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With the first part in mind, let us now focus on Civilization: Revolution’s winning personalities – victory conditions, that is. One surprises me with how it piques my interest, and another with why I feel the unfortunate need to pass on it. The remaining two are so evenly matched contenders for my playstyle that they demand a photo finish. All four apply in both singleplayer and multiplayer, and diplomacy should play an important hand in winning whatever victory path you choose in either circumstance. I’ll look at diplomacy and multiplayer too and together for as much a practical as there is the sophisticated reason I have outlined.
It is thanks to Firaxis Games’ Sid Meier and Barry Caudill continuing to demonstrate the game to myself and Civilization Fanatics Center's Kevin “Padma” Zimmerli that is making this extended journey possible.
FOUR THE WIN
There is no Diplomatic victory or equivalent. There is no Time Victory or equivalent or place for an Alliance Victory a la Civilization IV. There four different types of victories in CivRev are: Economic, Domination, Culture and Spacerace. Keep in mind that as I detail each this is a preview of a title still in development and any specific data mentioned is subject to change prior to the game’s release.
An Economic victory is obtained if you collect 20,000 gold pieces and build the World Bank Wonder (in no particular order). This was the first I had heard of this Wonder and it still remains unknown to me what gameplay benefits it provides or where it appears in the technology tree. Domination is straight forward but notable different than is seen in CivIV. Its trigger condition is less complex than found there and more strategic than Conquest: capture all enemy capital cities in the game. Sid mentions that he and his fellow Firaxians are contemplating modifying this slightly to capture all but one enemy capital. Personally, I would leave it the way it is. All other enemy cities can remain in enemy hands and CivRev does not distinguish Domination and Conquest – why stop short on capital captures?
The Culture victory in this for-console title takes more pages from Civilization III where the concept was first introduced than CivIV. It is still one of the fundamental things that defines your civilization as Sid describes it but the ideas of religion, happiness in this game are wrapped up in [this] idea. CivRev does retain CivIV’s Great People (GP) feature but their application has been altered and will be explored in more detail later. One of GP’s new perks is finding its way directly into the Culture victory condition for the first time. This condition is perhaps best expressed as the following equation:
The basics of a Spacerace victory are unchanged: you launch a spaceship to Alpha Centauri (AC) and if yours is the first to arrive you win. I asked Sid for more details and I received them. 
As a result of this exchange, it is my position that CivRev is returning to Civilization II more than it is staying with CivIV in this respect. Not that Firaxis needs my approval on this, but they’ve got it and I know they want it. 
CivIII did not permit players to decide how many of several different types of spaceship components to build nor was the assumed or actual success of the AC colony relevant. CivIV re-introduced the issue of whether or not the spaceship landed successfully on AC but still required the construction of all components before launching. CivII, meanwhile, permitted players to vary between minimum and maximum configurations on a number of components where the closer to maximum the configuration was the greater the score obtained from a successful landing. Therefore, CivII and CivIV’s spacrace had an element of intrigue where completing and launching a spaceship first did not necessarily mean victory: a faster ship launched later could successfully reach AC before a more quickly disembarking but slower moving counterpart.
In CivRev, you review the amount of time it is going to take for your ship to reach AC based on the components you have installed and the number of people that will survive the trip; the more people that survive, the more points you can get. CivRev has not only learned from CivIII’s missteps but has recovered from its swerve without any of the scratches CivIV suffered. That is thanks to the return of the ‘more people for more points’ consideration.
We've done a lot of work to turn the end-game into a real rush between different civilizations going after different victory conditions, Sid summarizes. It's like, “can I capture their capital before they get 20,000 gold or their spaceship gets to Alpha Centauri?” It can be pretty exciting.
It is true that my playing style is substantively builder but that does not lead me to preclude Domination as a preferred approach to victory in CivRev. The likely need to precision strike more than exercise brute force is attractive and there are no number crunching conditions surrounding them. No X% of this or that them which works well for CivIV and the hard(er)ore audience it is targeted for but not beginning and more casual players. At the same time, the greater fine motor control needed in strategy towards CivRev’s Domination victory appeals to me as a harder-core but mainly peaceful Civer. What surprises me more than the type of victory I would typically choose for myself from the others is the one type I would not: Economic. I very much like the premise and this is to be its debut in the Civ series. As presently implemented, it’s passable but that is all. With a set amount of gold and a particular Wonder required to have in your possession at the same time it comes across as too rigid and restrictive.
Domination is rigid to a degree – again, capture all enemy cities – but not so restrictive. If I capture an enemy capital and they take it back, there is a reasonable possibility I can take it again. For an Economic victory, it disappears as soon as the World Bank is built by someone else. My only option then in that particular game is to make the rival city that built that Wonder my own. Though I ought to have plenty of gold in the bank to rush units as I also need much currency, the number of cities I can likely have to build those units in is finite. Even if offensive units can be built in great enough number in a reasonable amount of time and are technologically sophisticated enough for the task, there’s still the matter of getting them in position. Unless they’re at or otherwise accessible from my borders, that could be prohibitive as in CivRev combat units cannot move freely through another civilization’s territory at any time. No, the irony that the World Bank could be built in a rival’s capital has not been lost on me. 
Despite these reservations I still like the idea of an Economic victory, enough that with some tweaking I believe it can be as solid as its counterparts. Having 20,000 gold, the World Bank Wonder and one other target as variables towards a 2 out of 3 combination should fit that bill. As it is I will just discount Economic victories for myself in favour of others.
Between Culture and Spacerace then that remain to reflect upon, I see Culture tipping the scale ever so slightly in its favour. You do need more longer-term planning for a Spacrace victory than many may consider at first: you must ensure that you are sufficiently progressed through the technology tree quickly enough to ‘enable’ it. CivRev hasn’t changed that comparable to other Civ titles. If I were behind in Culture for whatever reason in a game, I can know this to gauge whether or not I should be changing my victory target. As Sid notes at another point in the demonstration, through diplomacy you can monitor who’s ahead in the various victory categories. I would then at least look in the direction of Spacerace instead – my scientific research can’t be lagging that bad as I will need to keep up to stay off my rivals’ radars as an easy target. Ultimately, I find Culture is the better paced and anticipatory path to victory between the two.
DIPLOMACY AND MULTIPLAYER
The only CivRev features that “Padma” and I were not able to play with during our time at Firaxis were diplomacy and multiplayer due to technical issues. This is nothing for players to be concerned about as it is a natural and sometimes even necessary consequence of the adding, deleting and tweaking component process. However, we were treated to a couple brief diplomatic exchanges later on in this presentation Sid and Barry delivered.
Within the standard diplomacy interface, general options include asking your counterpart a question, asking a yes/no question, and being asked a question. One fun option when meeting Napoleon at this stage was “Can you point over your shoulder?” In asking a question, options include “What if I gave you a free tech?”, “Can you give me a loan [of gold]?” and “What if I declared war?” Fun options here include “What if you didn't care?” and – an already personal favourite – “What if I ran over your dog?” As Sid puts it, Firaxis is working to make leaders just a little more interesting and conversational as compared to existing Civ incarnations. If this is any indication, they are succeeding and very well at that.
On the multiplayer front, options are head-to-head and team (2-on-2 or 4-on-4). Whichever option you choose you will play your turns simultaneously meaning not having to wait for another player to complete their turn before you can play yours. There will, however, be a turn timer option if there is concern about the amount of time that can be taken per turn otherwise. Another possibility in any of these setups is ‘hot join’. If a player drops out they can be let back in or, depending upon how the game is setup, another player could come in and take over their civilization from that point. We really learned a lot from CivIV about what brakes multiplayer games and [we're] trying to address those issues, Sid says. One of those primary issues is the length of time it typically takes to play a game from start to finish which Sid himself cites as the biggest breaker of multiplayer games of Civ.
Multiplayer will be a really big part of this game, Sid says. From the moment CivRev was publicly announced the optional “Game of the Week” (“GotW”) challenge has been mentioned again and again and understandably so. This effort is a new and major undertaking for Firaxis, one that does not compare to anything else they have done in support of their existing titles.
[When you] sign-up [for it], we'll send you information to start a single-player game but it will be the identical map, identical starting location as anyone else who is playing [it]. You then try and generate your best score on that game and you can compare your score with anyone else's who's playing [it across] the world. So every week, there will be one world's greatest Civilization player: the highest scorer. You can play the game as many times as you want, try different strategies.
Arguably, one of the advantages of PC and other computer-based games as compared to console-based ones is that they are more likely to develop and nurture online communities around them. Certainly, some console manufacturers have done a better job than others in this respect such as Microsoft when it comes to Xbox Live -- Firaxis is looking forward to tapping into that system for instance. However, other platforms are not so well supported if at all. It is through “GotW” that CivRev will be able to take advantage of or perhaps help foster a more communal feeling among players.
I think it'll create an interesting conversation because people will compare notes on what they thought the best strategy was for this map, this situation... It's a way to allow people who really prefer to play single-player, which [is a lot of players], but still join in on the conversation and be part of the community and show how cool they are because they can become the world's greatest Civ player.
My last – OK, fine, only
– multiplayer experience in the Civilization series to date is hotseat in CivII so combined with not being able to try it in CivRev, I will pass commenting in any way on the options for it I have briefly outlined above. I simply do not have enough information let alone experience with multiplayer to present an informed position in a fansite preview.
WHEN HUNGER STRIKES AGAIN
Take some time to digest this meal of CivRev goodness. You’ll then be ready to consume Part 3 when it arrives that starts with a serving of eras, bonuses and abilities with an ample sampling of civilization specifics.
It is thanks to Firaxis Games’ Sid Meier and Barry Caudill continuing to demonstrate the game to myself and Civilization Fanatics Center's Kevin “Padma” Zimmerli that is making this extended journey possible.
FOUR THE WIN
There is no Diplomatic victory or equivalent. There is no Time Victory or equivalent or place for an Alliance Victory a la Civilization IV. There four different types of victories in CivRev are: Economic, Domination, Culture and Spacerace. Keep in mind that as I detail each this is a preview of a title still in development and any specific data mentioned is subject to change prior to the game’s release.
An Economic victory is obtained if you collect 20,000 gold pieces and build the World Bank Wonder (in no particular order). This was the first I had heard of this Wonder and it still remains unknown to me what gameplay benefits it provides or where it appears in the technology tree. Domination is straight forward but notable different than is seen in CivIV. Its trigger condition is less complex than found there and more strategic than Conquest: capture all enemy capital cities in the game. Sid mentions that he and his fellow Firaxians are contemplating modifying this slightly to capture all but one enemy capital. Personally, I would leave it the way it is. All other enemy cities can remain in enemy hands and CivRev does not distinguish Domination and Conquest – why stop short on capital captures?
The Culture victory in this for-console title takes more pages from Civilization III where the concept was first introduced than CivIV. It is still one of the fundamental things that defines your civilization as Sid describes it but the ideas of religion, happiness in this game are wrapped up in [this] idea. CivRev does retain CivIV’s Great People (GP) feature but their application has been altered and will be explored in more detail later. One of GP’s new perks is finding its way directly into the Culture victory condition for the first time. This condition is perhaps best expressed as the following equation:
[# of Great People] + [# of Wonders] + [# of cities converted] >= 20
As a result of this exchange, it is my position that CivRev is returning to Civilization II more than it is staying with CivIV in this respect. Not that Firaxis needs my approval on this, but they’ve got it and I know they want it.  In movie and in-game, spaceships are to look like this |
In CivRev, you review the amount of time it is going to take for your ship to reach AC based on the components you have installed and the number of people that will survive the trip; the more people that survive, the more points you can get. CivRev has not only learned from CivIII’s missteps but has recovered from its swerve without any of the scratches CivIV suffered. That is thanks to the return of the ‘more people for more points’ consideration.
We've done a lot of work to turn the end-game into a real rush between different civilizations going after different victory conditions, Sid summarizes. It's like, “can I capture their capital before they get 20,000 gold or their spaceship gets to Alpha Centauri?” It can be pretty exciting.
It is true that my playing style is substantively builder but that does not lead me to preclude Domination as a preferred approach to victory in CivRev. The likely need to precision strike more than exercise brute force is attractive and there are no number crunching conditions surrounding them. No X% of this or that them which works well for CivIV and the hard(er)ore audience it is targeted for but not beginning and more casual players. At the same time, the greater fine motor control needed in strategy towards CivRev’s Domination victory appeals to me as a harder-core but mainly peaceful Civer. What surprises me more than the type of victory I would typically choose for myself from the others is the one type I would not: Economic. I very much like the premise and this is to be its debut in the Civ series. As presently implemented, it’s passable but that is all. With a set amount of gold and a particular Wonder required to have in your possession at the same time it comes across as too rigid and restrictive.
 A final frame from CivRev’s start-up movie |
Despite these reservations I still like the idea of an Economic victory, enough that with some tweaking I believe it can be as solid as its counterparts. Having 20,000 gold, the World Bank Wonder and one other target as variables towards a 2 out of 3 combination should fit that bill. As it is I will just discount Economic victories for myself in favour of others.Between Culture and Spacerace then that remain to reflect upon, I see Culture tipping the scale ever so slightly in its favour. You do need more longer-term planning for a Spacrace victory than many may consider at first: you must ensure that you are sufficiently progressed through the technology tree quickly enough to ‘enable’ it. CivRev hasn’t changed that comparable to other Civ titles. If I were behind in Culture for whatever reason in a game, I can know this to gauge whether or not I should be changing my victory target. As Sid notes at another point in the demonstration, through diplomacy you can monitor who’s ahead in the various victory categories. I would then at least look in the direction of Spacerace instead – my scientific research can’t be lagging that bad as I will need to keep up to stay off my rivals’ radars as an easy target. Ultimately, I find Culture is the better paced and anticipatory path to victory between the two.
DIPLOMACY AND MULTIPLAYER
 Shaka's happy to see you... time to worry? |
The only CivRev features that “Padma” and I were not able to play with during our time at Firaxis were diplomacy and multiplayer due to technical issues. This is nothing for players to be concerned about as it is a natural and sometimes even necessary consequence of the adding, deleting and tweaking component process. However, we were treated to a couple brief diplomatic exchanges later on in this presentation Sid and Barry delivered.
Within the standard diplomacy interface, general options include asking your counterpart a question, asking a yes/no question, and being asked a question. One fun option when meeting Napoleon at this stage was “Can you point over your shoulder?” In asking a question, options include “What if I gave you a free tech?”, “Can you give me a loan [of gold]?” and “What if I declared war?” Fun options here include “What if you didn't care?” and – an already personal favourite – “What if I ran over your dog?” As Sid puts it, Firaxis is working to make leaders just a little more interesting and conversational as compared to existing Civ incarnations. If this is any indication, they are succeeding and very well at that.
On the multiplayer front, options are head-to-head and team (2-on-2 or 4-on-4). Whichever option you choose you will play your turns simultaneously meaning not having to wait for another player to complete their turn before you can play yours. There will, however, be a turn timer option if there is concern about the amount of time that can be taken per turn otherwise. Another possibility in any of these setups is ‘hot join’. If a player drops out they can be let back in or, depending upon how the game is setup, another player could come in and take over their civilization from that point. We really learned a lot from CivIV about what brakes multiplayer games and [we're] trying to address those issues, Sid says. One of those primary issues is the length of time it typically takes to play a game from start to finish which Sid himself cites as the biggest breaker of multiplayer games of Civ.
Multiplayer will be a really big part of this game, Sid says. From the moment CivRev was publicly announced the optional “Game of the Week” (“GotW”) challenge has been mentioned again and again and understandably so. This effort is a new and major undertaking for Firaxis, one that does not compare to anything else they have done in support of their existing titles.
[When you] sign-up [for it], we'll send you information to start a single-player game but it will be the identical map, identical starting location as anyone else who is playing [it]. You then try and generate your best score on that game and you can compare your score with anyone else's who's playing [it across] the world. So every week, there will be one world's greatest Civilization player: the highest scorer. You can play the game as many times as you want, try different strategies.
 ”Jeez, Nap, can’t you take a joke?” |
I think it'll create an interesting conversation because people will compare notes on what they thought the best strategy was for this map, this situation... It's a way to allow people who really prefer to play single-player, which [is a lot of players], but still join in on the conversation and be part of the community and show how cool they are because they can become the world's greatest Civ player.
My last – OK, fine, only
– multiplayer experience in the Civilization series to date is hotseat in CivII so combined with not being able to try it in CivRev, I will pass commenting in any way on the options for it I have briefly outlined above. I simply do not have enough information let alone experience with multiplayer to present an informed position in a fansite preview.WHEN HUNGER STRIKES AGAIN
Take some time to digest this meal of CivRev goodness. You’ll then be ready to consume Part 3 when it arrives that starts with a serving of eras, bonuses and abilities with an ample sampling of civilization specifics.
-- you are correct. I meant to say that CivII was when elements to the spacerace where added, e.g. bonuses for sucessfully carrying varying amounts of colonists, not that that is when this victory condition first appeared. I missed that in proofreading!
The cost of the Economic victory there is going up as the game goes on as you require a energy credit sum that is sufficient to "mind control" all bases on Planet whereas the cost in CivRev remains static along with the required Wonder to build.
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