Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Sid tries to civilize consoles

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What is it about that 'end turn' button which means you just have to press it again? Last time you glanced up at the clock it was 10pm, then 1am, then 3am, quick kebab break, then 6:35am, and by this point you're not sure whether you're still playing a game or whether you really are the leader of a civilization bent on world domination. Your arms ache, your coffee has gone cold again without you noticing, and sunlight is streaming through your blinds...

But... just... one... more... turn....

I wrote that back in 2005. The hazardous effects of Civilization IV are well known to all discerning gamers. The game should really carry a serious health warning: "people with little free time and/or compulsive tendencies to beware!" a game of traditional Civ typically takes around 12 hours, and that's if you're rushing. In my opinion it is the most addictive singleplayer experience of all time, topping the magnetic replay value of the likes of Oblivion, GTA and KOTOR. If anything, the multiplayer experience is even more addictive, and then you've got official add-ons, unofficial mods, tons of variable gameplay options, and so on.

Well for the first time since Civ's creation 18 years ago (count 'em) Sid Meier is developing a version of Civ based heavily around the idea of accessibility and mass-appeal - with an estimated game-time of 2-4 hours tops. It's called Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution and it's exclusively hitting the console market , there will be no PC version! And, to quote Mr. Meier, "This is the game I've always wanted to make." Well frankly Sid, I don't believe you, but I'm sure we're in for a treat anyway.

Civilization is a game of world conquest. Originally a board game, which bares almost no resemblance to the computer game, Civilization has gone through four major iterations, each one superior to the last in almost every respect. In a typical game of Civ you take a civilization from 4000 BC, one settlement, and one warrior, too a sprawling massive modern empire dominating the world. Gameplay tends to involve early expansion, barbarian avoidance, seafaring, industrial revolutions, diplomatic shrewdness, war, and perhaps a space-race if you haven't been nuked yet.

Civilization Revolution is going to differ from the Civ we know and love in some key ways. The game is being designed with a "pick-up and play" philosophy. This is a stark contrast to Civ II, which I recall had a manual thicker than King James' Bible. But with a clever gamepad control system, which apparently works very nicely thus far, and an integrated help-system, I imagine Firaxis will pull this off nicely. That's not to mention the return of the Civlopaedia - an integrated game encyclopaedia which allows players to reference almost every concept, tile, unit, improvement, and whatnot in the game.

Typically in Civ the civilization who have "won" is fairly obvious about halfway through the game - at the very least you can narrow it down to two or three civs. But in Civilization Revolution this will not be the case (allegedly). It will be much easier to lose your grasp on a "clear cut" victory, and like-wise if you are trailing there will be more opportunities to catch up. How this will actually translate in gameplay terms is unclear, but it's forefront within the designers' minds.

Diplomatic interactions with civilizations can now be undertook in a conference-like situation, with multiple leaders interacting with each other as they interact with you. Apparently this can be both comical and strategically crucial, as two civs attempt to vie for the affections, or military prowess, of another. Computer leader-heads will turn and point real-time, giving the most realistic diplomatic interactions yet.

Players will also have the option of discussing specific world events in diplomatic chat, making indications on the world map. Few details have been released about this feature, but we're expecting it to be things such as... "I'm still a little peeved about when your tanks entered my territory here and destroyed my border town which used to be here."

The Civilization Revolution graphics engine is looking very nice. According to Sid, the artists have been given more freedom than ever before in this version. The game has an integrated physics engine which makes combat animations cooler than ever, and the detail level is at an all-time high. Unit promotions will now affect the look of the unit depending on which promotions they have been given. For example; units which have been awarded a "city attack" promotion will now perhaps have a battering ram visible on the map.

As previously mentioned, game time has been drastically cut down. This has been done via streamlined time-scales, removal of all micro-management, and a simplification of the resource system. Tiles now will now only supply one resource, and pollution/corruption is gone. Furthermore, science will now be harvested as a raw resource, rather than being converted from economic wealth as in the previous games.

For the first time ever the option to actively retreat from combat is being introduced. It's hard to say how such a potentially huge game-altering experience will be introduced. In many ways it makes realistic sense, retreat is a real-world combat option and until this iteration of Civ it was something only ever performed automatically and only then available to wheeled units and cavalry.

A few of the old gems are returning. The trophy room is back; this used to be a throne room in Civ II, and a castle in Civ III. The way this worked is when you reached certain game score benchmarks your "followers" would celebrate your leadership by paying tribute to your throne room, and then you got to choose which area they would upgrade. Although this did get a little tedious after playing many games, it was fun for the most part.

Also, the advisors are back! These guys used to be really annoying, but also pretty funny. Back in Civ II they were actually third-rate actors over-acting their hearts out, but in Civ III they were CG faces. I'd expect the latter in this case, and they will be entertaining none-the-less.

One final mention about the game engine; Sid is real proud of this one, the way in which it has been programmed and the shear adaptability of it. He mentioned in a recent interview that the core gaming experience will remain the same on all systems - exactly the same line-for-line code, but because it has been so well programmed only the interface layer will need changing between consoles, bare in mind a DS version is being released. Sid went as far as to mention they had a version of this game running on Colecovision. Do you know what that was? It was a TV-plug-in games system released in 1982...

I'm an old-school Civ-fanatic. I've been with this series since the start, and I'll be there until the end. Deep down, I'm a little suspicious of all the talk of accessibility; will it detract from the hardcore-style gameplay of previous iterations? Frankly, I liked being addicted to hugely lengthy games of Civ. But it's obvious with this version we're going to see something a little different. It's still going be Civ, but it's definitely going to play differently. There is one thing about which we can have no doubt, release after release Sid Meier has rarely disappointed. Conclusion - have faith and put this one on the watch-like-a-hawk list.

By Richard Nolan