A new strategy game from Sid Meier will hit gaming shelves five months from now. Developer Firaxis has announced the next Civilization will be launching on PC on October 21. With the huge success of 2010's Civilization V, players can expect new gameplay and improvements from Civilization VI.
Here's the latest update about Sid Meier's Civilization VI debut, cities, gameplay and features.
In a report from the Verge, the game developer has highlighted a few key changes in the game. One of the significant changes is the bigger roles of cities. Instead of occupying a single tile, the cities in the game can now spread across multiple tiles. It is also important that players should place them in a strategic location. For example, building a city at the edge of an ocean has a huge bonus when it comes to water-related research such as sailing.
Furthermore, artificial intelligence of the computer-controlled players will have some changes as well. The non-player A.I. will always have some agenda that shapes their behavior. Players can't really change someone's plan, such as Manifest Destiny. However, players can change A.I's attitude by having a good strategy.
This means players have to learn the art of diplomacy to understand the behavior of computer-controlled players. Developers called it "dynamic diplomacy," in which players can influence the motivations of the AI characters by just interacting with them.
"We have a system that has a historical agenda linked to a leader, but they also have random leaders, chosen game by game, that are hidden from the player," Andrew Garrett, lead AI designer on the game, told in Venture Beat.
Players can find out the agenda of a particular leader by spying or just understanding their behavior. Players can also set leaders against each other through careful analysis. It is reported that Civilization VI will introduce new espionage system, but game developer has not yet revealed any details about it.
Graphics-wise, the new Civilization game has an overhauled visual style that provides brighter and detailed images than its previous version. The animations are also functional. Players can look at the expression of AI characters to determine its mood and mindset.
Sid Meier created the Civilization franchise 25 years ago. Its seventh installment will be released in the same day as Electronic Arts' shooter game Battlefield 1, but many believe Civilization VI can outlast the new Battlefield. The gaming franchise has sold more than 33 million copies since 2010.
See the announcement trailer of Civilization 6 below.
