C-evo

Civilization Evolution (old)

C-evo (new)

C-evo (a.k.a. Civilization-evolution) is a 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

C-evo is an empire building game, dealing with the history of humans from antiquity into the future. 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 country 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.

The game can be played in Single or Multiplayer (hotseat) or Supervisor mode against 1 to 15 computer-controlled players, human players, or both. It does have 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 these links are direct links to the 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 This is not a direct download link
kIAi version 0.01
CivSeed AI 0.101
Shah AI v00.01 Has bugs, especially on small maps.

Strategy

As with the official civ games, there are a variety of strategies possible.

Main article: C-evo: Strategies

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.

Game mechanics

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 superior unit must take enough 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 player to a easier or harder level at the start of the game.
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. As a game progresses, scientific advancements and wonders give additional unit capabilities, but with only a few early research advances (Warrior Code, Horseback Riding, Bronze Working, etc.) a player will be able to construct units immediately.

Unlike Civilization II, a player cannot immediately gain the advances traded from other nations, a reduced amount of research is still necessary to achieve the new technology.
Unlike Civilization II, irrigation does not require the connection to a nearby sea or river, irrigation may be built on any tile anywhere it could be built as if water was present.

In C-evo, a new city does not gain trade resources or contribute to research until it has at least a town hall built.
In C-evo, a stealth aircraft is hidden and can not be attacked without your own spy or stealth aircraft has uncovered it in that turn, at that point your other planes can attack it.

In C-evo, building a spaceship requires scarce special 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.

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.