2K Games showed us Civilization V during a presentation off site from the main events at the Moscone Center. We were led upstairs into a theater-esque room where we reverted back to high school with our notebooks ready to take notes and expand our knowledge on the instructor’s lecture. Fortunately, it was much more entertaining than any school related session I can recall. As the name suggests this is the fifth installment in their award winning series. As many fans know the game’s core revolves around the addictive “just one more turn” gameplay. Firaxis Games looks to make the game even more accessible while pleasing its long-term fans by “adding new ways to play and win; new tools to manage and expand your civilization; extensive modding capabilities; and intensely competitive multiplayer options.”
The demonstration kicked off with them overlooking the map. It was incredibly detailed with various terrain types and elevations. Although it looked like this level of graphical presentation was the result of pre-rendered, they assured us that the environments were randomly generated. Another piece they pointed out were the grids which were now hexagons instead of the usual squares. That was enough of the aesthetics though. They were ready to show off some gameplay.
First off, they wanted to show us how someone with no prior experience in the game could easily play and enjoy themselves in the process. Advisors are there to help you make decisions throughout the game so that you do not become overwhelmed by the vast number of events and situations that require your attention. This allows the new players to feel confident in their decisions. The notifications system is a new feature that fills the player in on what is happening around them. so maybe you have chosen to research an unexplored area of forest. If something is discovered during exploration, such as ancient ruins, the game will notify you. Also, it will inform you of any deaths. The player is no longer left wondering what fate their brave soldier met. The camera immediately shoots to the grim scene and explains what happened. So if you were to send out a scout into uncharted land and he dies in the wilderness you will be informed of his demise. This really adds to the significance of each person under the player’s control.
The presentation went on to show its core gameplay mechanics. Primary function buttons that were used often were seen at the bottom left and secondary function buttons appeared after clicking the corresponding button. A few clicks later and we were chatting with George Washington. He is one of the many leaders you will encounter during your conquest. Each is designed with a specific personality and play style. This will make it feel like you are playing against another player instead of a computer controlled AI. Walking us through the options for conversation they stopped on one of the new peaceful options. Research agreement is a topic that can be chosen and if accepted it will boost scientific research. Be sure to keep a friendly disposition towards them if you make the agreement because if things go sour before the research is complete you are at a loss. They showed us a bit of the trading and decided to offer Washington some spices for gold. When he refused the offer it was decided that his refusal was grounds for war. Another click and the two were ready to brawl. Here we got a peak at the updated combat of Civilization V. Unlike earlier entries players are limited to one unit per tile. That’s right, no more stacking. No need to get upset though. The addition of ranged combatants creates a whole new layer to this strategic game. Don’t get too cocky kid. A straight assault is not always the best option. Geography plays into the battles. If the enemy has the upper ground or is funneling your troops through a narrow pass, a la 300 style, then they may still have the upper hand regardless of your stronger soldiers. Wars are not always direct however.
City states are a new mechanic that will really make you think twice about your actions. City states never grow larger than a city and they will not try to win the game through conquest. This does not make them harmless though. It is quite the contrary. They can be the precursor to many wars and even have the ability to defend themselves to a certain extent with their own amount of hit points. We were shown the barbaric city of Sidon. Given their militaristic background it seemed like a good idea to give some gold to them and bring in a new ally. In return they offered us some of their units to command during battle. Things can get pretty hectic with this new ally quickly. Let’s say the US decides to attack our new friend, Sidon. If we help them by defending the city against Washington, then we have just started a war with the US and their allies. It is extremely entertaining to watch one city cause a World War.
As the presentation wrapped up there were a few last comments made on different aspects of Civilization V. Modders will be pleasantly surprised by the many options incorporated that “outdoes anything before.” Players can create mods or download and play other ones. In terms of graphics we saw it running on Dx11, but even low end computers running at least Dx9 can play it. Roads were said to have more use than just traveling, but that is something they will talk about further down the road (see what I did there?). Another feature we were unable to take a look at was a mystery button that provides a “strategic view.” They believe this will have many players excited when they release more info on it in the coming months.
That is all for now and hopefully you have enough information to hold you over till they decide to unveil more. You can expect to get your copy for PC this fall.
