As the title implies, religion will play a greater role in the game. In the game, players seek out Faith, choosing a Pantheon of the Gods and creating Great Prophets to found and spread their customized religion across the world. If your civilization believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, it is your mission to spread His word across the globe if you wish.
Diplomacy has also been revamped, as players can now establish embassies at foreign courts for closer ties or clandestine operations. When the Renaissance Era comes, religions of the world start settling in and spies can be unlocked. Spies will be able to work on surveillance of foreign cities, steal advanced technologies from the player’s strongest competitors, or garner influence with City-States through election rigging with the option of even planning coups.
Among the new civilizations in the game are Carthage, the Netherlands, the Celts and the Mayans, among others, with such leaders as William I, Prince of Orange, Boudicca and Pacal the Great. In addition, two new city-state types will be introduced - Mercantile and Religious.
Finally, some of the more core mechanics have been improved, including a reworked combat system and AI that places more emphasis on a balanced army composition. In addition, armed naval forces are now divided into two different ship types: melee and ranged. This allows sieges on coastal cities to be more viable and makes said cities vulnerable to surprise attacks from the sea.
Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods & Kings will be released for Windows PC in late spring 2012.
