New PC Gamer UK preview

[Haphazard]

In the November (yes already) issue I got today, there is a 5 page preview. Most of it is old screenshots, and a collection of news we've seen here, but a couple of new bits of info (I think):

Smart weapons: When attacking open up the city screen and pick an improvement (or Wonders?!) to destroy!

Culture: Age bonus comes into effect after 1000 years apparantly.

Roads/Railroad: Need a passage treaty to use other civs roads. (not sure if that is new)

Wonders: 32 total, including the 'small' ones buildable by all, of which the Apollo program and Battlefield Medicine are ones. (probably needs 5 hospitals, and improves the heal/armour rates of units I guess)

Spaceship: The winner is the first to launch the ship, not land it.

Zones of control: Looks like only movement 2 units have them, although I could be interpreting 'only certain units, like a knights or a tank exert a ZOC' wrong.

Units: Cannon/workers can be captured (captured workers needing no maintenance), although this has already been mentioned. Battleships can 'blitz' ie bombard once for every point of movement they have (4)

[saracen31]

I like the smart weapons idea - to bomb factories or temples in another city. Good options.

Also like the spaceship launching, not arriving. It always drove me nuts when I'd launch a big spaceship, only to have some other Civ launch a smaller one 6 years later & beat me to Alpha Centauri.

[SerapisIV]

I wonder if that age bonus is for 1000 game years, or 50 turns. Kinda sucks if all the improvements you build after 1000 AD don't get extra culture. 100 game turns sounds much more reasonable.

[jsw363]

Re: New PC Gamer UK preview

Originally posted by Haphazard
Zones of control: Looks like only movement 2 units have them, although I could be interpreting 'only certain units, like a knights or a tank exert a ZOC' wrong.

Looks like it will be much harder to hold mountain passes with fortified phalanx. You'll actually have to mount a realistic defense.

[d_dudy]

i think the culture bonus meant you get some extra culrure for just being alive

battlefield medicine? some of their wonders are funny sounding

smart weapons-awesome, but their better be a defence


great news, i hope an editor picks it up soon.......

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by SerapisIV
I wonder if that age bonus is for 1000 game years, or 50 turns. Kinda sucks if all the improvements you build after 1000 AD don't get extra culture. 100 game turns sounds much more reasonable.

yea... in the BCs you wait 2-4 game turns, and in the late ADs you wait 1000 turns.

care to clarify dan?

[isaac brock]

Originally posted by d_dudy
smart weapons-awesome, but their better be a defence

of course theres a defence. kill that unit

[PGM]

Re: New PC Gamer UK preview

Originally posted by Haphazard
Smart weapons: When attacking open up the city screen and pick an improvement (or Wonders?!) to destroy!

I think it's been said that Great Wonders are never destroyed, while Small Wonders can (in fact they are always destroyed when you capture a city where they're in). Love the idea of targeting specific city improvements. For example, the destruction of enemy temples or cathedrals can force a revolution, an easier conquest and better cultural assimilation.

[Haphazard]

I'd say most of this was reliable (the feature came from an interview with Jeff and Sid) but the writer's interpretations could be wrong, ie only minor wonders destroyable, 50 turns instead of 1000 years. So don't blame me if Dan comes and contradicts most of this!

[shum00]

Re: New PC Gamer UK preview

Originally posted by Haphazard
Smart weapons: When attacking open up the city screen and pick an improvement (or Wonders?!) to destroy!

This thought just crosses my mind... how do you get to choose what improvement to destroy if you don't know what improvements the city has, like in Civ II?

[PGM]

Re: Re: New PC Gamer UK preview

Originally posted by shum00
This thought just crosses my mind... how do you get to choose what improvement to destroy if you don't know what improvements the city has, like in Civ II?

Civ2 is completely different from Civ3 in this aspect, there is no way to compare. I think this is where espionage will play its key role.

[shum00]

Well yes I know you could find out the improvements through espionage, but does this mean that you have to find out what improvements a city has before you can use these weapons?

[shum00]

sorry dp

[PGM]

Originally posted by shum00
Well yes I know you could find out the improvements through espionage, but does this mean that you have to find out what improvements a city has before you can use these weapons?

Probably, I don't see any other way around it, you can't target a cathedral without knowing if it's there.

[Acemo]

By the time that one is able to build these weapons, I think some sort of satellite surveillance system would be able to give an indication of what improvements are built in a particular city.
Whether this system would need to be built or is implied (i.e. free), who knows?