6. Unlimited Modability: Civilization was one of the first major games
to be user-extensible, and Civilization IV takes this to extremes. In addition
to the built-in world editor, the game is built with the open source Python
scripting language, allowing users to easily modify most features. For more
hardcore modders, the SDK will be released in early 2006, and will give players
the ability to change virtually everything about the game, from the way the AI
behaves to the position of the camera.
7. Really Awesome Multiplayer: There are so many multiplayer
possibilities with Civilization IV, that this requires two entries in the list.
Aside from all the neat tweaks to keep things going smoothly, there are now lots
of new gameplay possibilities. Team games are now easily set up, and teams have
new ways to communicate with each other, from annotating each other’s screens
(you can literally draw lines to tell people where to go – think of strategizing
in football) to sending little pings to alert teammates of important events
happening around their map. Support for voice over IP allows players to talk to
each other while they play, whether it’s for genuine communication or just plain
smack talking.
But that’s just the start of the multiplayer possibilities with Civilization
IV. The new “Double City Elimination” option means if you lose two cities,
you’re out. “One City Challenge” means you can only have one city. The “Always
War” and “Always Peace” games limit you to one or the other. All of these can be
mixed and matched to create exactly the kind of multiplayer Civ game you want to
play.
One particularly hardcore game can be created by playing with teams and
handicaps, so that you have two teams: one with a single person set to the
easiest difficulty setting (giving that player a major bonus in all areas) and
one with several other people on normal (or one of the harder levels, if you
really want to make things interesting) trying to take him/her down.
Also fun: a really small map with a lot of players. Twelve people playing a
game of Civ is great when there’s a lot of space. Put them all on a map the size
of Rhode Island, and see how long it takes to get ugly, as still developing
civilizations battle for what little space there is.
8. Custom Games for Single Players: With the Custom Game feature in
Civilization IV, you can basically play a multiplayer game all by yourself. All
the same options available in multiplayer can be used in single player games
against A.I. You can even play with the A.I. by turning on Random Personalities.
With that on, you don’t know how the A.I. is going to react. Gandhi the
Conqueror? Genghis Khan the Pacifist? Both could happen. And of course, you can
play a multiplayer game with two people and 10 A.I. civs, replacing them as real
people join in, or start a multiplayer game where all the other players are A.I.
and people can take over whenever they like.
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