14 DAY TRIAL // In an unusual move the state of Maryland has announced that September 21 will be known as being “Sid Meier's Civilization V Day”. The most recent installment in the long running turn based strategy series is being launched on the same day for the PC. The announcement from the state was made via a proclamation from the governor of Maryland.
Sid Meier is well known in the video games industry for the Civilization series but also for titles like Railroad Tycoon and Antietam. He was born in Canada but most of his creative life has been spent in Maryland, beginning at MicroProse, the legendary strategy games developer, and now working with Firaxis, which is under the supervision of Take Two.
The statement issued by Martin O'Malley, the governor of the state of Maryland, reads “Sid Meier is known throughout Maryland and the world as a pioneer of electronic gaming, having co-founded his first studio in Baltimore County, Maryland in 1982, and today continuing a tradition of developing the talent and creativity of future generations”. The final paragraph says, “Now, therefore, I, Martin O'Malley, Governor of the State of Maryland, do hereby pay tribute to the outstanding achievements of Sid Meier on this day, July 28, 2010, and hereby recognize September 21, 2010, as Sid Meier's Civilization V Day, and call upon the people of our State to join in celebrating this salute.”
Civilization V is bringing some pretty important changes to the franchise. The game is no longer based around squares, which are replaced by hexes, and military units can no longer be stacked in the same space. The idea is to make the military aspect of Civilization more tactical, eliminating the dreaded stacks of doom that both the Artificial Intelligence and the gamer used. The game will also get a revised take on social policies and more complex diplomatic options.