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PC Zone June Issue : Civ III preview
This is an article from this month issue of PC Zone, a PC games magazine based in the UK
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Sid Meier. Despite being immensely well-hung in the personal wealth department, globally feted by game players and designers, and the proud owner of a staggering collection of jumpers, he and his team have an unenviable task ahead of them.
Just how do you improve on perfection? Leaving aside the many other well-known projects to which Sid has contributed, the first two games of the Civilization series have garnered more 'Best Game Ever' awards than just about any other title. When he created the original in 1990 it defined a new genre o f empire-building games and set the standard in tum-based strategy for years to come. Civ II added a bit of polish and sophistication, and the detour into space (Alpha Centauri) did much the same only with murkier backgrounds.
The problem then becomes where to take the third instalment? We all know they can't just tear up the rulebook and come up with something completely fresh and inspirational. In effect it has to be Civ II-and-a-bit or there will be a minor riot in the gaming world Civ III is pencilled in for release early next year, and although the team is veering towards an 'it'll be done when it's done' stand-off, they already have a fully playable prototype. On a technical level, it boasts an all-new graphics engine, replete with contoured maps (yes, elevations and terrain features affect strategies and combat) and fully animated units. There is also a thorough overhaul of the pathing and AI, and a more streamlined, two-tier interface to accommodate the needs of veterans and novices.
In gameplay terms, Firaxis is concentrating most notably on diplomacy and combat. You'll be able to trade resources, agreements, technologies, units, maps and cities in any combination. This mix-and-match approach applies as much to new diplomatic agreements as it does to trade. For example, you might bargain for peace, with a mutual protection pact, a right of passage agreement and a trade embargo against the French. An impottant distinction, however. is that newcomers won't have to deal with these added diplomatic complexities - the whole 'bargaining table' approach is tucked away for advanced users who don't scare easily.
Although it was never intended that way, with people being what they are, military aggression has become a key feature of the Civ experience.And so in Civ III it's finally getting the revamp it deserves. Along with any number of
minor additions, the combat rules covering zones of control are being extensively reworked, so anachronistic units are no longer likely to be able to hold key positions against all logical dictates. Similarly, the effectiveness
and involvement of ranged weapons such as artillery are being increased to reflect a more realistic military perspective - including 'softening' a target's defences before a major assault.
Perhaps more interestingly (and with a definite nod to Age Of Kings), nations will be able to produce leaders from the past, each capable of changing the course of history eitherin their own lifetimes or through the efforts of future generations they influence.
There's no doubt Civilization III with it's expanded scope and tweaks will sell well and play even better. Whether it'll be capable of surprising us is less certain. But maybe, just maybe, Firaxis will manage the multiplayer aspect as compulsive as the single-player game.
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You could do worse than click on this, my homepage
================================================== ==========
Sid Meier. Despite being immensely well-hung in the personal wealth department, globally feted by game players and designers, and the proud owner of a staggering collection of jumpers, he and his team have an unenviable task ahead of them.
Just how do you improve on perfection? Leaving aside the many other well-known projects to which Sid has contributed, the first two games of the Civilization series have garnered more 'Best Game Ever' awards than just about any other title. When he created the original in 1990 it defined a new genre o f empire-building games and set the standard in tum-based strategy for years to come. Civ II added a bit of polish and sophistication, and the detour into space (Alpha Centauri) did much the same only with murkier backgrounds.
The problem then becomes where to take the third instalment? We all know they can't just tear up the rulebook and come up with something completely fresh and inspirational. In effect it has to be Civ II-and-a-bit or there will be a minor riot in the gaming world Civ III is pencilled in for release early next year, and although the team is veering towards an 'it'll be done when it's done' stand-off, they already have a fully playable prototype. On a technical level, it boasts an all-new graphics engine, replete with contoured maps (yes, elevations and terrain features affect strategies and combat) and fully animated units. There is also a thorough overhaul of the pathing and AI, and a more streamlined, two-tier interface to accommodate the needs of veterans and novices.
In gameplay terms, Firaxis is concentrating most notably on diplomacy and combat. You'll be able to trade resources, agreements, technologies, units, maps and cities in any combination. This mix-and-match approach applies as much to new diplomatic agreements as it does to trade. For example, you might bargain for peace, with a mutual protection pact, a right of passage agreement and a trade embargo against the French. An impottant distinction, however. is that newcomers won't have to deal with these added diplomatic complexities - the whole 'bargaining table' approach is tucked away for advanced users who don't scare easily.
Although it was never intended that way, with people being what they are, military aggression has become a key feature of the Civ experience.And so in Civ III it's finally getting the revamp it deserves. Along with any number of
minor additions, the combat rules covering zones of control are being extensively reworked, so anachronistic units are no longer likely to be able to hold key positions against all logical dictates. Similarly, the effectiveness
and involvement of ranged weapons such as artillery are being increased to reflect a more realistic military perspective - including 'softening' a target's defences before a major assault.
Perhaps more interestingly (and with a definite nod to Age Of Kings), nations will be able to produce leaders from the past, each capable of changing the course of history eitherin their own lifetimes or through the efforts of future generations they influence.
There's no doubt Civilization III with it's expanded scope and tweaks will sell well and play even better. Whether it'll be capable of surprising us is less certain. But maybe, just maybe, Firaxis will manage the multiplayer aspect as compulsive as the single-player game.
------------------
You could do worse than click on this, my homepage
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