Colonization Screenshots and News from E3

[Ginger_Ale]

E3, an expo for video games, is currently being held this week, and one of the games featured was 2K Games' Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization, the standalone expansion pack for Civ4. As expected, a lot of new information regarding the game, in terms of screenshots, previews, and other news, has been published, though a specific date for its release still remains unknown. Major gaming sites IGN and Gamespot have their own previews, as well as Shacknews.

New screenshots, whose thumbnails below you can click to see a larger version, have been added to the Colonization gallery. They feature some of our first looks at the brand-new interface and city management system!

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Additionally, Firaxis' Jon Shafer has confirmed on the forums that there will indeed be several pre-made historical maps for the game, putting fears about random-only maps to rest. Forum member magikarcher also revealed in a thread that the full game of the 1994 version of Colonization is included in this month's PC Gamer magazine.

 

[DWOLF]

The Game is looking sweet!

 

[Aleenik]

I like the colonization of the Americas..Im not for random maps...but im excited about MODERS and SCENARIO makers making possiblee world wide colonization maps, or specifc areas like West Indies, Africa, ETC...and hopefully soon after launch a MOD that has Portugal and Russia

 

[blunt3d]

the graphics look nice. Can you make civ 4 look like that or did they retexture the units?

 

[cephalo]

I'm not sure I'm happy with that city screen. It would be nicer if the buildings were arranged like a little town. This looks more like an arrangment of clip art. Also, a stack of goods icons is much more satisfying than numbers. Save the number for the mouse-over.

 

[renohol]

the water on the ship battle pic looks great and in the city screen one of the resources looks like boxes of long buds which hopefully means the harvest of hemp is possible since it was very important during those times...just think, a Boston hemp party!

 

[magikarcher]

I was pleasantly surprised when I read the news and saw myself mentioned in the article. Thank you!

 

[OctopusOverload]

Darn, no new resources

 

[asioasioasio]

Darn, no new resources

yeah imo to less resources. I would gladly see twice much. And it doesn't looks like easy thing to add new resources - kinda python work in interface.

I don't like also the idea with this paper on the left.
I would like to see made this different way - more in order not randomly placed on the paper.

 

[Thorn]

Darn, no new resources

I see lumber, tobacco and cotton in the city screen. You can even see tobacco on the map screenshot. Aren't those new resources? I don't have any of those in BTS 3.17.

 

[Mehmed II]

I see lumber, tobacco and cotton in the city screen. You can even see tobacco on the map screenshot. Aren't those new resources? I don't have any of those in BTS 3.17.

OctopusOverload probably meant the resources in Colonization 1994, not in Civ.

 

[cephalo]

Darn, no new resources

Actually, in the second screenshot there's a resource that looks like bananas. That would be new as far as Col1 goes. I'm guessing there are some map resources that simply generate more of something, like food.

 

[Thorn]

OctopusOverload probably meant the resources in Colonization 1994, not in Civ.

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting this is a stand alone game.

Actually, in the second screenshot there's a resource that looks like bananas. That would be new as far as Col1 goes. I'm guessing there are some map resources that simply generate more of something, like food.

That's true. Also there were no crabs in the original Colonization just fish. I see crabs everywhere in the screenshot.

And looking again, it looks like some kind of metal or coal in the hill outside of the city...er, colony!

 

[mamba]

the graphics look nice. Can you make civ 4 look like that or did they retexture the units?

They enhanced the graphics engine, not just retexture units (retextured units would be possible in CIV as well). So no, CIV won't be able to look like that, it imo probably could not even use these units (but that is speculation).

 

[Gumbolt]

I was expecting a few more reviews from E3. I suspect as most did a preview last month most held back this time. Perhaps other sites will load more updates.

http://uk.askmen.com/gaming/pc/Sid-Meier-s-Civilization-IV-Colonization-Pc/preview-2-1.html

http://gamesblog.ugo.com/index.php/..._e3_civilization_iv_colonization_impressions/

Minor updates nothing new.

 

[asioasioasio]

They enhanced the graphics engine, not just retexture units (retextured units would be possible in CIV as well). So no, CIV won't be able to look like that, it imo probably could not even use these units (but that is speculation).

I could bet they are .nifs and would be usefull for civ the problems might be animations

 

[mamba]

I could bet they are .nifs and would be usefull for civ the problems might be animations

I'd bet on nifs too, but we know that Col uses a higher shader model than Civ, so if that is used by the units I doubt they work in Civ, unless someone were to adjust them for Civ.

 

[asioasioasio]

Yeah maybe.
But maybe it will have also noshader version

 

[patrickkrebs]

I can't wait!

 

[Gumbolt]

http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/civilization-game-untitled/891987p1.html

Gamespy have another preview!

http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p35603.htm

Dont think the second one has been posted yet on the forums.

http://www.nzgamer.co.nz/pc/previews/642/civilization-iv-colonization.html

No new info on the last one. (I think)

I think IGN, gamesspot and Gamespy seem to cover most of the basics.