As part of an effort to design his new game At The Gates, game designer Jon Shafer has provided a detailed reflection on the choices he made in creating the turn-based strategy hit Civilization V. The latest entry in the Civ series, Civ V upended several design conventions from earlier games; for instance, the removal of "unit stacking" required players to consider completely new strategies in waging war. It's a thorough look at the thought that went into the design for Civ V, and a must-read for veterans. "I'm not shy about my flaws," Shafer writes. "The fact is there's still much I have to learn. But every project is a new opportunity to improve and show everyone what you've learned."