Civilization-5
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Civ 5 lead designer forms studio, pounds At the Gates of Kickstarter
The lead designer of Civilization 5, Jon Shafer, is breaking out on his own with a new independent studio, Conifer Games, and its first game, At the Gates. At the Gates is an empire builder and Conifer Games is asking for $40,000 on Kickstarter to finish it; the team has "already made significant progress" in its development.This news means Shafer is no longer at Stardock, where in 2011 he signed on to help with Elemental: Fallen Enchantress and an unannounced project. Shafer founded Conifer Games a few months ago, according to his blog, and At the Gates already has a fully playable prototype."Our first project is At the Gates, a 4X turn-based strategy game which takes place during the fall of the Roman Empire," Shafer writes. "Players take the reigns of a fledgling barbarian tribe trying to forge a place for itself within the new order."If all goes as planned with the Kickstarter, At the Gates will launch in the first half of 2014.
Civilization 5 'One World' expansion spotted in Steam database
Civilization 5 might be getting a new expansion titled "One World," according to a listing on the Steam Apps Database, as spotted by members of the 2K Games forums. The database lists only "Expansion - One World Content" and its executable file for PC, with no additional information. Neither 2K nor Firaxis have confirmed future DLC for the game.The previous expansion for Civilization 5 was Gods and Kings, which launched in June. We thought that expansion brought us pretty close to the "final version" of Civilization 5, but it seems there's always room for improvement. Rome wasn't built in a day, people.
Steam Summer Sale, Day 9: Dungeon Defenders, Crysis 2, Civ 5 and more
Well, we're more than a week into the Steam Summer Sale and there's still no end in sight. No end to the savings, that is! (Can you tell we used to write copy for a local used car dealership?)Today's deep discounts include Dungeon Defenders, Fear 3, Magicka and Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad GOTYE, all for less than five smackers each, and Civilization 5, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Crysis 2 and Driver: San Fancisco for less than a tenner. Today's indie bundle is also no slouch, touting the now-classic VVVVVV, as well as the ballistically brilliant Jamestown.
Avoid society with this great Civilization IV + V bundle deal
Amazon has a pretty killer deal going on. For $20, you can nab downloads of Civilization 4: The Complete Edition, Civilization 5: Game of the Year Edition and The Stronghold Collection. It's perfect for the strategy gamer in your life who's been out of the loop for a decade.[Thanks, Patrick!]
Civilization V: Gods & Kings demo now on Steam
Who can afford to blindly purchase games they think may be good? Not in this economy, buster – free demos are a necessity. Today, a demo for Civilization V: Gods & Kings is available for download on Steam.Gods & Kings launched earlier this month – we enjoyed it – and is currently available as a $29.99 expansion. Of course, you must already own Civilization V to play.
OnLive now streaming Civ 5, free with Gods and Kings purchase
If you don't own Civilization 5 yet, have heard good things about the Gods and Kings expansion, and have a steady Internet connection to play games on, then streaming service OnLive has a deal for you. It's offering the Civ 5 core game PlayPass for free when you buy Gods and Kings, essentially giving you the entire critically acclaimed title and its add-on for $29.99.What you're buying here is the chance to play them on OnLive, however, which gives you the benefit of running the game as if you're on a high-end PC (even if you're on a Mac or a low-end PC), as long as you have an Internet connection with the bandwidth to stream it. As long as you've got the pipes for streaming HD video, this is the way to jump on the Civ 5 wagon, as the same deal on Steam will currently run you $60. OnLive says the door's closing on this one at the end of this week.
Civilization 5: Gods and Kings review: March of progress
The board game Clue (Cluedo to those in Europe) was created in 1949. About 40 years later Clue Master Detective was created, leaving the core game intact, but adding more suspects, weapons and rooms. Civilization 5: Gods and Kings follows a nearly identical model. Seemingly a response to criticism that there wasn't enough going on in Civilization 5 as there was in Civilization 4, the Gods and Kings expansion tosses a bunch of balanced mechanics into the game simply to give more.To understand the present we must look to the recent past. Civilization 5 already had its "Game of the Year Edition" launch last year, normally marketing's indication that a game's development has come to a conclusion. Yet, here we are with Gods and Kings, a $30 expansion that adds new civilizations, wonders and buildings; with two big game mechanic additions being religion and espionage.I appreciated Civilization 5 for being a better game than any of its predecessors, opening up the series to more players, instead of creating the strategy game feedback loop that only builds mechanics for the hardest of hardcore, thus leaving newbies locked out or working eight times harder to understand what's happening. Civilization 5 streamlined nearly every mechanic in the series and made combat tactical for the first time, only allowing one unit per hex instead of a "stack of doom."Boiled down: Civilization 5: Gods and Kings takes two years of patches and adds religion and espionage to the mix for those who felt the game wasn't busy enough. Oddly, and not in a negative sense, the new mechanics actually simplify the game in many ways, with religion and espionage supplying bonus options that can be used to devastating effect by those with a strategic mind.%Gallery-152923%
Learning religious proselytizing from Civ 5's 'Gods and Kings' expansion
Perhaps the biggest addition in Civilization 5's upcoming Gods & Kings expansion is religion. But don't go thinking it's some innocuous cultural addendum – as the Firaxis folks above explain, religion in Civ 5 is all about subjugation.
PSA: Civilization V Steam Workshop functionality now live
Steam Workshop functionality has been turned on in Civilization V. Whether you're pumped for the upcoming Gods & Kings expansion pack, or you merely want more modability out of your vanilla Civilization V experience, you can opt in to the expanded social features enabled by Steam Workshop functionality for free right now. ... Well, not now now. You have to open up Steam and do it in there. Go ahead – go do it. This is the end of the post anyway. Nothing more to see here.
Firaxis takes a walk through time with Civ 5's Gods and Kings expansion trailer
When Civilization 5's Gods & Kings expansion launches next week, it'll have more than a few extra civs and that whole religion thing. Allow the fine folks at Firaxis to walk you through exactly what to be prepared for in this handy – and heavily informative – video, just above.
Civilization 5 coming to Steam Workshop
Civilization 5 is hitting Steam Workshop soon, enhancing a bevy of modding features in the full game along with the coming Gods & Kings expansion pack. Civilization 5's current modding system is getting a facelift to include mod author pages complete with a "follow" option, the ability to create collections, favorite mods and comment on them directly.2K Games says it will update with more information on the official forums next week.
WRUP: Civilization to stand the test of time
Civilization 5 is free to play on Steam this weekend and is only $7.50 ($12.50 for the Game of the Year edition) if you decide to invest in your future's lost time. Fans of the previous installment knock the game for not being as deep, but some of those rebels may be silenced by the upcoming Gods and Kings expansion on June 19.What's everyone playing this weekend?
My liege, Civilization V is free to play on Steam this weekend
The time of being born into power is coming to a close, as democracy sweeps across this world of ours. Now, if you want to be a leader of a country, you need to be smart – a student of conquest and diplomacy – and this weekend you can study up in Civilization V on Steam, free of charge.You can install the game through Steam and play until you bring the world around to your type of thinking, up until 1pm PT on Sunday. And if you like Civilization V, it just so happens you can also purchase it at a 75% discount this weekend, which brings the price down to $7.49. A good ruler must also be able to spot a good bit of marketing. The expansion, Gods and Kings, is a little more than a month away, after all.
Civilization 5: Gods and Kings finds religion, release date on June 19
Civilization 5's "Gods and Kings" expansion is set to enter the timeline on June 19 and 22 in North America and internationally, respectively.At GDC, developers gave us a better idea of the changes in the expansion pack, which will add 27 new units, 13 new buildings and nine new Wonders and civilizations. The big changes will include the addition of religion and espionage, along with tweaks to diplomacy. We're still looking forward to hearing more about the game's additional scenarios, including the "Victorian science-fiction scenario." %Gallery-150141%
Civilization 5: Gods and Kings devs discuss community-driven changes
Civilization 5's "Gods & Kings" expansion is looking to satisfy the demand for more depth in the strategy, following the game's launch just under a year and a half ago.One of the top three changes made due to community feedback, according to Lead Designer Ed Beach, is that the AI opponent no longer holds grudges that last millennia. He also noted that diehard Civilization 4 players complained there was a lack of depth in the gameplay, which is why religion, diplomacy and combat were added or overhauled. Finally, the combat tech tree doesn't have awkward dead ends anymore. Crossbows can now become gatling gunners, which then become machine gunners.Producer Dennis Shirk echoed Beach, saying the religion, espionage and combat mechanics were the focus of change. Specific changes affect certain naval units, which now have "melee" abilities that allow them to invade cities after significant bombardment. There's also more flexibility in stacking units, though don't expect the classic "stack of doom" to return. Finally, espionage is handled through one screen with no actual units on the board, streamlining the process of cost and consequence.The expansion includes 27 new units, 13 new buildings and nine new Wonders, which Firaxis didn't describe further at this event. The expansion is expected to launch in late spring, sometime "before the kids get out of school." Study comes first, kids!
Civilization 5: Gods & Kings expansion announced, available 'late spring 2012'
Religion and espionage return to the Civilization series when the fifth installment receives the "Gods & Kings" expansion before the summer solstice.The expansion includes 27 new units, 13 new buildings and nine new Wonders. There's also nine new civilizations, including Carthage, the Netherlands and the Celts. Along with two new types of city-states: mercantile and religious.Scenarios include the medieval period, the fall of the Rome and the (very cool sounding) Empires of the Smoky Skies, "a Victorian science-fiction scenario."Oooh!Most importantly, however, is the return of religion and the salvation or subjugation of the populace through its means. As players enter the Renaissance, spies can be unlocked to change the course of history through surveillance, theft and the always good fun of a coup. Sounds like a missed opportunity for an Assassin's Creed crossover if you ask us.%Gallery-147791%
Build a mighty Civilization on the cheap at Amazon this week
If you have a little bit of spare change and a lot of free time, Amazon has quite a deal for you. The retailer's deal of the week offers both Civilization IV and Civilization V at a hefty discount. Either game can be had for a mere $9. If you need a strategy guide, Machiavelli has you covered.
Deus Ex, Civ 5, GTA series on sale today on Steam
We know you're probably exhausted both mentally and financially by the onslaught of Steam Holiday Sales, but try to steel yourself: Today's righteous offers include Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Civilization 5 and all of the Grand Theft Auto games in the world. (Well, most of them.)
Steam Autumn Sale: Limbo, Overlord 75 percent off
Steam's Autumn Sale continues today, with some spectacular sales on Limbo ($2.49), Civilization 5 ($10.19), the Overlord complete pack ($4.99) and more. There's also a terrible sale on Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, wherein Steam is still asking people to actually pay for it. Steam is also offering franchise sales on The Witcher, F.E.A.R., Tom Clancy and, to keep the excitement at manageable levels, Kane & Lynch titles.
Civilization 5 GOTY edition announced, available Sept. 27
2K Games announced today that a "Game of the Year Edition" for Civilization 5 will enter the annals of retail history on September 27. The $50 bundle includes the core game, soundtrack and previously released add-on content that was sold to Civ addicts for between $5 and $10 a hit. Civilization 5, as expected, was one of the best strategy games of the past year. The GOTY edition also includes all the mega-patches the game received since its launch a year ago. We've listed the included DLC for the GOTY bundle after the break.
