If advanced starts are implemented well they could be game breaking , or , if not ,they could be like scenarios - nobody plays them.

Advanced Starts are a pre-game setup phase players use to purchase cities, improvements, buildings, technologies, and units. It works in both single-player and multi-player. The player decides what to purchase and where to place it. When everyone is done, the game starts with players controlling relatively balanced, advanced empires with a working infrastructure. This mechanism is ideal for those who want to jump right in and experience a balanced game in the modern era, without having to start with nothing but a few settlers and units.

So how will the city placement work?

Fog of war when you are deciding on your city placement?

What currency will we have to purchase technologies, improvements and units?

Can we spend all our points on units and go warring?

How will religion be allocated?


A normal speed game is 450 turns. A modern start on marathon could be about the same. It would make for a completely different game experience, but still be classic civ.

Possibly a good SG variant would be ; Modern start, Marathon speed, must make peaceful victory.

Any ideas on how this might be implemented, and possible ways to play it?

My vision is that it kind of plays like Risk, taking turns at selecting city sites perhaps. They'll probably generate a certain number of 'capital' worthy locations and you pick from them, then place your other cities accordingly.

Part of my enjoyment of Civ comes from taking a step back, looking at my massive empire, and realising that all of this was started from two units. It's that sense of epicness that I really like.

I could imagine they have a certain amount of city points(With which you buy cities and city buildings with), military unit points(Buy an amount of military units, with the offesnive ones costing more), improvement points (you buy land improvements and workers), maybe tech points (After a certain set of techs you can buy a few techs, ex. 2 or 3 industrial age techs in an industrial age start), and wonders and religions are raffled off with, maybe wonder points?

Part of my enjoyment of Civ comes from taking a step back, looking at my massive empire, and realizing that all of this was started from two units. It's that sense of epicness that I really like.

I agree with you. I do that too.

However, if it is implemented well we could have a situation where we build an empire that wouldn't normally occur. I mean with the rush to place cities,and the wars for AI cities, you often end up with the same sort of empire game after game.

With advanced starts we might be able to put together an empire that is very different to empires that usually exist . If it leads to forcing different strategic thinking, then I think it'll be worth it.

I agree with you. I do that too.

However, if it is implemented well we could have a situation where we build an empire that wouldn't normally occur. I mean with the rush to place cities,and the wars for AI cities, you often end up with the same sort of empire game after game.

With advanced starts we might be able to put together an empire that is very different to empires that usually exist . If it leads to forcing different strategic thinking, then I think it'll be worth it.

That's a very good point. Hmmm, this feature is much more interseting now.