Sid Meier's Civilization VII

[techie81]

Let me know when they add quick combat/movement and the ability to change victory conditions. Basic features that should have been there at release.

 

[Mchart]

I gave it a college try and played through one game. It’s a massive downgrade for the series. The UI is just a joke on PC as well.

This generally feels like a civ revolution console focused style downgrade versus a full actual release of the series.

Broadly speaking, it feels like a huge downgrade from 6 in every way I can imagine.

Not sure WTF they were thinking. All anyone wanted out of civ7 was civ6 mechanics but a modern game engine that looks and runs better. If that’s all they would have done everyone would be happy.

I don’t see this one recovering and I think most will just step back to 6.

 

[Armenius]

I gave it a college try and played through one game. It’s a massive downgrade for the series. The UI is just a joke on PC as well.

This generally feels like a civ revolution console focused style downgrade versus a full actual release of the series.

Broadly speaking, it feels like a huge downgrade from 6 in every way I can imagine.

Not sure WTF they were thinking. All anyone wanted out of civ7 was civ6 mechanics but a modern game engine that looks and runs better. If that’s all they would have done everyone would be happy.

I don’t see this one recovering and I think most will just step back to 6.

Reject modernity. Embrace tradition.

 

[Ranulfo]

Ugh, no. Civ IV is the best of the series at this point. Civ3 was just a mess on launch.

 

[Darunion]

Ugh, no. Civ IV is the best of the series at this point. Civ3 was just a mess on launch.

I loved IV the best! Leonard Nimoy ftw

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I loved IV the best! Leonard Nimoy ftw

Civ4 BTS was certainly one of my favorites.

That said, while I hated it when it first came out, I gradually came to appreciate the hexes in Civ5 and later, and the split out of ranged vs melee units that allowed for a little bit more strategy in combat

If I could make my perfect Civ, it would be the tech trees and other points/score/game elements from Civ4 BTS, but with the hexes and ranged/melee combat units from Civ5, with updated graphics based on the Civ5 more realistic lineage (rather than the Civ6 more cartoonish art style)

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Just because I am curious, is anyone in here actually playing the game?

If so, what is your take?

I'm basing all of my judgment thus far based on promo materials, but I haven't actually played it. It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually has.

 

[Mchart]

Just because I am curious, is anyone in here actually playing the game?

If so, what is your take?

I'm basing all of my judgment thus far based on promo materials, but I haven't actually played it. It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually has.

It’s not good. I’ve already uninstalled and I’m just playing more civ 6. The UI in particular makes it a pretty poor experience on PC. It feels like a console civ.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

It’s not good. I’ve already uninstalled and I’m just playing more civ 6. The UI in particular makes it a pretty poor experience on PC. It feels like a console civ.

That's too bad.

Feels a bit like an end of an era.

 

[Mchart]

That's too bad.

Feels a bit like an end of an era.

Basically, yeah. I think it’s going to be a few years before gaming improves, but I’m largely giving up on modern games now.

 

[Hershy]

I actually liked that Xbox version from… what… fifteen years ago?

 

[Mchart]

I actually liked that Xbox version from… what… fifteen years ago?

Revolution. It was good for being on consoles of the era, but a huge downgrade from civ 4 and then 5.

Civ 7 isn’t bad on the switch or something like that, but as a full fledged PC civ game it is very lacking.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Civ 7 isn’t bad on the switch or something like that, but as a full fledged PC civ game it is very lacking.

This has generally been my take with every "vanilla" civ since Civ4.

Vanilla release usually feels pretty dumbed down and uninteresting, especially after coming from the final expansion over the version before it.

Civ5 was a HUGE letdown coming from Civ4 BTS, but once they released Civ5: Gods & Kings (first expansion) it was a bit better. The Civ5: Brave New World (second expansion) actually made the game quite good. Maybe not quite as good as Civ4 BTS, but still quite good.

I felt similarly about Vanilla Civ6, and its first (Rise and Fall) and second (Gathering Storm) expansions.

With Civ 7 - however - things feel a little bit different. I'm not convinced this is just a standard "vanilla civ letdown" or if it goes beyond that.

 

[Mchart]

This has generally been my take with every "vanilla" civ since Civ4.

Vanilla release usually feels pretty dumbed down and uninteresting, especially after coming from the final expansion over the version before it.

Civ5 was a HUGE letdown coming from Civ4 BTS, but once they released Civ5: Gods & Kings (first expansion) it was a bit better. The Civ5: Brave New World (second expansion) actually made the game quite good. Maybe not quite as good as Civ4 BTS, but still quite good.

I felt similarly about Vanilla Civ6, and its first (Rise and Fall) and second (Gathering Storm) expansions.

With Civ 7 - however - things feel a little bit different. I'm not convinced this is just a standard "vanilla civ letdown" or if it goes beyond that.

I don’t think the problems are fixable. It’s not an issue of “not enough stuff” that gets added in dlc/expansion, but there are some core design choices that just make the game very simplistic. Civ 6 is just superior in every way outside of the graphics of the main map. Of course, the UI in civ 6 is light years better. Civ 7 feels like a tablet/switch multiplatform compromise from the ground up. Where as civ 6 was decidedly a PC game that they ported to other systems over the years.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I don’t think the problems are fixable. It’s not an issue of “not enough stuff” that gets added in dlc/expansion, but there are some core design choices that just make the game very simplistic. Civ 6 is just superior in every way outside of the graphics of the main map. Of course, the UI in civ 6 is light years better. Civ 7 feels like a tablet/switch multiplatform compromise from the ground up. Where as civ 6 was decidedly a PC game that they ported to other systems over the years.

That is too bad. :/

 

[Hershy]

I have almost everyone on ignore so it’s difficult to tell what people think of this game - but I think I need to buy this because I have a habit of buying Civ games and never completing even one game. I don’t want to break the tradition.

 

[Sycraft]

I have almost everyone on ignore so it’s difficult to tell what people think of this game - but I think I need to buy this because I have a habit of buying Civ games and never completing even one game. I don’t want to break the tradition.

It's a good tradition . I am trying to convince myself not to buy this one since I seem to have moved beyond Civ. I loved Civ 1 as a kid, played lots of 2 and 3, and I played the everloving shit out of Civ 4. I never really got in to 5. Part of it is the hex layout bothered me for some reason, more of it was the no unit stacking so you just got unit sprawl. It was one that I did play some, but literally never completed a game. 6 I purchased on sale, and while I have installed it once and tinkered, I wouldn't even really say I started a game, much less finished one. So I really shouldn't bother to buy 7, since I seem to be just out of my Civ phase.

I still probalby will though.

 

[Armenius]

Another patch:

https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-update-notes/

 

[CAD4466HK]

Update 1.2.2 is live.

Steam Workshop support is now added.

Large and huge map sizes are now available on all map types, enabling lengthier, more epic games. Both map sizes currently default to 10 players, except for multiplayer, where the maximum player limit is 8. Firaxis hopes to raise the limit for huge maps to 12 in the future.

Civ 7’s update 1.2.2 also introduces a set of new advanced game setup options, giving us more flexibility over customizing our games. Currently, they are only available in single-player, allowing us to tweak the following settings:

• Enable or disable specific Legacy Paths per Age (or turn them all off entirely)
• Disable Score Victory (unlimited turns in final Age)
• Enable or disable specific Crises
• Custom AI Difficulty Options (adjust each AI bonus independently)
• Bypass Civ Unlocks on Age Transition (you’ll be able to pick ANY civ from the next Age during an Age transition, no matter what you’ve unlocked through your gameplay decisions)
• Adjust Independent Power Hostility (all hostile, random, or all friendly)

The newly added bonuses for religion, city-states, and towns aim to support the dynamic of matches played using the two newly added map sizes, but should also be welcome additions elsewhere.


Civilization 7’s update 1.2.2 adds two new Pantheons to Antiquity – they can be selected by more than just one player –, new Beliefs, while allowing Urban Centers access to Umany of the buildings previously exclusive to Cities.

Spoiler: Update 1.2.2

Civilization VII Update 1.2.2 – Jun 23
Hey Civ fans,

Update 1.2.2 is rolling out now!
We’ve been heads-down at Firaxis putting together a hefty update for you this June, packed with long-awaited features like Large and Huge Maps, expanded Advanced Game Options, and a community favorite: Steam Workshop support. This update also brings new Town Specializations, City-State Bonuses, Beliefs, balance changes, UI improvements, and yes – a very pettable Scout dog.
For more context on what’s in this update, and what’s still being worked on beyond it, check out our recently released Update Check-In.
We’re also trying something new with this update. You’ll notice a (★) icon next to select notes: our way of showing that a feature or change was influenced by the community. If you don’t see this community icon next to something you’ve mentioned, know that it’s not a reflection on your feedback, it’s just a way to highlight some of the broader conversations we’re listening in on. Thanks for being part of the journey, and there’s more to come!
And lastly, a few quick notes before you dive in:

• While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game or advance to the next Age in your current campaign. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game, or continuing your current game into the next Age.
• If you encounter any new bugs or issues, try disabling any mods, as some may not yet be compatible with the latest update.
• Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch.

Read on for the full notes below!

​

Large and Huge Maps​

We wanted to take some time to get this feature right, and with 1.2.2, we’re happy to add support for Large and Huge map sizes on all of our map types – for when you really want to explore an epic world.

Both map sizes default to 10 players, but multiplayer campaigns still max out at 8 total players, including AI and humans. Though 12 total players is still our goal for Huge maps, we need a bit more time to make sure increased player counts won’t compromise game stability or performance.

On maps this big, you’ll find yourself encountering new leaders and civs playing out their own local rivalries deep into the Exploration Age, and even the largest of empires will often find themselves struggling with other emerging superpowers in the Modern Age.

Because these maps are so large, we’ve added exciting new Pantheons, Religious Beliefs, Discoveries, and City-State bonuses to ensure there’s enough content for all the players in a game. More on those below.

A quick heads-up that bigger maps have bigger hardware demands. On some systems, you might notice slower turn times or performance drops, especially on lower-end hardware. Lastly, Balanced starts on Large and Huge maps might encounter map generation oddities. We are actively working on improvements. On these map sizes, we recommend you stick to Standard starts instead of Balanced for the time being

New Advanced Game Options​

One of the best things about Civilization is how many ways there are to play. Some players are happy to peacefully build the biggest, best Cities while others want to ignore all that and go conquer the world ("Yes, your amazing City does look great in my empire"). With 1.2.2, we’ve added several new advanced game setup options to give you even more control over how you play. The below options are currently available only in singleplayer.

The new options include:

• Enable or disable specific Legacy Paths per Age (or turn them all off entirely)
• Disable Score Victory (unlimited turns in final Age)
• Enable or disable specific Crises
• Custom AI Difficulty Options (adjust each AI bonus independently)
• Bypass Civ Unlocks on Age Transition (you’ll be able to pick ANY civ from the next Age during an Age transition, no matter what you’ve unlocked through your gameplay decisions)
• Adjust Independent Power Hostility (all hostile, random, or all friendly)

We’ve had a lot of fun playing with different Legacy Paths on or off in each Age. While Legacy Paths that don’t lead to a Victory are always optional, sometimes it’s nice to just tune them out entirely and focus on playing into the unique strengths of your leader and civ. For a fun sandbox game we’ve been playing in the office, try turning off Legacy Paths for Antiquity and Exploration, and setting the game to Abbreviated Ages. If you want to lean into the sandbox feel even more, try turning off Legacy Paths in Modern and the Score Victory, too.

This is a step toward giving you more flexibility in how you play, and we know Legacy Paths have more room to grow. Stay tuned for future updates!

New Bonuses for Religion, City-States, and Towns ​

Pantheons are first come first serve, so to make sure there’s enough to go around, we’ve added two new Pantheons to Antiquity, and these can be selected by more than one player.

We’ve heard feedback from players that Religion in Civ VII has room to grow. One consistent piece of feedback we’ve seen is that there’s not enough reason to convert your own Settlements, so we’re adding new Beliefs and updating some existing ones that give bonuses for spreading your Religion within your own empire. We’ve got bigger and bolder changes on the horizon for Religion, too, so we’ll keep you updated on how it evolves!


We’re also introducing updates for Town Focus bonuses to help them feel more impactful. Urban Centers in particular have received a glow-up, and now gain access to many of the Buildings that were otherwise only available in Cities (like Libraries and Monuments in Antiquity). Fort Towns gain the ability to purchase multiple walls so they can really lock down strategic chokepoints. We also introduced a new type of Town Focus: the Resort Town. These relaxing scenic retreats gain extra Gold and Happiness on Rural tiles with Happiness and increased Yields on Natural Wonders.


Lastly, we felt massed Hub Towns were overshadowing some of the other options and gave them a slight nerf from +2 Influence per connected Settlement to +1 Influence. We’re going to keep our eye on them to see how they compare against the other newly buffed Towns.

Steam Workshop​

We’ve added a lot of options to customize your experience with this update, but nothing beats the level of personalization you can achieve with the help of our amazing modding community. From UI tweaks to ambitious gameplay overhauls, mods provide a way to really make your gameplay experience unique. So with this update, we're also rolling out Steam Workshop support and an initial version of the Modding SDK.


You'll now be able to find and install mods from the Steam Workshop. Just hit the Subscribe button and your mods will be installed the next time you start up the game! For modders, this of course means your mods will be easier for players to find and download, and you'll be better able to keep the mod up-to-date for your users. Please note that the Civilization VII mods you'll find in the Workshop are created by and for the Civ community, and are not officially supported by Firaxis or 2K. Use them at your own risk!


We’ll also be providing a Modding SDK to help our modding community create, debug, and upload mods to the Steam Workshop. While this initial version of the SDK won't feature art tools, it will include a mod uploader and the (glorious) return of FireTuner. Additionally, we've included some guides and documentation within the tools, if you’d like to learn how to make your own mods.

Last thing – we’ve also uploaded three example mods to the Steam Workshop to show off some of the things you can do with mods, but also as references for both new and more experienced modders on the various ways you can make changes to the game (there are a few neat tricks that weren’t available in Civilization VI)!


A quick reminder for modders:

When you're creating and sharing mods, please make sure your content follows our User Rules (which you can find in Section 6 of our Terms of Service), for example:

• Don’t use content based on someone else’s IP (like characters, music, or art from other games, movies, etc.) unless you have the rights to use it.
• Keep content safe and respectful, meaning no harmful, offensive, or inappropriate material.
• And of course, no malicious code or anything that could negatively impact the experience for other players.

New Loading Screen​

Did someone say more Gwendoline Christie VO?


One of the first things you’ll notice when you boot up 1.2.2 is a refreshed Loading Screen, a small but important step in a bigger effort to improve Civilization VII’s UI. We’ve rethought how we develop the UI, and the Loading Screen gave us a great chance to try new workflows without disrupting gameplay. Highlights include leader portraits front and center, new info panels, a Tips & Hints section, and fully rewritten and rerecorded intros narrated by Gwendoline Christie. Want to dive deeper? Check out our latest article from Firaxis Lead Producer Tom Shaw on this change and what’s next for the UI.

Gameplay​

New Advanced Game Options​

• (★) - Community Influenced Item] Added an option to pick and choose which Legacy Paths are enabled per Age.
  • Dev Note: We wanted to give players options for how they could customize their game by allowing them to turn off Legacy Paths of their choice, and allowing them to disable the Score Victory. Note that if you turn off all Legacy Paths, and disable the Score Victory, you can still win the game with a Domination Victory by eliminating all other leaders. We think this change should allow for a cool sandbox experience through the Ages! (Please note that currently these options are only available in Single-player, but we plan to add these to Multiplayer in the future.)
    • Nuclear Fission Tech is added to the Modern Age, so players can still use nukes without completing the Military Legacy Path.
• (★) Added an option to disable the Score Victory.
• (★) Added a new “Custom” AI Difficulty setting that allows the player to choose difficulty options specific for each value.
  • Dev Note: With this update, you can set any of the AI bonuses to any level you want individually. Don’t like the economic bonuses the AI has on Deity, but enjoy the challenge in combat? Now you can set up a game to do exactly that!
• (★) Added an option to pick and choose which Crises you want on or off in your game.
  • Dev Note: We’ve always allowed for Crises to be entirely on or off, but wanted to give you the added control to pick and choose which Crises you want to see. If you have more than one Crisis enabled for an Age, then the game will randomly choose one from the pool of enabled Crises.
• (★) Added an option to Bypass Civilization Unlocks, allowing players to choose any civ for the next Age at Age Transition regardless of any unlock requirements.
• (★) Added an option to control initial Independent Power hostility. Settling within 5 tiles of an Independent Power will still cause them to become hostile.
  • Dev Note: Starting near multiple hostile IPs can make for a challenging early game, but sometimes you just want some space to build out your Capital.

Land-Based Treasure Convoys​

• (★) Treasure Fleets are growing legs! These will now be called Treasure Convoys, and you’ll be able to use them over land and not just the sea. Any Distant Lands Settlement with improved Treasure Resources now generates Treasure Convoys and no longer requires Coastal access, a Fishing Quay, or the Shipbuilding Tech.
  • Dev Note: The Treasure Fleet Legacy path, specifically the gameplay around gathering Resources not immediately available to your empire, is a fun collection minigame for players that like to play the map. While we’ve improved Resource placement further, the steps required to progress this Legacy Path were still quite restrictive and often forced linear play patterns instead of asking for interesting decisions when settling. We’ve made some adjustments that should make it much easier to pursue this Legacy Path, while still requiring you to explore and settle Distant Lands. We plan on continuing to observe this Legacy Path as well as the others to find places to inject strategic variety.
• Shipbuilding is no longer required to make Treasure Convoys.
  • Dev Note: With this change, your Treasure Convoys will start their journey home while the Ocean is still dangerous, and your Units can still be damaged by stormy seas.
• Fishing Quays are no longer needed to make Treasure Convoys.
• Updated tutorial and Advisor Quests to remove instances of Fishing Quay being required to spawn Treasure Convoy.

AI​

• AI civs now repair damaged Buildings and Improvements over time in gameplay.
• AI will now have better judgment and make smarter deals when negotiating a peace deal.
• AI players will now activate a Great Person when they create one.
• AI now prioritizes attacking Enemy Treasure Convoys when progressing through a game.
• AI are no longer as aggressive in declaring war on players who are far away from them.
• AI leaders can no longer build duplicate Buildings when one of their damaged Buildings has a hostile Unit on it.
• AI civs will no longer build multiple Settler Units and not use them when encountered during late Antiquity gameplay.

Cities & Towns​

• Added a brand new Town Focus, Resort Town: +1/2/3 Happiness and +1/2/3 Gold on tiles with Happiness (Natural Appeal). +50% Yields on Natural Wonder tiles in this Town.
• Redesigned Urban Center: +100% Gold and Happiness towards Building maintenance in this Town. You can buy additional Buildings (e.g. Library, Bath, Monuments) in this Town (Was: +1 Science and Culture on Districts with two Buildings in this Town.)
  • Dev Note: You can think of Urban Centers like a mini-City – useful for when you want some additional Buildings, but don't necessarily want another build queue to manage.
• (★) Adjusted balance on several existing Town Focuses:
  • Religious site: +1 Happiness on all Buildings and +1 Relic Slot on Temples in this Town. (Was: +2 Happiness and +1 Relic Slot on Temples in this Town.)
  • Factory Town: +100% Gold towards purchasing a Factory in this town. +1 Resource Slots. +5 Trade Range. (From +100% Gold towards purchasing a Factory in this Town. +1 Resource Slots.)
  • Mining Town: +2/3/4 Production on all Camps, Woodcutters, Clay Pits, Mines, and Quarries. (Was: +1/2/3 Production on all Camps, Woodcutters, Clay Pits, Mines, and Quarries.)
  • Hub Town: +1 Influence for every connected Town (Was: +2 Influence for every connected Town.)
    • Dev Note: The only nerf of the bunch, Hub Town has been tuned down slightly to bring it in line with other Towns. We’ll keep an eye on this Focus for further tweaks that may be needed.
  • Fort Town: +5 healing to Units and +25 health to Walls in this Town and can purchase additional Walls.

Independent Powers & City-States​

• (★) Added 24 new City-State bonuses across the Ages.
  • Dev Note: Bigger maps means more players, and more potential City-State allies. To support this, we added more options for Suzerain bonuses when befriending a City-State. One of these new options is also shareable, so multiple civs can choose it. We felt that having a good baseline option available to all players would be a good quality-of-life consideration.
  • New Antiquity City-State Bonuses:
    • Scientific
      • Lingua Franca: +2 Science on displayed Codices.
      • Archimedes’ Screw: +1 Science on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
      • Dev Note: There are a few new bonuses that stack bonuses on Warehouse Buildings. This is part of an approach we're experimenting with to keep infrastructure Buildings like Warehouses relevant and impactful as more of your empire is swallowed up by urban sprawl.
    • Militaristic
      • Hegemon: +1 Settlement Limit.
      • Dev Note: Some players have asked for more ways to increase Settlement Limit. We’re pretty comfortable with the current limits and how they rein in overly-wide strategies, but this seemed like an appropriately-costed way to give those players an option.
      • Spoils of War: +1 War Support. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Economic
      • Stockpiles: +2 Resource Capacity in the Capital.
      • Ganzabara: +1 Gold on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Cultural
      • Ennigaldi-Nanna’s Museum: +2 Culture on displayed Codices.
      • Papermaking: +1 Culture on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
  • New Exploration City-State Bonuses:
    • Scientific
      • Master Tradesmen: +1 Science on Specialists.
      • Apprenticeship: +1 Science on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Militaristic
      • Staked Claims: +1 Settlement Limit.
      • Casus Belli: +1 War Support. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Economic
      • Bullion: +1 Gold on Treasure Resources.
      • Market Right: +1 Gold on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Cultural
      • Sì Mín: +1 Culture on Specialists.
      • Artisans: +1 Culture on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
  • New Modern City-State Bonuses:
    • Scientific
      • Refineries: +1 Science on slotted Factory Resources.
      • Mechanization: +1 Science on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Militaristic
      • Dependent Territories: +1 Settlement Limit.
      • Home Front: +1 War Support. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Economic
      • Factory System: +1 Resource Capacity in Settlements with a Factory.
      • Entrepreneurship: +1 Gold on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Cultural
      • Touring Exhibits: +3 Culture on displayed Artifacts.
      • Textile Industry: +1 Culture on Warehouse Buildings. This bonus can be chosen by multiple civilizations.

Economy​

• Made several balance adjustments to Specialists, especially in Modern.
  • Free Speech (Modern Age Civic): +50% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists (Was: +100% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists)
  • Constitution (Exploration Age Civic): 25% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists (Was: 50% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists)
  • Attribute Node: 10% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists, or +20% if you have 3 or fewer Cities (Was: 15% Food and Happiness towards maintaining Specialists, or +30% if you have 3 or fewer Cities)
  • Attribute Node: 15% of Food is refunded when a City grows by adding a Specialist. (Was: 25% of Food is refunded when a City grows by adding a Specialist.)
  • Fascism Ideology:
    • Assembly Line: +2 Production from Specialists. -2 Food in Towns. (Was: +3 Production from Specialists. -3 Food in Towns)
    • Dirigisme: +4 Gold from Specialists. -3 Happiness in Towns. (Was: +6 Gold from Specialists. -3 Happiness in Towns.)
  • Communism Ideology
    • Proletariat: +4 Food from Specialists. -3 Happiness in Towns (Was: +6 Food from Specialists. -3 Happiness in Towns.)
• Removed Gold Maintenance for Portal de Mercaderes, Steel Mill, and Manigramam.
• Removed Happiness Maintenance for the Garden, Shiguan, Catedral, and Jardin à la Française.
• The “Suffetes” Tradition now grants the bonus Yields to the specialized Towns when slotting the Policy.
• Tiles in Settlements without a Baray now get pillaged/damaged during floods while playing as Khmer after studying Mousong.
• Aerodrome and Rail Station can no longer be built on top of each other.
• Updated ability and text for Terrace Farm, which now gives adjacent buildings Gold, instead of receiving gold for adjacent Buildings.
• Multiple World Wonders can no longer be built on the same tile when moving the priority on the Production queue.
• The Opera House now counts as a Diplomacy building.
• You can now produce or purchase Buildings after the Jaguar Slayer has placed a Jaguar Trap on an Empty Urban District.
• Salt and Truffles resources now apply 20% Production towards producing Units when slotted into a City.
• Modifiers for City Park, Stock Exchange, Tenement, and Laboratory function correctly.

Age Transition​

• (★) All leader-recommended civs are now unlocked by default during Age transition.

Diplomacy​

• Reconciliation is now usable with multiple leaders at the same time.
• Continental System's massive relationship penalty now functions similar to a Denounce sanction.
• Hostile military no longer receives War Support combat bonus when using Kispoko Nena’to to attack with Shawnee Civic Telwatiki Mastery unlocked.

Environment​

• (★) All map types now guarantee enough traversable Ocean Tiles near the Poles.
• The water/lake tiles in Homelands no longer appear as Distant Land when using Continents, Terra Incognita, and Pangaea Plus map types.
• Sugar resource is now correctly considered a Bonus resource in Modern instead of an Empire resource.
• Addressed a reported issue where Cocoa would disappear from the map when transitioning to Modern.

Miscellaneous​

• (★) Added new option to pet the Scout dog.
• Razing changes made in Update 1.2.1 apply in the Modern Age.
• Sicilian Wars Mastery now grants one Great Work slot on Towns with the Trade Outpost focus when playing as Carthage.
• Addressed a reported issue where the new host in a multiplayer room could not see the kick button or remove players after inheriting host status.

Military​

• Sherpa activation lens corrected, and activation tiles are now highlighted correctly.
• Naval focused attacks (Commander orders) should now correctly highlight land or naval Units depending on the type of attack.
• Treasure Convoys are now captured when killed by a Naval Unit.
• Combat Strength bonuses from slotted Traditions now appear and function correctly when defending.
• The Army and Fleet Commander promotions work on respawned Commanders.
• Fleet Commanders "Barrage Land Target" action is no longer available when the only available Naval Units are Submarines.
• Naval Units now have the ability to conduct coastal raids when they have the Movement points and Shipbuilding II Tech is completed.
• The Army Commander ability "Scorched Earth" will no longer display while in friendly territory on the borderline of enemy territory.
• French Empire's Unique Unit Garde Imperiale can no longer gain +2 Combat Strength if it’s not within a Command Radius when attacking.
• Nepal’s Sherpas can construct Highland Power Stations on owned and unowned Tiles so long as the requirements are met.
• Naval Commander Movement now acts accordingly when Shipbuilding Mastery is completed.
• Coastal Raid no longer disappears when moving a Naval Unit onto another tile that had a Coastal Raid option.

Religion​

• (★) Added two new Pantheons, including:
  • Trickster God: +25% Influence towards Endeavors and Sanctions with an Altar in your Capital. This Pantheon can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
  • God of Revelry: +1 Happiness on Resources in Settlements with an Altar. This Pantheon can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
  • Dev Note: Another consideration for larger maps and player counts was more Pantheon and Religious Beliefs being chosen. We expanded the catalogue of Beliefs and introduced some shareable options here as well.
• (★) Added several new Religious Beliefs, including:
  • New Reliquary Beliefs:
    • Akhlaq: +1 Relic for first-time Conversion of one of your Cities.
    • Anitya: +2 Relics for the first-time Conversion of a Holy City. This Belief can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Sukha: +2 Relics for first-time Conversion of a Settlement with at least 3 Specialists.
    • Barakah: +2 Relics for first-time Conversion of any Settlement with a Natural Wonder.
    • Dev Note: These new Beliefs can all be used on your own Settlements when you use a Missionary to convert them, as long as they meet the other requirements.
  • New Founder Beliefs:
    • Salat: All Buildings receive a +1 Happiness adjacency with the Temple.
    • Chesed: +4 Production in your Settlements following your Religion.
    • Feed the World: +6 Food in your Settlements following your Religion.
    • Tikkun Olam: +2 Influence for every foreign Settlement following your Religion. +1 Influence for each of your Settlements following your Religion.
    • Covenant: +3 Science, Culture, Happiness, Influence, and Gold on the Temple in your Holy City. If you retain this Belief, this bonus transfers to your Palace in Modern. This Belief can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
      • Dev Note: We moved the bonus in Modern to ensure you didn’t lose it if you overbuilt your Temple. We considered starting it on your Palace in Exploration, but wanted to let it count towards the Enlightenment Legacy Path.
    • Pushkaram: +1 Influence for every Navigable River tile in foreign Settlements following your Religion.
  • New Enhancer Beliefs:
    • Divine Inspiration: Gain 2 Missionaries when you build a Wonder. This belief can be chosen by multiple civilizations.
    • Parampara: +1 Relic Slot in Science Buildings in Cities.
    • Inter Caetera: Treasure Convoys gain +1 Movement and +5 Combat when defending.
    • Crusade: +1 free War Support against civilizations who have Founded a Religion.
• (★) Added capability for shareable Religious Beliefs and City-State bonuses.
• (★) When a Missionary Unit is selected, Settlements that qualify for your Reliquary Belief are now highlighted.
  • Dev Note: No more searching tile-by-tile for Settlements that are producing Treasure Convoys or have Wonders!
• Founder Beliefs that provided Yield for each foreign Settlement following your Religion now grant some Yield for domestic Settlements following your Religion.
  • Dev Note: Many of the changes to Religious gameplay in this patch are aimed at providing a benefit for keeping your empire converted to your own Religion. As we continue to look at Religion as a whole, we’ve made some changes to Beliefs to better support having a Religious empire, and not just converting until you have enough Relics.
• Various Founders Beliefs now track and refresh correctly.
  • Desert Faith
  • Reincarnation
  • Holy Waters
  • Sacred Herds
  • Sky Gods
  • Shamanism

Leaders & Civs​

Leaders​

• Isabella
  • Seven Cities of Gold Unique Ability updated to +100 Gold per Age when discovering a Wonder (Was: +300 in all Ages) and her extra Yields on Natural Wonders to a stacking +50% per improved Natural Wonder in her empire (Was: a fixed +100%).
    • Dev Note: A strong start is a powerful advantage, and Isabella has been one of the strongest leaders in the game since launch. We didn’t want to remove her power entirely, but instead wanted to spread it out a bit more over the course of a campaign and really give her a reason to seek out and secure as many Natural Wonders as she can.

Civs​

• Inca
  • Qhapaq Ñan Tradition now allows players to create Homeland Treasure Convoys worth 2 points in Cities with at least 3 Mountains.
• (Crossroads of the World DLC) Carthage
  • The City Halls now gets +1 Great Work slot after unlocking Sicilian Wars Mastery while playing as Catherine.

UI/UX​

Civilopedia​

• Added Civilopedia entries for Mementos, Legend Paths, and Challenges.
• Updated Civilopedia to reflect new changes to Treasure Convoys.
• Information about Natural Wonder base Yield scaling between Ages is now in the Civilopedia.
• The Civilopedia now gives information on Standard Buildings when searching for more information.
• The Civilopedia now explains what benefits are gained from upgrading a Unique Unit to a higher tier.
• Updated the Civilopedia entry for Villa to reflect that they can be built in Towns during the Revolt Crisis.
• The Civilopedia now contains information on Discoveries when the player searches Civilopedia.
• Independent Incite Raid ability information and requirements are now present in the Civilopedia when trying to research the ability.
• The "Embark" entry is no longer missing details when attempting to find information about the embarked Movement point.
• The incorrect terminology "Clicking" will no longer appear when viewing the "Antiquity: Great Library" Civilopedia entry.

Controller-Specific​

• The scroll bar no longer loses functionality when viewing another players’ Religion after unlocking new Beliefs.
• Cursor no longer loses focus when placing all Towns with the City cards selected in the Place Effects menu.
• Placeholder “?” button prompts no longer appear during the Advanced Start settlement placement screen when using an Xbox-layout controller.
• R-Stick now has scroll functionality in the Archive box in the Great Works menu.
• Players are no longer able to access the diplomatic menu of a leader that has not been met when opening it from the radial menu.

General​

• (★) Added clarity and quality-of-life improvements to several UI menus and interactions:
  • Celebration info is now displayed in the HUD instead of just the Government screen.
  • Added option in Settings to allow the City panel to remain open after choosing something to produce.
  • The player can now scroll to view all items in the Production queue.
  • Changed instances of checkboxes to selectors in Advanced Options for UI consistency.
  • The color of a Memento’s icon now aligns with the color of its effect for easier readability.
  • Project Research Objectives now visually mark as complete when a step is finished while in the Legacy Paths menu.
• (★) Improved menu behavior and visual feedback across multiple screens:
  • Global Yields now update immediately when adding a Yield from a select attribute.
  • The attribute number icon now disappears after distributing points in the leader menu.
  • Cursor no longer remains as the Melee/Ranged attack icon when moving from an enemy Unit to an owned Settlement.
• "Accept" and "Support" options are no longer swapped when viewing the "Denounce Military Presence" Diplomatic Action.
• Improved game performance and stability on the War Support screen, and when scrolling on the Tech and Civic tree menus.
• Addressed a reported issue where a small black square could appear above the lower left corner's overlay where the leader, civ, and Age selection displays.
• Addressed a reported issue where a redundant "Support Yourself" button would appear after adding War Support to any AI leader for their war against other AI leaders.

Text Changes​

• Adjusted the name of Inquisition Crisis policy to Schism.
• Incorrect text “Convert to an urban tile” no longer appears when placing a Unique Improvement.
• Updated Terrace Farm description and functionality text when playing as Inca.
• The Buganda Social Policies Ng’oma and Interlacustrine now display “(Coastal)” text for Kabaka’s Lake, when viewing the Government menu.
• Incorrect Treasure Convoy information has been removed from Distant Town’s detail page.
• Resolved several localization and display issues affecting text clarity:

Tooltips​

• (★) Production cost description for Buildings and Wonders now appears in the tooltip in the City production panel.

Narrative​

• Added 17 new Discovery events in Antiquity and 17 new Discovery events in Exploration.
• (★) Enhanced Civilopedia entries with historical accuracy and new character quotes:
  • Ada Lovelace and Simón Bolívar now have quotes on their Civilopedia pages.
  • Corrected a historical inaccuracy in the Xerxes Civilopedia page.
  • Golden Age Academy and Golden Age Amphitheater pages now share historic context with their regular versions.
  • Great Britain’s Financial Centre Civilopedia page now has historical context information.
• Improved reward clarity for several Events and Discoveries.
• The first step in the Geographic Society Legacy Path can no longer be completed prematurely from being granted a free Explorer Unit.
• Improved consistency and logic of Event triggers, including:
• An Incorrect Answer: Event now triggers correctly after answering Papyrus Problems incorrectly and then building an Academy.
• Exploding Earth: Event now triggers when a Settlement tile is damaged by a volcanic eruption.
• It’s not a Phase, it’s a Lifestyle: The Event is no longer blocked from triggering if the Social Class Social Policy is active.
• Literary Deluge: Event is no longer blocked from triggering if the Literature Social Policy is active.
• The Palapa Oath: The Capital now counts as a founded Settlement and contributes towards triggering this event.
• The Palapa Oath: Event will now trigger on Advanced Start mode in Exploration.
• Shared Practices: Event is no longer blocked from triggering if the Vassalage Social Policy is active.
• Shrouded in Mystery: The Event can no longer be incorrectly triggered when the player founds a Religion in the Homeland Continent.
• The Sacrilegious Rider: Event now grants Gold at the cost of Culture.
• Press Gangs: Event now displays a negative Production icon for the second option.

Audio​

• Added new Civilization VIINarrator English voiceover lines for the new Loading Screen.
  • Dev note: We are currently working on recording and adding in new voiceovers for other languages. We’ll keep you in the loop as these roll out!
• Added sound effects for new “Pet the Dog” Unit ability.
• Various fixes to missing base game sound effects and improvements to audio feedback.
• Added bespoke UI sound design across multiple interface elements.
• Updated SFX for controller interactions.
• Updated default audio level settings.

Platform-Specific​

Linux, macOS​

• Improved controller functionality when changing bindings in the Options menu.
• Improved update slider UI for HDR calibration.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

So, honest question here considering how much hate this game has received.

Is anyone actually enjoying it?

Previous games in the series were on my very short "must buy at launch" list, but I was completely turned off by this one. I am trying to not be too closed minded though.

If people are actually enjoying it, and think it is a good game, I may add it to my "buy if/when it goes on sale" list.

 

[polonyc2]

First Look: Genghis Khan | Civilization VII


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULKVZkJj_M


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BqH0oqlJLk

 

[toddw]

Civ always 'looked' like a turn-based game I'd enjoy... but I just can't figure out how the heck to play them. It's not pick up and play, at least not for me. Which one should I start on and more importantly, does it have a noob 'how to play civ' guide thx.

 

[toast0]

Civ always 'looked' like a turn-based game I'd enjoy... but I just can't figure out how the heck to play them. It's not pick up and play, at least not for me. Which one should I start on and more importantly, does it have a noob 'how to play civ' guide thx.

I'm sure there's guides out there. But I'd say you should start with civ 4, 5, or 6; they're not too old that getting it to run is hard or interface conventions from back then feel weird. I'd probably lean towards 5, but maybe that's my bias. You can buy a complete version with all the expansions and everything if you want, but when you're learning, start with the standard game only. I wouldn't start with civ 7 because there is still active development and things are still changing. Better to learn on a game that's done. Also, civ games are always compute heavy, having a computer fastet than anything available during development really helps a lot.

Set up the game with a small map on the easiest setting and make sure the in game tutorial is on. Actually read and understand the things the tutorial tells you. Follow up and use the civilopedia (press f1 to bring it up, I think). Anything that still doesn't make sense, take a look around the web.

Do that a few times, and you should have some idea of what's going on. It's a little easier if you started playing civ games from the beginning and read the manual when that was a thing, but that's not how stuff works anymore.

Once you get a hang of that, you can try raising the difficulty, and maybe look at expansions or other civ games.

 

[BlueLineSwinger]

Civ always 'looked' like a turn-based game I'd enjoy... but I just can't figure out how the heck to play them. It's not pick up and play, at least not for me. Which one should I start on and more importantly, does it have a noob 'how to play civ' guide thx.

I don't know if either is necessarily the best place to start, but if you have Amazon Prime they're currently giving away free GOG codes for Civ 3 and 4 if you want to give them a shot.

https://gaming.amazon.com

 

[toddw]

Yup grabbed them along with Civ6 on Epic. I have 5 vanilla on steam from ages ago when I purchased and tried to play then, along with 7 from an intel bundle when I upgraded 12600K to 14600K. Will go back to 5 and try small map, much thx!

 

[Ranulfo]

Civ4 is the best civ game made at this point. When they went to the hex based system with 5 is when it went down hill. Civ5 is better than Civ6 at least. I've not played Civ7.

 

[GoldenTiger]

Civ4 is the best civ game made at this point. When they went to the hex based system with 5 is when it went down hill. Civ5 is better than Civ6 at least. I've not played Civ7.

I thought it was a hex based system as of civ 6, not civ 5.

 

[Axman]

I thought it was a hex based system as of civ 6, not civ 5.

V. Though if you get a grasp of V you can play Alpha Centauri which is very underrated despite its flaws. The free expansion really added a ton to the game.

 

[GoldenTiger]

V. Though if you get a grasp of V you can play Alpha Centauri which is very underrated despite its flaws. The free expansion really added a ton to the game.

I stand corrected. Man, I haven't heard the name Alpha Centauri in a long time... I owned it but have no idea where the disc is now, and hardly touched it way back when.

 

[Axman]

I stand corrected. Man, I haven't heard the name Alpha Centauri in a long time... I owned it but have no idea where the disc is now, and hardly touched it way back when.

The score by itself is amazing.

 

[toast0]

V. Though if you get a grasp of V you can play Alpha Centauri which is very underrated despite its flaws. The free expansion really added a ton to the game.

Do you mean Civilization: Beyond Earth? It's hex based and I think uses the same engine as Civ V.

SMAC was highly rated and Beyond Earth was widely panned. Both have expansions but they were paid.

 

[Axman]

Do you mean Civilization: Beyond Earth? It's hex based and I think uses the same engine as Civ V.

SMAC was highly rated and Beyond Earth was widely panned. Both have expansions but they were paid.

Yeah that one. Sorry. It's actually really good, but not very polished. BE expansion should be free, I didn't pay for it.

 

[gamerk2]

To me, Civ VII was the result of trying to mimic what everyone else was doing, rather then doing it's own thing. It's a shame, since all the other mainline entries have at least been playable despite their flaws.

 

[CAD4466HK]

Civilization VII:Tides of Power Collection is free for anyone that owns the base game. Available from November 4, 2025, at 7 AM PT to January 5, 2026, at 6:59 AM PT. Starting Jan 5, 2026 at 7AM PT, this bundle will be available as a paid add-on.


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3369860/Sid_Meiers_Civilization_VII_Tides_of_Power_Collection/

Collection includes:

• 2 new leaders: Edward Teach, Sayyida al Hurra
• 4 new civilizations: Tonga, Republic of Pirates, Ottomans, Iceland
• 4 new Wonders: Great Lighthouse, Nan Madol, Great Blue Hole, Mapu'a Vaea Blowholes

Sayyida al Hurra Pack, Ottomans Pack, and Iceland Pack—are set to release between October and December 2025.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

Civ always 'looked' like a turn-based game I'd enjoy... but I just can't figure out how the heck to play them. It's not pick up and play, at least not for me. Which one should I start on and more importantly, does it have a noob 'how to play civ' guide thx.

Hmm. By default most (all?) versions of Civ have a guide that pops up and gives you hints along the way. You can usually tell it how much help you want in game settings.

Unfortunately, I really can't assess how much of a learning curve there is to get into the Civ series at this point, since I have been playing one version or another of the game since I was 11.

Back then with the original I just kind of picked it up by playing it. Not sure how feasible that is with newer versions, but I think with the advisor set to "New to Sid Meier's Civlization" it should be doable.

I think the approach is to be OK with lack of understanding, play at a low difficult level for your first playthrough, and have the advisor set to "new to civ" and just kind of learn as you go along.

 

[Zarathustra[H]]

I stand corrected. Man, I haven't heard the name Alpha Centauri in a long time... I owned it but have no idea where the disc is now, and hardly touched it way back when.

I was never able to get into it.

The way it was always described was as a continuation of Civ based on winning the Space/Science victory.

But one of the big things that was always interesting about Civ to me was the historical perspective, and the technology tree. It felt more profound because it was at least loosely based on reality. Alpha Centauri by comparison felt really shallow to me by contrast since it was all just made up. It was "just another game" to me, whereas Civilization was something special.

My memories are a little vague though, as I only played it once, and I only got a few turns in before I lost interest, and that was a long long time ago now.

The only Civ spinoff I was ever able to get into was Sid Meier's Colonization, but that was a really long time ago now.