civilization-4 posts

As promised last week, owners of the turn-based strategy game Civilization V can now download the first official DLC packs for the title via Steam. The DLC from developer Firaxis Games and publisher 2K Games include a free pack and one that costs some cash.

The free download adds the Mongols civilization to the game. It also adds a new scenario where you join with party animal Genghis Khan as he seeks to take over the world with his Mongol hordes. In addition the Babylonian civilization pack is available to download for $4.99 for everyone to access. It was previously available just for players who purchased the game's Digital Deluxe edition.

Clearly there is still an audience for a well developed turn-based PC exclusive strategy game. Firaxis Games' latest title Civilization V is once again on top of Steam's weekly top 10 best selling PC games (according to revenue). Capcom's zombie action game Dead Rising 2 makes an impressive showing in its debut week at number 2 while a 50 percent sale on Team Fortress 2 put the multiplayer shooter from Valve in the number three spot.

The full top 10 list is as follows:

1. Civilization V - Firaxis Games/2K Games
2. Dead Rising 2 - Blue Castle Games/Capcom
3. Team Fortress 2 - Valve
4. F1 2010 - Codemasters
5. Borderlands: Claptrap's Robot Revolution - Gearbox Software/2K Games
6. Medal of Honor Limited Edition - Electronic Arts
7. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
8. Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Digital Illusions/EA s
9. Fallout New Vegas. - Obsidian Entertainment/Bethesda Softworks
10. Cities XL - Focus Home Interactive

Civilization as a series is one of the great constants of PC gaming. Started almost two decades ago, it's been going strong the entire time. Every release in the main series has been, critically and commercially, a blockbuster. With Civilization V coming out, it's important to take a look back at the previous games in the series. After all, Civilization is a series built on the shoulders of both its predecessors and offshoots. Even though many of today's gamers weren't even born for the first few Civilization games, they still remain hallmarks of complex, yet accessible, game design.

Several months ago the creator of the popular Civilization IV mod Fall From Heaven announced that plans were underway to turn the fantasy-themed mod into a stand alone commercial game. Unfortunately it looks like those plans are now on hold. The game's official forums at Civilization Fanatics have now been updated with word that development of the Fall From Heaven game is now on hold.

As usual the issue was with money, with the creator Derek "Kael" Paxton stating, "There were 2 ways this project could have been financed, both fell through." The game itself was going to be called Fall From Heaven Tactics and would have let the player participate in "tactical level battles" in the game's universe. While the stand alone game is on hold it sounds like fans of the mod will get something with Paxton stating, "There will be more FfH projects." Perhaps a mod for Civilization V?

[Via Rock Paper Shotgun]

As we reported in our E3 2010 Civilization V impressions article, the upcoming strategy game from Firaxis Games will come with mod and editing tools to allow players to make their own maps and mods for the title. But what if you really love a map that was made for the previous game in the series, Civilization IV?

Thankfully it looks like people won't have to remake those maps from stratch for the new entry in the series. BitMob quotes the game's lead designer Jon Shafer as saying, "You can import Civ 4 maps into the world builder and convert them into Civ 5 maps, including all the units and cities and stuff on it." While you won't be able to do the same with Civ IV total conversion mods like the popular Fall from Heaven that have custom art and designs, we should see a flood of old Civ 4 maps remade for the new game when Civilization V is released this September.

Independent Minds aims to take various aspects of indie gaming and present them to you each week. From game round-ups to design elements to interviews with prominent members of the scene, it's an exploration of what makes indie gaming great as well as what makes someone an indie.

Well, maybe not handicapped, but certainly accessible! Accessibility is an incredibly important aspect of gaming that nobody really pays attention to. Accessibility is really simple: how easy is it for a new player to come in and pick up your game. Most notably, you must pick up and hold your new player's attention, even if they don't completely understand the game right from the very start. In a way, this tied into both ambition and the principles of good design, but it goes a little farther beyond that into knowing your players. It's a guessing game, really.

According to the developers a Firaxis Games, Colonization is one of the most requested revivals among all the classic Sid Meier games. Seeing as how games like Pirates! and Railroads! already saw remakes, it's only logical that Colonization should see its turn too. On its surface, Colonization comes off as a highly detailed mod for Civilization IV. However, once you get beyond the familiar Civ4 graphics and interface, you'll find a game that bears only a passing semblance to Civilization. Unlike Civ4, Colonization only has one goal: to build a self-sufficient colony in the New World and amass enough wealth to declare independence from the mother country (England, Spain, France or the Netherlands) within a designated number of turns. Even though there's only one victory condition, it's a mountainous one, and colonizing the New World gets tough pretty fast.

Video Games Live has announced a partnership with record label EMI Classics to release a compilation of some of VGL's orchestrated video game tunes via digital distribution and compact disc. Entitled Video Games Live: Volume One, the assemblage will showcase "some of the more popular segments from Video Games Live performances. The album contains several unique arrangements that were created along with the original composers exclusively for the show, and have never previously been released," according to a press release issued by VGL.

Video Games Live: Volume One will be released in two stages: a digital release available in the United Kingdom starting today, July 7; and a CD / iTunes exclusive complete with bonus tracks that coincides with VGL events beginning in San Diego, CA, on July 24.

The full track list for Video Games Live: Volume One is available after the break.

Civilization 4 is one of those must-play games that will suck your life away in a whirlwind of historical battles and silly events (Islam was founded in London?!). The Beyond The Sword expansion pack only adds to this amazing addictiveness of the game, including things such as a brand new era and a plethora of new scenarios to dominate. Firaxis has patched the game up to 3.17, and has addressed rebalancing concerns as well as bugfixes. You can download the patch right here on Big Download, and the full patch notes are after the break.

Download Civilization 4: Beyond The Sword patch 3.17 on Big Download today!

2K Games has announced Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization, a stand-alone expansion that recreates the classic Colonization game.

"We've received many requests from fans over the years to bring back Colonization and now seemed to be the perfect time to do that," said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games.

The original Colonization charged players with conquering the New World using one of four European nations. While the concept remains the same in Civilization IV: Colonization, the Civ IV engine will add a number of new features such as "a brand-new interface, improved diplomacy options and the included modding tools."

Civilization IV: Colonization will be available Fall 2008.