Civilization-5 posts

As promised, developer Firaxis Games has released a massive new patch for 2010's turn-based strategy game Civilization V. The patch is now available for automatic download via Steam and the huge patch list is available to check out on the Steam web site.

There's lots of changes and improvements to many of the game's AI features in this new patch along with lots of gameplay changes as well (for example, the game's Stealth Bombers can now get promotions). There's also a boatload of change to the game's user interface and there's also been some bug fixes for mod support, achievements and more.

Civilization V players have finally received its promised and massive patch update to 2010's turn-based strategy game. The update, available via Steam's automatic patch updater, has a ton of new features, improvements and bug fixes for the Firaxis Games-developed title.

The new features in the patch include an all new building, the Aqueduct. 40 percent of food is carried over after a new Citizen is born with the new Aqueduct in place. There are numerous balanced changes in this new patch along with bug fixes and "significant turn time improvements" for the game's engine. As we reported earlier this week a new DLC update for Civilization V will be released on Steam this Thursday.

It's been a couple of months since the last DLC mini-expansion for Civilization V. Today publisher 2K Games announced plans to released both free and paid DLC for the recent turn-based strategy game from Firaxis Games. Both of them will be released via Steam on Thursday.

The paid expansion will add the Polynesian civilization to the game with you controlling the civ's leader Kamehameha. There's also a new scenario in the $4.99 pack which will let players control one of the four Polynesia kingdoms. In addition players will be able to download a free multiplayer map pack with three maps; the small Skirmish map, and two others (Ring and Ancient Lake).

[Via email press release]

Civilization V for the Mac was first released last November by Aspyr Media, about two months after its PC release. Now Mac fans of the turn-based strategy game are finally able to purchase and download all of the paid DLC packs that were released for the PC version of the game.

The GameAgent.com web site currently has the DLC packs on sale (although they should show up on Steam soon). It includes the Americas, Asia, the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia map packs for $2.99 each or all four for $9.99. Also available is the Babylon Civilization pack for $4.99 and the Spain and Inca Civilization pack for $7.99. Finally Mac gamers can get the Mongol Civilization pack for free via download.

In a major hiring coup for Stardock, the developer of the Galactic Civilizations series and more recently Elemental: War of Magic has revealed exclusively to Big Download that it has hired Jon Shafer to its team. Shafer recently left Firaxis Games where he served as the lead designer behind the studio's most recent game Civilization V. In his new role, Shafer will be helping with the design and increasing mod support for Elemental. At some point in the future he will also be leading his own team at Stardock on an unnanounced new stand alone game for the developer.

Big Download also got to speak briefly with Shafer over the phone earlier today. He told us that he departed Firaxis Games on good terms and while he got a few offers from other studios he told us that he went to Stardock for a number of reasons. One is that he has been an admirer of Stardock's games for some time as a fan. Another is that he wanted to work wth a company that that the freedom to make the kinds of games he wanted to make. Shafer told us he could give out any info on what his stand alone project will be for the company as Stardock is still concentrating its efforts on updating Elemental, including the release of at least two expansion packs.

Shafer will be working with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell who will continue to work as Executive Producer of all of Stardock's game titles. As we reported back in October, Stardock hired Derek Paxton, the lead designer behind the well known Civilization IV mod Fall From Heaven, to serve as Senior Producer of Elemental. Shafer told us that Stardock has "lots of awesome stuff" planned for the future of Elemental.

After its rocky launch last August, Stardock has continued to update Elemental, including a massive free 1.1 patch that was officially released last December. More patches are in the works as two expansion packs to the game. Wardell has stated on the game's official message board that sales of Elemental have continued to rise in the last three months of 2010. In another message board post he gives a general idea of where Stardock plans to improve and expand the game, adding, "I approved the necessary budget in December to fund Elemental for both 2011 and 2011." In addition he states, "Stardock has some other game projects that start up this year as well and the publishing group is working on some new things as well. So it's going to be a pretty exciting year for Stardock gamers."

Steam's big holiday sale continues today with a new batch of price cuts for PC games from now until 1 pm Eastern time Sunday. In addition to today's Steam deals, GamersGate ends its daily sales event with Men of War Red Tide for just $5.49. Also the streaming PC game service OnLive has put several games on sale for as much as 75 percent off from now until January 2.

The games on sale today on Steam today are as follows:

Batman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition - $7.50
Splinter Cell series - Save 50 percent off all games in the series or save 60 percent off of Splinter Cell Conviction if you own Splinter Cell Double Agent.
Red Faction series - save 75 percent off all games in series.
X Superbox (all games in the X space sim series) - $19.99
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - $29.99
Dragon Age series - save 50 percent off all games in series
Monkey Island Special Edition 1/2 - $3.75
Altitude - $2.49
Shank - $7.49
Flatout series - save 90 percent off all games in series
Civilization V - $37.49
Tropico 3 Gold Edition - $6

We have a strong feeling that starting tomorrow, PC gaming news may be on the slow side until the first full week in January. Unlike some gaming web sites that shut down during this time period we will still be around. Indeed look for some cool features on Big Download starting next week.

• Here's a shocker: Someone has made a PC sex game using an Xbox 360 Kinect hack.
• Steam has new automatic updates for the Mac port of Civilization V and Flight Control HD.
• Crysis and Crysis 2's Nanosuit has won a design award in the real world.
• As promised, the beta test for the PC port of Monday Night Combat has begun for all pre-orders.
• A major new patch for Patrician IV has been released via the game's auto updater; here are the patch notes.

Publisher Take Two Interactive is the last publicly traded game publisher to reveal its financial results for 2010. For its quarter that ended on October 31 the company brought in at $373.7 million compared to revenues of $282 million for the same period a year ago. Take Two brought in a net profit of $54.2 million for the quarter compared to a loss of $7.9 million for the same period a year ago.

For the past 12 months, Take Two had revenues of $1.16 billion, a 65 percent increase from the previous year. The publisher had a net profit of $49.7 million for the 12 month period compared to a loss of $130.4 million for the previous year. As we reported earlier this year Take Two will adjust its fiscal year reporting period to the standard that most other companies have and will report its next numbers sometime in April or May.

The Treasure Hunt continues on the Steam web site as the promotion-sales-contest on the PC gaming web site enters its next-to-last two day period. Here are the four new objectives that Steam users have to accomplish to qualify to win some free games:

Post a comment on a friend's Steam Community profile page
Build a Wonder in Civilization V
Set a leaderboard score of at least 10,515 for 'Slaughter, City Center' in Zombie Driver
Build Me Up Buttercup in Bob came in Pieces

In addition both Zombie Driver and Bob came in Pieces are on sale for the next two days for $2.50 each. Civilization V is also on sale for two days for $37.49. By the way the new civs and scenario for the game are now live on Steam's site for $7.49

Ahead of the planned released of a new downloadable content pack for the game, developed 2K Games has now issued a major new patch for its turn-based strategy game Civilization V via Steam. While not nearly as massive as the patch issued a few hours ago for Elemental: War of Magic, the patch notes for the Civ 5 update are still quite extensive with improvements, changes and bug fixes for nearly every aspect of the game.

Just a reminder: A new DLC release for Civilization V is due to be made available on Steam tomorrow that will add two new civs to the game along with a new scenario for $7.49.