Official Gods & Kings website

[MARDUK]

I am curious and would very much like to know will there going to be an official webpage for Gods & Kings Expansion, like it has been with all previous expansions? Also would be cool if the official CiV page could be updated to include all DLC Civs + Wonders of the Ancient World info to the list. I especially like the fun factoids of each Civ (Arabia doesn't have) and would be nice to read them plus other info of DLC Civs as well.


I am also looking for (at least 1920x1080) official wallpapers of CiV. Are there any other than Bismarck of Germany and the logo on a black background? Would be very cool if there would be one wallpaper for every Leader. Also some new ones from Gods & Kings! The box art picture, for example, would be fun to look at while waiting for the release “to whet my appetite”.


For reference links to the old releases:

http://www.civilization.com/
http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/beyondthesword/
http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/warlords/
http://www.civ3.com/conq_features.cfm
http://www.civ3.com/ptw_features.cfm

[Tahitian Moon]

I'm with you, I'd love a launch for a G&K site that would near the release feature all the new content, units, pics..

[zephyrtr]

Oh man, I hadn't seen the cover before. That's Atilla on the right, isn't it? Statue of David in the center. Who's that woman on the left?

I'd love it if they kept the website up to date, and kept an official online civilopedia. That would be nice...

[MARDUK]

I'm with you, I'd love a launch for a G&K site that would near the release feature all the new content, units, pics..

Heh ,You happen to be from Finland also? I noticed the Finnish beer – Karhu - logo as your avatar. A good choice (and excellent beer)!

Oh man, I hadn't seen the cover before. That's Atilla on the right, isn't it? Statue of David in the center.

Yes, I think it is Attila the Hun. Though some have suggested over at the Civilization Fanatics Forums other leaders, but I would say 99% sure it is Atilla. Pretty cool looking leader. Hoping him to be fierce and vicious person, kinda like Montezuma - a “feared” figure.

Who's that woman on the left?

The female is Boudica leader of the Celts.

I'd love it if they kept the website up to date, and kept an official online civilopedia. That would be nice...

Best choice for that is the excellent and up-to-date Civilopedia Home Page.

[zephyrtr]

That looks nothing like the leader screen art for Boudica. Are you sure? Doesn't look like Theodora, and Dido DEFINITELY doesn't have blond hair so it can't be her.

Also, yeah, I'm aware of Nebular's site. He really did a public service with that one. Maybe Blizzard's spoiled me, but I really don't get why 2K doesn't have their own site?

[BlackFalcon09]

That looks nothing like the leader screen art for Boudica. Are you sure? Doesn't look like Theodora, and Dido DEFINITELY doesn't have blond hair so it can't be her.

Keep in mind, that's most likely not the final cover art for publication.

[istry555]

It's probably stylized concept art made for Boudica that the leaderhead was then based off. There's no one else a plaid green skirt would work with.

[MARDUK]

That looks nothing like the leader screen art for Boudica. Are you sure? Doesn't look like Theodora, and Dido DEFINITELY doesn't have blond hair so it can't be her.?

Yes, I am pretty sure and that is what everyone seems to think as well.


Dido:




Boudica:

Concept Art:





Theodora:

(art from old history book)

It's probably stylized concept art made for Boudica that the leaderhead was then based off. There's no one else a plaid green skirt would work with.

Agreed.

[MARDUK]

New a bit better view of the presumed box art picture
The female is definitely Boudica.

[Mythdracon]

They didn't even update the official site with the Korea DLC! Sigh.

Someone ought to update that site quickly. You're right: Civ IV had very nice expack sites, with their own theme music and everything too.

The cover definitely shows Boudica: the Celtic skirt, and she's holding a sword, like on the in-game leader screenshot.

[zephyrtr]

That screen grab makes it much clearer.

[KayTeEm]

Took the picture uploaded from MARDUK and tried to get it a little sharper.


EDIT:
Well it is not as good as I hoped it would be.
I'll keep on working on it ...


EDIT2:
Ok, still not perfect but that's the best I can do with the given material:

[Shiav]

They didn't even update the official site with the Korea DLC! Sigh.

Someone ought to update that site quickly. You're right: Civ IV had very nice expack sites, with their own theme music and everything too.

The cover definitely shows Boudica: the Celtic skirt, and she's holding a sword, like on the in-game leader screenshot.

Somebody needs to teach them marketing.

I'd also like to hear more about these supposed financial difficulties

[MARDUK]

They didn't even update the official site with the Korea DLC! Sigh.

Yeah, at least they should add info about Korea (+other DLCs). I am sure up to date site with good content (wallpapers, links to reviews and most importantly info about the expansion/links to previews) would attract new customers.

Took the picture uploaded from MARDUK and tried to get it a little sharper.

EDIT:
Well it is not as good as I hoped it would be.
I'll keep on working on it ...

EDIT2:
Ok, still not perfect but that's the best I can do with the given material:]

Thank you very much! Looks much better now

[Tahitian Moon]

Yeah Marduk another finn here!

[Black Gate of Mordor]

Is it just me or is it that all the pictures we see of Boudica are far better than the way she'll appear in-game?

[tfordp]

Is it just me or is it that all the pictures we see of Boudica are far better than the way she'll appear in-game?

No, it's not just you. I agree, her leader screen is ugly. If it was so cold that she couldn't get at least a little colour in those highlands she probably never saw then she almost certainly wouldn't be running around semi-clad in tartan (!) mini-skirts. Just wrong, in every respect. No, no, no.

[MARDUK]

Is it just me or is it that all the pictures we see of Boudica are far better than the way she'll appear in-game?

^Third. Unfortunately I have to agree with you. She looks much better in the concept art and the box art pictures than in the in-game one. Hopefully she'll look a bit more like the concept art with other expression on her face.

I had imagined her to look much different;




Much younger looking with a really long red hair (like she has in almost every historical picture) and kind of "angelic" appearance - a bit like Maid Marion in the legendary 80's TV-Series Robin of Sherwood.

Some additional fan-made pictures (there was one very cool looking leader art of Boudicea in CivFanatics forums, but couldn't find it even after extensive search):



http://www.dashinvaine.co.uk/Boudica...ca%20image.jpg
http://www.jameslyonsart.com/Boadice...he%20Iceni.jpg


EDIT:



Have to say she is very nicely done in box art. Also here is better view of Attila.

[inquisitiveowl]

I really hate the way they've made Boudicca Scottish. She wasn't Scottish. I can understand for the requirements of the game why they've bundled together the Celtic nations into an artificial kilt-and-torc-wearing Picto-Celto-Scottish Civ, but then DON'T have Boudicca as the leader. Have Calgacus (not that there are any reliable sources for him), Alexander I, David I, or even William Wallace if you must. Or even Mary Queen of Scots, if you really want to have a female leader.

If she's speaking Scottish Gaelic, I will cry.

[BlackFalcon09]

Why do you say she's Scottish? Because she's wearing some sort of kilt? Edinburgh is the supposed capital?

[inquisitiveowl]

Tartan sure as hell isn't Iceni, that's all I'm saying... and yes, Edinburgh is the capital.

I have nothing whatsoever against Scotland (quite the contrary, in fact) but having Boudicca as representative of some sort of 'Celtic alliance' makes no sense to me when her nation was in East Anglia. Historical accuracy to the letter is not the Civ franchise's strong suit, nor should it be in all cases, but this Celtic Civ is downright fantastical.

[BlackFalcon09]

Though tartan is most recognized for the past few hundred years on Scottish kilts and is still today a symbol of Scottish heritage/pride, they've found sources to suggest it goes back to the early A.D. years and perhaps even into B.C. It's very possible at least some Celts had this fabric somewhere in their culture.

Edit: Found this by looking up some tartan information:

According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the Hallstatt culture of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and flourished between 400 BC to 100 BC, produced tartan-like textiles. Some of them were recently discovered, remarkably preserved, in Salzburg, Austria.

And from what I know of the Celts, they started in central Europe around the 5th or 6th century B.C. and migrated westward over the years. If these bits of information are true, then the Celts are probably the origin of the tartan that is so prominent in Scottish culture today.

[SamBC]

The Iceni may have inhabited East Anglia, but I'm pretty sure they were celts... more specifically britons.

[Arkciv]

Where do we send suggestion for the upcoming expansion set?

[Shiav]

Where do we send suggestion for the upcoming expansion set?

You post threads on them and say "2K GREG MUST SEE NOW"

Or you post your ideas in one of the several threads that already contain ideas and discussion.

[MARDUK]

I'm wondering a bit why they changed the Celtic capital from Bibracte to Edinburgh ? But guess it some traditional thing with Celts in Civ (Celtic capitals: II Cardiff --> III Entremont --> IV Bibracte --> V Edinburgh) http://civilization.wikia.com/wiki/Celtic

[zephyrtr]

the Baldur's Gate website has been updated more recently than the Civ 5 website. It's ridiculous.

[Black Gate of Mordor]

To be fair, they are coming out with a new edition of the game soon.

[Pouakai]

Yeah, but the Civ 5 website hasn't been updated since Spain & Inca IIRC

[inquisitiveowl]

The Iceni may have inhabited East Anglia, but I'm pretty sure they were celts... more specifically britons.

You're right. More to the point, I never said they weren't Celts. My issue is having an East Anglian Celtic leader of a Civ which in all other respects seems to identify Celtic culture with specifically Scottish culture - Edinburgh as capital, tartan (despite BlackFalcon's post I maintain that wherever tartan may have originated from it has distinctly Scottish cultural associations; ie. if you see tartan you're going to think 'Scotland' rather than 'Celts'), Pictish Warrior UU, and, if I'm right (which I hope I'm not) the use of Scottish Gaelic in the leader screen. It's not any one of those element that bothers me - you are always going to run into this sort of problem when you're creating a Civ representing an ethnic group with populations scattered across various regions rather than a nation - but it's just that they are all focused on the same one of those populations, with the exception of the leader. That's what feels odd to me.

Yes, the Scottish are a Celtic people, and yes, the Iceni were also a Celtic people. That doesn't mean a Scottish-flavoured Celtic Civ should be led by an Iceni.

But whatever. We know so little about the Iceni that I'm sure someone could (or at least try) to swing a historical argument for associating them with Scottish tribes. Mostly I'm just happy to see the Celts in the game. I can probably let all of this slide unless Boudicca ends up speaking Scottish Gaelic or another Q-Celtic/Goidelic language (eg. Irish), when the Iceni almost certainly spoke an ancestor of the P-Celtic languages (Welsh, Cornish, Breton). That would affect my enjoyment of the Civ a bit.

I live in hope. But given that these are the same people who decided to let Ramesses speak Egyptian Arabic...

[SamBC]

Edinburgh's the capital, but we've also seen screenshots with other city names, IIRC - which aren't all Scottish. It has flavour from a lot of different things, I would imagine.

[inquisitiveowl]

Yes, I realise that. But the capital is still Edinburgh. It doesn't help with the whole Scottish thing. All the elements of the Civ that we've seen so far seem distinctly Scottish-flavoured. As I said in my longer post, it's not any one of the things in isolation - it's all of them, together, that create the (worrying, in my opinion) impression of Boudicca=Celts=Scotland. I hope when the xpack comes out I'll be proved wrong and actually the Celts will have a more pan-Celtic feel to them.

I can tell that I'm the only person bothered by this, so I'll shut up now, since I've also taken the thread off-topic. But if I hear the merest whisper of Scottish Gaelic in the finished game, there will be more complaining.

[craig123]

I can tell that I'm the only person bothered by this, so I'll shut up now, since I've also taken the thread off-topic. But if I hear the merest whisper of Scottish Gaelic in the finished game, there will be more complaining.

I know where you're coming from. But as SamBC says, we've seen Cardiff and Dublin and Celtic city names, so hopefully your concern is unfounded. I agree that she shouldn't speak Gaelic - my guess is she'll speak Welsh.