Monday, June 18, 2012

Empress Theodora, Queen Dido, Boudicca and Attila the Hun wreak havoc in Civilization V: Gods and Kings

Tomorrow, the latest installment in Sid Meier's Civilization franchise, the expansion pack Civilization V: Gods and Kings, makes its appearance.  A number of ancient personalities are incorporated into this full expansion pack including:


  • Byzantium / Theodora: The 6th century empress rules the only civilization that can add an additional belief modifier to its founded religion. 
  • Carthage / Dido: The founder and queen of Carthage gets a free harbor in all coastal cities. The empire’s famous war elephants replace standard mounted units, and can cross mountains after the first Great General is born.
  • Celts / Boudicca: Forest tiles give the tribal queen extra Faith points through the “Druidic Lore” ability.
  • Huns / Attila: The ruler of the Asian warrior nomads can lay waste to opposing cities at twice the normal speed thanks to his “Scourge of God” ability. Bonus production points for pasture improvements.
  • Maya / Pacal: Pacal receives an extra Great Person at the end of every Mayan calendar cycle — that’s 394 years.
I thought the addition of Mayan ruler Pacal was particularly appropriate this year since we'll all have a chance to find out just how accurate Mayan soothsayers were on December 21.


Matt Silverman of Mashable Entertainment tells us that, much to the relief of disappointed Civ enthusiasts who found religion missing in the original release of Civ V, religion will be added back in this expansion pack.


"Religion is not simply overlaid on the existing game," Silverman observes. "It seeps down deep into every other mechanic, which is why this expansion is so successful". 


Silverman also points out that espionage has returned with this expansion pack as well.


"The absence of spies in Civ V was also cause for concern at the initial release. Embedding stealth units behind enemy lines in Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword remains a highlight of that expansion.
Gods & Kings brings espionage back, but completely re-imagines it. Spies are no longer units on the map, but agents tasked with missions in rival cities. You start with one spy the moment any civ reaches the Renaissance era, and earn an additional agent for each subsequent era. Spies improve their rank with each successful mission."

So, for Civilization fans that had been disillusioned with Civilization V, now's your chance to restore your faith!


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