(P)REVIEWS - Civilization IV Preview by Solver
Trust No One
At least, not in online games. CivIV allows you to pit your skills against other human opponents in a variety of multiplayer modes. Under the Quick Game mode with simultaneous turn, it is quite possible to play a multiplayer game in one sitting. Multiplayer in CivIV is fun - I am a single player person at heart, but I still enjoyed my MP experiences.
The first important thing that has to be said about CivIV multiplayer is that it really works. Connectivity is fine, the performance is decent even in games with more than a couple of players, and the game itself plays just as it is supposed to. Multiplayer is enjoyable largely thanks to the amount of options available to participants. For example, you can start your game in the Industrial or Modern Age, you can disallow city razing, play n-city elimination or even play games where wars are not possible - instead, it's a race to build a spaceship that successfully makes it to Alpha Centauri. Also, for any game type, there exists the option of team play. Players on the same team will share research and sight, and this mode can be a very popular one among players who are discouraged from multiplayer because of the more aggressive nature of it. In a team game, you can build Wonders and do research for your teammates to benefit from, while they concentrate on building armies and fighting.
Play-by-Email is also available for those willing to join long-lasting games with elaborate diplomacy. Persistent turn-based server games will come to CivIV soon, which can be interesting to PBEM and regular multiplayer fans alike.
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