A Message From Firaxis Games

[stealth_nsk]

If you only listened to players earlier on, you could have saved yourself so much more work and headaches.

That's really bad idea. Professional game designers who run multiple internal and external playtest have much better vision how the game should be made than some theorycrafting players. Listening to players should come after release, not before.

The perfect example of this is Heroes of Might and Magic 4. The game was made fully based on players wishes. It's failure led to 3DO dissolving and selling game rights.

 

[Leyrann]

If you only listened to players earlier on, you could have saved yourself so much more work and headaches.

That's debatable. I suspect Firaxis was working on an impossibly tight deadline imposed by 2K, and they seem to have prioritized making sure the core game mechanics are functional, both in a technical sense and in an enjoyment sense, while leaving fixable aspects (such as the UI) for when they actually have time for it.

The perfect example of this is Heroes of Might and Magic 4. The game was made fully based on players wishes. It's failure led to 3DO dissolving and selling game rights.

I'm gonna have to dispute that. HoMaM 4 has a number of excellent ideas in it's design, and the problem is not that those ideas exist, but rather that the game was incredibly rushed and frankly unfinished, as is very clear from the gameplay. Stuff like the tactical combat map, lack of finishing touches on the map appearance, samey towns, et cetera all scream "crap we're out of money we need to get an income stream right now"/"crap we're hitting our deadline and have to release" (not sure which one was more prevalent for them).

Also it was still miles better than anything Ubisoft has excreted under the HoMaM banner.

 

[stealth_nsk]

That's debatable. I suspect Firaxis was working on an impossibly tight deadline imposed by 2K, and they seem to have prioritized making sure the core game mechanics are functional, both in a technical sense and in an enjoyment sense, while leaving fixable aspects (such as the UI) for when they actually have time for it.

While there clearly were some budget constraints (only Blizzard and Valve could afford working without any time restriction), releasing the game 9 years after previous installment suggests there was no "tight deadline", not to mention "impossibly tight deadline".

I'm gonna have to dispute that. HoMaM 4 has a number of excellent ideas in it's design, and the problem is not that those ideas exist, but rather that the game was incredibly rushed and frankly unfinished, as is very clear from the gameplay. Stuff like the tactical combat map, lack of finishing touches on the map appearance, samey towns, et cetera all scream "crap we're out of money we need to get an income stream right now"/"crap we're hitting our deadline and have to release" (not sure which one was more prevalent for them).

Also it was still miles better than anything Ubisoft has excreted under the HoMaM banner.

How good it was is a matter of personal preference. But as a person, who was a constant poster on HoMM forums during those times, I could say what the same features, which were actively suggested by fans (heroes fighting on the battlefield, units moving without heroes, etc.) became disliked by them after they actually played the game.

 

[Leyrann]

How good it was is a matter of personal preference. But as a person, who was a constant poster on HoMM forums during those times, I could say what the same features, which were actively suggested by fans (heroes fighting on the battlefield, units moving without heroes, etc.) became disliked by them after they actually played the game.

There's a few issues with the implementation of those features but honestly heroes on the battlefield is still the second biggest reason (after the skill mechanics) for me to return to the game. And with both features, my personal biggest gripes would still be pretty simple to fix: For heroes on the battlefield, you're either a magic hero, a Combat hero, or a waste of space. Even with Tactics providing passive benefits to the army, you don't actually see any of that. If you provide combat-relevant components to every skill class, I think it'd feel a lot better. And as for units walking around without heroes, I'd say the single biggest annoyance is that many units just move so slow, and the biggest gameplay issue is that they literally can't capture anything. There should be room to do lower-level actions (e.g. flagging neutral sites) with hero-less armies.

 

[stealth_nsk]

There's a few issues with the implementation of those features but honestly heroes on the battlefield is still the second biggest reason (after the skill mechanics) for me to return to the game. And with both features, my personal biggest gripes would still be pretty simple to fix: For heroes on the battlefield, you're either a magic hero, a Combat hero, or a waste of space. Even with Tactics providing passive benefits to the army, you don't actually see any of that. If you provide combat-relevant components to every skill class, I think it'd feel a lot better. And as for units walking around without heroes, I'd say the single biggest annoyance is that many units just move so slow, and the biggest gameplay issue is that they literally can't capture anything. There should be room to do lower-level actions (e.g. flagging neutral sites) with hero-less armies.

I actually liked HoMM5 take on this, where heroes could affect battlefield in more ways than magic and passive stats, but are still army leaders. That's why the system was carried over to future games (BTW, I actually enjoyed 7, it was fun). But yes, it's totally matter of personal preference.

 

[Stoic]

So for March we will have a clearer and better user interface?

 

[Rajendran_P]

Would like to bring to Firaxis attention

Whenever a new building or military is build in a city using production, once completed the city window will open for player to select the next production. When player open the window to select the next production, we do not know what production was completed in that city. I feel that that City UI needs to display the last completed building or military for player awareness and to choose the next production.

Overall, I have played Civ 1-6. This is the best of all series (Civ 5 & 6 were good as well ) and the gameplay techniques is better. Graphics and land mass is fantastic. Intro of Commanders is really good. Last but not least, the Civ 7 gameplay Ring at the bottom right is wonderful and very nice. Thank you. Hope to see more contents added.

 

[pokiehl]

When player open the window to select the next production, we do not know what production was completed in that city. I feel that that City UI needs to display the last completed building or military for player awareness and to choose the next production.

10000% agree. The city panel not showing the last produced building/unit is incredibly annoying.

 

[Vincent_lacruz]

Maybe we could have that message pinned, so that we have the links for feedback easy to find? Thanks in advance^^

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Moderator Action: Done --NZ

 

[Leyrann]

@Noble Zarkon Seems like it didn't work?

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Should be working now.

 

[jozef57]

Hey everyone! We're officially in Advanced Access, and from the entire Firaxis studio, we just wanted to take a moment to say... thank you! Seriously.

The studio’s just released a message I hope you all take a look at here: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/news/message-from-firaxis-games/

But, I also wanted to take the time to summarize some major highlights and notes from your community team:


We’re actively listening to your feedback.
Over the last few days, the team has been poring over your feedback, including our most recent Steam Reviews during the Advanced Access period. As stewards of the Civilization franchise, we hold ourselves to a high standard and are striving to create the best game possible. Civ really would not have come this far without you, and your opinions matter so much to us!

In response to your feedback, we’ve identified three key areas that we’re prioritizing. We will share a development roadmap as soon as we can, in the meanwhile, our focus is on the following:

• Prioritizing UI Improvements: Our top priority is improving the UI. We need some time to digest all of your feedback, but some areas that we're already looking into include making UI interactions more intuitive, improving map readability, fixing areas of polish like formatting, and more. We're committed to getting this right, and will share more details as soon as we can.
• Implementing Community-Requested Features: Several key features that we've seen you ask for will be included in upcoming patches as free updates, and we'll continue to work with the community to improve and add to the game. We're still working on exact timing, but can share the following items are being prioritized:
• • Adding Teams to multiplayer games so you can play cooperatively
  • Allowing full player counts in multiplayer in all three Ages through refinements to our Distant Lands system.
  • Allowing you to pick your starting and ending Age to allow for single or double Age games
  • Providing a wider variety of map types
  • Enabling city and religion names to be customized
  • Adding in hotseat multiplayer
• Rolling Out Quality-of-Life Updates in Patch 1.1.0 (Deploying in March): Work is already well underway on Patch 1.1.0, which includes fixes and adjustments that were already on our radar. This list includes quality-of-life UI adjustments, ongoing AI balance and improvement, adjustments to diplomacy and crises, plus additional bug fixes.

We will continue to support Civilization VII and your feedback is crucial to do so! If you have feedback you’d like to share, please drop a thread. Find our full post here: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/news/message-from-firaxis-games/

We’ve also already rolled out our Day 0 (https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-update-notes/) patch, which includes a number of fixes and QOL improvements, which will be available right when you start playing. Keep sharing your thoughts; Civ VII is just getting started, and we're excited to keep sharing with you.


Where to leave feedback and where to submit issues:
As part of our commitment to take in your feedback and keep you updated, we've sort-launched an official Discord channel (please mind our dust while we get things settled). This will be a new space for providing feedback, talking with other Civ players, and getting updates directly from the dev team. We're still in beta, so join us while we grow: https://discord.com/invite/civilizationofficial

We also are aware that some players are experiencing some bugs and crashes in the game, and we have a team committed to help resolve. Please give us some patience as we investigate the scope and severity of some issues. If you’re experiencing a bug or crash, it’s hugely helpful for our team if you submit a ticket through our feedback portal (select Civ VII in dropdown): https://support.civilization.com/hc//requests/new

To see if an issue is already on our radar, you can check out this page for known issues: https://support.civilization.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/35818812180371-Civilization-VII


Lastly, for new players, we’ve got resources.
If you're new to Civ or just looking for some tips, we've also launched the New Settler's Hub (https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/new-settlers/), a one-stop-shop for new players. We can't wait to see where your first few empires take you.

Thank you as always for being the best fans in gaming. We can't wait to grow and build the future of Civ VII with you, and we’ll see you in the game.

wel i made a msitake about the game i love it,, cant stop playing like in 3 4 and 5.. but playing on a 68 cm like 38 inch gaming monitor seems to smaal a screen. civ al;ways excelled and overvieuw great UI to asses the situation.. sadly this seems to be sacrified to looks . and it looks great.. i do hope for some kind of solution.. but i admit my mistake in assesment before release i love it to bits

 

[jozef57]

wel i made a msitake about the game i love it,, cant stop playing like in 3 4 and 5.. but playing on a 68 cm like 38 inch gaming monitor seems to smaal a screen. civ al;ways excelled and overvieuw great UI to asses the situation.. sadly this seems to be sacrified to looks . and it looks great.. i do hope for some kind of solution.. but i admit my mistake in assesment before release i love it to bits

so i made a huge mistake having my FE edition refunded.. brr bad bad jos lol.. i bought de de luxe versionm now and cannot stop playing

 

[Douglas Oak]

Hey everyone! We're officially in Advanced Access, and from the entire Firaxis studio, we just wanted to take a moment to say... thank you! Seriously.

The studio’s just released a message I hope you all take a look at here: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/news/message-from-firaxis-games/

But, I also wanted to take the time to summarize some major highlights and notes from your community team:


We’re actively listening to your feedback.
Over the last few days, the team has been poring over your feedback, including our most recent Steam Reviews during the Advanced Access period. As stewards of the Civilization franchise, we hold ourselves to a high standard and are striving to create the best game possible. Civ really would not have come this far without you, and your opinions matter so much to us!

In response to your feedback, we’ve identified three key areas that we’re prioritizing. We will share a development roadmap as soon as we can, in the meanwhile, our focus is on the following:

• Prioritizing UI Improvements: Our top priority is improving the UI. We need some time to digest all of your feedback, but some areas that we're already looking into include making UI interactions more intuitive, improving map readability, fixing areas of polish like formatting, and more. We're committed to getting this right, and will share more details as soon as we can.
• Implementing Community-Requested Features: Several key features that we've seen you ask for will be included in upcoming patches as free updates, and we'll continue to work with the community to improve and add to the game. We're still working on exact timing, but can share the following items are being prioritized:
• • Adding Teams to multiplayer games so you can play cooperatively
  • Allowing full player counts in multiplayer in all three Ages through refinements to our Distant Lands system.
  • Allowing you to pick your starting and ending Age to allow for single or double Age games
  • Providing a wider variety of map types
  • Enabling city and religion names to be customized
  • Adding in hotseat multiplayer
• Rolling Out Quality-of-Life Updates in Patch 1.1.0 (Deploying in March): Work is already well underway on Patch 1.1.0, which includes fixes and adjustments that were already on our radar. This list includes quality-of-life UI adjustments, ongoing AI balance and improvement, adjustments to diplomacy and crises, plus additional bug fixes.

We will continue to support Civilization VII and your feedback is crucial to do so! If you have feedback you’d like to share, please drop a thread. Find our full post here: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/news/message-from-firaxis-games/

We’ve also already rolled out our Day 0 (https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-update-notes/) patch, which includes a number of fixes and QOL improvements, which will be available right when you start playing. Keep sharing your thoughts; Civ VII is just getting started, and we're excited to keep sharing with you.


Where to leave feedback and where to submit issues:
As part of our commitment to take in your feedback and keep you updated, we've sort-launched an official Discord channel (please mind our dust while we get things settled). This will be a new space for providing feedback, talking with other Civ players, and getting updates directly from the dev team. We're still in beta, so join us while we grow: https://discord.com/invite/civilizationofficial

We also are aware that some players are experiencing some bugs and crashes in the game, and we have a team committed to help resolve. Please give us some patience as we investigate the scope and severity of some issues. If you’re experiencing a bug or crash, it’s hugely helpful for our team if you submit a ticket through our feedback portal (select Civ VII in dropdown): https://support.civilization.com/hc//requests/new

To see if an issue is already on our radar, you can check out this page for known issues: https://support.civilization.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/35818812180371-Civilization-VII


Lastly, for new players, we’ve got resources.
If you're new to Civ or just looking for some tips, we've also launched the New Settler's Hub (https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/new-settlers/), a one-stop-shop for new players. We can't wait to see where your first few empires take you.

Thank you as always for being the best fans in gaming. We can't wait to grow and build the future of Civ VII with you, and we’ll see you in the game.

Where are the giant TSL earth maps. Want to know why more people are still playing civ 5. There's a BIG reason. Stop making your cities bigger and your maps smaller!