The prototype for this game was on PC and still runs on PC. The cool thing about his game core is that it doesn't know or care what system it's on. It's just the game core, and consequentially, it's whatever the presentation layer and the interface layer we wrap around it, that's what knows what system it's on. So, as I said, the prototype runs on a PC, but then when we wrap the presentation layer for the next gen consoles, then it works on those. But it also works on the Nintendo DS with no memory. It runs because that's the way he's written code ever since the Commodore 64

Robear wrote:

The Wii version has been put on hold.

Does anyone else find that a very odd decision?

On the multiplayer front, options are head-to-head and team (2-on-2 or 4-on-4). Whichever option you choose you will play your turns simultaneously meaning not having to wait for another player to complete their turn before you can play yours. There will, however, be a turn timer option if there is concern about the amount of time that can be taken per turn otherwise. Another possibility in any of these setups is "˜hot join'. If a player drops out they can be let back in or, depending upon how the game is setup, another player could come in and take over their civilization from that point. We really learned a lot from CivIV about what brakes multiplayer games and [we're] trying to address those issues, Sid says. One of those primary issues is the length of time it typically takes to play a game from start to finish which Sid himself cites as the biggest breaker of multiplayer games of Civ.

Multiplayer will be a really big part of this game, Sid says. From the moment CivRev was publicly announced the optional "Game of the Week" ("GotW") challenge has been mentioned again and again and understandably so. This effort is a new and major undertaking for Firaxis, one that does not compare to anything else they have done in support of their existing titles.

[When you] sign-up [for it], we'll send you information to start a single-player game but it will be the identical map, identical starting location as anyone else who is playing [it]. You then try and generate your best score on that game and you can compare your score with anyone else's who's playing [it across] the world. So every week, there will be one world's greatest Civilization player: the highest scorer. You can play the game as many times as you want, try different strategies.

Arguably, one of the advantages of PC and other computer-based games as compared to console-based ones is that they are more likely to develop and nurture online communities around them. Certainly, some console manufacturers have done a better job than others in this respect such as Microsoft when it comes to Xbox Live -- Firaxis is looking forward to tapping into that system for instance. However, other platforms are not so well supported if at all. It is through "GotW" that CivRev will be able to take advantage of or perhaps help foster a more communal feeling among players.