firaxis-games posts

Jon Shafer, the man who was the lead designer and main gameplay programmer behind the acclaimed turn-based strategy game Civilization V has decided to depart the game's developer Firaxis Games. The strategy blog site Flash of Steel reports that Shafer, who worked at Firaxis for close to six years on a number of game projects, left earlier this month.

The blog also has a statement from Shafer who says he left Firaxis on his own and was not laid off by the developer's parent company 2K Games. However he does not say what his reasons were for leaving the developer at this time nor is there any info on his future plans.

[Via Gamasutra]

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.

Next week, the folks at Firaxis Games will be releasing its newest DLC content for its hit strategy game Civilization V. But there's also a rather large patch that's been in the works for some time. The game's official forums have now posted the final, and rather extensive, notes detailing what will be in the next patch.

According to the message board post, the patch is expected to be released before the Spain and Inca DLC comes out on December 16. The notes show quite a few AI changes and improvements in the patch along with many gameplay, UI, diplomacy, and mod changes. The patch will be released automatically via the Steam download service.

Civilization V fans will soon be able to purchase and download more content for the popular turn based strategy game. Today the game's publisher 2K Games revealed plans to add two new civilizations along with a new scenario to the game from developer Firaxis on December 16.

One of the new civs will be the the Spaniards which will be ruled by Queen Isabella in the game. The other new civ is the Incans with Pachacuti as their leader. The new scenario will have the player take on Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World in 1492. Both the new civs and the new scenario will be made available to download for $7.49. You can check out more info about the DLC release after the jump:

[Via email press release]

The theme song for Civilization IV has made history this week. Gamasutra reports that the track Baba Yetu, composed by Christopher Tin, has become the first music made for a game to ever be nominated for a Grammy Award. The song was nominated in the (deep breath) "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists" category.

Tin wrote Baba Yetu, which also has a performance by the Soweto Gospel Choir, for Firaxis Games' 2005 edition of the turn-based strategy game series. Gamasutra reports that the track has had an extended life beyond the game as it has become popular with over 1000 live performances by various local and professional choirs. Tin was also nominated for a Grammy this year in the "Best Classical Crossover Album" category for his album Calling All Dawns.

If you purchased Civilization V after its release in September you likely missed out on getting one of many pre-order bonus map packs that were offered before the turn-based strategy game shipped out from various retailers. Now every owner of the Firaxis Games-developed title can access those pre-order map packs via Steam as paid DLC.

The Americas, Mediterranean, Mesopotamia and Asian ma packs can now be purchased and downloaded for $2.99 each. You can also get all four map packs in a bundle on Steam for $9.99, saving you about $2. Meanwhile we are still waiting for the next major patch to be released for the game that was first detailed last month.

Civilization V will officially be released for the Mac platform on Tuesday via publisher Aspyr but until today it was unknown if the Mac port of the turn-based strategy game would support Valve's SteamPlay feature. Today Aspyr confirmed that thanks to user feedback the Mac port will indeed support SteamPlay. That means people who purchased the PC version will be able download the Mac port for free and vice versa.

Aspyr explained its decision by saying, "From the comments that poured in, it seemed clear that many of you had purchased the PC version, even though it was the Mac version that you really wanted, and either expected that Civ V Mac would support SteamPlay or that Civ V Mac would not even be released for some time." The Mac version will be made available on Steam and other download sites as planned on Tuesday.

Other aspects of the Mac port are detailed in the blog post including world that SteamCloud game save support would be coming sometime after the game's release. Unfortunately there will be no Mac demo of the game nor any support for mod tools for the Mac version.

Civilization V is getting yet another major patch and this week some of the changes were revealed in a new message board post on the turn-based strategy game's official forums. The patch, which as of yet doesn't have a release date, will concentrate on changes and improvements for its AI and diplomacy although there will be other things included.

Some of the patch notes for the Firaxis Games-developed title include improvements to the AI pillaging code (because all of us enjoy a good pillaging) having cities heal more quickly (you know from all that pillaging) and a couple of diplomatic systems: Declaration of Friendship and Denounce. We wish to denounce any declaration of friendship right now; if you are a true friend you shouldn't need to declare it.

It's perhaps one of the most long awaited Facebook-based games ever announced and, well, it looks like it will still be waiting for a while longer. During today's BMO Capital Markets 18th Annual Digital Entertainment Conference Take Two Interactive's executive chairman Strauss Zelnick stated that developer Firaxis Games' Civilization Network will launch sometime in 2011, adding that the public will get to see the game "relatively soon."

The game, which has direct design input from Civilization's creator Sid Meier, was first announced over a year ago and at the time Meier said a closed beta would begin "soon". Since the announcement there's been little info on the game's status and the game's Facebook page has not had an official update since May.

[Via Joystiq]

The Civilization series has always been a big favorite for Mac gamers and today it was announced that the latest game in the series, Civilization V, will be making its Mac debut on November 23. Aspyr Media is handling the publishing and development of the Mac port of Firaxis Games' turn-based strategy title. The system requirements for the Mac port include installing the Steam client which would suggest the Mac port will be made available on Steam at some point.

You can go ahead and pre-order the Mac port on Aspyr's GameAgent.com web site for both the download and box copy versions. And if you pre-order the game you will be put into a special drawing to receive a boxed Mac version of the game's Special Edition that's signed by Mr. Civilization himself Sid Meier. Also, all of the previous Civilization games for the Mac are currently being sold on GameAgent.com for 50 percent off.