2nd Civilization IV Expansion Firaxis has produced the 2nd expansion for Civilization IV, called "Beyond the Sword," which focuses on the late-game period. It will be released in July 2007. More >
Patch v2.08 for Warlords Available! Firaxis has released v2.08 of Warlords. You can download the patch here. A full changelist is also available. More >
Dungeon Runners Play Dungeon Runners today and get premiere content for one week free.
Modding Competition Which mods are the best? Submit your mod and win signed copies of Civilization IV or the official game soundtrack!
Railroads Strategy Guide Railroads! strategy guide in several installments! Read parts one and two now!
Saturday, 26 May, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
Comrade Supports Civilization IV 12:34 PST | jvdc | Print News Gamespy's new matchmaking/buddy/game-chat system Comrade now also supports Civilization IV! Find your buddies online, which servers they are on, and chat with them whenever you like! Give it a try!
Wednesday, 23 May, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
Civilization goes Mobile 8:25 PST | jvdc | Print News Oasys Mobile has just acquired the licence to develop and publish the mobile versions of Civilization, Pirates and Railroad Tycoon. It is still unclear what mobile platforms (phones?) the games will be developed for, and how the complex gameplay of Civilization can be handled on a platform as limited as a mobile.
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Mobile, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Mobile and Sid Meier’s Pirates! Mobile are scheduled for release in 2008. Stay tuned!
Thursday, 17 May, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
Alex Mantzaris Interview 7:27 PST | jvdc | Print News IGN UK interviewed Alex Mantzaris, the Lead Designer of the upcoming CIV4 expansion Beyond the Sword. The interview covers all the new features that will come with the new expansion, such as espionage, corporations, and heavily-modded scenarios. Mantzaris explains these features in detail, and the interview is accompanied by screenshots! It's worth the two-page read!
Sid Meier's Pirates in Top 101 PC Games Ever 13:01 PST | jvdc | Print News Computerandvideogames.com has selected Sid Meier's Pirates! to be the 89th best PC game ever. While 89th is not really that high, we need to consider how many PC games have been created... It's actually not that bad. CVG says:
An update of strategy king Sid Meier's 1987 classic Pirates!, this is a buccaneering adventure taking elements of role-playing, trading, naval warfare, stealth and even rhythm action romantic dalliances to create a charming whole. Wonderfully engaging and accessible with great humour, this is pure buried treasure. Thar be gold!
Release Date: Beyond the Sword Expansion 12:58 PST | jvdc | Print News 2K Games has announced that the upcoming Civilization IV expansion Beyond the Sword will be released on 23 June 2007 in the US, and in the following week internationally.
Wednesday, 9 May, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
Railroads going on Steam 11:25 PST | jvdc | Print News Valve's digital distribution platform Steam added Sid Meier's Railroads! to its catalogue of games for download. The digital download costs $17.99, which is slightly cheaper than the store version.
Additionally, Steam added Railroad Tycoon II & III, as well as the unmissable Microprose classic X-Com.
Saturday, 5 May, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
11:30 PST | jvdc | Print News The official Apolyton podcast is now fourteen episodes young. "Much rambling" of PolyCast is available for download in MP3 format running 59m35s in length.
After working with Firaxis in Maryland for nearly seven years, he is returning to the West Coast, where he had worked with EA before, as a programming intern on Knockout Kings 2000 and -2001. He will be working on Spore, designed by Will Wright, which makes the player help a species through evolution and finally into space. Wright has labelled it as a "massively single player game," as it connects each player's species over the internet, while keeping it a single-player experience.
We sincerely hope that he continues to design first-class games such as Civilization at his new company, and we wish him the best of luck!
Tuesday, 10 April, 2007 – Planet Civilization News
Beyond the Sword Preview 2:08 PST | jvdc | Print News Hookedgamers.com has posted a preview of the upcoming CIV4 expansion Beyond the Sword. It gives a vague idea of the new features (more units, more civilizations, espionage, improved AI, better late-game starts).
Hookedgamers' final verdict:
The expansion pack Beyond the Sword for Sid Meier's Civilization IV will certainly make a bigger splash than the previous expansion, Warlords. The addition of new espionage options, better AI and tweaked victory conditions will all be welcome tweaks into a game that is already great. This expansion pack will certainly make it even greater. Look for it in July this year!
GameTap adds Alpha Centauri 6:03 PST | jvdc | Print News GameTap, the online game subscription service, added Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri to its repertoire of games last Thursday. GameTap subscribers will now be able to play Alpha Centauri via direct download over the internet.
GameTap is an online subscription service that lets you play a wide range of mostly older games, at a rate of $6.95 per month.
Sid Meier on Success in Games 5:59 PST | jvdc | Print News GameDaily BIZ published a series of short articles on how to make successful written by game design legends, including one written by Sid Meier. His main points for making a successful game are:
- to pick a topic with broad appeal
- being passionate about what you do
- to make the game accessible
He also mentions that design is more important than technology:
Companies often mistakenly make technology the focus of a product – cool tech is a great way to support great gameplay, but without the latter aspect there, titles just won't resonate as well with players or be as long-lasting. And play quality is just as important today, if not more so, as it was 10-15 years ago.
2K Announces Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Expansion Pack 5:59 PST | jvdc | Print News 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., announced today that Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the SwordTM, the latest expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Civilization IVTM series, will be available in July 2007.
The expansion will focus on the late-game time periods after the invention of gunpowder and will deliver 12 challenging and decidedly different scenarios created by the development team at Firaxis Games, as well as members of the Civilization Fan Community. Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will also include ten new civilizations, 16 new leaders, five new wonders, and a variety of new units that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization’s power as they strive for world domination.
The Guardian: Sid Meier Interview 6:50 PST | jvdc | Print News The UK national newspaper The Guardian interviewed Sid Meier regarding Pirates! for the PSP. He talks about how he was inspired to make the original 1987 Pirates! game, and also how they changed the game slightly to make it work on the PSP.
In terms of the future of Firaxis game development, he goes on to say:
Our terrific fans send us a "to do" list almost daily with things they'd like to see in the next version of Civ. Although Civ V is not currently in our production schedule, our motto has been that if the fans want more we'll give them more. We definitely want to build on the great strides we made in multiplayer in Civ IV - online gaming has become such a big part of our culture and Civ should have a strong presence there. The other details will come once we've added Civ V to the schedule...
Take Two for Sale? 13:13 PST | jvdc | Print News CNN reports that Take Two, the publisher and owner of Firaxis Games (who developed Civilization, Pirates, and Railroads), might sell itself to a bigger publishing house, such as Activision, Ubisoft, or News Corporation (disclaimer: Planet Civilization is a subsidiary of New Corporation).
The move comes after various scandals at Take Two, such as backdating stock options and hidden sexual content in GTA (aka. Hot Coffee). How this would affect Firaxis is unclear.
