First, thanks everyone for coming. I'm going to skip most of the background information from previous briefings because most of you are no doubt familiar with the subject matter at hand. After a brief opening statement I'll be happy to take your questions.

The boys are out of the think tank after being sequestered for what we believe is the necessary amount of time to evaluate what we've found. I'm happy to report their findings now, on their behalf. After some time, probably several weeks, of decompressurization, including food which is NOT pizza, they will be available to the press as their own schedules permit.

Civilization Revolution is now available on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo DS. There are some things, some large, some small, that are different from previous games. The first thing you might notice is that the map size does not change and is randomly created for each game. The size of the game map, therefore, does not grow to the massive sizes available in previous games, which makes Revolution a game on a different scale. The huge civilizations seen in past games are not as prevalent.

On a related note, the game ends in the year 2100, no matter the conditions of the game at that time. The victor is declared based on the most capital cities captured. These factors combine to make Revolution a faster a game, not unlike speed chess. The most effective empires we saw often consisted of only three to five cities.

Online multi-player is even faster than playing against the AI, as most players online see the importance of starting fast and getting ahead. You can't save multi-player games, which is a shame, but considering the nature of such games, as mentioned, it's an oversight which is somewhat understandable. Options such as Scenarios and Game of the Week offer a third set of challenges which were found to be very interesting and popular as another form of competition between live players.

Most importantly, we're happy to report that the ebb and flow of the game, the technology race, the expansionistic urges, the cycle from martyrdom to world conqueror and back, have been expertly captured in Civilization Revolution.

Thank you. I'll now be happy to answer your questions. "Did they make the interface work?"

Absolutely. The controls take very little practice. It wasn't long before our people were flying around their empires, managing every aspect with just a twitch of their thumbs. It would be nice to zoom the camera out to have a larger view, but considering the amount of information and menu options required for Civ, the interface in Revolution is an incredible achievement.

Animations and art were also highly praised. Cities grow visually as well as internally and units move in small ways even while remaining in the same spot, which keeps the screen somewhat animated even at rest. Everything is colorful and somewhat playful while remaining serious enough for the subject matter of world domination.

"How's the diplomacy?"

Consistent. Everyone is always pissed off and demanding either technology or money. Based on our tests it's very realistic.

"Uh, what are you talking about? What's Civ? Is it a real time strategy game? Are there Orcs?"

Next question.

"To work on a console, there must have been concessions, right?"

There are a few layers of the game that didn't make it. Units don't require support, for example. On the other hand, given the smaller scale and quicker pace of the game, each unit is much more important over the long term. Population has no negative consequences - there is no pollution or starvation.

"Are victory conditions similar to previous Civ games?"

There are four ways to win: Conquest, take each enemy capital, Technology, launch and settle a spaceship, Culture, achieve enough culture points to build the United Nations wonder, or Economic, amass enough wealth and build the World Bank wonder.

"What were the facilities like in the think tank?"

It was very comfortable, much like a large suburban home. Except without bathrooms. That would be silly, really. Who needs to use the bathroom when you have Civ?

"Do archers still win battles over tanks on occasion, like they have since the first Civ, even though it never made any sense?"

It happens.

"Over the course of a game, does resentment grow for particular opponents to the degree that xenophobic and genocidal thoughts based on stereotypes of the opposing civilization are unavoidable, no matter how ghastly?"

It happens.

"How can that happen? I mean, they're in tanks! What are they thinking? It's ridiculous to roll my tanks all the way to Thebes and get sent packing by people with sharp sticks!"

I'm afraid that will be all. Thanks again for your time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tell Gandhi the bad news - I found him first and he's on the wrong continent.