I decided to start a new thread dedicated to the previews for Civilization: Revolutions.
I'll start with an IGN preview late last month.
Some of these this news is very interesting. The artifacts are really intriguing and I hope they aren't as completely game unbalancing as they appear.
I'll start with an IGN preview late last month.
August 22, 2007 - We've been anxious for more details on Sid Meier's Civilization: Revolution ever since we first saw the game at E3 so it's lucky for us that Scott Lewis and Tim McCracken from Firaxis are here at the German Games Convention to show off a bit more of the game. This time around, the presentation revealed more details on combat, the use of spies, wonders and artifacts, as well as giving us a brief look at the new trophy room.
We'd already seen the lively and dynamic combat animations but we hadn't seen exactly how the combat works under the hood. With his Roman army stationed outside an Egyptian city (and against Scott's protests) Tim decided to attack the Egyptians. Just before committing to the battle, two windows pop up showing the armies' relative strengths and bonuses. The defenders gain cumulative bonuses for fortification and the presence of a great general and a palace.
To even the odds, Tim sent in a spy unit to actually steal the enemy general and bring it over to his side. Now that he had the general (and his enemy had lost it) Tim had basically doubled his effectiveness against the enemy. He could add more bonuses in his favor by bringing naval units adjacent to the battle. This not only adds to the options an attacker has when attacking a city, but also adds real teeth to the naval game.
Scott pointed out that the triremes in the game are particularly touchy targets. Having no defense whatsoever, they're a sure victory for your side -- as long as you're willing to become the aggressor. Predicting just when your opponents are about to declare war on you will definitely be the key to your success when using this strategy.
Units that defeat units of equal or greater strength automatically become eligible for promotions and there were a few more revealed this time around. The Blitz promotion grants units an extra move after a successful attack and the March promotion allows a unit to move twice per turn. Again, the possibilities of combining these bonuses in a three-unit army seem even more attractive.
After indulging his warlike tendencies, Tim completed work on his Oracle at Delphi wonder, which granted him knowledge of a nearby ancient artifact, the Ark of the Covenant. These ancient relics are very powerful items that should encourage players to explore the world around them. The player who claims the Ark, for instance, immediately gets free temples and cathedrals in all of his or her existing cities. Scott explained that this is actually one of the weaker artifacts in the game so we're excited to see what else they'll be able to do.
We also managed to get a look at the trophy room. In appreciation of Tim's destruction of a barbarian village, Prince Hector of Phoenicia sent him some amazing acrobats. You can view the acrobats doing their tricks in the throne room at any time you want. We didn't get to see much else in the throne room beyond a group of dancing girls. And honestly, once you find the dancing girls, why are you even looking for something else?
During the course of the demo we also managed to confirm that Alexander the Great and Isabella are both in the game.
Civilization: Revolution is due out next Spring for Xbox 360, PS3 and DS and the following Fall for Wii.
We'd already seen the lively and dynamic combat animations but we hadn't seen exactly how the combat works under the hood. With his Roman army stationed outside an Egyptian city (and against Scott's protests) Tim decided to attack the Egyptians. Just before committing to the battle, two windows pop up showing the armies' relative strengths and bonuses. The defenders gain cumulative bonuses for fortification and the presence of a great general and a palace.
To even the odds, Tim sent in a spy unit to actually steal the enemy general and bring it over to his side. Now that he had the general (and his enemy had lost it) Tim had basically doubled his effectiveness against the enemy. He could add more bonuses in his favor by bringing naval units adjacent to the battle. This not only adds to the options an attacker has when attacking a city, but also adds real teeth to the naval game.
Scott pointed out that the triremes in the game are particularly touchy targets. Having no defense whatsoever, they're a sure victory for your side -- as long as you're willing to become the aggressor. Predicting just when your opponents are about to declare war on you will definitely be the key to your success when using this strategy.
Units that defeat units of equal or greater strength automatically become eligible for promotions and there were a few more revealed this time around. The Blitz promotion grants units an extra move after a successful attack and the March promotion allows a unit to move twice per turn. Again, the possibilities of combining these bonuses in a three-unit army seem even more attractive.
After indulging his warlike tendencies, Tim completed work on his Oracle at Delphi wonder, which granted him knowledge of a nearby ancient artifact, the Ark of the Covenant. These ancient relics are very powerful items that should encourage players to explore the world around them. The player who claims the Ark, for instance, immediately gets free temples and cathedrals in all of his or her existing cities. Scott explained that this is actually one of the weaker artifacts in the game so we're excited to see what else they'll be able to do.
We also managed to get a look at the trophy room. In appreciation of Tim's destruction of a barbarian village, Prince Hector of Phoenicia sent him some amazing acrobats. You can view the acrobats doing their tricks in the throne room at any time you want. We didn't get to see much else in the throne room beyond a group of dancing girls. And honestly, once you find the dancing girls, why are you even looking for something else?
During the course of the demo we also managed to confirm that Alexander the Great and Isabella are both in the game.
Civilization: Revolution is due out next Spring for Xbox 360, PS3 and DS and the following Fall for Wii.
Some of these this news is very interesting. The artifacts are really intriguing and I hope they aren't as completely game unbalancing as they appear.
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