E3: More on Civ IV

Here's another screenshot of Civilization IV, and some more dope about the game that Firaxis games promises will be even more addicting than the original.

• faster pace: remember how the early years of a Civilization map tend to blow by, but the years approaching 2050 can take what seems like hours? Firaxis promises "streamlined" gameplay for a "faster" experience.

• easier interface: Firaxis promises an interface that will be familiar and easy for veterans and newbies alike. The screenshots we've seen look a little chaotic, but they're not showing the city interface yet.

• more flexible tech tree: Flexibility and "open-ended gameplay" are the buzzwords of the moment, so there's no surprise that every game is touting this.

• new multiplayer options: There will be a persistent, turn-based server option, and it could be huge. It'd be great to be able to line up a game with someone over the net and have some trusted server somewhere store the information. Saving game information client-side (with the players' machines) exposes it to shenanigans.

• team-play: "team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and shared territory that delivers a plethora of new strategic and tactical options"

The game's marketing team has also produced a funny little guide to help players of the game overcome their debilitating addictions to it. The brochure they're handing out on the show floor shows gamers in AA-like settings saying things like, "By the time I got to the Industrial Age, I was a full-blown junkie," and "The addiction just takes over. One more turn, one more turn, one more turn..."