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Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

Civilization IV - even with its flaws, here and there - is probably the best turn-based strategy game out there, and the series always been the cornerstone of the "4X" strategy games subgenre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate). Warlords, the first Civilization IV expansion, was a bit light on the upgrades, mostly just offering a few new civilizations and unique units coupled with a pile of unimpressive scenarios - fine stuff for a Civ fanatic, but not very good value considering the price of the expansion pack. Now we have the second expansion, Beyond the Sword, in our hands, and it's a whole different story.

With the huge number of changes and new features included in Beyond the Sword, I can say that this is what an expansion should be. I mean it's still Civilization IV, but expanded, polished and retuned in so many ways that it's hard to decide where to start unwinding this massive package. Oh, and there are also some new scenarios - some of them modifying the game so much that it's hard to recognize that they are still running on the same game engine.

It's Civilization, but not as we know it

Since its release, a lot of criticism has been dished towards the number of flaws, imbalances and outright bugs in Civilization IV. Beyond the Sword expansion concentrates mostly on polishing the formula, adjusting and adding things to balance the gameplay better. Part of the reason why the game plays better in advanced stages is probably the addition of Advanced Starts. You can now start a game at the era you choose, and 'buy in' a civilization. Every civilization is given a set amount of money to be used on cities, terrain improvements, buildings, technology, population and units, and once everything is set, the game starts from the beginning of the desired era with a mandatory ten-turn universal peace. Great if you want to skip the early growth period, or when play testing the advanced portions of the game.

Civilization IV used to be a game that started off very solidly - ancient tech and warfare was very well balanced and felt good. Things started to break later on, and endgame wars tended to be all about knowing how to exploit the balance issues. Things are very different now. Part of it is AI (more on that later), part has to do with the new units.

Low tech bombers for early aerial warfare.

High tech answer for stacks of air units.

Beyond the Sword adds a ton of new combat units: Stealth Destroyer, Attack Submarine, Missile Cruiser, Guided Missile, Tactical Nuke, Anti-Tank Infantry, Mobile Artillery, Airship, Mobile SAM, Paratrooper, Privateer, Ship of the Line and Cuirassier. The additions are heavily weighted towards the modern era and change things considerably. As an example, Anti-Tank Infantry is a nice answer to those "unstoppable" Tank stacks while Mobile Artillery and Mobile SAM together with Paratroopers help you to mix up your attack force while still keeping it mobile.

Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: AI improvementsPage 3: Updates to combatPage 4: Diplomacy & ColoniesPage 5: Mods, mods and more modsPage 6: Conclusion & Scores

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