Years ago, a game of Civilization II unlike any before took the web by storm, reminding us how gripping strategy games can be, especially when they stretch on for so long. In recent days, a Reddit user known as TPangolin has organized a super-match of Civilization V that pits 42 AI-controlled nations against each other, where the only way to win is to conquer the world.
A couple of weeks ago I was playing Civilization: Beyond Earth. I lost a game and haven't touched it since. Why? Because before I knew it, six hours had passed. As if that weren't enough, Sid Meier's Starships is coming, based on the same universe as Beyond Earth, to the point that both titles can be "connected" to each other. Of course, we'll have to wait until mid-March for that. What brings us here today is a game of Civilization V like no other. We all know that the game's AI can make some curious decisions, but what happens when it has to control 42 different nations, and the only way to win is by annihilating the competition?
The Civilization A.I. Battle Royale
Welcome to Civilization A.I. Battle Royale, an initiative by TPangolin and the rest of the participants of the /r/civ forum on Reddit, who voted to see their favorite empires in action. Obviously, combining 42 players in a single game requires several mods, which are available in a special package for all those interested in imitating this project. The general parameter of the game is "Historical Eras", which is equivalent to a "marathon" speed in technology development, and a regular production level. The game has already reached 161 turns, and two empires have bitten the dust: North Korea and Nazi Germany. No, there was no hand altering the results, we can only say that Civilization V has a peculiar sense of humor.
Who's winning? If we go by population, the Sioux kingdom. In number of cities, the Boer empire already has 21, but the so-called Great Stalinist Empire follows closely with 20. Something similar happens with Culture, which keeps these two empires at the top. And the technology level is very even, with the Republic of Canada holding a slight advantage. Anyway, these results are irrelevant. The winner will be the last one standing, and if the game reaches something similar to a certain balance, we'll probably see three or four powers exchanging blows (read ICBMs) for a long, long time.
