the Aggressive characteristic get the Combat 1 promotion for free. Aggressive rulers also get half-price barracks and jails.
As I said, some civilizations only have one ruler, so you'll be stuck with their characteristics. If you want to play as the Arabs, for instance, you'll have to rule as Saladin and work your strategy around his Philosophical and Spiritual characteristics. You'll have more opportunities with the Mongols. While both Genghis and Kublai Kahn each possess the Aggressive characteristic, Genghis is Expansive while Kublai is Creative. The French rulers Louis XIV and Napoleon are even more differentiated. Warmongers will gravitate towards Napoleon's Aggressive and Expansive traits, while those who prefer to pursue commercial or cultural goals will find Louis XIV's Creative and Organized traits will serve them better.
Throughout the game you'll have the opportunity to gain a number of great leaders in a variety of areas -- artistry, commerce, war, etc. These are units that can have a tremendous impact on your civilization in a variety of ways. Great artists, for instance, can settle in a city and generate a small amount of culture each turn. They can also discover a "great work," instantly adding 1000 culture to the city they're in. Great artists can also trigger a Golden Age for your civilization thereby boosting production, happiness and so on for a period of years. (Unlike the previous versions, Civilization IV will allow for multiple Golden Ages in the course of a single game.) Rulers can also use great artists to discover a new, cultural technology. The other types of leaders have similar benefits. Great merchants can settle in a city to produce gold each turn, conduct a one-time trade mission for a 1000 gold, or discover a new commercial technology.
In previous versions of Civilization, you had to pretty much research everything on the tech tree as you moved from one era to the next. The new version of the game has no set eras and requires only that you reach one of the pre-requisites for a given technology rather than obtaining all of them. Who needs Pottery anyway? This makes it much easier to research along specific lines, focusing exclusively on either military, commercial or cultural technologies.
While the basic premise of the game is largely unchanged, the designers wanted to question some basic assumptions about how the game works and break free of some of the series' bad habits. As a result, the new game seems much more streamlined and full of personality. Combat animations are specific to the units involved in the fighting, the diplomatic screen shows lively and expressive opponents, and short movies once again announce the completion of specific wonders. Gamers who have been turned off by the drier presentation of previous versions are likely to find Civilization IV to be much more engaging this time around.
Gamers who've had to struggle with the complications of the interface are also in for a treat. The actual game map now reveals which terrain tiles are being worked and shows off a number of civic improvements. Little pop-up windows and small suggestions about how to improve the area around each city will definitely help new players get started quickly. Those players who do choose to dive down into the detail of city view will find that information is much clearer there as well. Each city improvement will list the specific bonus it imparts to a city's coffers, contentment and culture. No more guessing or thumbing through the civilopedia to find out just how much those temples are helping you.
When you start a new game you'll have the option to select from a variety of civilizations, each with their own historical rulers -- Gandhi for the Indians, Elizabeth for the English, etc. About eight of the eighteen civilizations in the game have a pair of rulers to choose from. Each ruler has their own personality and preferences and you'll be able to tell a lot about a ruler just by watching their reactions on the diplomacy screen. When dealing with the flirtatious Hatshepsut or the jowly dandy Louis XIV, you'll be able to see their attitudes and personality in their animations. If you're making an offer in their favor, they'll act pleased and happy.
Some rulers are a bit more inscrutable. The only difference you can tell between the angry and happy states of the Chinese ruler Qin Shi Huang is the elevation of his eyebrows. Rulers like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar are much more expressive and there's no misreading their angry scowls. Julius Caesar even gives a gladiatorial thumbs-up or thumbs-down to indicate his thoughts on your current proposal.
Each ruler has two defining characteristics, each of which grants them a unique bonus and lessens the cost of two city improvements by half. The Philosophical characteristic grants a ruler a 100% in his or her people's birthrate and half-cost libraries and universities. Being Spiritual allows a ruler to avoid the period of anarchy that comes with a change in government and also get cheaper temples and monasteries. Creative rulers gain a bonus to their culture and half-price theaters and broadcast towers. Rulers with the Organized characteristic reduce their civic upkeep costs by half and can buy labs and courthouses more cheaply. Expansive rulers will be able to heal units inside cities much faster and also get a break on granaries and grocers. New units produced by rulers with the Aggressive characteristic get the Combat 1 promotion for free. Aggressive rulers also get half-price barracks and jails.
As I said, some civilizations only have one ruler, so you'll be stuck with their characteristics. If you want to play as the Arabs, for instance, you'll have to rule as Saladin and work your strategy around his Philosophical and Spiritual characteristics. You'll have more opportunities with the Mongols. While both Genghis and Kublai Kahn each possess the Aggressive characteristic, Genghis is Expansive while Kublai is Creative. The French rulers Louis XIV and Napoleon are even more differentiated. Warmongers will gravitate towards Napoleon's Aggressive and Expansive traits, while those who prefer to pursue commercial or cultural goals will find Louis XIV's Creative and Organized traits will serve them better.
Throughout the game you'll have the opportunity to gain a number of great leaders in a variety of areas -- artistry, commerce, war, etc. These are units that can have a tremendous impact on your civilization in a variety of ways. Great artists, for instance, can settle in a city and generate a small amount of culture each turn. They can also discover a "great work," instantly adding 1000 culture to the city they're in. Great artists can also trigger a Golden Age for your civilization thereby boosting production, happiness and so on for a period of years. (Unlike the previous versions, Civilization IV will allow for multiple Golden Ages in the course of a single game.) Rulers can also use great artists to discover a new, cultural technology. The other types of leaders have similar benefits. Great merchants can settle in a city to produce gold each turn, conduct a one-time trade mission for a 1000 gold, or discover a new commercial technology.
In previous versions of Civilization, you had to pretty much research everything on the tech tree as you moved from one era to the next. The new version of the game has no set eras and requires only that you reach one of the pre-requisites for a given technology rather than obtaining all of them. Who needs Pottery anyway? This makes it much easier to research along specific lines, focusing exclusively on either military, commercial or cultural technologies.
The Greecs are definitely in then! 
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