Civilization IV: Warlords (PC)

Civilization IV: Warlords

Steve Butts -pc
Lead programmer Alex Mantzaris gives us new details on the expansion.
Apr 28th, 2006 - Firaxis recently announced the newest Civilization expansion, Civilization IV: Warlords. Seeing as how the previous game was our 2005 PC Game of the Year, we were understandably anxious to find out more about the expansion. Sure, we'll get to see the game at E3 two weeks from now, but we just can't wait that long. Lucky for us lead programmer Alex Mantzaris was more than willing to answer our questions about the upcoming expansion.

First and foremost, the new game is including a brand new Warlord unit. Alex explains that these are powerful generals "who emerge as your civilization gains combat experience." You can use them just like other Great People to "discover technologies, start golden ages, and join cities as Great Specialists." The real special ability of a Warlord though is to venture out into the field and attach themselves to military units. The units attached to these leaders gain combat advantages.

The new expansion will add six new civilizations and ten new leaders. Players will finally get the chance to lead Shaka of the Zulus. Some of the other heavies from the series' history will be returning including Brennus of the Celts and Hannibal of Carthage. Players can also take on the role of Ragnar of the Vikings, Mehmed II of the Ottomans and Wang Kon of the Koreans.

Some of the existing nations will also be getting new leaders. Stalin and Churchill will finally be able to take charge of Russia and England, while ancient heavies Rameses II and Augustus Caesar will head up Egypt and Rome. To accommodate the new leaders that are being included, the team is adding two entirely new leader traits. We're not entirely sure what they are yet, but it could include a return of the Scientific trait from Civ III.

Each new civilization will have its own unique unit. Shaka's Zulus can make use of the Impi warriors while the Celts will be able to field Gallic Warriors. Koreans can utilize rocket-launching Hwacha to break up formations of Viking Berserkers. Ottoman Janissaries may find themselves sharing the field with Numidian Mercenaries hired by Carthage.

Each civilization also gets a unique building. We're not sure what each of these will do quite yet but we do know what a few of the buildings are. The Americans will be able to build a Mall, for instance. Others include the German Assembly Plant, the Roman Forum, the Greek Odeon (a type of theater), the Spanish Citadel, the French Salon, the English Stock Exchange and the Aztec Sacrificial Altar.

The new expansion will ship with six brand new scenarios, each of which focuses on a significant historical conflict.

  1. Peloponnesian Wars: After vanquishing the Persian invasion, Athens and Sparta find themselves competing for ownership of the Greek world at the close of the fifth-century BC.
  2. Chinese Unification: Starting in 350BC, this scenario sees the player struggling to defeat rival kingdoms to gain control of China.
  3. Alexander's Conquests: Taking the role of one of history's greatest conquerors, players will lead Alexander's armies against the forces of Persia, Egypt and India.
  4. The Rise of Rome: With Greek power on the wane, the powers of Rome, Carthage, Gaul and Egypt rise to compete for ownership of the Mediterranean.
  5. Vikings: As ruler of the Vikings, the player will organize massive, loot-gathering raids on the rest of Europe.

    Though it sounds like the expansion caters more to the warmongers among us, Alex is quick to point out that there are plenty of new tools and options for peaceniks. "Peaceful players should have no fear," he says "because we are very careful to balance the new features for all styles of play. In fact, because of the vassal states concept, they may even get the opportunity to win the game by domination."

    The new system for vassal states sets up two nations in what Alex calls an "asymmetric alliance." Basically, one civilization serves as the master in the relationship and collects tribute from the weaker, vassal nation. The vassal nation is automatically at war with any of the master nation's enemies. Most importantly, the vassal's land counts as the master's land for domination purposes. Alex explains that you can get a nation to be your vassal if you can get them to "trust you enough to protect them or if they're scared enough of your power."

    The expansion will automatically include all the multiplayer fixes from the recent v1.61 patch but the team isn't planning on adding any new multiplayer features specifically for the expansion.

    We'll be checking out the game in person at E3. Look for much more information then.

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