GDC 10: A few details, screens from Civ 5

Right after finishing blowing the faces off thugs in Mafia II, I was whisked into the chilled and comfortable mini-auditorium confines that housed the Civilization 5 demo. I’ve played Civ once or twice over the years and have never felt comfortable explaining what the game is or what each iteration brings to the table. But because I feel like playing the magician this afternoon, allow me to pull some fresh details out of my hat.

One major area of focus in the new game is the landmass. It’s much more detailed, much more rich. This is due, in part, to the new hexagon formations. No more messing with squares. A change on a lesser scale is that of diplomacy and battle. Units are now restricted to a single tiles and a new ranged troop, the archer, has been introduced to shake up what was once just stacked battles. But if it doesn’t come to sword and shield, know that the Civ team has revamped diplomacy, making it much more realistic. Leaders will now lie and cheat, spot troops on their borders and even partake binding research agreements. Subtle facial gestures add to their more robust dialogue options.

And know this, modders: Civ 5 will ship with a stand-alone, in-game map editor, which according to the representatives, is more robust and more streamlined than anything they’ve released before.