Firaxicon: An Evening with Sid Meier and Jake Solomon of Firaxis Games

I feel a bit ashamed that this is the first time I got to find out about who Sid Meier is or what he looks like, especially considering that I have been playing the Civ series since the first one (Yes I am over 30, So?) This is the man that created a genre. And he helped cultivate many others. If the dawn of video games had to be summed up with just one name, It would be his name.

[@Nashfanfl13]

Shigeru Miyamoto is more important in my mind but Sid Meier is up there I love both of the games they have made!

[@lol70721]

how you not know how he looks like if you played all the civs?:P in Civ 4 when you are taking the tutorial, there is an avatar that looks just like him, that helps you out c: But I guess you didn't look at the tutorial lol.

[@camperben]

Same here...I have been a HUGE fan since Pirates!....the one on floppy that was like 1 meg total...lol. I'm pretty sure I ran it on an 8088 with no hard drive. I almost flunked out of college because of Civ I :-) Had no idea he grew up in the Detroit area or was a Avalon Hill man too.....interesting guy.

[@camperben]

lol70721 I don't think those avitars look anything like the real him ....all the way back to Railroad Tycoon...sorta kinda like his hair line I guess...not that good a likeness? I did know it was him though when he walked out on stage so it couldn't be that far off I guess....

[@TPQ1980]

There's an avatar of him in one or more of his games as I recall.

[@habeasdorkus3795]

I had an NES before I ever got a chance to play games on a computer, but I wasn't a gamer until I played the original Civilization. No series has been as vibrantly alive in my memory for so long. Despite the evolution of the series, I still get the same 'one more turn' drive to explore, learn, and problem solve with CivV (and I'm sure I will with CivBE) that I did playing CivI on my family's first home computer. The fact that after so many years of success, Sid remains such a soft-spoken working man of the industry is both baffling and inspiring. Thanks for all the great games Sid; I look forward to many more!

[@gunnergoz]

It is great to see this interview of the legend himself. And he is actually a modest geek without an ounce of the arrogant ego that is otherwise so common in Silicon Valley. Live long and prosper, Sid!

[@BustedKeyboard]

Seeing Sid With gray hair is like seeing an old friend after many years have passed.

[@LukeAvedon]

Sid seems like a genuinely good person.

[@Chris2NH]

Great interview. I am a long time fan of Sid's work and it was great to hear him talk about it and some of the history. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@BustedKeyboard]

If you win a game as every civ, you should be able to unlock Sid as a leader.

[@tobiasbengtsson2112]

Yaas and his bonus schould be firaxis plus happines sorry bad english

[@camperben]

I remember back as far as Railroad Tycoon if you did well in the game at the end it would rank you with various jobs and you would appear as Sid dresses as that job from street sweeper to Wall Street Tycoon or what ever it was....He should be a playable leader...agreed

[@Beatbasse]

That'd actually be pretty cool.

[@powerab5550]

One mod allows you to play as Gabe Newell

[@CannoneerDmitry]

I would've loved if you did weekly Firaxis vlogs. Doesn't even have to be about games. Just about people working there. I think many would love to see such videos. To see people who make games we love and cherish, games we grew up with. :)

[@SpotAllen]

Great interview. So very unfortunate that the audio recording is so bad. :(

[@olivierlabrosse3126]

This was great! May I suggest using compression/expansion to better hear Sid speak while Jake doesn't wake up the neighbors?

[@SamDLIVE]

Such an awesome interview.

[@MootCoffee]

No mention of Gettysburg! makes me sad. One of the best of all time!

[@civilization]

Jake Solomon interviews Sid Meier on his life before games, Civilization's inception. More #Firaxicon videos to come! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKG7kHlui92fmLs

[@mooneyes2k478]

"You learn more from your failures." Yes, you do. That's because it's MUCH easier TO learn from failures. To learn from your SUCCESS...that is the hallmark of a true master. After all, you succeeded? What can you LEARN from that? There's nothing to learn, you did it right! But no matter how right you did it...there are always some things that didn't work out properly. To find those, and to learn from that, is VERY hard.

[@Arbie812]

Jake "RNG" Solomon

[@computer__eyez]

I love Sid Meier and I love Jacob Solomon. Both had to do with my favorite games ever. What bothers me... XCom EU & Civ Rev 2 (iOS/Android) no controller support for the recently released Moga Rebel, Mad Catz C.T.R.L. i micro, Steelseries Stratus XL controllers. XCom EU (iOS/Android) No Enemy Within release? Sad, they forget us mobile players. Civ Rev2: I love that it kept the console aspect graphics (scaled down) but, no multiplayer? Civ Rev2: Shorter gameplay (console version was already short) ok fine, it's mobile... They want to keep it short(er) then at least, why not have an option for those of us whom want to play the original length of the console version - this game is basically a console port. Civ Rev2: Also, many other improvements they skimped on which can be read in full if they check they're own forums. Example, I have 20 armies on one tile (I have to click on all 20 individually just to move them to the same location? Why not a move all option?) I still love these guys, they know there is money in the mobile space hence iOS/Android releases... I just hope, they start getting serious about the key titles they bring over. If there is a expansion for it available in other platforms, we mobile gamers should have it as well.

[@BuzzKirill3D]

I wish Jake Solomon would come out with a new XCOM game

[@blackjackcorp]

+BuzzKill :)

[@BuzzKirill3D]

Joe Biron Yay for XCOM 2!

[@SliceA1A]

It seems like Sid hasn't aged a day since Civ I.

[@DrTssha]

There is a portrait in Sid's attic of him as an old man presenting SMAC 2 for release.

[@MatthewJones-tb5ep]

DrTssha i have wanted that for more than a decade, here is hoping beyond earth is a nice stand in

[@civilization]

#XCOM lead designer Jake Solomon interviews gaming luminary Sid Meier about his storied career, the start of Firaxis Games and the revered Civilization series. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKG7kHlui92fmLs

[@civilization]

Sid Meier regales Jake Solomon with the tale of Civilization in this intimate conversation from #Firaxicon. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKG7kHlui92fmLs

[@civilization]

Did you know that before Civilization, Sid Meier worked on cash register systems? It's true! #Totalizator kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKG7kHlui92fmLs

[@VioletDeathRei]

The greatest people always seem to have humble beginnings. Whether it gives them focus, a dream, or maybe just a good sense of humor they all have one thing in common and that's the fact they came a long way. (^.^)d

[@jakeyv420]

Why the fuck isnt xxom 2 on next gen console???????? this really fucking pisses me off..they are more than caoable n so is fireaxis. You really divided n oissed iff a part of your community..especially since next gens have been iut a few yrs...douchebags.

[@Zakynthos39]

good discussion

[@tlotlosenai7304]

I wanna know what he thinks about Rise of Nations (RoN). I play RoN

[@jizzfudgsickle3619]

Sid Meirs Pit Stop!

[@dwes49]

Bring back simgolf!!

[@JonahGhost]

i dont know if its just me but sid reminds me of fedor xD

[@bladepawthewolftuar]

the recent sid meier games have bean SOO bad i actuly though he had died, now i know he just dosent care that his devilipers are dragging his name through the mud

[@Groaznic]

MAKE A NEW TRAIN GAME!!

[@Nodsaibot]

no fighting game? there is plenty of fighting in Pirates

[@mooneyes2k478]

Spy, spy hardware, spy this, that and the other...so, WHEN are you re-making Covert Action?! PLEASE!

[@Gameon-hc6ng]

OK. I`m going to buy Civ Beyond Earth just because I believe Sid he is making good, non-violoent focused, informative games. But: the recent development of firaxis gives me the impression those values, Sid and his names stands for, are on sold out. They do (bad) mobile or violent-focused (XCOM) or greedy (CivBE 40$) now. Is this Sid anymore?

[@gimmethegepgun]

Beyond Earth is a standalone game, I'm not seeing what the problem with it being $50 is.

[@Mega3rn3st]

Violence is in human nature. And if you think XCOM is violent then I am sorry when you see todays games (FPS and MMOs in general).

[@MoreEvilThenMe]

$40 is bad for a AAA? That'd be great I wanna know where you're gunna get it from. It's $90 in Australia.

[@Jaegerrants]

Bad mobiles? I don't know for the price the acepatrol/pacific skies are good. And violence, well teh ydid mention it, they have violence in it, but rarely glorify it, even xcom doesn't glorify it and is more in borders of we fight because we have no other options and the add on just ads in the moral dilemma, is it worth to sacrifice our humanity for extra pucnhing power in the fight. And you have to think one thing too, how many of these decissions are made By Firaxis and how many are enforced upon them by 2K. And in a way Beyond earth is more apart from civ 5 than 4 previous call of duty or Batlefield games are from each others, so it's hardly greedy to have price point of 40 for a full game with tons of replayability in both single player and multiplayer is good for what games often charge.

[@9365fall]

Xcom does anything but glorify death. In Xcom, dead is dead, it doesn't matter how well trained, well equipped, or well prepared, you die and you fail. There is no glorious victory, no final reprieve, only a choice of the Complete Destruction of us or them, with the only condolence being that for once, we killed something that truly was not of are selves. For civ games, you always have the option of being peaceful, and it's quite easy to play without violence if you simply make sure to talk to the other civs, and BE can't be a Civ 6, because that would require them to create a new engine, the best they can do without spending a ton of time and money is re-texturing tiles, creating new graphics, new units, new game-play mechanics, new factions,trailers, art, promotional videos etc., new lore, new tech trees, new virtues, more gameplay mechanics, and what ever they add in DLC because you know there going to do that.