PolyCast Special on "Civ4Col" with Firaxis Games

[DanQ]

Lead Artist, Designer and Producer. These are the titles that Firaxis Games Mike Bates, Ed Piper and Jesse Smith hold respectively on the sequel to Colonization to be released worldwide next month. They are also the interviewees on "Focus: "Civilization IV: Colonization", a PolyCast (PC) special on the game running 70m35s in length. Regular PC co-host Daniel "DanQ" Quick is joined by Wouter "Locutus" Snijders and Ken "Impaler[WrG]" Ferland from sibling show ModCast (MC) to round out the panel. Firaxis Director of Marketing Kelley Gilmore makes a cameo while Marketing Manager Dennis Shirk assisted in recording the development team members' audio.

Topics cover the development team members themselves then Civ4Col's design, gameplay in three parts, combat, graphics and finally a set of miscellaneous questions. Not only does this feature disclose a lot of information about the game publicly for the first time, it also has the distinction of including the game's opening theme music throughout -- a worldwide premiere for this artistic work.

The summary of topics is as follows:

- 02m33s | People
Sixteen year industry veteran Mike Bates (Civ4Col Lead Artist), third-year Firaxis Games employee with seven years beta testing prior Ed Piper (Civ4Col Designer) and one-hundred-plus gaming title credits Jesse Smith (Civ4Col Producer).
- 11m10s | Design
When and why Firaxis decided to do a remake of Colonization, design philosophy for Civilization IV: Colonization, design familiarities to both Col and Civilization IV in the latter and interface work by Firaxis intern and longtime Civilization community member Ken "Impaler[WrG]" Ferland.
- 18m49s | Gameplay (1 of 3)
Primary gameplay differences between Col and Civ4Col, new and tweaked buildings and/or resources, tiers of super-specialists and notable abscence of a technology tree.
- 26m56s | Gameplay (2 of 3)
Colonies covering multiple tiles, targeting particular Founding Fathers by playstyle, religion's role, how the new Constitution feature works and the extensiveness of the game's Diplomacy mechanisms and how they compare to the game's predecessor.
- 36m20s | Gameplay (3 of 3)
Native tribe traits, colonial powers' leader traits, rationale for not including more than four colonial nations, behind the limited game length, resolving historical accuracy versus gameplay conflicts and in-game automation capabilities.
- 43m42s | Combat
Combat system mechanics, on siege units, addressing combat failings of Col, and what of naval warfare.
- 50m00s | Graphics
Art style targetted and responding to public criticisms already raised about the 'Colony' screen.
- 57m26s | Miscellaneous
Moddability including interoperability with CivIV, music selection (and the related worldwide exclusive on this show), (re-)playing the original Colonization, most difficult elements to design in Civ4Col, possibilities of covering other areas of so-called Age of Discovery next and what question hadn't been asked yet that should have been and its answer.

 

[Niptium]

Thanks, I was looking forward to this and boy I wasn't disapointed. Who knew the new building for this iteration of Colonization is the craphouse...

 

[C~G]

Thank you, some nice info there.

 

[DanQ]

Thanks, I was looking forward to this and boy I wasn't disapointed.

Who knew the new building for this iteration of Colonization is the craphouse...

Thank you, some nice info there.

Welcome -- glad you enjoyed it. Was this the first time you have listened to a PolyCast production?

 

[Lord Shadow]

Whoa, a surprising amount of information! It feels good to know a lot more about the game, but it also feels bad since it makes the wait even less bearable.

Great job, guys.

 

[C~G]

Welcome -- glad you enjoyed it. Was this the first time you have listened to a PolyCast production?

Yeah, actually it was.

I have visited the page before when I have heard there's something going on but not enough to spark my interest, up until now.

It's much better than what any preview of game can offer (except some screetshots and videos) really since it's straight from the horse's mouth.

Probably will tune in also in the future if something similar comes up.

 

[Niptium]

It was the second one - I listened to Sid Meier's episode the week before.

 

[Lord Shadow]

It was the second one - I listened to Sid Meier's episode the week before.

Ah, yes. It was the second one for me too.

 

[DanQ]

Whoa, a surprising amount of information! [..]

Great job, guys.

It feels good to know a lot more about the game, but it also feels bad since it makes the wait even less bearable.

It's much better than what any preview of game can offer (except some screetshots and videos) really since it's straight from the horse's mouth.

Probably will tune in also in the future if something similar comes up.

Ah. So that would be the likes of the special that deals with Civ4Col and/or has Firaxis reps being intervieweed as opposed to a 'regular' regular episode (so as to differentiate from when e.g. Sid appeared on Episode 50)?

It was the second one - I listened to Sid Meier's episode the week before.

Hope you'll tune into some if not all of our up-and-coming regular episodes, and possibly some of our older ones as well.

 

[cephalo]

Great show! I have to say this all sounds very promising. I am very excited.

I may have to take vacation time for this.

 

[henryMCVII]

Great job, Dan. Great listenig. thx

 

[C~G]

Ah. So that would be the likes of the special that deals with Civ4Col and/or has Firaxis reps being intervieweed as opposed to a 'regular' regular episode (so as to differentiate from when e.g. Sid appeared on Episode 50)?

Yeah, pretty much so.

 

[Niptium]

What was that ? I didn't understand DanQ's quote.

 

[Fierabras]

I don't care much for Colonization, never played the old version and I had no idea what everybody was talking about...
Great episode! Always nice to hear some Firaxians talk about doing their Firaxian thing.

Did someone try to pull off a Gordon Ramsay/F-word "Done!" imitation at the end? Kudos for trying!

 

[DanQ]

Great show!

Thanks.

I have to say this all sounds very promising. I am very excited. I may have to take vacation time for this.

Great job, Dan. Great listenig. thx

-- thank you for the kind words. Hade you listened to any PolyCast productions prior to this one?

What was that ? I didn't understand DanQ's quote.

C~G is saying that he is mostly if not only interested in PolyCast productions -- episodes, specials or otherwise -- that focus on Civilization IV: Colonization and/or have Firaxis representatives on it.

I don't care much for Colonization, never played the old version and I had no idea what everybody was talking about... Great episode! Always nice to hear some Firaxians talk about doing their Firaxian thing.

Yet you listened anyway, re: not caring much for Col, and enjoyed it nevertheless. Thanks for taking the chance and for your kind feedback.

Did someone try to pull off a Gordon Ramsay/F-word "Done!" imitation at the end? Kudos for trying!

There was in fact no swearing cut from that clip. As far as I'm aware, nobody was trying a Ramsay imitation regardless nor had I thought of it before you asked. Now if we could only get the audience numbers he generally gets for this shows...

 

[Niptium]

Anyone passing on on Colonization just because it is NOT Civilization is a dumb broad lemme tell you. Jesse Smith , producer of everything Civ since CivIII:Conquest said in the Polycast that he enjoyed Colonization so much when he was younger that he basically said he had played it more so than the Civilization games...

 

[DanQ]

Jesse Smith , producer of everything Civ since CivIII:Conquest said in the Polycast that he enjoyed Colonization so much when he was younger that he basically said he had played it more so than the Civilization games...

That was something I had not known before being apart of the recording of this PC special.

 

[henryMCVII]

-- thank you for the kind words. Hade you listened to any PolyCast productions prior to this one?

Yes i did, but my first listening was just some weeks ago. Anyway, thisone was much more informative.

 

[AntoninusPius]

Really good job DanQ!

I liked the polycast a lot! It was great to have some original music as well. I always loved the Colonization music so much (much more than the Civ music). Back in the times when I played the game I knew all the tunes by heart (like the fiddlers dance)!

 

[DanQ]

Yes i did, but my first listening was just some weeks ago.

Welcome then, new yet returning listener.

Anyway, thisone was much more informative.

I'm glad you enjoyed enough of what PC episode you did listen to prior this that you tuned into this special. That this was more informative does not surprise me, in great part given a lot of what is included was/is new for public consumption.

Really good job DanQ!

Thanks.

I liked the polycast a lot! It was great to have some original music as well. I always loved the Colonization music so much (much more than the Civ music). Back in the times when I played the game I knew all the tunes by heart (like the fiddlers dance)!

You're the first person I've come across to comment on the music -- thanks for that -- and positively no less. I am still thrilled that this episode was the first instance in which Civ4Col's opening theme music could be heard publicly.

Was this the first PC production you had listened to?