Civilization V Will Only Ship with Basic Multiplayer

We've already learned that Civilization V will be focused on providing support for community sites and that the maps modders have created for the previous installment in the series can be imported in the editor of the new game and converted, easing the adaptation process for most player made content.

But it seems Firaxis is talking a good game about listening to the fan base but lacks the resources to pack everything players are interested in with the first version of the game. One casualty will be the multiplayer section, which might seem undernourished at first but will be further developed through patches.

Dennis Shirk, who is the producer working on Civilization V, stated, “We’re going to have the basics out of the gate. About a month after release, we’re going to add Pitboss. Pitboss will be accompanied by two extraneous modes that we weren’t originally planning, but the fans keep asking for: play-by-mail and hot-seat.” Some gamers might also be disappointed by the fact that matchmaking will be included in the initial release of Civilization V but the developers are working to add it later in a patch.

With September 21 set to be the date when PC players, through Steam, will be able to first enjoy Civilization V, it would be interesting to see what else the game might initially lack. The last few years have seen quite a few titles launched under pressure and with some modes unfinished, fans of the Civilization series might be disappointed to see they have to wait before playing the game to its fullest potential.

Civilization V is developed by Firaxis under the supervision of Sid Meier, with Jon Shafer serving as main designer. The game will feature hexes instead of squares on the map and changes have been made to the combat, diplomacy and the way each civilization chooses and uses social values.