Civilization Online

Civilization Online for PC is an online version of the popular 4X strategy focused on building and developing a civilization. It was developed by XL Games, a South Korean development studio established and led by Jake Song, a former employee of NCsoft. The Civilization franchise was created by Side Meier, currently running Firaxis Games.

Mechanics

The Civilization series has been fascinating the players for years now and seen several installments. Civilization Online transfers the rules created by Sid Meier to an MMO environment. The players do not assume the role of rulers but members of one of four cultures that fight one another on quite large maps. The gameplay takes place in real time in a world that constantly changes. The game is also divided into sessions—once a faction wins, both the world and the scores are reset. However, the players’ characters retain some of their properties. The goals of the subsequent “matches” can be different—from building a spaceship to military dominance.

As a member of an organization, we can explore the procedurally generated world, craft items, make discoveries, and wage war on the remaining sides of the conflict. One of the most important features is erecting our own buildings, including the so-called Wonders, which are characteristic of the series and require cooperation of many people to be completed. The developers also thought of such varied career paths as diplomatic or military leadership. With progress, the players can become governors of cities and even rulers of entire civilizations and then issue orders to their subordinates. Such choices are often made democratically.

Similarly to the classical installments of the Civilization series, factions can develop and, over time, go through six historical eras: from antiquity, through the Renaissance, up to the present day. With each such passage, many elements change—members of a given culture can buy new kinds of weapons and use better means of transportation, among other things. Development also requires us to extract raw materials, which may be hindered by geographical conditions. However, valuable resources can be bought from other players or taken by force.

Technical aspects

Civilization Online for PC is powered by CryEngine 3 that ensures pretty graphics. It is also worthy of note that the game’s maps are generated procedurally which ensures that every match is unique.

Last updated on April 2, 2016