Archive: August, 2005

Question: I'm a game designer at a relatively large development house. I'm also a business major in college. I was wondering what challenges you encountered in starting your own company and what changes would you have made if you knew then what you know now?

Sid: Well, it's most important to know your talents and then find a good business partner who understands who you are and what you do best. Then together you can recruit talented folks who can become part of a strong development team. Growing and nurturing these teams over time is critical to the ongoing success of a development studio. Firaxis has grown from 8 to 65 people over the past nine years, and it has been challenging to successfully manage the growth. My partner, Jeff Briggs (our Founder and CEO) has established a strong management team which has been a driving force behind our stable growth and continued success.

Question: Do you have any plans to develop for the NintendoDS? Firaxis' strategy games are a natural match for the dual screen, touchscreen enabled handheld. Other strategy games such as Europe Universalis II, Age of Empires, and Command and Conquer have been announced. Civilization and/or Alpha Centuari would fit in nice.

Sid: It's certainly something we're exploring. Our goal is to make great games and deliver them to players on whatever platforms make sense for the game. I agree that the Nintendo DS would be a good match for some of our titles…so stay tuned for more info. soon!

Question: I am a big fan of all of your games. I have been playing Civilization since the first one was released and I can not wait for Civilization IV. I do have a question about Civilization IV as it relates to religion. Can your government have no state religion? If so can they influence border nations with their secular beliefs?

Sid: Hello Orie! Yes, the default is Paganism, which means there is no organized religion. At the other end of the spectrum is Free Religion and that offers tolerance of all religions. It's not possible to spread no religion where there is already religion. It's a play mechanic, but I am pretty sure it holds up that way in history as well.

Question: Now i'm sure this has been asked so many times and if so then i am sorry for the repetition, but since Pirates underwent a successful update and relaunch, are there any chance we might see the same happen to Colonization, i'm sure this would be hugely successful and very eagerly received in a genre that has been lacking for years.

Sid: Hi Jason! You're right…that question is asked of us quite a bit and it certainly motivates us to consider the possibilities. Firaxis owns the rights to Colonization, so it's definitely something we're considering for future development. We'll keep you posted!

Question: What about the PS2 gamers? Would you consider making games such as Pirates for PS2?

Sid: There are lots of people playing games on the PS2, so we're definitely interested in making games for that platform. No titles to announce just yet, but stand by...

Question: Will you guys ever return to the production of the dinosaur game you were working on a few years back? I got quite excited by that and enjoyed the diaries. Have you found a way to make the game mechanics work?

Sid: To tell you the truth, I haven't had much time to go back and look at that game lately. We've been nonstop busy making other games over the past several years, so the dinosaur game remains on the shelf. However, I do love the idea of a dinosaur game and would like to revisit it when I have some time.

Question: Would I enjoy Sid Meier's Pirates if I like strategic games? I love strategic games and I wanted to know if this game has strategy.

Sid: Pirates is a combination of strategy, adventure, action and rpg, so I think you'd really enjoy it. It also offers players a chance to play each game differently through choices they make and strategies they employ, so the game can be played over and over again delivering a new experience each time.

Question: Now that Pirates is out, do you have any more plans any new games for Xbox and maybe even Xbox 360? New games, that is, not remakes. Cause I would love to see what you can whip up in the near future!

Sid: I'm working on a few prototypes at the moment for a number of different platforms...I just can't announce what they are yet. We'll keep you posted as things develop.

If you want to ask Sid a question, send an email to webmaster@firaxis.com. Put "Ask Sid" in the subject line. Please note that we cannot answer all questions submitted to this forum. Due to the quantity of "Ask Sid" emails we recieve, we ask that you please refrain from sending us new game ideas.