Asset file hinting at future and/or cut content

[Bootstrapbilly]

I think they can just pull a Khmer here and add Norse in Antiquity for gameplay reasons, ignoring historicity. Norse --> Normans makes a lot more sense to me than what we have currently.

The only great I see against Norse in Antiquity is that shipbuilding and sailing kind of sucks during this Age.

I think that could make a Naval Raiding Norse civ quite interesting. Like having longboats be able to Portage but have no attack and low movement per turn land. Could also have access to deep seas - though I suspect that will be reserved for Tonga. Could even get unique naval commander for the age ahead of everyone else.

 

[Lord Lakely]

I straight up dislike the idea of Iceland as the Exploration representation of the Norse, particularly as its first and (so far) only representation. The order in which you introduce Civs matters, imo, and Iceland is not that high up on the priority list. Denmark (which ruled Iceland for centuries are correctly pointed out by others) is right there.

I dislike the idea of a Pirate Civ *even* more though. Out of ALL the Civs that could be added and are still missing, you'd go for...... that? really? SERIOUSLY? Instead of an actual caribbean civ like the Taino???? Ack!

(EDIT: Though I WILL add that I have no issue with Edward Teach as a leader. Leaders such as him are what the untethered 'abstract leader' selection profile for Civ7 is for. ie: leaders without a viable Civilization.)

So while I think it's *positive* the Ottomans are semi-confirmed, I really do hope that Iceland and the Pirates were abandoned in favour of better choices.

Also, it may take a while before we actually get the Ottomans. There's a screenshot in this topic dating back to march that shows Xerxes leading the Qajars. That's six months before their official release.

We'll see. I would not be surprised if next week's patch notes are complimented with a roadmap towards the next DLC announcement, with a line-up that includes the Ottomans, set for December or January.

 

[Krikkit1]

I think that could make a Naval Raiding Norse civ quite interesting. Like having longboats be able to Portage but have no attack and low movement per turn land. Could also have access to deep seas - though I suspect that will be reserved for Tonga. Could even get unique naval commander for the age ahead of everyone else.

For Tonga, I think they need to make Open Ocean block vision (like Mountains) until midway through Exploration….and then give Tonga an exception to that, probably with a Tradition.

 

[Ryansinbela]

I straight up dislike the idea of Iceland as the Exploration representation of the Norse, particularly as its first and (so far) only representation. The order in which you introduce Civs matters, imo, and Iceland is not that high up on the priority list. Denmark (which ruled Iceland for centuries are correctly pointed out by others) is right there.

I dislike the idea of a Pirate Civ *even* more though. Out of ALL the Civs that could be added and are still missing, you'd go for...... that? really? SERIOUSLY? Instead of an actual caribbean civ like the Taino???? Ack!

(EDIT: Though I WILL add that I have no issue with Edward Teach as a leader. Leaders such as him are what the untethered 'abstract leader' selection profile for Civ7 is for. ie: leaders without a viable Civilization.)

So while I think it's *positive* the Ottomans are semi-confirmed, I really do hope that Iceland and the Pirates were abandoned in favour of better choices.

Also, it may take a while before we actually get the Ottomans. There's a screenshot in this topic dating back to march that shows Xerxes leading the Qajars. That's six months before their official release.

We'll see. I would not be surprised if next week's patch notes are complimented with a roadmap towards the next DLC announcement, with a line-up that includes the Ottomans, set for December or January.

Pirate Republic should be ok if they also add Taino and Haiti

 

[queenpea]

Pirate Republic should be ok if they also add Taino and Haiti

So far, neither of these two civs have appeared in leaks.

 

[Krikkit1]

So far, neither of these two civs have appeared in leaks.

And also I doubt they would…those seem like the 25th-30th civs to add in an age.

 

[Ryansinbela]

So far, neither of these two civs have appeared in leaks.

But they should

 

[Lord Lakely]

So far, neither of these two civs have appeared in leaks.

Exactly, this?

If the Pirates are meant to plug a gap, the gap should exist first.

 

[socratic]

I feel like the Goths are inevitable at this point, especially because they already have a viable wonder (which has no right for being in the game unless it’s tied to a civ at some point). A lot of the potential Germanic Antiquity options don’t have a lot to distinguish from each other to make distinctive gameplay. If this game can justify a Spain to France transition, I see no reason to why they won’t have a Goths to Norman transition.

I’m really hoping they dropped the Pirate Republic. That’s wayyy too derivative from HK and would be yet another awkward Exploration civ with dodgy transitions.

 

[Xandinho]

If Pirates are included now—prioritized over so many more interesting civs (even within the same region) and over glaring gaps that still need to be filled—it would indeed be a very poor choice. Pirates should be a late-game addition, something they can afford to bring in with a distinct playstyle just to keep players engaged near the end of the game’s life cycle.

As for Iceland, it doesn’t appeal to me as much as the other Scandinavian options. I’d much rather have a raiding Viking Norway or Denmark, like their versions in Civ6 and Civ5. Iceland should only appear if it coexists with one of them.

I hope the rest of the content in the asset files turns out to be true (Tonga, Māori, and Ottomans). Well, it seems the Ottomans are already semi-confirmed anyway. They’ll probably come in the next few months.

 

[marius_kaparius]

If Pirates are included now—prioritized over so many more interesting civs (even within the same region) and over glaring gaps that still need to be filled—it would indeed be a very poor choice. Pirates should be a late-game addition, something they can afford to bring in with a distinct playstyle just to keep players engaged near the end of the game’s life cycle.

As for Iceland, it doesn’t appeal to me as much as the other Scandinavian options. I’d much rather have a raiding Viking Norway or Denmark, like their versions in Civ6 and Civ5. Iceland should only appear if it coexists with one of them.

I hope the rest of the content in the asset files turns out to be true (Tonga, Māori, and Ottomans). Well, it seems the Ottomans are already semi-confirmed anyway. They’ll probably come in the next few months.

Or it could just be an exploration themed DLC.

 

[queenpea]

But they should

I think every player has a mental list of the civilizations they would like to see in the game.

I believe the point of the OP is that "Pirate Republic" is probably low on that list for many players. To me, the idea of a "Pirate Republic" civilization reminds me of late-game Civ VI content when we got wacky game modes or niche civilizations à la New Frontier Pass.

 

[stealth_nsk]

After reading and thinking a bit, I think Iceland is not a bad choice itself to avoid naval raiders stereotype Viking civilization. But, the thing is - the game has a very solid niche for such raiding civilization, especially with the existence of nacigavle rivers.

So, some more raiding Viking civilization would fit gameplay better, unless this niche will be taken by some other civilization, like Kievan Rus. In the latter case, Iceland could look like an interesting choice.

P.S. I still think Pirate Republic is a bad idea.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I think every player has a mental list of the civilizations they would like to see in the game.

I believe the point of the OP is that "Pirate Republic" is probably low on that list for many players. To me, the idea of a "Pirate Republic" civilization reminds me of late-game Civ VI content when we got wacky game modes or niche civilizations à la New Frontier Pass.

Who was considered niche? I guess Gran Colombia but I've seen it mentioned by plenty of people, unlike "Pirate Republic."

Speaking of them what are the chances that they wouldn't be Exploration, but Modern? The Pirate Republic existed from 1713 to 1718. Regardless of the age it would be a weird inclusion but that would make it more believable if they came from Exploration civs like Normans and Spain.

After reading and thinking a bit, I think Iceland is not a bad choice itself to avoid naval raiders stereotype Viking civilization. But, the thing is - the game has a very solid niche for such raiding civilization, especially with the existence of nacigavle rivers.

I agree. Iceland isn't bad but I don't think it's the best option for the Nordic countries compared to Denmark. Of course, we've already had both Denmark and Norway in past games so maybe they would want to rotate that spot even more?

 

[Ryansinbela]

I think every player has a mental list of the civilizations they would like to see in the game.

I believe the point of the OP is that "Pirate Republic" is probably low on that list for many players. To me, the idea of a "Pirate Republic" civilization reminds me of late-game Civ VI content when we got wacky game modes or niche civilizations à la New Frontier Pass.

Yeah understandable
It’s just my preference they would be funny (I’m a little too accepting of new stuff)

 

[Lebo44]

Iceland is just a fresh name for a classic Nordic civ. Firaxis likes to play with naming convention.

In Civ4 we had Vikings, in Civ5 there were Danes and in Civ6 Norwegian. Now its Iceland’s turn.

Similar to Celts/Gauls and Carthage/Phoenicia

 

[Xandinho]

Speaking of them what are the chances that they wouldn't be Exploration, but Modern? The Pirate Republic existed from 1713 to 1718. Regardless of the age it would be a weird inclusion but that would make it more believable if they came from Exploration civs like Normans and Spain.

Hawaii is an even later and it came with the Exploration era. I believe the kind of gameplay Pirates could offer would only make sense in Exploration, when the focus is on colonization and naval expansion.

Still, if Pirates are included at the expense of the Taíno, that would be a real shame. Why do they look at the Caribbean and simply not notice that the Taíno are right there, practically screaming for inclusion? A civilization perfectly suited and well-documented for this game in every way. Even if the DLC theme is exploration, the Taíno would fit in perfectly as well.

 

[socratic]

Should we even take the Ottomans as confirmation of any of these leaks? The Ottomans were always going to be added at some point. I’d like to see them theme the new civs together in some way. The Ottomans should be releasing with Byzantium over Iceland or the Pirate Republic

 

[queenpea]

Hawaii is an even later and it came with the Exploration era. I believe the kind of gameplay Pirates could offer would only make sense in Exploration, when the focus is on colonization and naval expansion.

(and treasure fleets)

 

[Lebo44]

The Ottomans should be releasing with Byzantium over Iceland or the Pirate Republic

The Ottomans seems to be Modern Civ (and I agree with that decision). As it was already discussed somewhere, Byzantium should be Exploration Civ and matched together with a Turkish tribe (Seljuks for example) in that Age.