New Civ 4:BTS Interview with Mantzaris on IGN!

[gettingfat]

Great spies? So we will see James Bond and .... Austin Power?

 

[Seafroggys]

wow I'm really excited for this, this can easily be better than Warlords.

 

[bds]

Great spies? So we will see James Bond and .... Austin Power?

http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/complete_list.html

On that page, Scroll down to the section about spies and assasins. The great spies names will most likely be taken from those.

Its going to be funny in game whenever a spies born, when it says "Sidney Reilly born in england" real stealthy

 

[marioflag]

The more i read previews about this xp the more i'm convinced that this xp is not only about quantity but also quality.
Corporation feature a si understand it should make every single resource a lot more useful, and having 4-5 resource of the same type give advantages!Really a must have feature.
Espionage also seems a lot more important, than the 2 or 3 espionage missions added, considered that there is a new building all about spies and GP Spies.
My only fear is that we don't see more modern naval units like Cruiser or Nuclear Submarine.


If Portugal hasn't got a new trait like Seafaring probably we will have the same leader traits available in Civ4 and Warlords

 

[Martinus]

Also the need to get Great spys could make a simple SE more difficult.

Second thoughts, the specialist that generates the great Spy probably generates epionage points too so we may have achoice about how to gain espionage too.

Just a guess, but it is imo likely that Great Spies work more like Great Generals, rather than other kinds of Great Persons, i.e. they are not generated by GPP but independently, by certain actions (e.g. using your spies to perform actions against enemies, having spying slider set to high level, etc.).

Another thought: they could improve Protective (which is, in opinions of many people, nerfed right now), by giving it a bonus to generate Great Spies, in the same way Imperialistic has a bonus for Great Generals. This would also make sense, since "Protective" civilizations would generally prefer more covert ways of defending against possible enemy attacks, etc. What do you guys think?

 

[Infantry#14]

wow, everything looks awesome

 

[marioflag]

Another thought: they could improve Protective (which is, in opinions of many people, nerfed right now), by giving it a bonus to generate Great Spies, in the same way Imperialistic has a bonus for Great Generals. This would also make sense, since "Protective" civilizations would generally prefer more covert ways of defending against possible enemy attacks, etc. What do you guys think?

Protective gives already a bonus to units, while Imperialistic gives exclusively a bonus to GG points, it would make Protective too much good if spy missions are really powerful.At the moment Protective is not the best trait but certianly has its usefulness if you know how to use it.
Among other things probably Espionage points will be given through funding, more money is diverted toward espionage, more spy points you get perhaps with a fixed ratio like 5 gold=1 espionage point

 

[Rince]

This info just changed my opinion from "must buy" to "must buy".

Rince

 

[sneaky]

Hey kids,

It's Steve from IGN. I meant to send out a heads up about the interview before we posted it but I'm traveling this week and my web access has been spotty. I would have asked Charles to do it but he's from Canada so he's a little slow, eh? Anyway, I just wanted to point out that the leader in the screenshot is Pacal of the Maya.

Thanks. So another new civilization known.

 

[Onagan]

I like the Statue of Zeus. double war wariness by your enemies

 

[flyingchicken]

Great info.

[edit] Why doesn't Pacal have a bloodied tongue?

 

[mice]

Cavalry needs rifling "thus extending the life of the musket" , but doesn't the musket age end with grenadiers? Hopefully the musket will get some bonuses too.

Grenadiers will rule with no cavalry around.

 

[Watiggi]

Among other things probably Espionage points will be given through funding, more money is diverted toward espionage, more spy points you get perhaps with a fixed ratio like 5 gold=1 espionage point

Hmm. If Espionage points comes from a slider and the slider is based on commerce, then that would mean that a cottage spammed empire would effectively be better at generating 'spy points' than an empire using a specialist economy. I find that difficult to believe personally. Maybe both do exist: one generates points with a strong economy and the other allows points to be generated by actual spying - thus giving to paths to getting spy points.

I do like how State Property effectively kills corporations. It (imo) rebalances the power of State Property by forcing a trade off and makes Free Market more interesting. Man was I (and others) completely way off with how they're implemented. Cool though.

The spy stuff has me fascinated! Great Spy! Heh, I wonder what bonuses they could give? Maybe permanant removal of the fog of war on a selected city, the ability to nuke the city, subvert the city, steal tech.... Damn this looks good.

edit: oops, it seems it is a slider that diverts income afterall.

 

[Watiggi]

Anyone have a clue as to what the person with the cart is about in the Medieval pic? (and the person with the cross for that matter)

 

[kovacsflo]

Anyone have a clue as to what the person with the cart is about in the Medieval pic? (and the person with the cross for that matter)

I wanted to ask the same. It looks similar as a treasure in viking scenario, but I doubt that the goal of two units is the same.

Why does a mediaeval monk carry a cart in the picture?

 

[marioflag]

Anyone have a clue as to what the person with the cart is about in the Medieval pic? (and the person with the cross for that matter)

IMO these are units from a Crusades Scenario.The man with the cart seems a relic bearer, the other seems the portray of a Templar Knight

 

[mice]

The man with the cart seems a relic bearer,

Could be an inquisitor figure for the apostolic palace victory, removing other religions. But he does look like a relic bearer.

 

[kristopherb]

IGNPC: Explain the new advanced start option and how it works? Is it an automatically generated feature or will players have control over what gets placed where? How will it work in multiplayer games?

Alex Mantzaris: Advanced Starts are a pre-game setup phase players use to purchase cities, improvements, buildings, technologies, and units. It works in both single-player and multi-player. The player decides what to purchase and where to place it. When everyone is done, the game starts with players controlling relatively balanced, advanced empires with a working infrastructure. This mechanism is ideal for those who want to jump right in and experience a balanced game in the modern era, without having to start with nothing but a few settlers and units.

i am going to love this feature

 

[mice]

: Advanced Starts are a pre-game setup phase players use

But I wonder how you will be able to place the cities. Would the AI do it for you?

 

[marioflag]

But I wonder how you will be able to place the cities. Would the AI do it for you?

You will probably begin with one city as in Ancient era, but with buildings, units and techs chosen by you