Civilization V Announced!

[Netich]

Really great news.

The hexagonal world is fine, but i would have choosen a smaller grid, with one unit per tile. Being able to group units, so you could have a line of units moving together, like a front. And ranged units behind. With this grid size, a 2 tiles ranged archer seems unrealistic.

The screenshots seems a very early version (no interface, roads¿? going into water). I hope they arent rushing the game to solve their financial problems.

About multithread, I see it very difficult to achieve. There is not much concurreny in calculations in each end of turn. Maybe two threads (model-view), so one is doing the graphics-sound, and another one doing the game logic.

 

[LegioCorvus]

Ooooh... marshland.

I like the hexes. I don't know why, but it makes me thing combat will evolve away from the SoD.

Overall - VERY EXCITED!

 

[Eklabiaan]

I am axious to see the terrain, the civics and the religion systems.
Hope these will also be extended / have more depth.

 

[kazapp]

I've played the original Panzer and Allied Generals many times and quite liked the use of hexagonal movement and design in those games.

OMGOMGOMG A Panzer General mod in Civ5!

I can't wait!

 

[DMOC]

Finally - the hexagon.

I hope there will be improved diplomacy and more "interaction" as they say in the announcement. I would like, for instance, to enter a UN room and see all these leaders walking around and acting like they would in a real UN conference.

 

[Ekmek]

Oh I really hope stacks are still in, as armies didn't usually literally spread across the landscape.

you never heard of strategic consumption?

 

[Bowsling]

Fall this year

Yes, I know it's getting released then, but still, maybe we can have the modding forums a bit early?

 

[Afforess]

About multithread, I see it very difficult to achieve. There is not much concurreny in calculations in each end of turn. Maybe two threads (model-view), so one is doing the graphics-sound, and another one doing the game logic.

It's okay, I just hope that they fixed the slowdowns from the python-C++ language interpretors, that was the real cause of slowdowns. The game engine was plenty fast, it could compute 100 calculations in the time it takes you to blink. It was whenever the game had to grab information from the python files that made it lag.

 

[Yakk]

As I said elsewhere. "unprecedented" and "unlimited" are just marketing speak and are unlikely to be completely true. They do have a reputation to maintain however, so it does bode well

The thing is, a modable game is actually a good feature in the game.

It means that there is a good barrier between the gameplay mechanics and the core graphics engine.

You don't want the gameplay mechanics poking around at polygons.

And ideally, you want something like a python scripting engine so scenario designers don't need to be C++ programmers to do anything interesting.

And even more than that, you want config files, because once again, this means that non-coders can do game design.

The early modable Civ games where not modable as a marketing point -- they where modable so that the "in-house modders" (the game designers) could change how the game works without having to delve into fragile C/C++ code.

Heck, I remember writing scripts to modify the binary data files of an early version of Civ so I could change how the gameplay went.

 

[krasny]

The first thing I noticed was they seem to have got rid of stacking.

Whether this means the one unit in a hex is of variable size, or they just got rid of stacking I don't know.

The SoD is hella realistic for the game up to the Modern Era, where improvements in communications and logistics enabled fronts and positional warfare.

Oh yeah, CivV YUCK FEAH!

 

[kazapp]

About multithread, I see it very difficult to achieve. There is not much concurreny in calculations in each end of turn. Maybe two threads (model-view), so one is doing the graphics-sound, and another one doing the game logic.

I would have thought it simple.

Just start off each civ's AI in a thread of its own, and design the game to have all players make their moves simultaneously. Instantly you get better performance (possibly smarter AI as well).

Want to run a 36 Civ game? No problem - on a 36 core computer!

(Then just make all AIs go between player turns in single player)

 

[Yakk]

Oh I really hope stacks are still in, as armies didn't usually literally spread across the landscape.

Well, they sort of do, in the more modern eras.

In WW1/WW2, armies formed huge fronts of defensive emplacements that crossed entire continents. This allowed you to defend territory, and have parts of your empire that where not subject to being raided, and supply lines that work.

In general, once you rely on lines of supply (and not foraging on the locals), you need to maintain a front to defend your supply line.

Figuring out how to get the AI to manage supply lines, and a UI to make it fun for players to do the same, would probably be too hard.

 

[robcheng]

I'm looking forward to re-hashing the "how many units in a unit" arguments!
(how many animated soldiers on the map does it take to visually represent one unit/army -- or even one HP)

 

[Zack]

I refuse to get excited about this, because if I do then I'm just gonna go cry when I see the system requirements.

 

[Omega124]

MY GOD! Those graphics were beautiful, and now Civ is HEX BASED! And that beautifully rendered Washington LH, which shows most of the body now (Though, I'll admit, I rather would like to see him in his Continental Army uniform than his outfit when they were debating about the Constitution).

I seriously think, and I'm not ashamed of admitting it to, I had an orgasm reading that article. I'm getting this release date! Screw the fact that neither computer could possibly even dream handling those images (It has problems with Hearts of Iron 3! It's not even 3D)!

Now, if anyone has a COMFIRMED civ list (Besides America, of course, scince there's a Washington LH), it would be very appreciated if you link to it.

 

[ancestral]

So it says 18 civs.

The only civ we know for sure is in the game is America. As for the others, these have been in the beginning of all releases of Civ:

1. America ✓
2. Azteca
3. China
4. Egypt
5. England
6. France
7. Germany
8. Greece
9. India
10. Rome
11. Russia

Assuming we get these staple civs this leaves 7 more. The following are civs which each debuted (not in an expansion) in three of four versions of Civilization:

• Babylon (except Civ IV)
• Japan (except Civ I, so very likely)
• Mongolia (except Civ III)
• Persia (except Civ I, so very likely)
• Spain (except Civ III)
• Zululand (except Civ IV)

Which would then be 17 civs. Noticeably absent are many native American civs (Sioux, Iroquois, Inca, Maya) so my money has the eighteenth civ going to one of these.

Your thoughts?

 

[deanej]

The Aztecs aren't native americans? That's news to me.

 

[ChicagoNik]

please let it work on my laptop! can't wait, but i refuse to buy a crazy system just for a game, lol.

 

[Zomgmeister]

ancestral, I don't remember Japan and Spain in Civ 1. But it seems that you are on right track anyway.

 

[Omega124]

Well, in one of the images is a bright red border. Bright Red in IV was Japan, though England is also associated with Red, as well.