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By Thunderfall at 2008-08-27 23:51
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The latest official Spore video features the Civilization stage of Spore and Civ3/Civ4/Spore designer Soren Johnson, telling about diplomacy, warfare and alliances.
YouTube - Low Resolution | QuickTime - High Resolution
By the way, you can discuss Spore in the Spore forum we created recently.
Thanks to ColdFever of civilized.de for the info.
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By Denniz at 2008-08-25 17:28
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 The Civilization IV Hall of Fame has been updated. 191 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to kovacsflo for the highest score of the update with a Huge Immortal Domination game for 560,407 points.
Dracandross was the most active player during this update, submitting 21 games.
Only 6 players were brave enough to take on Deity this update. bestje submitted a 300 BC Tiny Deity Religious game for 37940 points.
Ironhead submitted a 1642 AD Huge Deity Space Colony game for 333651 points.
Oni of Chaos submitted a 3085 BC Duel Deity Conquest game for 22982 points.
ozbenno submitted a 1858 AD Small Deity Conquest game for 25554 points and a 175 AD Tiny Deity Religious game for 50921 points.
Pious_Pete submitted a 1695 AD Tiny Deity Cultural game for 29719 points, a 1705 AD Tiny Deity Cultural game for 24977 points, a 1800 AD Tiny Deity Cultural game for 14078 points and a 1725 AD Tiny Deity Cultural game for 24351 points.
Sun Tzu Wu submitted a 950 BC Small Deity Domination game for 250756 points. G-Major 32 - Large, Quick, Monarch, Diplomatic
1st Fluroscent 1070 AD - 28520 pts
2nd AAA 1070 AD - 27276 pts
3rd Dracandross 1200 AD
G-Minor 51 - Std, Warlord, Marathon, Cultural with China
1st HolyHandGrenade 1065 AD
2nd Htadus 1090 AD
3rd killercane 1135 AD
>> Civ IV HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-22 19:18
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Gamespy has followed Gamespot and IGN's suit in posting a detailed hands-on preview for Civilization IV: Colonization. Their two page article, released yesterday, praises the game's "commodity-based strategizing" and "a nice sense of tension in the endgame."
It claimed there were "lots and lots of micromanagement necessary to win," something that they elaborate on later in the preview, especially focusing on relations with the natives and other European powers. Here they describe the delicate nature of revolting:
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Trigger revolution too early and you won't be prepared for the King's counterattack. Trigger it too late and the King's forces will have built up to the point where there's no way to defeat them before 300 turns have elapsed. Have too many "goods parties" to protest rising taxes and your markets for those products in Europe get shut down. Have too few and the taxes cripple your ability to make money.
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IGN has published a fact sheet on the Dutch that contains a great deal of historical information about one of the four civilizations in Colonization. They wrote that they will preview the three remaining countries, one each week, as the release date grows nearer.
This article covers mostly Peter Stuyvesant and Adriaen van der Donck, the two Dutch leaders in the game, as well as some Dutch history from that time period. It is a good read for those seeking some context and historical background to Colonization.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-21 08:29
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Another new preview for Colonization has been released on Gamespot, similar to the other detailed hands-on previews by sites like IGN. It contains a few new screenshots in addition to summary and experiences from the game. Here is its conclusion:
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If you're looking for a challenging Civ experience, Colonization is it. Management plays a much greater role than combat, and you can't simply fight your way to victory from the very beginning. We'll have more on Colonization soon as we examine multiplayer, community, and mod tools heading toward the September 22 scheduled release date; that is, if we can pry ourselves away from the extremely addictive single-player mode. Just one more turn? Yeah right.
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Gamespot has a page of release dates, which seems to indicate the game will come out September 22nd in North America and September 26th across the rest of the world. We'll keep an eye out for an official announcement.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-21 08:28
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TheEscapist has published an interview with Sid Meier entitled "Just Your Average Gaming God," covering some broader aspects of video game making as well as details specific to the Civilization series. It's worth a read and gives good insight into what Sid Meier is thinking about for the future of Firaxis. Here he talks about the balance between remakes and original titles:
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So I think both answers are right, there needs to be innovation and new ideas, but once an idea's out there, there's a lot you need to build on. I think Civilization is a good example. We're now up to Civilization IV and each of those games has brought something new that appealed to the audience that was designed to appeal to the audience of the preceding game. A good balance of both those things is really what's good for the consumer, and also good for the industry. [...] It's the same thing here; we can take some risks with some ideas we have because we have our track record.
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By woodelf at 2008-08-21 06:59
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Sorry about the lack of updates. It isnÂ't because of a lack of quality work or quantity for that matter. A simply astounding number of top notch work this time around. No thumbnail or collage, but if someone wants to throw an 800x600 pic together IÂ'll add it.
UNITSGRAPHICS MODPACKSAUDIO & VIDEOCUSTOM CIVS Â- BtS modularMODPACKS Â- BtS- Better BTS AI 0.3 by jdog5000, Yakk, glider1
- Fury Road 0.7 by davidlallen
- Thomas War v2.0 by tsentom1
- BUG Mod 3.0 by BUG Team
- BAT Mod 1.0 by BUG Team
- XXL World by Nevermind
- overlord2 by keldath
- Gross national Happiness 1.0 by cephalo
- Dales Combat Mod v1.7 by Dale
- Revolution 1.62 by jdog5000
- MOO2Civ Patch 4b by NCCSavage, deanej, Deon, OrionVeteran, JEELEN
- RhyeÂ's and Fall RAND by Rhye
- Barbarian Alliance by Fierabras
- Rise of Mankind v2.2 by Zappara
- Rise of Mankind v2.2 Extra Civ addon pack v1.1 by Zappara
- Total War 0.96 by jojoweb
- The WoC Core by The WoC Team
- Just Another Religion Mod - Modular by Refar, JustATourist
- Merged Mod 0.80 by Ninja2, Wolfshanze, Dale, moctezuma, the Better AI team, Solver, GIR
MODULESSCENARIO - BtSMAPSCRIPTMAPSXML MODCOMPSHYBRID MODCOMPSSDK MODCOMPREFERENCE
Thanks to all of the modders and please continue to announce your new and updated files.
Note: If you would like your new or updated Civ4 file(s) included in this weekly announcement, please visit this thread for details.
>> Civilization IV Downloads
>> Civ4 - Creation & Customization Forums
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-19 19:37
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Over the past few days, an additional two previews have been released for Colonization. The first, available at JeuxVideo, is written in French only. However, it contains some new screenshots that are worth a look (see below). A second preview was released by PALGN, where they had these comments to make:
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The city management screens provide one of the more obvious points of difference. The left hand side of the screen is dedicated to a variety of specialist slots - furriers, blacksmiths, ministers of religion and rum distillers, to name just a few. As the game progresses, you can plug specialists into these slots, which will generally increase a city's production of a particular resource or item. These can then be traded between your cities, with the native population or sent home on a trader's ship. In our short time with the game, it quickly became apparent that one of the keys to success is a vibrant economy that makes the most of every resource at your disposal.
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In total, 26 new screenshots have been added to the gallery from various sources. They include images of the Civilopedia, various advisor screens, the leaders and their traits, as well as other gameplay scenes. Here are some thumbnails:
>> View the remaining screenshots in the Colonization gallery
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-18 20:57
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After a few extensions of negotiations between Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive, both video game publishers, to agree to a deal in which EA would acquire Take-Two, EA has now decided not to pursue it further, according to a Bloomberg news article. Electronic Arts stated that, since they would not gain the benefits of the holiday selling season, their bid would no longer yield satisfactory results.
Their latest offer had been $25.74 per share, something rejected by Take-Two's board. This means that there is still potential for Take-Two to remain independent. Take-Two is, of course, the current publisher for the Civilization series.
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By Marsden at 2008-08-18 09:45
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 The Civilization III Hall of Fame has been updated. 23 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to Bartleby for the highest Firaxis score of the update with a Huge Regent Domination game for 12460 points.
Congratulations to Aigburth for winning the current gauntlet with a 670AD 100k Cultural. The new gauntlet will be found here.
Ozymandius was the most active player during this update, submitting 9 games.
No players were brave enough to take on Sid this update.
Congratulations to nerovats for rising from 4th to 3rd, to Bartleby for rising from 10th to 9th, to Karl_t_great for rising from 11th to 10th, to Marsden for rising from 12th to 11th, to Nikodemus for rising from 18th to 12th and to Ozymandius for rising from 31st to 29th in the Quartermasters competition.
Commiserations to killercane for falling from 3rd to 4th, to SpiffyKeen7744 for falling from 9th to 13th, to AutomatedTeller for falling from 13th to 14th, to Denniz for falling from 14th to 15th, to zerksees for falling from 15th to 16th, to sanabas for falling from 16th to 17th, to EMan for falling from 17th to 18th, to Ljdjr for falling from 29th to 30th and to FadeAwayNot for falling from 30th to 31st in the Quartermasters competition.
>> Civ III HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Plotinus at 2008-08-17 13:45
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 More files for your delectation. We have even more great new aeroplanes than usual from TopGun (he lost the 69) and Fire Fox, and some nice new tech icons from georgestow. Vuldacon has surpassed himself with the Drunk, one of the most impressively and unhygienically animated units in a long while. And a major highlight this time around is the long-awaited Alexander the Great scenario from Keroro, which is epic in every sense of the word. Make sure you give it a go!
UNITS
LEADERHEADS
IMPROVEMENTS AND WONDERS
TERRAIN GRAPHICS
TECH ICONS
OTHER GRAPHICS
MAPS, MODS, AND SCENARIOS
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By Thunderfall at 2008-08-16 21:46
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Apolyton has posted a podcast interviewing three Civ4Col developers at Firaxis. The three Firaxians are Mike Bates (Lead Artist), Ed Piper (Designer), and Jesse Smith (Producer).
Topics cover the developers themselves then Civ4Col's design, gameplay, combat, graphics and finally a set of miscellaneous questions. In addition to new info, it also includes the game's opening theme music throughout. This podcast runs for 70 minutes.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-16 18:25
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IGN has released a more in-depth hands-on preview for the upcoming Civilization IV: Colonization, focusing heavily on colonial management and trade. In addition, IGN released the footage for Colonization's debut trailer, which you can view by clicking this link (alternatively, you can download an HD version from GamersHell). Here is a quote from the preview, explaining the various random map scripts:
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In the build that I played, there are two map types. The New World map creates a landmass that stretches from pole-to-pole, much like North and South America. The Caribbean map eschews the big land mass and goes for large islands. As far as I can tell, the New World map makes for easy hostilities, since colonies are all essentially connected. The Caribbean map slows down exploration and warfare, since you have to transport units across water.
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As well as these random map scripts, the game also includes various pre-made, accurate maps that you can see from this screenshot.
>> View the Colonization trailer
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By Thunderfall at 2008-08-15 20:56
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For those of you who purchased Civilization Revolution in GameStop/EB, Target, and Best Buy, you can now redeem the gift with purchase code at the 2K Games Code Redemption site for a wonder/artifact pack that can be used with Xbox 360/PS3 version.
Thanks to Modeltrainman for the news tip.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-14 21:50
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Forum member TheMystic has kindly posted eighteen new screenshots for the upcoming Colonization based on his experiences with the game so far. They show numerous interface screens (the leader selection process, revolution and trading screens, and more) as well as images from the game's intro video. All have been uploaded to the Colonization gallery and are worth checking out. Here are some clickable thumbnails:
EDIT (8/15): Even more screenshots have been uploaded to the Gallery!
>> View all new Colonization screenshots
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By Ginger_Ale at 2008-08-14 20:13
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Today VideoGamer.com published its preview for Civilization IV: Colonization. Similar to many other hands-on previews, this article contains a good description of various aspects of the game though it lacks any new screenshots. Here is an excerpt that explains the additions and changes to the interface:
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Far more important is the fact that the layout of menu screens, feedback and stats is all very intuitive. Governing the development of a new nation is no easy task, but the game does everything it can to make options and commands as simple as it can - with an emphasis on drag-and-drop for managing trades and assigning colonists to specific jobs. As is typical for Firaxis games, there's also an in-built encyclopaedia who proves to be totally invaluable.
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Also, I just noticed that 2K Games' official Colonization site is up. Chances are that it was released some time ago, but, since it contains nothing new, it largely went unnoticed. Tomorrow, August 15, promises to be a big day for new Colonization info and previews according to some posts on the forum, so keep your hopes up!
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