civ 3 franchise sold for $22 million

[Crapshoot]

I believe someone mentioned this in the PIrates! thread- but worth its own.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/civilizationiv/news_6113971.html

that's a lot of dough for a game that sells- albeit not as well as a Half Life 2 or Doom 3- Im a little worried. 3 to me was nowhere near the game 2 was- I worry that 4 will now be more about squeezing every last dollar than making a great game. If it is Firaxis- that's good news- a developer who controls their publishing rights makes for a better game. If its EA - than screw it, that's another game to avoid.

[Desnudo]

I wonder how many gaming companies can afford to pay $22 million for the rights to one game.

[Calis]

I wonder how many gaming companies can afford to pay $22 million for the rights to one game.

Yeah, what I thought and really the only answer imo are EA or Microsoft.

Regardless you know it's going to become a console game.

/shudder

[Franklinnoble]

Curious... why all the secrecy?

I think this does not bode well. I hope I'm wrong.

[Calis]

Curious... why all the secrecy?

I think this does not bode well. I hope I'm wrong.

The secrecy leads me to think it'll be hyped up as one of the Next Gen consoles release titles...and probably bastardized completely, but then I just don't see it being that big of a console hit.

I don't really get it at all.

[jbmagic]

i guess that means no more support for civ3 conquest? i guess we wont see no more patch for it?

[Franklinnoble]

i guess that means no more support for civ3 conquest? i guess we wont see no more patch for it?

I dunno... is that version in need of a newer patch at this point? I have no complaints.

My guess is that there will be limited support going forward... whoever just dropped 22 large is going to focus on getting a return on the investment... that means Civ IV. I just hope they don't screw it up.

I pray that somehow Big Huge Games is the buyer. But I doubt it.

[Abe Sargent]

I wonder how many gaming companies can afford to pay $22 million for the rights to one game.

It's not for one game though, but for the entire Civilization franchise. By the way, I'm all about expanding your catalague with great titles and properties, but I'd probably take 22 million over just about every non-Madden title out there.

-Anxiety

[Shkspr]

It's not for one game though, but for the entire Civilization franchise. By the way, I'm all about expanding your catalague with great titles and properties, but I'd probably take 22 million over just about every non-Madden title out there.

-Anxiety

Clearly, we're looking at the Next Big Thing: Madden 3000 BC.

"So you got these guys over here, and those guys over there, and BOOM!, you got the Colossus of Islamabad. That's...that's all there is to say about that."

[Leonidas]

It's not for one game though, but for the entire Civilization franchise. By the way, I'm all about expanding your catalague with great titles and properties, but I'd probably take 22 million over just about every non-Madden title out there.

-Anxiety

Considering Halo 2 did something like $150M in its first week of sales I'd say you are a might bit off. Paying $22M for an established game like Civ 3 is not out of reach for a lot of companies. There really is big money in this (big money >$22M). But I agree this probably means a console deal since that's where the really big money is.

[sterlingice]

The secrecy leads me to think it'll be hyped up as one of the Next Gen consoles release titles...and probably bastardized completely, but then I just don't see it being that big of a console hit.

I don't really get it at all.
The next gen console better include a mouse and keyboard or else it's not going to do anywhere near the business they expect (XBox2: "Because a PC in a black box is cooler than one in beige"). Anyone tried to play a RTS or other game similar to that on a console? It just doesn't work that well.

SI

[Franklinnoble]

The next gen console better include a mouse and keyboard or else it's not going to do anywhere near the business they expect (XBox2: "Because a PC in a black box is cooler than one in beige"). Anyone tried to play a RTS or other game similar to that on a console? It just doesn't work that well.

SI

Nobunaga's Ambition was an NES RTS, and it was the first RTS I ever played... it really turned me on to the genre.

[JeeberDMack]

...it really turned me on to the genre.

But what doesn't turn you on, Franky? ;)

[Francis_Cole]

but I'd probably take 22 million over just about every non-Madden title out ther

I'd sell my copy of madden for $22m :D

[Calis]

Interesting update on this, it appears the buyer is none other than Firaxis themselves.

[Franklinnoble]

Interesting update on this, it appears the buyer is none other than Firaxis themselves.

That's not such a bad thing.

[Greyroofoo]

Civ IV was announced a long time ago. I also belive there's a mobile Civ III in the works too, dunno which platform its for though

[Buccaneer]

You're right, Civ4 was announced last April according to Apolyton. I think Firaxis buying the rights was what many thought or at least hoped for. All is well. Now if we can get the Firaxis to make Civ4 a true update of Civ2 instead of that kluged mess that was Civ3?

[Draft Dodger]

I thought it would be Firaxis. that's cool.

although I'd rather see a new Alpha Centauri...

[judicial clerk]

Bucc, what is it about Civ III that you do not like? I agree that I enjoyed Civ II much more than Civ III, but I can not put my finger on what was wrong with it.

[Buccaneer]

judicial clerk, I know there were many posts here about Civ3 but I don't know if that was before the Big Purge or not. To me, it was a bunch of things that did not work well together (borders, resources, culture, golden ages, national traits, etc) but the fatal flaw (imo) was the forced linearity of the advances. Civ2 allowed us to play the game anyway we like but Civ3 forced us more into playing it a certain way. Additionally, another great sin was the continued lack of true customization (ala Civ2 MPE). Because there were a number of things in the Civ3 engine that were hard-coded (like the advances tree and diplomacy), that limited the kind of custom scenarios that many hardcore civers had and still continue to play and develop in Civ2.

[Router Help]

Apparently Sid himself is working on Civ 4.

Here are some early,early,early,early,early, pre-alpha screen shots of Civ 4, and a powerpoint presentation given by Soren at some conference. The final game will probably look nothing like this.

http://www.terriblesecretofspace.com/civ4/

[Buccaneer]

Apparently Sid himself is working on Civ 4.

Here are some early,early,early,early,early, pre-alpha screen shots of Civ 4, and a powerpoint presentation given by Soren at some conference. The final game will probably look nothing like this.

http://www.terriblesecretofspace.com/civ4/
And that may make a difference since Sid was not directly involved in Civ3.

[jbmagic]

i never played civ2 , i jump right into civ 3..

but when i try to check out civ 2 at friend house, it just does not do it for me, i guess i got use of the graphics, etc on civ3...

what made civ2 better than civ3?

i really like civ 3 conquest.....

[Eaglesfan27]

Great link.

[Vince]

Interesting...

[Desnudo]

What I'd most like to see them sort out in Civ IV would be the end game. In all three civs, the AI once things settle down is atrocious.

[jbmagic]

civ 4 screenshots..

i found on a foreign web site

http://www.clubic.com/actualite-17577-civilization-4-se-devoile-dans-pc-gamers-.html

[Fritz]

I am just waiting for Civ to be merged with the Sims.

SEE HAMURABI COOK AN EGG
BUY HAMURABI A COUCH
HAMURABI BUILDS A CHARIOT IN ESH

[tanglewood]

what made civ2 better than civ3?

Elegant simplicity vs needless complexity.

At least IMHO anyway.

[gi]

Elegant simplicity vs needless complexity.

At least IMHO anyway.
Civ III conquests was what Civ III was supposed to be like in my opinion. Orginally CIV III really turned me off, with conquests they did a good job.

Civ II is generally near and dear to our hearts because it was a worthy upgrade to Civ I. Added a ton more and kept the fun. Didn't Brian Renolds do Civ II?

[John Galt]

Apparently Sid himself is working on Civ 4.

Here are some early,early,early,early,early, pre-alpha screen shots of Civ 4, and a powerpoint presentation given by Soren at some conference. The final game will probably look nothing like this.

http://www.terriblesecretofspace.com/civ4/

Has anyone else gone to this site lately? I get a rather "odd" result.

[Router Help]

Odd message, but I guess Firaxis has been asking sites to take down the info:

Soren Johnson on the info:

quote:I guess there's not much for me to say since you've made the right decision - as I expected you would. The leaks are from a very small, very private "alpha" test which has been going on a while for Civ4. (Were we betrayed by Atari now that they're not our publisher? hmmm...) I guess there is not much we can do now that the (very old) screens are out there, but I hope people can do what little they can to discourage their spread. I would hate to see this scare the higher-ups here who are not as comfotable engaging the community.

[JeeberD]

This thread makes me want to reinstall Civ III and play all night long...

[spleen1015]

Odd message, but I guess Firaxis has been asking sites to take down the info:

Soren Johnson on the info:

quote:I guess there's not much for me to say since you've made the right decision - as I expected you would. The leaks are from a very small, very private "alpha" test which has been going on a while for Civ4. (Were we betrayed by Atari now that they're not our publisher? hmmm...) I guess there is not much we can do now that the (very old) screens are out there, but I hope people can do what little they can to discourage their spread. I would hate to see this scare the higher-ups here who are not as comfotable engaging the community.

Where did that quote come from?

[jbmagic]

more news at http://www.civfanatics.com/ about civ 4

Health instead of Pollution in Civ4

Soren Johnson, lead designer for Civilization IV, responded to concerns by some fans that the removal of "unfun game elements" would endanger game balance over at Apolyton's fourm. Here is what Soren had to say:

There seems to have been a lot of consternation about the "get rid of unfun elements" quote. Perhaps I should clarify. We have identified the game pieces of Civ which have caused the most user annoyances (pollution, corruption, etc.). Instead of trying to band-aid these problems, we are mostly tossing them out and implementing better systems that will require less micro-management, provide better high-level control, and still create interesting gameplay challenges. Pollution, for example, is being replaced by a more comprehensive "Health" system which has a large variety of positive and negative influences. There is no need to go into detail yet - even though I am sure you can imagine some of the factors - the important point is that we aren`t just chucking the whole thing.

The take-home here is that we understand that cleaning-up pollution is not fun. We can fix that!

[jbmagic]

civ 4 new features

# Development is being headed by creator Sid Meier himself.
# Civ IV has been written entirely from scratch.
# The 3D engine will allow you to zoom smoothly from a global view all the way down to a single city.
# Individual units will gain experience and acquire new upgrades such as bonuses against specific enemy types and the ability to use enemy roads.
# No more spearmen defeating tanks.
# The tech tree has been changed to allow radically different research paths to the same high-level technologies, so you won’t have to follow a strict research path to be competitive later in the game.
# The game is written using flexible XML data files and the Python scripting language so that modders will have no trouble at all creating their own personalized worlds, units, technologies, and historical events. Advanced modders will even be able to control the AI.
# Civ4 has been designed from the outset to include the multiplayer mode. You will be able to team up in co-op mode against the AI or other teams of players, and a random-map generator ensures an equal start.

[Franklinnoble]

Good stuff, JB...

What's the expected release date?

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm wondering that too. I have really high hopes that Civ 4 will recapture the magic of the series for me.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I lost faith in EA after they destroyed the sim city series and after they milked the sims for all it was worth.

[Vince]

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to this game tremendously. But wasn't

# No more spearmen defeating tanks.
on the upgrade list for both 2 and 3?

[gi]

civ 4 new features

# Civ4 has been designed from the outset to include the multiplayer mode. You will be able to team up in co-op mode against the AI or other teams of players, and a random-map generator ensures an equal start.
Has to be a typo...no one and I mean no one makes co-op anymore.... :)

By having co-op I will buy this game before reviews come out. One of the most neglected game styles today.

[Eaglesfan27]

Doing a bit of quick research on several different sites, the only release date listed for Civ 4 is "2005."

[cody8200]

Right now they are just saying "2005".

[cody8200]

I lost faith in EA after they destroyed the sim city series and after they milked the sims for all it was worth.


I loved simcity 4. Helf my attention much longer than sim city 3 or even 2000 did. The original though...that was greatness!

[jbmagic]

Good stuff, JB...

What's the expected release date?

2005 is listed as the release date according the the pcgamer magazine that out January 2005

check this web site out...front page...
http://www.civfanatics.com/index.shtml

great web site for civilization game

2005 is listed as the release date

[jbmagic]

Has to be a typo...no one and I mean no one makes co-op anymore.... :)

By having co-op I will buy this game before reviews come out. One of the most neglected game styles today.


yes they do

Rise of nations and the expasnion....excellent RTS game....its a combo of civilizaton and age of empire.

[gi]

yes they do

Rise of nations and the expasnion....excellent RTS game....its a combo of civilizaton and age of empire.
Would love to check this out if I could. Can't because not one of my gaming friends plays RTS anymore, including me. FPS co-op (Mainly System Shock 2) and Gettysberg Co-Op was very nice. Starcraft had a limited co-op opportunity. Does RoN have something similar?

[jbmagic]

Would love to check this out if I could. Can't because not one of my gaming friends plays RTS anymore, including me. FPS co-op (Mainly System Shock 2) and Gettysberg Co-Op was very nice. Starcraft had a limited co-op opportunity. Does RoN have something similar?

what you mean by limited co-op opportunity?

[gi]

what you mean by limited co-op opportunity?
Single player campain didn't have co-op. Only in multiplayer battles could you work together.

[Blackadar]

"we kill him on december 23rd, 2005 at 9:36 am. please don't let me forget, ok?"


Does anyone have any idea what that means?

[jbmagic]

gi,

rise of nations has single mode co-op and multiplay co-op

you can do 1vs1 , 2 vs2, 3 vs 3, etc, you can play diplomacy, assassin, survivor of the fitness, barbarian, etc.....

you can work together with the AI in co-op too

this game is really fun

it has alot of the stuff you see in civlization

like government, temple, wonders, library, tanks, spearmen, aircrafts, scouts, etc

there things you see in age of empire
like food, wood, farm, etc

there conquer the world map like Risk you can play and try to take over each terrority..

you can make alliance

you can play on sea, land, both, different maps

like 8 different ages, like ancient, classical, medieval, gunpower, industrial, enlightment, modern, information

each nation you pick is different..like the americans, dutch, Maya, Indian, etc




Rise of nation and the expansion is awesome

[sterlingice]

I loved simcity 4. Helf my attention much longer than sim city 3 or even 2000 did. The original though...that was greatness! I have to disagree, well, not about SC4 because I haven't played it, but about the others. SC3 might as well have been a SC2000 update patch as it really didn't upgrade much. But SC2000 was great. It shared a trait with many games made around that time (Civ vs Civ 2, WC vs WC2, SC vs SC2000)- the former were all groundbreaking in that no one had made games like it, but they were all very rough while the latter all hold up well to age and you can still play today - they weren't just small incremental steps but huge steps. You just don't see this these days- version 2 of games, especially on consoles, can be very close to the first (Halo v Halo 2 is a perfect example). But, when I played SimCity, it felt like a game but when I played SimCity 2000, I felt like I could be an urban planner because of the level of detail (and it all fit on 2 3.25 disks!!!)- but it rarely felt forced- it made sense that you needed to plan pipes and freeways (instead of just roads), etc. Man, now I want to load that up and play it but I have 2 projects due Thursday :(

SI

[Router Help]

Where did that quote come from?

A message to the Apolyton staff regarding the leaked info.

[Desnudo]

# No more spearmen defeating tanks.


Wasn't that supposed to have been fixed from #2 to #3? I remember reading some funny arguments on that Appollyton board that in certain situations a tank could be defeated by spear guys. I thnk too many people watched Return of the Jedi.

[gi]

rise of nations has single mode co-op and multiplay co-op

Sounds like something I will have to pickup. Thanks!

[jbmagic]

Wasn't that supposed to have been fixed from #2 to #3? I remember reading some funny arguments on that Appollyton board that in certain situations a tank could be defeated by spear guys. I thnk too many people watched Return of the Jedi.


not sure...i jump right into civ3 ..never played civ 1 and 2

but at that website that whats plan to fix for civ 4

[gi]

Wasn't that supposed to have been fixed from #2 to #3? I remember reading some funny arguments on that Appollyton board that in certain situations a tank could be defeated by spear guys. I thnk too many people watched Return of the Jedi.
I believe Civ III listed it as a item to fix...probably was offered as a feature. I think I had a spearman defeat a tank in Civ and Civ II while in a city with a wall.

[rkmsuf]

You ever see a spearman fight? Those are freakin tough bastards.

[The Afoci]

"we kill him on december 23rd, 2005 at 9:36 am. please don't let me forget, ok?"


Does anyone have any idea what that means?

I think it means we all know who we are suppose to kill now.

[Calis]

hxxp://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050126/265227_1.html

Looks like Take Two will be publishing it and all the Firaxis games for a while now, and Civ4 is supposed to come out late this year.