Who Are We?

2. Who Are We? • Soren Johnson • Civ IV: Lead Designer/AI Programmer • Civ III: Co-Designer/AI Programmer • Dorian Newcomb • Civ IV: Lead Animator • Civ III: Animator

3. Why a Playable Prototype? • Get to the fun faster • Develop gameplay with low costs • Can spend more time polishing! But… have to bug fix early!

4. Less is More: Small Teams • Designer/programmer = faster prototyping • Flat decision-making process • Good communications (within earshot) • Less pressure for “pretty” results 1st Year: 5 programmers, 2 artists, 1 producer

5. A History of Civilization IV New Features from Each Version:

6. Version A – September 2003 • Turn-based, Tile-based • Fractalized Random Maps • Tech Tree • MP-Only! • Simultaneous Moves • Team Game • “Natural” Terrain Style • Visible Yield Symbols • Multiple Unit Selection • “Progress Bar” Concept

7. Multiplayer First?!? • Easier to go from MP to SP • Same with Simultaneous Moves to Turn-Based • Can test features/balance without AI • Early team buy-in for design

8. Prototype “Fun” Testing • Weekly Play Session (Consistent day & time) • Designers can never skip, ever. • Extra goodies help (Papa John’s!) • Try a testing “pit” But… it requires a weekly release plan

9. Version B – December 2003 • Single Combat Strength (+ Modifiers) • Collateral Damage • XP and Promotions • Civics • Health • Maintenance • Improvements/Resources • Python/XML • Designed to Middle Ages • Tile-based Rivers and Hills • Dynamic Help System • First Popups (Choose a Tech) • Screens: City, Diplo

10. Civics Gone Bad Abandoned Types • Welfare State • Federal Reserve • Legalism • State Atheism • Fundamentalism Bad Ideas • Blind Research • Blind Production • Build Military with Food • Interest on Treasury

11. Version C – May 2004 • Religion (levels) • Great People • Multiple Leaders/Civ (and Traits) • Workers/Settlers Built from Food • Happiness and Culture Sliders • 2-Move Workers • Design to Modern Age • Saturated Terrain Palette • Font Icons (for Help System) • More Popups (Production) • Very Early Advisors (Python) • Screens: Intro! MP Lobby!

12. The “Play Session” • Starts small (10 – 20) during Summer ‘04 • Invitation only – no public announcement • Peaks at around 100-150 by release date • Bi-weekly patches • Community leads for sp, mp, and modding

13. Version D – August 2004 • Religion (boolean) • Return of Free Palace • Impassable Terrain (Ice, Peaks) • Great People & Golden Ages • Victories • Game Speeds • Map Scripts! • World-Builder • Scenario File Format (Text) • Animated Resources • Tile-Based Land/Sea • Hammers replace Shields

14. Religion in Civilization IV but first…

15. There are few games that show any flair for simplification. 'Sid Meier’s Civilization' is one; Sid was so brutal in his simplification of history that I sometimes wince at the game's inaccuracies. Yet the result of Sid's design parsimony was one of the greatest computer games of all time. - Chris Crawford

16. Religion: Simple is Better… and Safer! • v1.0: Levels (None, Low, Medium, High) • v2.0: Countable (Number of Praying Hands) • v3.0: Boolean (Either There or Not There) • “Natural Diffusion” vs. Missionaries

17. Version E – January 2005 • Limited Specialists • Wonders create Great People • Combine Happiness and Luxury Sliders • Automated Workers • Starting Eras • Multi-unit Graphics • Unit Flags • Subdued Terrain Palette • Tile-Based Coastlines • Prototype Animated Leader • First Main Interface Pass • Screens: Tech Tree

18. Whither AI? • Not easy to prototype • Traditional testing fails too • Need hard-core fans to analyze • Automated testing helps greatly And… don’t forget that fun comes first!

19. Version F – April 2005 • Auto-Explore • Prototype art disappearing • Art “Final” Animated Leader (Gandhi) • Final Button Art (Units, Buildings) • Final Improvement Art • Multi-unit Graphics (4 to 5) • Civ-specific Flags • Natural Border System • Tile-Based Terrain • Improved Rivers & Coasts • Final Font • Early Civilopedia • Screens: Foreign, Religion

20. Coastline Evolution

21. Coastline Evolution

22. Version G – June 2005 • Air Units • Globe View! • Flood Plains Art • Multi-unit Graphics (5 to 3) • Improved Combat Animations • Plateau System for Hills • Subdued Terrain Textures • Goto Lines • New Interface Middleware • “Final” City Screen • Rebuilt Diplo Screen • Animated Leaders • City Billboards • Screens: Military, Civilopedia

23. No More Tiles? Hills Rivers Terrain but wait…

24. Civilization is a Turn-Based Game

25. Civilization is a Tile-Based Game

26. The Return of the Tiles Hills Rivers Terrain

27. Retail Version – October 2005 • L-System for City Graphics • Air Unit Animations • Improved Hills and Peaks • Tree Cuts • Front-end Interface • Full Interface Conversion • Selectable Cities • Python World-Builder • Screens: Histograph, Rewards

29. When Important Changes Were Made

30. The Civ 4 Development Experience • Gameplay: First Half • Graphics: Second Half • Interface: Early and Late But… it’s never too early to work on good Interface Widgets

31. Art Prototypes • Different goals from playable prototype • “Functional” concept art • Develop art prototypes outside production loop • Avoid waiting to see if it’ll work “in-game”

33. 5 vs. 5 melee combat (Standard)

34. 1 vs. 5 melee combat (Extreme Case)

35. It takes too long to move units…

36. Do this whenever you can

37. All new art should have an “in-game” concept image.

38. The Point Iterate on fun when it’s cheap Finish game before production starts Art must reflect gameplay

39. Questions? www.designer-notes.com