What else is new?
What else is new?Obviously, the graphics have been improved, but with a game of this type, it is not that critical. The leaders of each nation are now fully animated, usually in a surrounding that is appropriate for them (Queen Elizabeth on a throne, Alexander the Great on horseback etc.).
The UI has also been given a bit of an overhaul. There's a lot of information to show in a Civ game, and the UI does a good job showing it. A list of events that need to be brought to your attention for that turn are brought up as icons on the right-hand side just above the "End Turn" button. This allows you to set new research goals, pick a new policy and so on as needed before ending your turn. The only slight problem with it might be the build orders in the city screen, which could be streamlined a little bit to make it less “clunky”; especially when creating a queue.
Espionage, religion and corporations from Civ 4 have gone (for now), and “civics” is now replaced by “policies”, which are mini tech-trees and are advanced by the empire-collected culture. A small amount of the micro-management has also been removed as happiness has been transferred from individual cities to empire wide. Happiness also now affects how often a Golden Age occurs. However, some micro-management is added and you now have to set the priorities of each city yourself (or allocate civilians manually) as the empire tax rate from Civ 4 is also removed. This results you having to go around each city if you want to move the focus from production to money for example.
Finally, city-states have been added. These are single cities that are not there to win like the other civilisations, but instead can either be conquered or be bribed to become your allies. They also set you certain goals during the game which if you complete, increase your favour with them. Becoming allies grants you certain benefits, but the “favour meter” decreases over time, so it can seem like they are more like gold sinks than anything else. Fortunately you can turn them off if you so wish.
Conclusion
So after all these changes, is it still Civ? Definitely. It’s evolved certainly. The combat changes may not be to everyone’s liking as more thought is required and may be detracting from the focus of some people’s goal of simply building up cities and an empire. The change to hexagons can only be seen as a good thing in my opinion. The AI is decent enough, although can be exploited a little bit here and there, normally through the new “no-stacking” system allowing to you to corner them and prevent their progress whilst at peace! Ultimately though, everything is still there as it was before. Play-styles should still transfer for the most part from previous versions as you strife for the usual victories (Space, Culture, Diplomatic etc).
I haven't played multi-player, so cannot comment on that aspect of the game.
Worth buying if you're a fan. If you're not sure, then might be worth waiting until it's in a Steam sale.
