This April we also got you a mid-month GOTM! Eyswein has put a new challenge together for everyone who is eager to try. This time we want you to play as Ashoka World Renouncer starting with Iceland as civ. The map is a standard size Archipelago map, and you play on Sovereign level with light disaster intensity. We want you to win with an economic victory, and that as fast as possible. You think you can do that? Get your savegame here and send in the winning game before May 15!
Season 9 Game Three!
Sullla’s AI Survivor is an annual competition of all Civilization IV AI Leaders by long-time Civilization enthusiast and streamer Sullla. CFC is very excited to announce that the popular series returns after almost a two-year hiatus with Season Nine. AI Survivor has become quite an event over the years for both old and new Civ IV fans.
Game 2 Recap (click for write-up): I’m not one for hyperbole—well, actually, I am—but Game 2 last week may have been the best single game in AI Survivor history. It was certainly one of the top-tier finishes we’ve ever seen. Not only did the match come down to the very last turn for a Spaceship Victory between Joao of Portugal and Victoria of England, but the final result hinged on a deep-layer probability factor. The early and mid-game were absolute bloodbaths; the “crazy warmonger” crew was sent to permanent naps, while a weakened Willem of the Netherlands launched a surprisingly impactful backstab against Joao. Joao managed to survive, eventually turning the tables to wipe Willem out completely with some late-game assistance from Vicky. Leveraging his massive land acquisitions, Joao grabbed a tech lead and, at one point, looked like a sure bet to reach the stars first. However, Vicky utilized the power of the Financial trait and an expertly timed Golden Age to surge ahead in the final stretch. She launched her spaceship first, forcing Joao’s hand. He did the only thing he could: frantically, he launched an unfinished ship. Because of the travel times, both ships were slated to reach the stars on the same turn. This setup typically forces a coin flip to determine the victor, but Joao’s odds were even worse due to the risk of mission failure. And then, the unthinkable happened: Joao’s ship exploded. The voyage failed, handing the English a dramatic, narrow victory.
This week, our CFC Knight of the Round Table a-pen-dragon achieved a 2nd place finish while Plains-Cow, Chik-fil-a enthusiast, holds a strong #4 position in the overall contest!
Game 3 is shaping up to be the most balanced match of the season, featuring a perfect, volatile split between ruthless warmongers and calculating peacemongers. Leading the charge is the legendary Pacal of the Mayans—a certified “AI Survivor” powerhouse—closely shadowed by the unpredictable Suryavarman of the Khmer and a recently downgraded, yet still dangerous, Julius Caesar. They face a scrappy underclass of wildcards: Pericles of Greece, who remains a persistent dark horse capable of stealing a win under the right conditions; Qin Shi Huang of China, a resilient survivor whose traits often keep him in the game long past his expiration date; and the enigmatic Sitting Bull. While the Native American leader famously lives up to his name by doing nothing, his shocking victory last season proves that in this field, even the most passive player can seize the crown. Underestimate this group at your own peril—this match is anyone’s to lose.
Don’t forget to make your picks in the picking contest before the game goes live!
Also, note that our favorite CFC Warrior Queen, Mylene (My), hosts her own friendly betting competitions (with fake ducats, of course..ha): a standalone single-game challenge and a season-long tournament. Make sure you join in the fun S9G3 Single Picks and S9G3 Contest Picking.
Sullla’s AI Survivor Season 9 continues Friday, April 17th, on Sullla’s Twitch Channel at noon EST. You make track the completion with the Current Bracket & Standings.
We welcome you to join the fun by discussing here.
CivFanatics user Blake00 has released his Command & Conquer Tiberian Africa Scenario for Sid Meier’s Civilization 2. His remaster takes Wonx2150’s original Civ2 CnC Africa scenario containing CnC1&2 units and overhauls its graphics & expands the unit lineups using assets from CnC2 Tiberian Sun and some of the best CnC fan projects out there! Many parts of Civ2 have been changed making this one of the larger Civ2 Gold total conversion mods made (although no match for the recent Civ2 Heroes of Might & Magic modpack) and it’s even bigger sister project the Civ2 Red Alert 2 Siege of New York scenario will be coming soon too. It’s a few decades late but he did it anyway! Check it out here.
For April you are also getting a new GOTM for Civ5! This time we want you to play the following setup: You are Pocatello of the Shoshone and play on a huge Inland Sea map on Immortal level. You must win this game via a diplomacy victory, and at the same time you must prevent any other civ from winning another victory. Do you think you are up for this challenge? Then get your savegame here and submit the winning game before May 1!
Season 9 Game Two!
Sullla’s AI Survivor is an annual competition of all Civilization IV AI Leaders by long-time Civilization enthusiast and streamer Sullla. CFC is very excited to announce that the popular series returns after almost a two-year hiatus with Season Nine. AI Survivor has become quite an event over the years for both old and new Civ IV fans.
Game 1 Recap (click for write-up): Did I say peaceful leaders?! Well, this game proved far less peaceful than expected. Surprisingly, our good friend Mansa started the first ill-advised war in this game, and it all just got worse for him as he shockingly became the first leader to bite it. Meanwhile, our favorite underachiever and connoisseur of fine headwear, Hatsepshut (Hatty), got off to a reasonably promising start but failed to capitalize on any advantages. Hatty did survive the game, though, so she will get another chance to get that first win. Ultimately, Asoka pulled off a well-played and impressive Turn 298 Spaceship victory over a fierce challenge by Elizabeth. Cyrus of Persia and Kublai Khan were the other casualties.
I’m pleased to mention that our favorite resident CFC bovine, Plains-Cow, finished second in the Game 1 picking contest!
The competition heats up in Game 2 as we see a clash between high-tier traits and volatile personalities. With four Financial trait leaders on the map, the economy will be the primary engine of conflict.
In the world of AI Survivor, the Financial trait is widely considered the gold standard for success. This game features a heavy-hitting lineup of economic powerhouses:
Victoria is a particularly interesting case. She pairs Financial with the Imperialistic trait—my personal pick for the second-best trait in the format. Despite this “God-tier” combination, Vicky has historically underperformed. Will this be the season she finally lives up to her potential?
While the economy wins games, aggression defines them. Alexander of Greece enters Game 2 having recently fought his way into Tier 1 status. Alex is a notorious “one-trick pony”; if he successfully snowballs his early war machine, he is nearly impossible to stop.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on the rest of the field:
Who will dominate Game 2 and who will face early extinction? Don’t forget to make your picks in the picking contest before the game goes live!
Also, note that our favorite CFC Warrior Queen, Mylene (My), hosts her own friendly betting competitions (with fake ducats, of course..ha): a standalone single-game challenge and a season-long tournament. Make sure you join in the fun S9G2 Single Picks and S9G2 Contest Picking.
Sullla’s AI Survivor Season 9 continues Friday, April 10th, on Sullla’s Twitch Channel at noon EST. You make track the completion with the Current Bracket & Standings.
We welcome you to join the fun by discussing here.
In case you got a lot of time over Easter, then we challenge you for the next Civ7 “Game Of The Month”! In this GOTM you play as Amina of the Maya on a standard size Fractal map with medium disaster intensity on Immortal level. You may choose any following civ on your own. You must win via a Science Victory in the Modern Age in the least number of turns, and prevent any other civ from reaching another victory. You think you are up to this challenge? Then get your savegame here and send in the winning savegame before May 1!
Season 9 Has Arrived!
AI Survivor is an annual competition of all Civilization IV AI Leaders by long-time Civilization enthusiast and streamer Sullla. CFC is very excited to announce that the popular series returns after almost a two-year hiatus with Season Nine. AI Survivor has become quite an event over the years for both old and new Civ IV fans.
Game 1 will feature a mostly peaceful bunch of leaders led by the Mansa Musa, a generally peaceful leader, who has been extremely successful. Mansa is a very popular pick in the picking contest regardless of his starting position. Kublai Khan, likely the only true warmonger present in this game, is another leader who has had success. Then we have poor, sweet Hatty (Hatshepsut) of Egypt, who has never won a single game in the entire series. Will she finally win her first game?!! Be sure to make your picks in the picking context.
Also, note that our favorite CFC Warrior Queen, Mylene (My), hosts her own friendly betting competition (with fake ducats, of course..ha). Make sure you join in the fun Picking Fun – S9G1.
Sullla’s AI Survivor Season 9 continues Friday, April 3rd on Sullla’s Twitch Channel at noon EST.
We welcome you to join the fun by discussing here.
Just two days after releasing the Empires of the Indus expansion, Mohawk Games has announced what they are working on next – a dinosaur-themed strategy game.
Sid Meier will be on loan to Mohawk to create the game that he described in 2022 as his “holy grail” game. Meanwhile, Soren Johnson will be spending the remainder of 2026 working with Firaxis on the design of future expansion packs, whose names have not yet been announced.
“Soren spent seven years with Firaxis in the early 2000s, including leading the Civilization IV design team, and we’re excited to have him back to contribute to Civilization VII,” said a Firaxis representative. “He has some really interesting ideas on how to fuse some of the ideas from the Firaxis Feature Workshop, his own and our team’s ideas, and the core elements of the game, and the future will be brighter for having him with us this year.”
From Mohawk, technical director Alex Mantzaris said, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Sid to help him realize his lifelong vision of creating a dinosaur strategy game.”
Meier himself commented that design discussions over the past year convinced him that a solution had been found to the challenges that he had noted about a dinosaur game in his 2020 book. He will remain an employee of Firaxis on loan to the smaller studio.
No release date had been announced for either the Civilization VII expansions or Sid Meier’s Older World, and as of this time we do not have confirmation on whether this also means the end of future expansion to Mohawk’s existing title, Old World.
Discuss the announcement with us in this thread.