First reaction to the screenshots: "OMFG it's Captain Butt Ugly!"
The units look as butt ugly as the land battle screen in Pirates 2. I bet it's comparatively unplayable.
My guess is that the windmill is a form of terrain improvement, like mines. Cute, but probably nothing fancy.
(btw, bandwith theft from CFC is some good
)
"Civ IV has been written entirely from scratch.": which is the only way to make sure you don't have to be afraid of copyright infringment. Captain Obvious to the rescue!
"The 3D engine will allow you to zoom smoothly from a global view all the way down to a single city.": so it has built in save your eyesight mod. Wow.
"Individual units will gain experience and acquire new upgrades such as bonuses against specific enemy types and the ability to use enemy roads.": hey, they played R:TW as well!
"No more spearmen defeating tanks.": so either no more RNG, or obsolete units are worthless.
"Now you won’t have to follow a strict research path to be competitive later in the game – a design that opens up a whole new world of possibilities.": so they're changing one of the defining aspects of civ.
"Advanced modders will even be able to control the AI.": interesting!
"Civ4 has been designed from the outset to include the multiplayer mode." So no follow up to PTW? Do they really want to make a decent game this time?
BTW, if this game really comes with the kind of editor and moddability they're talking about, it might be so that there's not even a need for expansions. Look at Battlefield:1942 for example, where the desert combat mod is received better than Battlefield:Vietnam.