When it was released in 1991, Sid's original Civilization game set a new standard for gaming, spawning a whole new genre of empire-building strategy games. Since then, it has enjoyed wide recognition as one of the greatest games of all time. Civilization IV takes the game to a whole new level, with in-game movies, amazing audio, faster mid- and late-game AI turns, greater control over government, the introduction of religion, and extensive modding capabilities which allow the creation of new units, game maps, civilizations and even AI logic. All in 3D, no less-for the first time in the game's rich history.
IV in 3D
"We wanted to bring the game to 3D in a way that brought it to life, without distracting from its excellent gameplay," explains Mustafa Thamer, lead programmer for Civilization IV at Firaxis. "In that respect, Civ IV presented a major challenge. It's a huge game-and it's not easily split up into different levels. The whole game is accessible. And you can't just unload part of it when a player goes through a door, for instance. So LOD was a major issue for us-we wanted players to be able to quickly move in from a strategy-level world view and see all the beautiful details of their cities. Gamebryo really helped us get the game performing well, from start to finish. It has a close-up LOD system that really pulls in additional detail at a close range. The graphics are beautiful."
Bringing Sid's ideas to life
The Civ IV team at Firaxis used Gamebryo from the very beginning. "A lot of the ideas start with the design team just going off and coming up with new concepts," Thamer says. "Gamebryo is perfect for bringing those concepts and ideas to life. The tools and libraries that come with Gamebryo are perfect for prototyping - you can quickly create assets and get them running in games. Before you know it, you've got a really great-looking game. That's a great example of why we like to use Gamebryo -- we're constantly seeking robust middleware that simply lets us focus on making amazing games."
The power of flexibility
Gamebryo's flexibility was key throughout the development process. "Firaxis has done a lot of work with Gamebryo, and we've developed some of our own tools and code that work well with it," says Thamer. "Gamebryo's code is flexible, easy to understand, and easy to customize. It's well documented. It's so easy to work with. And the whole team at Emergent is supportive and very responsive. I'd recommend Gamebryo to any developer"
Reviews
The game's move to 3D allows the artists to include visuals that match the appeal of the gameplay. The new engine allows for lots of life and animation on the road map. 9.4
IGN
(IGN also awarded Civilization IV with one of its coveted Editor's Choice Awards.)
The graphics engine also furnishes beautifully animated, expressive portraits of each of the world's great leaders, from the ceremonious George Washington to the flirtatious Catherine the Great. 9.4: Superb.
Gamespot
The graphics are wonderfully detailed and crisp, with deep hues that create a vibrant world. Likewise, units have the details and animations that would be at home in Age of Empires or Warcraft III - a far cry from the board game style of the past three versions. 9.0: Outstanding.
1-U
“I'd recommend Gamebryo to any developer.”
Mustafa Thamer
Lead Programmer, Civ IV