It's not going full civilization. I left a lot of settlement simulation out of this update because I'm still working on it, and have nothing to show so far. But in essence:
- Settlements will occupy one or more hexes. Each hex has 14 "subhexes"
- The player can place a structure on each subhex, mostly the same structures that are in 1.4.
- I'm uncertain how walls are going to work right now, I'm thinking they may be special, and placed along the 6 borders of the hex.
- Structures will still produce and consume items, like they do in 1.4, but they won't need to be hauled from structure to structure.
- This is the most important change, as it cuts out the overhead from having citizens moving around the city.
- Trade between settlements will function as it does in 1.4.
I agree that this is a substantial change to Bronze Age (hence calling it 2.0). But I think it's a necessary one.