Pete Murray of Firaxis took us on a tour of Civilization V at PAX 2010. The short of it? It's got everything you love about Civilization games and it should be right at the top of strategy gamer's list (if it isn't already). And it's got Giant Death Robots, too.
Civilization V continues the legacy of one of PC gaming's oldest and arguably most beloved franchises. Virtually everything that Civilization players have loved about the game is still there in some form or another. In addition, modern game design improvements, improved visuals, and numerous innovations should ensure Civilization V takes its rightful place amongst its predecessors as one of the best strategy games ever to emerge on the PC.
Improved visuals and user interface
Civilization V looks beautiful. The terrain is bright and vibrant, and lifelike 'critters' even occupy the wilds. More importantly, however, is the game's user interface, which may be one of the best user interfaces a PC strategy game has ever had.
The game also does away with annoying pop-up dialog boxes that must be cleared by clicking a button. Instead, notifications—essentially a 'news feed' of everything going on in the game—can be viewed by opening a panel. This allows the game to provide plenty of critical information without breaking the flow of the game.
In addition, leaders from other countries are all rendered as lifelike, 3D characters who speak in their native tongue (subtitled, of course) when you're interacting with them. And to top it off, military units—and nuclear explosions—have never looked so good in the series.
No more technology trading
Technology trading is now replaced by research. You can enter into research agreements with one or more countries, each of which invests in the research. Whatever is yielded by the research, however, is randomized.
And the AI in the game isn't above using this mechanism nefariously. According to Murray, certain sneaky leaders might ask you to sign a research agreement only to deplete your treasury, then attack when you're broke and vulnerable.
Social Policies—the new 'tech tree'
The Social Policies part of the game is a sort of tech tree where you can research things like Culture and Piety, which will unlock other items such as Free Religion and (if you pursue all the necessary elements) Democracy. Of course, you're perfectly free to be a dictator with an iron fist (with the appropriate policies, of course) as well.
Full Steam Ahead
As you may already know, Civilization V will ship with full support for Valve's Steam Service, which includes achievements, matchmaking, online chat, and all the other bells and whistles that go along with the service.
On to Part 2 -- City States, Combat, and Giant Death Robots
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