Another Beyond the Sword Article on IGN

[Thunderfall]

IGN has posted another Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword article, this time written by Alex Mantzaris, lead designer of BTS.

The article contains lots of interesting new info and also includes nine cool new screenshots! Below are some of the new info:

• There are on-map ocean trade routes that enhance the importance of your navy.
• There is a reworked late-game technology tree.
• There are colonies splitting from their motherland to form new civilizations.
• There are random events and quests that give each game a unique flavor.
• Once you have reached certain thresholds of espionage investment, you start gaining some automatic intelligence benefits over rival civilizations, like visibility into their cities, access to their demographics and power graphs, knowledge of their current research efforts, and ultimately the ability to prevent foreign spies from operating within your borders. There are new buildings to support your intelligence strategy like the Security Bureau that make it harder for foreign spies to perform missions in your cities, or the Intelligence Agency that enhances espionage spending.
• Some espionage missions are blowing up terrain improvements and buildings, poisoning water supplies, stealing gold, spreading culture into target city, and coercing target leader to switch civics or state religions. Spies can also provide defense against enemy espionage by performing counterespionage missions.
• Standard Ethanol consumes corn, sugar, or rice and produces oil. If you lack aluminum but have access to coal, you can aim to found Aluminum, Inc., which will allow you to compete in the space race. Creative Constructions turns obsolete strategic resources like iron, copper, stone, or marble into extra production for your cities.
• The modern era tech tree has been reworked and many new units, like Mobile Artillery, Mobile SAM, Paratroopers, and Anti-tank Guns, make their debut.

Thanks to IGN's Steve Butts (aka mrbee) for posting about it.

>> See all BTS screenshots
>> BTS Info Center
>> Discuss the article here

 

[bite]

There are on-map ocean trade routes that enhance the importance of your navy. ...... There are colonies splitting from their motherland to form new civilizations. There are random events and quests that give each game a unique flavor.

this is the best news so far, water trade routes like this will make the game all the more fun

 

[Monado]

Every article keeps introducing news ideas about BtS. I am excited about the visible trade routes, and the fact that colonies can now split from their controlling civ. I know civil wars used to be in the old civ games, but there hasn't been anything like this since I started playing Civ 3.

One picture that scares me is this:

http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1132&c=24

I really wouldn't want futuristic military machines like these included in the standard (epic) game. I am hoping this picture is from one of the scenarios, maybe Afterworld or another unknown one.

 

[thenooblet22]

Colonial independence/new civilizations and water routes?!! Really unbelievably awesome

One picture that scares me is this:

http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1132&c=24

I really wouldn't want futuristic military machines like these included in the standard (epic) game. I am hoping this picture is from one of the scenarios, maybe Afterworld or another unknown one.

Something is off in that picture. The city is the background is obviously in the Industrial era. Either that is a scenario or a setup to show off the units. However, I wouldn't mind futuristic weapons. The only quirk is that the tank is freaking huge.

 

[Inhalaattori]

For me futuristic units are ok, as long as they have chanced the ending year.

 

[s0ulst0rms]

whooo!! southeast asian (khmer?) empire is in with an elephant archer unique unit! i was so excited i made an account just to say this.

 

[Olleus]

If they keep releasing so many new things everyday, I can only guess at how good the final version will be.

 

[Catharsis]

That picture of Suleiman will haunt my nightmares.

 

[troyDoogle7]

That picture of Suleiman will haunt my nightmares.

ok am done... am not reading civfanatics till BTS comes out.... I can't take the waiting... I want it now..... (addiction is a *****)

All these great features, I am just hoping its not a let down....

 

[cuchulain]

So what do we think those UU's are?
My guess:
Khmer elephant
Enkidu Sumerian warrior
babylonian archer
byzantine cataphractoi?

Wonder what their abilities will be...

 

[ForbiddenPalace]

Corportions are killing me right now.

 

[jkp1187]

There are on-map ocean trade routes that enhance the importance of your navy.

Oh my god -- navies will actually have a new mission?

 

[mylinar]

I am overwhelmed. At this point I have not even managed to win a game with Warlords yet I end up stopping and either starting a new game or reloading and trying something new from some supposedly critical point in the past.

I admit that I did not buy it until maybe Feb. of this year, but still. Now there is a new version to learn and "master" (if you can call what I do that).
Of course I will buy it and install it, after seeing all the new things that I can fail to learn correctly who could resist?

Well no matter, this is about the only game that I play anymore, for months in a row now I think. I love history so this entire series of games since the 1990's has been a staple of my life (or whatever it is people call it)

----------------------------
I need to discover where signatures come from.

 

[jkp1187]

I am overwhelmed. At this point I have not even managed to win a game with Warlords yet I end up stopping and either starting a new game or reloading and trying something new from some supposedly critical point in the past.

I admit that I did not buy it until maybe Feb. of this year, but still. Now there is a new version to learn and "master" (if you can call what I do that).
Of course I will buy it and install it, after seeing all the new things that I can fail to learn correctly who could resist?

Well no matter, this is about the only game that I play anymore, for months in a row now I think. I love history so this entire series of games since the 1990's has been a staple of my life (or whatever it is people call it)

----------------------------
I need to discover where signatures come from.

Try sticking it out to the end even if you know you're in a losing position. I found I learned more from those games than from re-starting....

 

[T.A JONES]

One picture that scares me is this:

http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=1132&c=24

Ya I hear ya man when I posted these shots I while back..
Big Honkin tank help!

Tank Supersize!!

Super Deter Mega tank!

'Lil Hoves' Coleco Tank

Big Floater. Full tile tank

The Condor aka ' The Nuclear Deturrent'

.... I figured someone was listening

To hard to resist a lil Post modern fun with the "Hummer" of the tank world still shellin em on the run, Against lean mean mech machines these beaties shall do well. Im mean its all for Rep'n for the weapons of old, all across the world.Still, gettin 'redlined by the speaman' drill! Shi#t, Hopin they take time to perfect % to beat cuz the spearman win is pure cheats.

 

[blushing_bride]

The naval trade route stuff sounds brilliant. Cant wait for this expansion now!!! Gah another two months to go...

 

[Shigga]

Holy COW!! On-map trade routes, mobile arty back and colony split?? If they announce there will be future age things like ocean settling and fusion tanks- that'll blow my hat off. Even with the already mentioned features it sounds friggin' awesome. This could be the first ever expansion that really lives up to it's name.