When Firaxis is serious about giving power to the fans, they’re serious about it alright.
In more news bound to make Civ-fans happy, lead designer Jon Shafer confirmed via Bitmob that the world editor will allow you to import your old Civilization IV maps, and they will be automatically hexified in the shiny new Civilization V style.
The maps will come in with everything you added – your units, your cities etc. We have no word on whether all Civ IV units are supported by Civ V however, so that Navy SEAL might get replaced by a B17 or Minuteman, for all we know. Also, 2K specifies that while the world editor will support standard Civ IV maps, it will not automatically hexify your mods, you’ll have to work them yourself.
Still, it’s quite the step that should satisfy those die-hard mapmakers who painstakingly crafted the coast of Normandy for geographic accuracy, just to recreate D-Day in Civ IV. Now you can D-Day in hexes, guys!