So you’ve always been interested in the Sid Meier’s Civilization games, but haven’t played one yet. Maybe you don’t usually play computer games, perhaps the concept of managing a civilization seemed daunting or maybe you just didn’t want to pay for it. Well, 2K Games and Firaxis have just banished all of your excuses with CivWorld. It’s a smaller, simpler and free-to-play version of Civilization for Facebook. Just add the CivWorld app to your account and you’re all set…

Stardock, the developer best known for the Galactic Civilizations series, has brought aboard one of the rock stars of the strategy genre.

Big Download reports that Jon Shafer, lead designer for Civilization V and former Firaxis employee, is now part of Stardock team. He will begin by helping the company’s efforts with its PC gameElemental: War of Magic. The game got off to a troubled start in August 2010 but Stardock continues to dedicate resources to it. Shafer’s hire will surely help with current and future Elemental endeavors…

If you’re living in Europe, then you’re guaranteed a special edition release of Sid Meier’s Civilization V. 2K Games has just announced it. If you’re willing to pay £59.99 ($91) instead of £39.99 ($60), you can get lots of other cool stuff with your Windows PC game. Well, maybe not lots, but you get quite a few nice little extras.

As is customary with many special editions, the special edition of Civilization V will come with a “making of Civilization V DVD and Civilization V art book. This art book is quite hefty though, as it’s 176 pages. You also get a 2 CD soundtrack filled with music from the game, something that you also probably expected. The sole surprise is the set of Reaper Miniature Civilization V metal figurines. If you gathered together enough friends who also invested in the special edition, you could recreate a little Civilization V army.

At the moment, there’s been no news stating whether the US will get the same awesome Civilization V special edition…

2K Games and Firaxis decided April Fools’ would be the best time to introduce a revolutionary new feature present in Sid Meier’s Civilization V, Extreme Diplomacy. For the most part, Civilization games have been simulations requiring players to build up their nations through wars and diplomacy in an attempt to gradually rule as much territory as possible. Extreme Diplomacy simplifies and speeds up the process via a winner-takes-all death match.

Each of the world leaders will have their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as special attacks and finishing moves. For example, the screenshot above clearly shows George Washington unleashing the “Uncle Slam Attack” on an unsuspecting Oda Nobunaga…

A new Civilization game has been announced. In Fall 2010, gamers will be able to once again manage your own, well – civilizations for lack of a better word in Sid Meier’s Civilization V. That’s not all, in addition to the exciting Civilization V news a Facebook entry in the series, called Sid Meier’s Civilization Network, is also being developed. Firaxis games is working on both games.

Not much has been revealed about Civilization Network yet, aside from it being in the works, so let’s focus on Civilization V. It’ll have a player hub where people can exchange user created content and find matches to take part in, hexagon tile layouts over the maps which will presumably make the wars more interesting, fully animated leaders, improved diplomacy methods and options and an enhanced warfare system that encourages strategic thinking. Basically, Civilization V seems to be stepping it up a notch….