What do you expect from the next Civ? From the fans to Firaxis

[Öjevind Lång]

Keep the CIV IV graphics and work on the AI. FOCUS on adding to an existing framework, not reinventing the wheel.

I'd love to see them bring back the live actors for the advisers. Nothing more more enjoyable than to see the drunk general stumble across the screen or to see them all yelling at one another when you lost.

I's love to see the High Council back - and the Throne Room.

 

[Gelvan]

the only thing I really want is that they don't make it a 3D game like railroad tycoon 3. although revolutions seems to make a step in this direction, which is sad.

 

[RedRalph]

Quantative resources
Non-cultural borders after Nationalism
some form of regime change, where a condition of a peace treaty can be a new leader
Refugees
Improved diplomacy
Massively improved trade options
civ unique traits
More random events
Ideology to be spread like religion (as stated on this thread)
Minor nations
A change to the food system, you should be able to designate many squares of rural areas as farms and that should be ablet o feed a city, not just whats in its fat cross
A cold war mod
New resources, silk, coffee, salt, glass, etc etc
your approval rating actually meaning something
Party politics

 

[RedRalph]

Oh yeah, and a military funding slider. In fact, I think the game would be improved a lot if there was more sliders in general, so you had to make more decisions about which way your country is going. So maybe a slider for maintainance (not like C3 though), one for transport, one for construction (decides how fast building get built) etc

 

[Indibil]

I'd like to see minor civs appear in gameplay.

Those minor civs would have an affinity to the civ they sprouted off, but could (in time) evolve and even become hostile.

If your citizens didn't approve your style of management they could emigrate to that minor civ.

If your civ was ruled in a sound way that minor civ could merge (flip) into your kingdom (keeping a flag for it being a former minor civ and being able to secede if major unhappiness happened in those cities). That would bring us to a point in which Civil Wars could happen and Empires could split (quite in the very same way as colonies are created but without the positive modifiers. Actually that'd have negative modifiers).

I might be influenced by the readings I'm making now, but I'd quite like to see the game manage a situation like Pre-Caesars Rome and the Italic tribes and move from there (Gaius Marius and Cornelius Sila period).

All those minor civs would replace the barbarians, but unlike them they'd be able to really have an impact in the game. Oh... and some sort of Diplo worked out to contact those minor civs.

What we know as Raging Barbarians now would become Aggressive neighbours.

Basically, they would be improved Barbarians and would certainly add a lot to the gameplay making you feel you play in a real living and evolving world.

 

[Roland Ehnström]

Another alternative would be that each military unit now will consume food, and you need to build supply cart for military units in foreign land.

Yes, but that would add a lot of boring micromanagement.

Simply having the units lose a percentage of their strength every turn they spend without supplies (= too far from their own cultural boarders and too far from the nearest friendly unit) would serve the same purpose without making things overly complex. A better solution IMHO.

 

[Roland Ehnström]

Non-cultural borders after Nationalism

Sounds like a good idea, please elaborate! Maybe it has been discussed elsewhere?

Ideology to be spread like religion (as stated on this thread)

I love the sound of this too.

New resources, silk, coffee, salt, glass, etc etc

Hmm, not sure, would it really improve anything? More doesn't always equal better.

 

[Jperkinson]

As one poster said, the AI needs refinement. I would like to see them keep the framework they have, while making small, but important game playing changes:

-better hardware support... Having to run at 0X AGP on an ATI 9800 Pro stinks.
-Some method of grabbing recourses outside of your cultural boundary, A la Civ 3?
-Improved city 'auto governing'
-Make some use of mountain squares
-Usefulness of squares not in the city cross
-Making island colonization easier.
-general GUI accessibility tweaks.

Just a few...

 

[aronnax]

Poland, so everyone can shut up

 

[Admiral Stephen]

An AI that can provide a military challenge based on tactics rather than "my stack is bigger/more advanced than yours". A more robust world builder (like the ability to add a civ to a particular game). A more efficient game that doesn't choke on machines that shouldn't be choking. Area of control for forts. That's really it. BtS has already included most of the other stuff I wanted.

 

[RedRalph]

Cities to be able to produce a building and a unit at the same time

A world bank

The ability to set up defence groups, like the Warsaw Pact and NATO, which also bind you to certain civics, and cant just be left willy-nilly. this would only work if we could have minor Civs in the game

Satellites, which can spy on other nations

certain buildings to be built by the inhabitants of a city, not the state, I'm thinking religious ones mostly

Spontaneous revolutions, which will have big penalties for being opposed or challeneged

 

[Napo981]

Focus on reducing micromanagement...

Better empire management (overviews, troop movement, etc)

Yup.... especially a military one. Move and create garrison easilly instead of moving individual units. Have some manager to see and organize military forces and to be able to estimates one's military forces.

CTP-like stack combat, doesn't have to be identical...surprise us, but please no tactical control!

Don't know that you mean by CTP-like stack combat, but I do favor stack combat to reduce micromanagement. ... and class units upgrades instead of individual units upgrades

Borders...I could write an essay but I'll just say influence-based (i.e. military+culture), topographically aware (i.e. spread dampened across rivers/jungle/forest/desert/hills/mountains but hastened along roads/rivers) and evolving to fixed borders in the later game

Yeah... difficult to change the system without blowing the whole culture concept. I would find more realistic to gain land my military even if don't take cities. In wars, you keep the land you walk on. The land could then more "naturally" topographically aware as the yare usually key strategy point to gain/lose.

Sounds kinda weird to lose a petrol ressource because your neigbor just pop up a great artist!

Cultural victory based on spreading culture...not concentrating it.

If you change the defined cultural borders, the whole cultural concept need to be rethinked.

Troop supply; a simple model (like trade blockades) to allow cutting supply lines.

I know many fans are for this one, but I wonder how this could be implented to be balanced. I don't think it 's a necessary feature, as supply lines are usually nearer the tactical than strategical level and I would rather tend to simplify military than to complex it

At least an option for some form of blind/partially directed research.

Good point

Better model for diffusion of technology over time through contact such as trade.

A good model to avoid high gap between low and high technological civs.

A system of MAD for nuclear powers.

What is MAD?

Ideologies as late game religions (to allow diplomatic/trading blocks to form)
Improved resource and trading model, with commodities and prospecting in later ages.
Minor nations.
Continue improving the AI but make more varied AI personalities

I can't be against that!!

Public works system to replace workers in the modern eras.

With a certain tech, it would be easier to convert all your workers in a "central working power" and be able to build improvements without moving the worker units but only spending "working points".

 

[hoopsnerd]

Back in civ 2, military units consume its home city's production as an upkeep. However, the military units in my idea do not require any support from the individual cities, but from the nation as a whole.

My idea is just a basic plan, it still requires fine tuning in order to be good. Anyone welcome to comment

Your military units already require support from your nation as a whole, it's the Unit Cost.

 

[Horace]

Id like to see nukes changed a bit. They just dont seem to be right in terms of destructive power and allround badness In Alpha Centauri the planet busters seemed a bit more meaty, and if you wanted the city youd also think twice before using them. Maybe some biological weapons and stuff too They could implement a scale of attrocities for the later game

 

[captainmission]

i'd like to see better invlovment with the natural terrain similar to SMAC's elevation system.

• -elevation having a role in combat, archers defending from higher ground get free first strikes, calvalry getting free flanking from attack units in lower ground etc
• - More flavour for unique features- remember playing a colonisation style game where you got points for controlling world's lonest river, highest mountain etc. something similar to that, bonus culture or commerce for controling grand cayon would be cool
• - Different sizes of river. largest ones could allow naval units to sail down them allowing inland naval cities (like london or manchester) but couldn't be crossed by land units without bridges, making control these bridges more stratigically important. Rivers could be polluted and flow down stream to nieghbouring cities making later game environmental treaties more important.
• - greater ablity to alter the landscape in late game. Be able to dam rivered valleys making resvoirs that improve terrain, allow irrigation of deserts or provide hydroeletric power. bombing these dam in war would be a fun option too (complete with the appropriate theme tune )

Also an improved diplomatics system. AT the mometn the AI acts like a spoiled child, demanding unreasonable things and sluking when it doesn't get them.

• -being able to offer something instead of what they demand. Gandhi asks for help in a war? Well my military's in no state for that, but here's 1000g, some donated military units or gunpowder tech.
• - ability to form alliances other than defensive pacts or bringing people into war against an enemy. So if you form an alliance against an enemy its u to both parties when to declair the war over
• - Being able to form non-military alliance to promote a specific civic. A free trade alliance could try and promote that civic, lock all members into it and be more hostile to those that don't have it, leading to an ideoloigcal split world
• - An ultimatium sytem. Atm when monty demands you give him tech: computers it seems less than urgent. say no you get a diplomacy hit and some time later on he may declair war on you. How much cooler would it be if he showed up with a fleet of battleships and marines and demanded you give him computers in 3 turns or he'll raise one of you towns? you've then got three turns to reinforce that city or get allies to come to your defence to force him to back down or give in to his demands.
• - a better UN. SMAC was almost 10 years ago. The planetary council is still vastly superiorer to the UN

Fortifcations and bringing back zone of control would be good too. Artilery getting free bombardments against passing enemy units, cavalrey getting free attacks of oppotunity etc.

 

[Horace]

- Different sizes of river. largest ones could allow naval units to sail down them allowing inland naval cities (like london or manchester) but couldn't be crossed by land units without bridges, making control these bridges more stratigically important. Rivers could be polluted and flow down stream to nieghbouring cities making later game environmental treaties more important.
- greater ablity to alter the landscape in late game. Be able to dam rivered valleys making resvoirs that improve terrain, allow irrigation of deserts or provide hydroeletric power. bombing these dam in war would be a fun option too (complete with the appropriate theme tune )

I quite like those ideas. Could have your production city pumping out large amounts of pollution into a river and poisoning your neighbours river downstream. Or damning a river could deprive others of the river etc

 

[formless blob]

I'd like to see more features that makes the game seem alive.
1. Unique personalities for the AI's, with lots of little quirks, not just level of aggressiveness.
2. Please drop the silly stuff, Caesar talking about salad is not funny, its annoying. The graphics should also be more flavorful, the Civ4 graphics feel a bit cartoony. Please take the game seriously, at least somewhat.
3. More small stuff going on. The random events are nice, build on that to make every little detail have importance. Like how you can get slave revolts with the slavery civic, every choice should have small consequences like that.

And more, but basically put a lot of focus on the feel and flavor of the game. Be very clear about what you want to present. If you make the leaders cartoony, consider if that is really what you want to be doing, and if it is, then go all the way (but please don't!).

 

[RedRalph]

Formless has a point. The main changes I'd like to see are modifications of existing things, or fairly small new ones. The game is built on brilliant ideas, it extremely well constructed, I would imagine C5 would be fine tuning of the basic game, with new graphics, and some new features rather than a re-working of the entire concept

 

[Devil Inside]

AI....intelligently automated workers, so the computer doesnt have their cultural borders FILLED with a bunch of useless roads, and the player doesnt need to micromanage their workers.

 

[sabo]

Well Civilization has had a long run and we should keep it that way. But in order for that to happen the game needs just a little tweaking. The overall reason of this thread is to give back to Firaxis. They gave us four Civ games so the least we could do is give back... .

I think Firaxis only gave us 2 civ games IIRC, civ III and IV, I thought Microprose gave us the first two.