Release dates breakdown?

From top to bottom! (not counting patches):

-Civilization V: Sept 21, 2010

(and 34 days later...)

-Nebuchadnezzar: Oct 25, 2010

(and 5 days later...)

-Craddle of Civilization: Oct 30, 2010

(and 47 days later...)

-Spain and Inca: Dec 16, 2010

(and 77 days later...)

-Polynesia: Mar 3, 2011

(and 61 days later...)

-Denmark: May 3, 2011
-Explorers Map Pack: May 3, 2011

(and 100 days later...)

-Wonders of the World: Aug 11, 2011
-Korea: Aug 11, 2011

From the time of this writing (02/05/2012) since any commercial release:178 days and counting.

-Number of releases since launch: about 6.
-Number of different releases: 11 (and about 3 bundles)
-Average release time: about 54 days (not counting next possible release).
-Shortest release time: Craddle of Civilization (5 days).
-Longest release time: about now till whatever they release next (178 days).

What to think of all these numbers, besides that I'm just doing this to kill time while waiting for STO to install?, well... that they have not released anything in quite a while (anyone could had told you that). But also that it's been about 3 times the average time since they have released anything or almost twice as much time since the Korea DLC.

 

While we're at it, let's look at the dates for the Civ5 patches. All info taken from the Patch Notes Thread at the 2K forums.

- Civilization V: Sep 21 2010
game release

- 1.0.0.17: Sep 23 2010
minor bug fixes

- 1.0.0.20: Sep 27 2010
minor bug fixes

- 1.0.0.20: Sep 30 2010
minor bug fix

- 1.0.0.62: Oct 22 2010
huge patch, first major gameplay patch

- 1.0.0.621: Oct 26 2010
minor bug fixes

- 1.0.1.135: Dec 15 2010
huge patch, second major gameplay patch

- 1.0.1.141: Dec 22 2010
minor bug fixes

- 1.0.1.167: Jan 20 2011
mostly bug fixes, extremely minor gameplay changes

- 1.0.1.217: Mar 1 2011
huge patch, third major gameplay patch

- 1.0.1.221: Mar 28 2011
Korean localization

- 1.0.1.275: Apr 28 2011
huge patch, fourth major gameplay patch

- 1.0.1.332: June 28 2011
huge patch, fifth major gameplay patch

- 1.0.1.383: Aug 11 2011
largish patch, smaller than before, sixth major gameplay patch

- Sep 2 2011 (no version number)
hotfix for bugs

- 1.0.1.511: Dec 20 2011
multiplayer stability patch, bug fixes, no gameplay changes

Anyway, if you cut out the minor hotfixes and such, you get the following pattern of dates:

* Sep 21 2010: Game Release

(and 31 days later...)

* Oct 22 2010: First major patch

(and 54 days later...)

* Dec 15 2010: Second major patch

(and 75 days later...)

* Mar 1 2011: Third major patch

(and 58 days later...)

* Apr 28 2011: Fourth major patch

(and 61 days later...)

* June 28 2011: Fifth major patch

(and 44 days later...)

* Aug 11 2011: Sixth real patch, significantly smaller than earlier ones

(and 131 days later...)

* Dec 20 2011: MP stability patch, no gameplay changes

Today is 47 days since the MP stability patch.

Civ5's substantive patches pretty clearly were timed to an interval of two months. For the first year, there was a major patch roughly every 60 days or so. Since the August patch's release, the patches and downloadable content civs have basically disappeared. Four months passed before the release of the December MP patch, which was much smaller than the August patch, which itself was significantly smaller than the first five major patches. There are currently no announced patches or upcoming DLC civs, and we're approaching two months since the last release (which, let's be honest, was not much of a patch).

Now others might read this differently, but to me, the evidence certainly seems to indicate that Civ5 has run through its full patch cycle, and any further changes will be extremely minor. The patches have been appearing less and less frequently, and there have been fewer and fewer changes contained in each one. There is every apperance that Firaxis has shifted staff to other projects, and a small skeleton crew is still tinkering with Civ5. I don't think you can blame them too much either - they put out six pretty major patches over the course of a full year following release. Firaxis has moved on. They're working on XCOM now. Don't expect much more of anything from them.

I suppose an expansion is technically possible, but since it's never been announced at any point in time, and Civ5 is approaching 18 months since release.... it seems pretty unlikely.

 

I was going to try to add the entire thing for a number breakdown, but it seems patches and DLC releases dates are fairly similar. The assumption that they release "results" in whatever shape or form every 2 months seems fairly accurate.

At the 2 month mark after the MP stability patch, which is in 2 weeks, we should know if they are planning for anything else, be it another patch, expansion or DLC for the game.

The current climate for 2k ordered releases (or maybe it's parent company Take-Two) seems to be more in tune with high profile big releases rather than consecutive smaller ones (because that's how they seem to roll), perhaps focus has indeed been shifted to XCOM.

 

^^^It's hard to predict the future, but I suspect an expansion won't come either. The designers' explicit interest was in streamlining, and a traditional expac that adds new mechanisms and features would cut against that original vision. Who can say for sure, though.

 

Since Civ 2, the game has always had expansions that add new mechanics. While they may want to streamline things, that doesn't rule out an expansion at all. Using Steam is streamlining enough, but then releasing DLCs with one or two Civs or other features has also streamlined it.

Even if they don't release an expansion with multiple civs, adding new game mechanics would take more programming than just adding a Civ or a few wonders. We're probably going to see a new game mechanic along with a new civ and a major patch all at the same time. It's really the only explanation (other than them abandoning the game) for why it's been so long since the last DLC and the last major patch.

 

But wouldn't they announced a new EP by now?

 

But expansions aren't typically managed by the original designers anyway. What's-his-face who was in charge of CiV already left. Remember that BTS was farmed out to another studio. We know Firaxis is on X-comm now, so it may be that a 3rd party will produce Civilization V: How the West Was Won or whatever.

 

Which one?

 

I would still wager my mother-in-law, that there *will* be an add-on! There are too many hints for this (e.g. the comment before the last patch about "big things to come...").
Additionally, I can not see why they should stop producing more DLC, if not because of a (soon to come?) add-on with new game mechanism and/or civilizations?

Usually, work for an expansion will start right after the main game's release. So why didn't we hear something about this, till now?

Maybe, of course, everything is planned like this and there is no drawback at all.
But then I could imagine that for an expansion, they just don't want to repeat the mistakes of the main game and release an unballanced and obviously not well tested game. Maybe they just find out, that the expansion needed another turn of testing and tweaking. This could mean that we can expect some major new game concepts.

So while I'm a little bit dissappointed about not hearing news regarding the add-on, I still hope that we can await something interesting and - maybe - even great!

 

pretty sure it was the same studio (firaxis) but a different guy Alex Mantzaris, as opposed to Soren Johnson

thanks to OrsonM and Sullla for putting together those dates, it looks like that the CiV project has been abandoned OR there is a most awesome Xpac around the corner (god i hope there is!). I was very supprised that there wasnt any kind of DLC for Xmas ... that just seems nuts that there wouldnt be and i dont see what they would have to gain from keeping an Xpac secret, so i am kind of thinking that the game has been abandoned

 

In a way they all have released an expansion, if you combine all dlc new civilizations and maps and wonders, and everything that the patches gave (new resources, additions etc.).

But I REALLY hope for an expansion soon!

 

I'm in the camp that believes that there is still an incoming Expansion / more DLC. It's just frustrating that they aren't announcing anything. Obviously from feedback on the forums there are enough people who want it. And if they were to announce it, even if its months away, at least it'll start building buzz and such. Bethesda has done this with Skyrim, they have announced they are at least planning future DLC, with no specific info, and buzz is building around that.

Someone should make a poll asking who wants an expansion / more DLC, I'm going to try myself right now, but have never attempted it so if I fail someone else should make one.

 

I figured it out! Poll here:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=453266

 

R.I.P. CiV, you could have been so much more.

And Haig, new resources? You mean the oh-so-important stone? They might have given out some maps and leaders but there are no new mechanics, a standard addition for a Civ expo and most of the rebalancing had to be done because they a borderline unplayable game due to a completely broken AI (in all respects).

Moderator Action: Take the rants to the rants thread. In this thread they are just spam.

 

Well hopefully whatever they hopefully release will be at least 3 times bigger & better than what they've released previously.

Hope springs eternal

 

True, you never know. I thought Paradox had abandoned Victoria 2 and then Bam!, a House Divided.

A title that of course refers to the hilarious Simpson episode A Millhouse Divided, adding a much needed dose of Millhouse to Victoria 2.

But yeah, it seems more reasonable that they slowed down only to work it all for a coming expansion.

 

Well I hope they do something about it. I am not playing it until they fix it. From the people I have talked to in other forums, something is in the works. We can only finally hope they'll do the right thing and get this game playable.

 

Hi,

There are actually many excellent Civ-5 mods available, in case you folks don't find the plain vanilla version of the game good enough.

My favorite is Thal's VEM+CivUp mod, which combines lots of bug fixes with numerous game enhancements (i.e new units, new promotions, revised technology tree, etc.)

The most recent version (v129) even includes a new random events feature, reportedly similar to that from Civ-4's Beyond the Sword.

Give it a try and see if you like it.

 

I don't know why but I hate advertistment and that sounded like an advertistmen -.-

 

Finally news about an upcomming patch.

What the hell: "....at least a few month"? MONTH??? Seems, as if the gap between patches is still increasing.