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Civilization Online: debut trailer, first details for MMO

Civilization is making the perhaps inevitable jump to MMO, but it's not taking the nation-vs-nation warfare route; instead, players will take on the role of one individual and work for the glory of their faction.

MMORPG.com reports the game will feature four cultures, and every player will be an individual unit in one of these factions, competing against the other three but co-operating with neighbours.

In the works at ArcheAge and ArcheVille developer XLGAMES since 2010, Civilization Online features a procedurally-generated open world and is played in real-time rather than a turn-based system. Players can explore the world, craft new items, and enter combat as a soldier. Skilled diplomatic players can rise to leadership roles, including head of an entire faction. Players will be able to construct their own buildings, with major Wonders requiring hundreds of players to complete - like "an epic raid for crafting".

Gameplay is broken into sessions with a number of possible routes to victory (space, military, and so on) during each segment, much like in the base strategy game. There can only be one winner in each session, but regardless of which faction is victorious, players will carry forward progress and rewards, although this system has not been finalised. All factions will begin with neutral relations but can become hostile through player actions.

As in Civilization, unlocking certain technologies will propel a faction into a new era. New technologies like weapons will appear in marketplaces for players to buy once the faction as a whole has unlocked them. Research and inventions can be accelerated by exploring to discover new resources.

The developer said Civilization Online is designed to work as a single-player or very social game. It's being built on CryEngine 3; check out the debut trailer and screens below for a look at how it's shaping up. No release date has been set, and there's no word on business model yet.

Cover image for YouTube video

Thanks, Shack News.

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

Contributor

Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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