Civilization IV expands

Add-on for the popular Sid Meier game series coming in July, will include 12 new scenarios and five new wonders.

Sid Meier's Civilization series of PC strategy games has featured plenty of diplomacy at the tip of spears and swords, but now the developer wants to pay a bit more attention to diplomacy at the end of a barrel. 2K today announced that it is readying Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, the second expansion pack to 2005's Civilization IV.

The expansion focuses on adding content to the in-game time periods following the invention of gunpowder, and will add 12 new scenarios, some of which have been designed by members of Civilization IV's fan community.

There will also be 10 new factions to choose from, including Portugal, Babylon, and the Netherlands, as well as 16 new leaders. Other new content includes five new wonders of the world to discover--for example, the Statue of Zeus, Mausoleum of Maussollos, and the Maoi Statues.

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword will be released worldwide in July. It is published by 2K and developed by Firaxis Games.

76 Comments

  • dhiti

    Posted Jul 26, 2007 4:46 am PT

    The game is not officially released here in Thailand yet, only the pirated one available. But I don't buy pirates. I wish that 2K will release this expansion pack soon in Thailand. I just can't wait to play the game !!!

  • thebubbleprince

    Posted Apr 3, 2007 6:41 pm PT

    Ive recently started playing it again surprisingly i know what to do. But new content means more fun and more time fiddling with the computer AI

  • nowayyousmurf

    Posted Apr 3, 2007 5:17 pm PT

    Vikings were in the first expansion warlords...

    we will probably see the same civvies from the Civ III expansions, but if they add new ones that will definately be interesting

  • MysticDynamite

    Posted Apr 2, 2007 9:39 am PT

    Yay! More Civ IV stuff!

  • uberjannie

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 10:24 am PT

    More diplomacy?
    I certainly hope they have fixed the friendly border issues by then..
    Nothing is worse than to not having a functional city because some stupid nation's border have some world wonders and their culture overtakes mine..

  • andante79

    Posted Apr 1, 2007 3:59 am PT

    Re: Zebkammerer

    I played the game a bit longer, I admit.... However, it is a game for the mainstream players... children..

    In CTPII one of my favorite concepts were "public works". You had to put some of your budget into PW and had to make the roads, irrigation etc yourself. If you had pri on production you would have a slow start but eventually succeed at the end with an invinsible production capasity. You also could upgrade each tile three times. It gave a major strategic element as were to put your effort, besides having workers just running around like today.

    CIV today focus way to much on zooming close-up to the unit. Whats the strategic point of looking at the unit up-close and with an animation that takes a decade. CIV should rather try to implenment Cossacks II or AoEII unit handling to make it more realistic. Then you may also go into RTS instead of turn-based.

    CIV is my favorite game troughout times. However, they havent been able to make the game more giant and varied, rather than more pretty. The game has become commercial only, and not with the passion and new-thinking-mode of the earlier versions. The biggest new thing about CIV IV besides the map (which is poor compared to Medieval II, Cossacks II, AoE II or Simcity 4.... imagine CIV on a Simcity map....)... is the voice of Nimoy which gives some nice ring to it. However medieval II also has this in a event better way.

    Expansions-packs make me furious as they lower the quality of the main release, and threat their players as stupid people who they can take more money from. An expansion should be the exception-rule when one wants to make big improvements to the current version that cannont wait until the new version is finished. Introducing some new factions, units and campaigns is not major changes.

  • Nuclear_Kernel

    Posted Mar 31, 2007 3:57 am PT

    Espionage and the corporation features sound interesting but nothing groundbreaking that justify an expansion. Considering the patching and improving of the A.I. is more like a patch a la WoW.

  • zebkammerer

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 5:07 pm PT

    andante- ?wha? A week? I've been playing it for months! There's no end to the combinations of game modes! Aquatine- Have you tried Galactic Civ 2? Gamespot has a demo. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

  • Aquatine

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    thunder350, space age is something that was only half touched on many years ago and when it came out, i bought it and played it like crazy, but it got boring... simply because to replay history is easy because you know about the innovations of the past... but not the future... the game would be huge and terrific if it continued into space, and multiple alien races after that, and may be some of the earth races slit off to colonise and for you to fight against... but remember remember that Alpha Centuri contender... the maker needs content! with maybe a semi 3-d interface... but then think of the logistical nightmare for programmers... i don't think it'll ever happen...

  • andante79

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 2:34 pm PT

    Dissapointing news!!!! Who cares about some new scenarios and some new factions. This is only to exploit the hardcore-players. Civ IV was a uncomplete game due to 2ks buy-up of the brand, and the game is from ancient times - 2005. They should instead introduce Civilization V.

    I don like expansions packs, especially when they from the start released a ripped original intented for expansions. The point with expansions is to include major new concepts allowing a way different gameexperience... if they are to be justified. I was a hardcorde civ-player with CIV I-III and CTP I-II. My favorite besides legendary CIV I was CTP II. Civ III was i dissapointment. Civ IV is a genre-change away from the original moods of civ. Civ need to retur to basic hardcore fans in order to not becoming just another boring game which one play for a week.

  • websagar

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 10:54 am PT

    good will like to play hope to see somethin new...

  • brecht165

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 8:33 am PT

    Yes! I'm happy - at last a new update - it stays fun this way for me not too soon not too late

  • desolation00

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 8:26 am PT

    Just another delay till the compilation with all the expansions comes out and I buy it. I'm frugal that way.

    quigonjinn23, I do agree with you on the need for innovation. However, seeing how little the other major franchises innovate while still selling buttloads, you can likely see why they wouldn't innovate much. The Civ franchise is hardly dead, but a nice transfusion wouldn't hurt. Innovation may not occur much in the main game series itself (i.e. V, VI, VII) because of fan expectations, but a spinoff of Civ would be interesting.

  • akazergling2

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 7:25 am PT

    "Stalin was in the game, so why not Hitler Because while Hitler was planned to be in the game, Germany along with I believe the EU said they would ban the game if he was. I know Germany said this and I'm pretty sure about the EU that is.

  • MariusSE

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 7:22 am PT

    I hope there's Vikings :-/

  • AceRampage

    Posted Mar 29, 2007 6:34 am PT

    Sweet....
    Simply awesome!!!

  • jrregan

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 11:48 pm PT

    2k You Rock!

  • Atomic_Mutant

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 9:53 pm PT

    Stalin was in the game, so why not Hitler

  • cbesett

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 8:48 pm PT

    you can download better add-ons and mods for free.

  • munsoned

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 7:48 pm PT

    ied like to see a nother console port....

  • quigonjinn23

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 6:55 pm PT

    i got both games civ4 and warlords and i was a big fan of civ but honestly i think its stuck on the same thing it follows the same path its not more innovation..thats why i got bored even the expansion warlords ..i hope when they launch civ5 if they do hope it will be revolutionary..otherwise i think this franchise is dead.

  • Tsunami_pt

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 6:40 pm PT

    Portugal!

  • JaMeS4418

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 6:29 pm PT

    Awesome

  • Infested121

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 5:49 pm PT

    oh.my.god

  • Hewkii

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 5:37 pm PT

    excellent.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 5:23 pm PT

    sweet

  • thunder350

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 5:21 pm PT

    We need a "Space Age" focus aswell. Wheres all the flying ships and such?

  • kirbyfanatic

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:47 pm PT

    cool

  • Mutated_Nantuko

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:47 pm PT

    In the immortal words of Peter Griffin:

    "Freakin' sweet."

  • Timotht

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:40 pm PT

    More civilization can only be a good thing

  • veveqa

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:35 pm PT

    Yay, I'd say, as the post-gunpowder era could always have done with quite a bit more content. Civ V is unlikely to be far off, anyway, if that's what you're concerned about.

  • PacoL250

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:34 pm PT

    Hmm...I haven't picked up the Civ Chronicles pack since I sold Civ III...wonder if I should wait until this expansion comes out this summer...

    Suggestions?

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:28 pm PT

    More expansions.... yay or sigh?

  • Red_Knight_Alex

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 3:19 pm PT

    This is great news! I know a lot of people always complain about the lack of diplomacy in these types of games so perhaps this new expansion will help solve the problem. My personal strategy is be nice to everyone and then when they attack (as most usually do) destroy them!

  • ThrillhouseLive

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 2:41 pm PT

    Smart move putting this game out during the summer break, hope it doesn't ruin my work ethic like it ruined my study habits.

  • Sandro909

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 2:22 pm PT

    Now? It might just be me... but I was done with Civ4 a long time ago. It seems a little weird to release an expansion pack now...

  • ZuljinRaynor

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    Yes! More Civ4!

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    I should consider getting this game. I just finished Medieval and I need a new game to move on to.

  • sens_rocks_40

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    awesome another civ 4 expansion. ill definitley pick this up. civ 4 ftw

  • Achilles438

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    excellent. I will definitly give this game a try.

  • thebubbleprince

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 1:10 pm PT

    Awesome! And makeing the game better for me! Man its been at least sadly 2 weeks since i play Civ4

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 1:06 pm PT

    Wow another expansion for CIV IV. I need to get the first one still, I will probably end up getting both though. Because CIV games rock.

  • Archon_basic

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 12:59 pm PT

    I'm going to need more than "new" leaders and civs to pick this one up. I've already played as Babylon, Portugal, the Dutch, and built the Statue of Zeus. Sitting Bull is at least entirely new, it'll be interesting to see who else is in. The tweaked epic game, the new corporations and the enhanced AI are what interest me most. If the AI is really smarter in Beyond the Sword then I'll pick it up on launch, if not then I'll probably hold off for a while. Firaxis would have an amazing game on their hands if they could create an artificial intelligence that makes smart decisions and doesn't need to be propped up with economic advantages on higher difficulties.

  • jdhas

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 12:53 pm PT

    @daytona_178,

    What is the point of your comment?

    Civ IV was a terrific game, the Warlords expansion added some nice strategic nirvana, and I am sure this new expansion will suck many, many hours out of my free time!

  • Daytona_178

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 12:44 pm PT

    Never played any of these games before.

  • FLYmeatwad

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 12:41 pm PT

    Why July? I want more Civ 4 now!

  • fiveball

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    sweet

  • coollizy

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 11:59 am PT

    Hooray! More civs to play! This... This is the happiest day of my life... T_T

  • HuxleyHobbes

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 11:58 am PT

    Maoi, you say?

    Certainly worth getting then.

  • Ol_skool_Gamer

    Posted Mar 28, 2007 11:09 am PT

    I don't mind

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