Civilization, Sid Meier’s best-selling strategy game, thrived on the PC for years before it finally came out for platforms like iOS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Now the 20-year-old franchise is going where it’s never gone before: Facebook.
Civilization World, which launched yesterday, takes the addictive, turn-based strategy series where players compete and attempt to build the world’s most powerful empire, and for the first time lets them collaborate with or play against their Facebook friends.
“We’ve developed Civilization games on many different platforms, and Facebook is an exciting new frontier,” Meier told The Daily. “Our goal was to make a game that is fundamentally Civilization that will not only appeal to the hardcore Civilization fans, but also the Facebook gamers who are looking for a new gameplay experience.”
Civilization fans will recognize many staples of past titles. Players must grow their nation’s cities by deftly managing resources, the production of goods and the happiness of their citizens, all while making alliances with or scheming against nearby nations. Battles still come into play, but pros know that it’s not just about who has the biggest army; there are multiple ways to advance your nation other than brute force. Ultimately, it’s based on how you and your Facebook friends want to play.
“This game, like traditional Civilization games, has a beginning, middle and end, which is uncommon in Facebook games,” Meier said. “Each game [in Civilization World] plays very differently. For instance, you can choose to focus on producing science for technological developments, or become a merchant and rake up gold and so on. The strategies that the players use are completely their own, and by changing their gameplay focus, they can have an entirely different experience every time they play.”
Although the game is free to play, there’s the option to purchase in-game Civ Bucks with real money in order to get bonuses to enhance your city, more moves in mini games and extra gold to buy buildings or items. However, Meier said the game is kept fair due to a limit on the amount of Civ Bucks that can be used each day for items or gameplay.
“This is new territory for us as a studio, so we’ve had lots of learning to do in terms of building the back-end support and other new technologies associated with these types of games,” said Meier. “It’s been exciting taking the Civ experience that we’re all so familiar with, and make a game that will deliver a new way to play” the franchise.
But one big difference in Civilization World is that Facebook, being a global platform, allows for battles between nations to happen 24/7. Due to time differences, an opponent in New York could easily get a three-hour jump on you if you’re in California. However, to avoid getting attacked while you sleep (or making you stay up all night to guard your nation), Meier said battles are not instantaneous. They can take place over the span of a day or two, giving players the opportunity to contribute armies on their own time.
“We actually noticed this when a civilization comprised of people on the East Coast ganged up against a civilization of people on the West Coast to attack while they were still sleeping to get an edge on them,” Meier said of when the developers at Firaxis were working on the game. “Naturally, we had to level the playing field for battles; still, it doesn’t hurt to have someone in your Civilization living in a different part of the world!”
The game is still in beta, so the developers are listening to feedback from players and continuing to work out the kinks. As for eventually coming to mobile devices and the iPad, Meier hinted that “anything is possible.”
“Social games are definitely a part of the future of gaming, and there’s still a lot of room for new ideas in that space,” he said. “Using Facebook for games is still so new, but [Facebook] has been very supportive and enthusiastic about what we’re making.”
He added, “And rumor has it that Mr. Zuckerberg is a fan.”
Civilization World, which launched yesterday, takes the addictive, turn-based strategy series where players compete and attempt to build the world’s most powerful empire, and for the first time lets them collaborate with or play against their Facebook friends.
“We’ve developed Civilization games on many different platforms, and Facebook is an exciting new frontier,” Meier told The Daily. “Our goal was to make a game that is fundamentally Civilization that will not only appeal to the hardcore Civilization fans, but also the Facebook gamers who are looking for a new gameplay experience.”
Civilization fans will recognize many staples of past titles. Players must grow their nation’s cities by deftly managing resources, the production of goods and the happiness of their citizens, all while making alliances with or scheming against nearby nations. Battles still come into play, but pros know that it’s not just about who has the biggest army; there are multiple ways to advance your nation other than brute force. Ultimately, it’s based on how you and your Facebook friends want to play.
“This game, like traditional Civilization games, has a beginning, middle and end, which is uncommon in Facebook games,” Meier said. “Each game [in Civilization World] plays very differently. For instance, you can choose to focus on producing science for technological developments, or become a merchant and rake up gold and so on. The strategies that the players use are completely their own, and by changing their gameplay focus, they can have an entirely different experience every time they play.”
Although the game is free to play, there’s the option to purchase in-game Civ Bucks with real money in order to get bonuses to enhance your city, more moves in mini games and extra gold to buy buildings or items. However, Meier said the game is kept fair due to a limit on the amount of Civ Bucks that can be used each day for items or gameplay.
“This is new territory for us as a studio, so we’ve had lots of learning to do in terms of building the back-end support and other new technologies associated with these types of games,” said Meier. “It’s been exciting taking the Civ experience that we’re all so familiar with, and make a game that will deliver a new way to play” the franchise.
But one big difference in Civilization World is that Facebook, being a global platform, allows for battles between nations to happen 24/7. Due to time differences, an opponent in New York could easily get a three-hour jump on you if you’re in California. However, to avoid getting attacked while you sleep (or making you stay up all night to guard your nation), Meier said battles are not instantaneous. They can take place over the span of a day or two, giving players the opportunity to contribute armies on their own time.
“We actually noticed this when a civilization comprised of people on the East Coast ganged up against a civilization of people on the West Coast to attack while they were still sleeping to get an edge on them,” Meier said of when the developers at Firaxis were working on the game. “Naturally, we had to level the playing field for battles; still, it doesn’t hurt to have someone in your Civilization living in a different part of the world!”
The game is still in beta, so the developers are listening to feedback from players and continuing to work out the kinks. As for eventually coming to mobile devices and the iPad, Meier hinted that “anything is possible.”
“Social games are definitely a part of the future of gaming, and there’s still a lot of room for new ideas in that space,” he said. “Using Facebook for games is still so new, but [Facebook] has been very supportive and enthusiastic about what we’re making.”
He added, “And rumor has it that Mr. Zuckerberg is a fan.”
