Hello dear community,
I am writing this because i love this game and i have been playing since civ2 on ps1 when i was a kiddo. I want it to become every single title better better thus i have spent many hours thinking of what could make this game reach the best state it could possibly do and i came up with an interesting idea. First of all let me tell you that i have read numerous ideas and suggestions here and on steam discussions while i have expressed 1 suggestion i had had 1 year ago at some steam discussions post. I came with something bigger than common suggestions or than that that i have expressed before 1 year. Also i have seen a huge amount of ideas and suggestions but most of dont bring something radically new to the game. I mean adding one civ or units or more diplomatic options is definetely something but not quite what a new civ game should have as a priority goal.
Without further ado my suggestion is making the next civ game like dota 2, or counter strike global offensive concerning the steam workshop. Let me explain this. First of all i have spent nearly 1800 hours at dota 2 and 500 hours at cs:go so i have understood a lot about these games' structure.The structure, the model that they have around skins etc. have helped the games become bigger, better, more profitable and enjoyable topping each day the steam stats list. They are the games that are being played the most and one reason for that is how the steam workshop functions with these games and what offers to them. In dota 2 many guys create skins for the heroes, HUD for the game, couriers, wards and everything you can possible imagine to customize the game. If something is well drawn, well designed and executed, Valve adds it to the game and both the company and the creators of what was added to the game earn some cash. Users also tend to customize their game with whatever they like, making it a more enjoyable experience for them. Last but not least this whole workshop stuff is represantative of how active both the community and the game is. That kinda applies to cs:go but with something different (the maps, i ll come back to that point later in my post).
That whole model could apply to Civ too. There are many modders out there who have created amazing stuff for the game. Civ Community could vote which mods are the best each month for example, and then Firaxis could try to intergrate them and release them like official community dlcs or something like that. For example, we have a X modder who created Canada as a custom civ and he has done some amazing work with his mod. People could vote for it expressing their desire for Canada to be included in the next Community dlc. Firaxis would edit it, try to make it look cleaner, nicer and polished (for example if it missed music during war, or speech when you meet the leader and stuff like that) and when the dlc drops people could buy it and have the new civ officially added to the game. The guys who have bought the Canada civ for example they can play with Canada and do some existing achievements, or they could add even more achievements with every community dlc both in single player and in multiplayer with no bugs ( i hope
) at all. That could apply to other mods other than new playable Civilizations, but if something alters the gameplay and is not cosmetic or a new playable civ will have an option at menu screen to enable it, or play it (like scenarios). So in fact i am suggesting Community dlcs wtih top voted mods or skins that people could purchase them for some extra benefits.
So what are the advantages of such a model around workshop and modders.
1)Bigger gaming experience. Ever wanted to play with more maps ? Or Having to choose to play among 60 playable civs ? This is possible and all you have to do is express what you like until your desire comes into fruition from a modder.
2)Better gaming experience. Since whatever that got upvoted and will be added into game would be edited from firaxis that would lead to new stuff with less bugs and smoother gameplay.
3)Better game at release. Many of us, i think conside,r vanilla Civ 5 without the dlcs and expansions a lacking game that was missing a lot (and i mean literally A LOT) stuff that got added throughout the next 2 years (i think). Firaxis can avoid this by releasing a "complete", polished title with many features and will continue to support it with community dlcs.
4)Achievements. If any of you guys want to play a "full" Civ title while being able to do steam achievements, that would be your chance of doing so. (yes there are guys who want to earn steam achievements)
5)An economic profit for skilled modders, and for Firaxis as well. Dota 2 is a free to play game but with so many skins that people buy, Valve has made a hefty amount of $$$ from that. Let's not forget that Firaxis is a company too and like every other company on earth wants to have a profit and keep getting bigger and better. Also modders could feel like that their good work pays them off.
6)Customization. Have you ever wanted your units to not have a generic look but something more ethnic ? Have you ever wanted more epic music to be added to the game ? That would be possible with the model that Civ 6 could approach.
7)Something that lasts. It could be a game that could easily last many years with its fanbase growing like cs:go's one for example. It doesn't have to be a "we release content for the first 2 years and then we abandon the game" like model. A team from firaxis could still work around Civ 6, fixing bugs, editinf and processing upvoted community stuff while others at firaxis could work on different projects.
8) The game would thrive and have more players playing it since its something that is always getting updated like csgo or dota 2 and not a game that was released, got updated a few times and then nothing: it's dead. Bigger playerbase. I do firmly believe that with such a model Civ 6 could become a gaming "titan" concerning of how much people would actually play it. More people equals to bigger multiplayer potential (that was my first suggestions that i made a year ago at steam discussion forums; in a few words i suggested some possible ways like matchmaking, ranks and other stuff that would draw plaeyr's attention to play multiplayer and not only with ai. Because lets face it, most people right play singleplayer not because they fear meeting new players but due to the fact that the multiplayer section is lacking. I could discuss that suggestion here if i see that people do care about what i am proposing right now.) and even tournaments !
9) Civ 6 not being dead means that Firaxis could keep balancing gameplay stuff or adding even new stuff depending on what community wants. Instead of waiting 5 years for a new Civ title with new features, firaxis could experiment with what they have and (re)-balancing their existing Civ game making it a far more enjoyable "vanilla" experience. No more (for example) useless honor policy tree or something like that. Buffs and nerfs, gameplay alterations from firaxis team so that the game feels alive fresh and with an active community that sees that their voices are being heard.
10)Mods would be eventually compatible with multiplayer. If i had to predict a percentage of Civ5's mods that cannot be used online i would have gone with a 95% prediction. Mods being released as community dlcs would mean that firaxis would have made them work properly on multiplayer too.
That are the advantages that will come with such a model, provided Firaxis is willing to follow it.
Some disadvantages or imperfections about my idea.
1)A big amount of what i said is pretty at a theoretical level with 0 knowledge if is actually possible to be implemented. I do believe though that Firaxis, should they decide adopt such a structure, they would be far more than able to do this.
2)A strategy gaming experience that could be a little different from what we have been used to have. What i am proposing right now is a strategy game like Civ 6 to follow a path that MOBAs and cs:go (and other games that i have not experience though) are following. This may sound bad to some people or something that is altering a lot of core stuff for a strategy game. Personally i do not think so. We should all look at games like dota 2 league of legends and other stuff like that and examine what they have brought on the table. Whether you like such games, or such genres or not you cannot deny the fact that these games are "alive" and getting updated continuously. Such thing should neither be considered as a priviledge nor as something that can only apply to such genres. It is a "trend" of how games arate this moment. I do believe that firaxis (and other companies) should ivest in such an approach.
Some clarifications.( i may edit this section a lot depending on how many people actually see this thread and if they do understand exactly what i am trying to say.)
1)People would be still able to download and have every mod they want for FREE. community dlcs would offer you some top voted mods or skins intergrated in civ 6 which means more polished, cleaner and better working, with multiplayer compatibility and new achievements or with you being able to do achievements. If you do not want for any reason to buy a community dlc, you could just download the mods like now and play them. It's the same thing as in cs:go with maps. anyone can download and play many maps but if a map is picked for an operation (operations are kinda dlcs that expire
you can play it apart from offline and community servers, at official competitive matchmaking. So if someone doesn't want to purchase the community dlcs could just download and play with them without though some benefits.
2)The things that will get added to the main game (i mean without enabling a mod at the menu screen that will change the core game) are mainly new Civs, skins, music and stuff like that. I am not proposing infinite new additions of every type to the core game. We will not have a game with 90000 techs units promotions resources and stuff like that. Bear in mind two facts. One is that Firaxes may feel that some additions like new resources or a few new units could be good; that's something different from adding new units to the community dlc and end up with a game that has 9000 units for example. The second fact is that the community patch could have a mod that changes the game a lot (adds stuff, alters game play etc.) thus you can enable it and play it.
Thanks for reading the wall of text and i hope there will be some discussion with you people over here !
Edit 1 : typos
I am writing this because i love this game and i have been playing since civ2 on ps1 when i was a kiddo. I want it to become every single title better better thus i have spent many hours thinking of what could make this game reach the best state it could possibly do and i came up with an interesting idea. First of all let me tell you that i have read numerous ideas and suggestions here and on steam discussions while i have expressed 1 suggestion i had had 1 year ago at some steam discussions post. I came with something bigger than common suggestions or than that that i have expressed before 1 year. Also i have seen a huge amount of ideas and suggestions but most of dont bring something radically new to the game. I mean adding one civ or units or more diplomatic options is definetely something but not quite what a new civ game should have as a priority goal.
Without further ado my suggestion is making the next civ game like dota 2, or counter strike global offensive concerning the steam workshop. Let me explain this. First of all i have spent nearly 1800 hours at dota 2 and 500 hours at cs:go so i have understood a lot about these games' structure.The structure, the model that they have around skins etc. have helped the games become bigger, better, more profitable and enjoyable topping each day the steam stats list. They are the games that are being played the most and one reason for that is how the steam workshop functions with these games and what offers to them. In dota 2 many guys create skins for the heroes, HUD for the game, couriers, wards and everything you can possible imagine to customize the game. If something is well drawn, well designed and executed, Valve adds it to the game and both the company and the creators of what was added to the game earn some cash. Users also tend to customize their game with whatever they like, making it a more enjoyable experience for them. Last but not least this whole workshop stuff is represantative of how active both the community and the game is. That kinda applies to cs:go but with something different (the maps, i ll come back to that point later in my post).
That whole model could apply to Civ too. There are many modders out there who have created amazing stuff for the game. Civ Community could vote which mods are the best each month for example, and then Firaxis could try to intergrate them and release them like official community dlcs or something like that. For example, we have a X modder who created Canada as a custom civ and he has done some amazing work with his mod. People could vote for it expressing their desire for Canada to be included in the next Community dlc. Firaxis would edit it, try to make it look cleaner, nicer and polished (for example if it missed music during war, or speech when you meet the leader and stuff like that) and when the dlc drops people could buy it and have the new civ officially added to the game. The guys who have bought the Canada civ for example they can play with Canada and do some existing achievements, or they could add even more achievements with every community dlc both in single player and in multiplayer with no bugs ( i hope
) at all. That could apply to other mods other than new playable Civilizations, but if something alters the gameplay and is not cosmetic or a new playable civ will have an option at menu screen to enable it, or play it (like scenarios). So in fact i am suggesting Community dlcs wtih top voted mods or skins that people could purchase them for some extra benefits.So what are the advantages of such a model around workshop and modders.
1)Bigger gaming experience. Ever wanted to play with more maps ? Or Having to choose to play among 60 playable civs ? This is possible and all you have to do is express what you like until your desire comes into fruition from a modder.
2)Better gaming experience. Since whatever that got upvoted and will be added into game would be edited from firaxis that would lead to new stuff with less bugs and smoother gameplay.
3)Better game at release. Many of us, i think conside,r vanilla Civ 5 without the dlcs and expansions a lacking game that was missing a lot (and i mean literally A LOT) stuff that got added throughout the next 2 years (i think). Firaxis can avoid this by releasing a "complete", polished title with many features and will continue to support it with community dlcs.
4)Achievements. If any of you guys want to play a "full" Civ title while being able to do steam achievements, that would be your chance of doing so. (yes there are guys who want to earn steam achievements)
5)An economic profit for skilled modders, and for Firaxis as well. Dota 2 is a free to play game but with so many skins that people buy, Valve has made a hefty amount of $$$ from that. Let's not forget that Firaxis is a company too and like every other company on earth wants to have a profit and keep getting bigger and better. Also modders could feel like that their good work pays them off.
6)Customization. Have you ever wanted your units to not have a generic look but something more ethnic ? Have you ever wanted more epic music to be added to the game ? That would be possible with the model that Civ 6 could approach.
7)Something that lasts. It could be a game that could easily last many years with its fanbase growing like cs:go's one for example. It doesn't have to be a "we release content for the first 2 years and then we abandon the game" like model. A team from firaxis could still work around Civ 6, fixing bugs, editinf and processing upvoted community stuff while others at firaxis could work on different projects.
8) The game would thrive and have more players playing it since its something that is always getting updated like csgo or dota 2 and not a game that was released, got updated a few times and then nothing: it's dead. Bigger playerbase. I do firmly believe that with such a model Civ 6 could become a gaming "titan" concerning of how much people would actually play it. More people equals to bigger multiplayer potential (that was my first suggestions that i made a year ago at steam discussion forums; in a few words i suggested some possible ways like matchmaking, ranks and other stuff that would draw plaeyr's attention to play multiplayer and not only with ai. Because lets face it, most people right play singleplayer not because they fear meeting new players but due to the fact that the multiplayer section is lacking. I could discuss that suggestion here if i see that people do care about what i am proposing right now.) and even tournaments !
9) Civ 6 not being dead means that Firaxis could keep balancing gameplay stuff or adding even new stuff depending on what community wants. Instead of waiting 5 years for a new Civ title with new features, firaxis could experiment with what they have and (re)-balancing their existing Civ game making it a far more enjoyable "vanilla" experience. No more (for example) useless honor policy tree or something like that. Buffs and nerfs, gameplay alterations from firaxis team so that the game feels alive fresh and with an active community that sees that their voices are being heard.
10)Mods would be eventually compatible with multiplayer. If i had to predict a percentage of Civ5's mods that cannot be used online i would have gone with a 95% prediction. Mods being released as community dlcs would mean that firaxis would have made them work properly on multiplayer too.
That are the advantages that will come with such a model, provided Firaxis is willing to follow it.
Some disadvantages or imperfections about my idea.
1)A big amount of what i said is pretty at a theoretical level with 0 knowledge if is actually possible to be implemented. I do believe though that Firaxis, should they decide adopt such a structure, they would be far more than able to do this.
2)A strategy gaming experience that could be a little different from what we have been used to have. What i am proposing right now is a strategy game like Civ 6 to follow a path that MOBAs and cs:go (and other games that i have not experience though) are following. This may sound bad to some people or something that is altering a lot of core stuff for a strategy game. Personally i do not think so. We should all look at games like dota 2 league of legends and other stuff like that and examine what they have brought on the table. Whether you like such games, or such genres or not you cannot deny the fact that these games are "alive" and getting updated continuously. Such thing should neither be considered as a priviledge nor as something that can only apply to such genres. It is a "trend" of how games arate this moment. I do believe that firaxis (and other companies) should ivest in such an approach.
Some clarifications.( i may edit this section a lot depending on how many people actually see this thread and if they do understand exactly what i am trying to say.)
1)People would be still able to download and have every mod they want for FREE. community dlcs would offer you some top voted mods or skins intergrated in civ 6 which means more polished, cleaner and better working, with multiplayer compatibility and new achievements or with you being able to do achievements. If you do not want for any reason to buy a community dlc, you could just download the mods like now and play them. It's the same thing as in cs:go with maps. anyone can download and play many maps but if a map is picked for an operation (operations are kinda dlcs that expire
you can play it apart from offline and community servers, at official competitive matchmaking. So if someone doesn't want to purchase the community dlcs could just download and play with them without though some benefits.2)The things that will get added to the main game (i mean without enabling a mod at the menu screen that will change the core game) are mainly new Civs, skins, music and stuff like that. I am not proposing infinite new additions of every type to the core game. We will not have a game with 90000 techs units promotions resources and stuff like that. Bear in mind two facts. One is that Firaxes may feel that some additions like new resources or a few new units could be good; that's something different from adding new units to the community dlc and end up with a game that has 9000 units for example. The second fact is that the community patch could have a mod that changes the game a lot (adds stuff, alters game play etc.) thus you can enable it and play it.
Thanks for reading the wall of text and i hope there will be some discussion with you people over here !
Edit 1 : typos
.
