C-evo

Civilization Evolution (old)

C-evo (new)

C-evo (a.k.a. Civilization-evolution) is a free-to-play game similar to Civilization II. The game was written in the Delphi programming language, with the main programming done by Steffen Gerlach. The source code is in the public domain, but the graphics are freeware.

Gameplay

Main article: Gameplay (C-evo)

C-evo is an empire building game, dealing with the history of humans from antiquity to the Space Race. This includes aspects of exploration and expansion, war and diplomacy, cultivation and pollution, industry and agriculture, research and administration. Players must constantly make decisions such as whether and where to build cities, roads, irrigation, and fortresses, whether to form an alliance with a neighboring nation or risk attacking it, and whether to devote resources to education/research/production, warfare, or the well-being of the populace.

A successful player manages to find a balance among these choices. The game starts with the development of the wheel, and ends when the first player has successfully constructed the first off-planet spaceship headed out into the Solar System. As the game progresses, the player finds that the building of factories, for example, leads to increased pollution, which must be cleaned up and could be eliminated through development of cleaner technologies. At all stages, cities that grow larger than size 4 have reduced productivity because of unrest until suitable buildings or police are in place to keep the populace under control.

Examining a city screen selected from the cities menu at an advanced stage of the game

Platforms and players

The game can be played in Single or Multiplayer (hotseat) or Supervisor mode with a total of 1 to 15 player nations: computer-controlled players, human players, or both.

It has a limited client–server architecture, and can be played easily over either a LAN or the WWW using Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol when the game is run from a game server.

AIs available

In addition to the standard AI that comes with C-Evo, a number of different AIs (programs that play C-Evo) with different strategies are available for C-Evo; most of the following links are direct links to the zipped files to download:

• Seti AI 0.3 Strongest AI for C-Evo
• ASAI v07.07b
• Crystal AI for Cevo 1.1.1 Passive, good for beginners.
• Capital AI for Cevo 1.04
• AI_UO Specialist airborne tactics (link)
• kIAi version 0.01
• CivSeed AI 0.101
• Shah AI v00.01 Has bugs, especially on small maps.

Strategy / Tactics

As with the commercial and the other free civ games, there are a variety of strategies possible, though the ultimate launch of a spaceship is the only way of officially winning. The gsme goes through several distinct phases:

1. Feudal / Seige
2. Scientific / Gunpowder
3. Mass Production / AirMobile
4. Race to Stars / Invasion

Main article: C-evo: Strategies

Given that the AIs are supposed to operate in a range of map sizes and unknown environments (sea/land, hostile/friendly opponents) they often have different counter-strategies for each (overlapping) phase.

• eXplore - initial start, unknown extent, unpredictable opponents. Need to scout and contact adjacent tribes
• eXpand - .often an early (agressive) land-grab where try to stake out as much resources as possible
• eXchange - given that AIs have same standing as humans, they are allowed to form alliances and trade amongst themselves (money, tech, unit designs, information)
• eXploit - once the terrirtories/borders are firmly established, develop the cities and build an advantage, sometimes polishing off weak opponents if opportunity arises.
• eXtinguish - the end-game relies on achieving the primary objective of assembling components for a spacecraft and more importantly surviving long enough to do so.

AIs can be broadly classed into 3 basic postures:

• Passive - focus on peaceful econoic/tech development, often surrounded by friendly allies
• Defensive - keeping minimal forces in core cities but looking to out-tech competitors and build wonders
• Agressive - expansionist, looking to knock out weak/small players, especially after a major advance
• Insane - occassionally when no capital and little opportunity to win, goes into a fanatical spoiler mode.

Different tactics are required depending on the opposing posture and your form of government.

Resources

On the C-evo webpage, the game, its source code, AI modules, player contributions such as many additional nations, maps, mods, and utilities are available.

The game has an open AI interface, which means the player can replace the standard AI contained in the package with other AI algorithms, either for all nations or for individual nations. The documentation of the AI's DLL-interface is available from the project homepage. There is also an AI development kit.

The designer's website explains the six Design Principles: Low Risk, Fun by Challenge, AI Liberation, Focus on Strategy, Compact Rule Set, and Balance of Strategy and Micro Management.

Game mechanics

Main article: Game mechanics (C-evo)

• C-evo by design, is completely deterministic: Its randomness lies in what the map looks like, where each player starts and what the player(s) choose to do. An inferior unit cannot randomly defeat a superior unit - the nominally superior unit must have taken some damage before it can be defeated. Similarly, If a player were to reload a saved game, the outcome of a unit attacking the same enemy unit in the same way will always remain the same. There are no random events, goodie-huts, or random rewards for exploration.
• C-evo by design, says AIs play by the same rules as humans and therefore AIs cannot cheat or bend the rules to favor themselves. The game server does not distinguish between the AI and human players, it sees the human as just another AI client; however, one may set any of the 15 players to an easier or harder level at the start of the game and may edit the map to set AI and human starting positions.
• C-evo by design, says military unit designs must be created by a player and then researched before that unit can be built. One must strategically choose what qualities (for example: mobility, attack power, defense, etc.) will be built into the units prior to building them. Features add weight (and cost) and there is a weight limit (raised as later advances are made). As a game progresses, scientific advancements and wonders give additional unit capabilities, but with a minimum of early research advances (prerequisite Warrior Code, and desirably also Horseback Riding and Bronze Working) a player will be able to construct new units that are better than the two pre-designed basic units.

• In contrast to Civilization II, a player cannot immediately gain the advances acquired from other nations or the Great Library: a reduced amount of research is still necessary to achieve the new technology.
• In contrast to Civilization II, a player does not acquire knowledge from capturing a city unless that player possesses the Temple of Zeus Wonder and it is still active (or obsolete but restored with the Eiffel Tower Wonder).
• In contrast to Civilization II, irrigation does not require the connection to a nearby sea or river, irrigation may be built on any suitable tile anywhere (but that does not include desert).
• In contrast to Civilization II, a diagonal step requires 1.5 movement points. All units have at least 1.5 points possible, the most primitive ships have 2.5, and the most primitive aircraft have 4.5.

• In C-evo, a new city does not gain trade resources or contribute to research until it has at least a town hall or courthouse built.
• In C-evo, a stealth aircraft is hidden and cannot be attacked unless your own spy or stealth aircraft has uncovered it in that turn, in which case your other planes can attack it.
• In C-evo, building a spaceship requires scarce modern resources, and without access to the territories containing these resources, as well as the advancements to see or use these resources, the game cannot be won.

How it differs from Civilization II

Some of the differences are summarized above, but a separate article goes into detail.

Main article: C-evo: How it differs from Civilization II

See also

• C-evo HowTo - A How To guide for playing C-evo geared for someone who has never played any of the Civilization games before (recommended reading even for those who have, because C-evo is NOT exactly like Civ2).
• C-evo wiki forum - An alternative to the official C-evo forum, primarily for discussing content of this wiki, but open to all questions and ideas and more easily searchable than the official forum.
• C-evo advances affecting units

External links

• C-evo homepage - Downloads, Info, FAQs, etc.
• IRC channel - at irc.forestnet.org (channel #cevo)
• C-evo Forum - The official C-evo forum, open to all questions, issues, and ideas.
• C-evo's LinkedIn group - Another side of the game, a place where players show their professional side, and do some personal networking.
• Tribe Editor, Nation & Terrain Extension Packs
• Detailed critique, possibly out of date in some respects