14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Firaxis and publisher 2K Games have announced that they are working on a full expansion pack for the turn-based strategy game Civilization V, called Gods & Kings, which will be launched during the spring of this year.
The expansion is designed to expand on all features of the core game while also adding two features that the community has apparently been asking for: religion and espionage tied to diplomacy.
The religious aspect of Gods & Kings will be handled via a new Faith resource and players will be able to first fund their own religion and then customize every aspect of it, probably in a manner similar to the Civics system, as the game progresses.
Spies will be able to offer information on enemy cities, steal technology that is not yet known and deliver more influence over city states and the diplomatic game will also feature the addition of embassies.
The combat system that was at the heart of Civilization V, with just one unit per square and the hexagonal terrain pieces, is also being redesigned for the expansion, with the revealed details including a better Artificial Intelligence and a number of new melee naval units.
New city states are also being added via Gods & Kings, some linked to the new religion mechanics and all of them getting enhanced quest chains that will make gold more important and a diplomatic victory a more exciting goal.
Gamers will also get access to 27 new units to use of the battlefield, 13 new buildings to further customize their cities, 9 new wonders to enhance their civilization and 9 new factions to play around with.
The newcomers include William I leading the Netherlands, Boudicca for the Celts and the Mayans with their leader Pacal the Great.
The Gods & Kings expansion for Civilization V also delivers new scenarios, including one that Firaxis describes as a science fiction and Victoria era mash up.