Sid Meier (SM), creator and director of the Civilization series, talked to GameSpot (GS) about Civilization’s past and its future. We’ve lifted out some new bits that discuss Civilization being examined for DS development, what new features were added to Pirates! for the PSP compared to the PC/Xbox versions, and if Civilization V could come to both PC and consoles.
GS: Age of Empires was successfully ported to the DS, but so far the only portables that Civilization series has touched are mobile phones and the ill-fated N-Gage. Could we see a DS Civilization some time in the future?
SM: Our goal is to deliver Civilization on any game platform that makes sense. If we can deliver a fun experience to the players on the DS, then we’ll do it. We’re still in the exploratory mode on all of this, but will definitely let you know our plans as soon as they’re set. I believe the N-Gage version was a licensing deal that Atari made using the Civilization II version Firaxis wasn’t part of the development process, so it was ill-fated from the beginning.
GS: 2K Games recently announced Pirates! for the PSP, how’s that coming along?
SM: We’ve been working with Full Fat to develop the game for the PSP and it’s looking to be a really fun game. The overall gameplay is like that of Pirates! PC and Xbox, but we’ve added some features that take advantage of the PSP platform like wireless multiplayer, larger maps, treasure hunting and a custom designed user interface.
GS: The series has undergone some major changes in the past decade, what do you think has been the most important evolution in the series?
SM: Civilization IV really took the game to a new level with 3D graphics and multiplayer options that were built-in to the game from day one. We created the Civilization IV engine from scratch which made it easier to design it as both a great multiplayer and single-player game. Other things we’ve done throughout the series that have kept the game strong are to avoid putting too much in each new version; we would remove what didn’t work in the last version and add new features. We’ve stayed true to the nature of Civilization by keeping it a turn-based game.
GS: What’s the next step for the Civilization series? When can we expect Civilization V?
SM: Well, we just released Warlords, the first expansion pack for Civilization IV, and fans have been pretty happy with it. Our view has always been that if fans of the game want more Civilization then we’ll give them more Civilization. Civilization fans are very vocal and we like to listen, as long as they keep asking for more we’ll deliver.
GS: Recently, EA announced that Command & Conquer 3 is coming to the Xbox 360. Can you see a Civilization game coming to next-gen consoles, given their processing power?
SM: Yes. I think the latest consoles have the processing power to deliver fun experiences with the bigger strategy games. It’s definitely something we’ve been keeping our eyes on and we’ll let you know where we’ll go from here.