Redditor Lycerius has been playing the same game of Civilization II for the past ten years. And, from the sound of things, the world isn’t doing so hot. Except literally, because constant nuclear war has melted the icecaps. There are no more polar bears.

Now in the year 3991, his world is down to three super-nations, each competing for dwindling resources, and a planet left scarred by multiple nuclear wars. His Celts are locked in a 1,700-year war with the Vikings and the Americans. All other nations have been destroyed or absorbed.

Constant nuclear bombardment and sabotage have melted the world’s ice caps over and over again, resulting in the flooding of all terrain other than mountains. He said his world is full of swamp (which is useless for farming) and irradiated lands.

“My goal for the next few years is to try and end the war and thus use the engineers to clear swamps and fallout so that farming may resume. I want to rebuild the world. But I’m not sure how. “

Daaaaaaw — he wants to stop the war and rebuild the world. How very noble of him. You know, maybe there’s hope for our future after all. PSYCHE! *Nukes planet, installs Diablo III* Trust me bro, you’ll thank me later.

Thanks to Mike, Jeremy and Melissa, who agree that, if nothing else, dude definitely got his money’s worth on the game.

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So we’re teaching the computers how to advance their own interests via global warfare, now. Nice knowing you, fellow humans.

Yes, researchers in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) decided it would interesting to see how a computer with only a basic understanding of the English language would internalize “loose” knowledge. To test this, they had a few very basic AIs (as in, they just move the cursor around and click UI elements randomly) play Civilization against each other.

At first the AIs just interacted randomly. But then they gave one AI access to the user’s manual. It used its ability to read text from the screen to correlate actions with words, and words with items from the manual. Pretty soon it was winning 79% of its games — completely based on its own natural learning processes.

It’s not the first strategy-game AI by far. In fact, one Starcraft AI competition has yielded some seriously sophisticated results, but they were tailored to the game itself. The “naive” AIs in the MIT experiment could only build up a knowledge base from scratch.

The deeper purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate that AIs could determine the meanings of words by interacting with their environment. Today Civilization, tomorrow a factory or hospital, where a drone of some sort might learn new words and actions just from hearing them and seeing them done.

[via io9]

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One of the most popular games in the history of computer gaming is making its way over to Facebook this summer, as Sid Meier attempts to transform his ultra-popular Civilization series into Civ World. All of the core components of Meier’s original Civilization series, which earned him the title of “Father of Computer Gaming,” will still be present in Civ World, but the Facebook environment in which the game will be played will fundamentally change the game, said Meier.

On Facebook, players won’t always be playing the multiplayer title simultaneously. “[...] If you are not there at the same time as other players, there needs to be ways of leaving messages, ways of communicating,” said Meier in an interview with CNN. “Things have to happen at a pace where everybody can be included. So that fundamentally changes the pacing and the mechanisms of the game.”

Civ World is designed with the concept of multiplayer gaming in mind, according to Meier. Players will be able to enjoy the game individually of course, but chances are you won’t end up with the dominant civilization unless you’re able to play nice with others. The Facebook version of the game will allow for up to 200 people per team.

Meier sees Facebook as a great environment for a team-oriented version of the game, as most Facebookers already have a network of real-world friends to play with. “What was really intriguing to us was being able to emphasize cooperative game play, which was something that really hadn’t been a major part of ‘Civilization’ up to now,” Meier said.

“A lot of our design in ‘Civ World’ was taking advantage and using these opportunities for players to work together — teamwork, communication, planning. Those are all the things that become really important to ‘Civ World.’”
[via CNN]

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If, despite our good advice, and against all common sense, you went out and bought a protective case for your super-durable Apple aluminum keyboard, you might want to waste a few more bucks on this case for the Magic Trackpad.

The “Slip” case is from Waterfield, and matches the keyboard case in the same range. As many readers pointed out, protection for your keyboard isn’t as silly as I tried to pretend, keeping out dust and stopping the key-caps from getting popped-off by a rogue sharp object in your bag. This ballistic nylon case is probably even more useful, as its padded interior will cosset the brittle glass surface of the Magic Trackpad inside.

As someone who’s MacBook seldom moves from the desk these days thanks to the iPad that has taken its place, I have no use for any of these things. For travelers who like to bring their entire office along with them, the $25 Waterfield is asking is probably a bargain.

Trackpad Slip [Waterfield via Mac Stories]

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Protective Keyboard Case Joined By Trackpad Cover

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Not sure how much exactly this cost Firaxis, but the Governor of Maryland has named September 21st, 2010 to officially be Civilization 5 day. This date was not selected randomly, as that coincidentally happens to be the release date announced by 2K Games. To be fair, Firaxis and Sid Meyer as both from Maryland, and the Civilization series has been considered to be educational from a historical standpoint. So congrats Sid and Firaxis, that is quite an honor.

[via Gamasutra]

Props to CrunchGear

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This video shows the video that will be show when you finish the Wonder Space Elevator in Civilization IV. ————————————————– The Space Elevator Cost: 2000 (Double Speed w/ Aluminum) Culture: NA Great People Points: 2 Requires: Robotics, space race victory enabled, max latitude of 30 degrees +50% spaceship production in all cities. City more likely to generate Great Scientist

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My favorite game in the whole wide world, Civilization, is getting one more incarnation. Civilization V (that’s “five” for non-Romans) is coming in the Fall of 2010 and promises – get this – hex tiles. Hollah!

Civilization V takes this definitive strategy game series in new directions with the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire. The brand new engine orchestrates a spectacular visual experience that brings players closer to the Civ experience than ever, featuring fully animated leaders interacting with players from a screen-filling diplomatic scene and speaking in their native language for the first time. Wars between empires feel massive as armies dominate the landscape, and combat is more exciting and intense than ever before. The addition of ranged bombardment allows players to fire weapons from behind the front lines, challenging players to develop clever new strategies to guarantee victory on the battlefield. In addition to the new gameplay features debuting in Civilization V, an extensive suite of community, modding and multiplayer elements will also make an appearance.

Trust me: I’m truly excited about this. I play mostly Civ Revolutions on the iPhone but I’d be willing to sit down and waste a few months on Civ V on the PC.

NEW YORK, Feb 18, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO 9.58, -0.08, -0.83%) , today announced that Sid Meier’s Civilization(R) V, the newest entry from the genre-defining strategy-based franchise, is currently in development at Firaxis Games for PC. Civilization V reinvigorates the classic turn-based strategy genre with an astonishing new engine built from the ground-up for this flagship edition of the Civilization franchise. Players are introduced to an entirely new combat system, deeper diplomatic interactions and a cavalcade of expanded features that deliver a fully immersive experience providing hours of entertainment as players build and defend their empire on their quest to become the greatest ruler the world has ever known.

Civilization V takes this definitive strategy game series in new directions with the introduction of hexagon tiles allowing for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire. The brand new engine orchestrates a spectacular visual experience that brings players closer to the Civ experience than ever, featuring fully animated leaders interacting with players from a screen-filling diplomatic scene and speaking in their native language for the first time. Wars between empires feel massive as armies dominate the landscape, and combat is more exciting and intense than ever before. The addition of ranged bombardment allows players to fire weapons from behind the front lines, challenging players to develop clever new strategies to guarantee victory on the battlefield. In addition to the new gameplay features debuting in Civilization V, an extensive suite of community, modding and multiplayer elements will also make an appearance.

“Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise has been recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all time with millions of units sold worldwide,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Civilization V takes the franchise further by offering players a more immersive experience with deeper strategies; heightened tactical combat; vast, realistic landscapes to explore, battle over and claim as their own; and an in-game community hub where Civ fans can share content and compete against each other without leaving the game. This marks a new era that will forever change the franchise responsible for sleep deprivation and reduced productivity for nearly two decades.”

“Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing. From fully animated leaders and realistic landscapes, new combat tactics, expanded diplomacy and shared mods, we’re excited for players to see the new vision our team at Firaxis has brought to the series.”

In addition to Civilization V, Firaxis Games is also currently developing Sid Meier’s Civilization(R) Network(TM), a Civ game for Facebook. With Sid Meier leading design, Civilization Network will offer yet another option for world domination to both the casual gamer and the biggest fans of the series. It’s another way to access the famously addictive world of Civilization.

via Gameriot

Props to CrunchGear

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