Civ V's 44-Player War Has Overrun The Planet, Prepares For Doomsday

After some technical woes, the enormous 44-player, AI-only Civ V battle has resumed, and the rivers of the world are running red.

Here’s how everything stands as of turn 318, with a map showing not just Civ borders but the cities of the world as well:

Image by SylonL & LacsiraxAriscal

With over 300 turns now processed, the game has entered the industrial era, and with vacant land now at a premium the wars between mighty (and not so mighty) empires are only going to get worse. Things are getting messy enough with all these riflemen running around...once we start getting bombers and submarines enter the fray things are going to get very interesting.

What happens when Civs start getting the bomb, well. You can probably guess.

What’s cool about this game (and other big, AI-only games like it) isn’t just seeing the game unfold, but look at the decisions the computer makes. Like how Poland has used its Great Generals to create some nightmarish fortifications, or how Australia is obsessed with stationing an enormous army in the middle of the desert and having it just...sit there.

Gif by SylonL

The image above shows how each Civilization has expanded, from the first turn up until the most recent. What I find coolest is how orderly the whole thing has been; a lot of Civ games see the AI’s cities spread across the map once they learn to send settlers across the sea, but this has all been nice and organised.

For a more thorough run-down of recent events, including Australia’s emergence and the continued struggle between Poland and the USSR, here’s the official recap.

An interesting read via Kotaku