(P)REVIEWS - Civilization IV Preview by MarkG
Hands-On Civilization 4 Preview: Part 3
The WOW Effect
We have wonder movies. We have a cool intro movie that escapes the
classic 'history of the world in 40 seconds' concept. We have a throne
room. We have voice-overs when a new technology is discovered. We have
pigs and cows moving around on the map. We have hundreds of MBs of
music of varying genres to listen to, including classical. We have
end-of-game replay with a full log of events that you can also watch
after the game is over. Oh yes, we also have the whole world in full 3D
and we can see our (conquered) world spinning... :)
I guess the only thing missing is Elvis arguing with the hot diplomacy advisor. Expansion pack, Sid?
I want to MOD the world!
A lot has been said about the modding abilities of Civilization IV. There are:
1) An in-game map editor
2) All game settings information on notepad-editable XML files
3) Graphics using non-closed formats like .DDS and .TGA
4) Python scripting everywhere from events to map creation algorithms
5) C++ SDK coming early 2006
More important than perhaps all of this though, is that many of the Civ
community's best creators are part of the beta testing team Firaxis put
together, and have had the game in their hands for a long time now.
This alone creates a major head start for the Civ4 modding community. In fact, additions to the in-the-box tools and resources will be available on Release Day.
Some great examples of Civ4's modding powers will be seen
in the included scenarios. At least 4 historical scenarios (with
familiar as well as new themes) will be in the box, with Firaxis
probably releasing more post-release. And yes, a world map IS included.
No, dinosaur units won't be included.
Excuses
I haven't mentioned so far:
1) Multiplayer: I'm not a MP person, so I can't really say much. I
played a single game with Solver six weeks ago through direct IP
connection (not the in-game GameSpy Arcade-powered system) and it went
smoothly.
2) Performance: This aspect is still based on a beta experience, so I
can't comment. You are going to need a DirectX 9 compatible graphics
card to play at good speeds (although older cards will run the game as
well), but beyond that Firaxis has several options available for people
without the latest ATI or nVidia. I hope to have an almost-gold version
of the game before release to post an update on this.
3) Balance: As I've said, I'm a simple Civer. I haven't beaten deity
since Civilization II. :D So, I'm not the best person to judge whether
air units are overpowered or other stuff like that. We'll have pre- and
post-release features on that by other people though. :)
Conclusion
You really need an ending paragraph? I want to get back to Civ4. Asoka
hates my guts and is about to declare war on me. OK, fine. Firaxis has
done it again. Civilization IV is a refreshing upgrade (not update) for
the Civ genre. The new features will require several months for old and
new players to master. The open architecture ensures a long life for
the game, even if Sid decides to do a remake of F15 Strike Eagle and
Civilization V is a failure because Soren wanted to include a
non-optional shoot'em up mini-game during combat (what do you mean
'this sounds like a cool idea'??) :)
So, without further delay (of my game),
Long Live and Prosper Civ!
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