SJSerio
Centurion
There has been a lot of uproar over the release of Sid Meier's Civilization 7. I get it... bugs and DLC make the game feel incomplete... blah, blah, blah. This is not exclusive to Civilization or Firaxis. I keep hearing claims that the game has been in development for 10 years. Well, I would argue that I doubt the game has been getting full attention over that 10-year period. At most, maybe the past 4 - 6 years.
Well, I am not saying that it is right that the game would be released in "such a state," but I bet that the people crying about it the hardest have ever even written a line of code in their life. That is like the person yelling at the TV as the Quarterback fumbles a handoff and telling the QB or Coach how to do their job while they have never themselves stepped foot on a gridiron.
That said, my experience with the game is limited. I understand some of the complaints (which I will get to). I have only played it a couple of times and for a few hours collectively since early access. During that time, I have been working my full-time job, and I have been a bit under the weather. While my games have not been going to well for me, I believe that is largely due to learning the new mechanics while not having the clearest mind during the little time that I have had. That should change over the next week as I am feeling better and have a few days to dive in fully (assuming my kids allow me).
Anyway, what I want to address is perhaps the top three complaints... UI, bugs, and DLC.
First., User Interface! This is perhaps the most egregious of problems to me. In my little experience, I have struggled a bit with the UI, especially as I am coming to grips with the new mechanics and setup. I can give them a slight pass on this in realizing that the developers have been working on the game for years and are familiar with the mechanics, so simple things can get overlooked in UI development. But it stands that the UI needs some major overhaul and adjustments.
Next, bugs! Sadly, bugs are a fact of life, especially on PC. I have not heard how it is handling on console. I don't plan on getting a console version until Switch 2 comes out (and I hope they adapt it to that system to be more in line with the other consoles and PC version, at least). Fortunately, in my limited time with the game, I have not encountered any bugs, myself. Hopefully I don't. But here is the thing, many of the bugs that I have heard of seemed to be system related. For some reason, the gaming populous seem to think that developers have warehouses full of every possible rig that could be built where they can test the game on. Now, I understand the frustration with bugs. I've dealt with it before with other games. But to call the game "unfinished" because the game crashes due to a hardware issue is insane. Many developers would love for their games to be bug-free, I am certain. And, while frustrating for gamers, it is just something that occurs as games have gotten more complex. Heck, my own dabbling with RPG Maker has shown me that bugs can be easy to overlook, especially if they are not blatantly obvious. I can forgive bugs if the developer acknowledges them and work quickly to correct them.
Finally, DLC! The bane of gamers... apparently. Personally, I don't mind DLC. It shows intention for long-term support for the game. The vanilla game is there for me to get used to the changes, then the DLC breathes new life into the game (whether as free updates, paid packs, or full expansions), allowing me to continue my journey and discover new things. I am just thankful that Firaxis and Take 2 has not taken the EA route of nickel and diming us for every little element, like they did with The Sims. Personally, I'd rather a 5, 6, or even 10-year cycle for a game supplemented with periodic add-ons.
But that's just two cents from this nobody... for what it's worth.
I haven't touched on other aspects such as the Ages system or Civ-switching, because I haven't gotten far enough to make a personal judgement. Perhaps in the future, I may revisit my experience and share what I think (if anybody cares). But the bottom line is that it is about the content. How does that play? The UI can be fixed, bugs can be fixed, and DLC, well, it is what it is.... and it has its own benefits. Until then, I will just keep on with what I am doing and playing my favorite strategy game series.
Well, I am not saying that it is right that the game would be released in "such a state," but I bet that the people crying about it the hardest have ever even written a line of code in their life. That is like the person yelling at the TV as the Quarterback fumbles a handoff and telling the QB or Coach how to do their job while they have never themselves stepped foot on a gridiron.
That said, my experience with the game is limited. I understand some of the complaints (which I will get to). I have only played it a couple of times and for a few hours collectively since early access. During that time, I have been working my full-time job, and I have been a bit under the weather. While my games have not been going to well for me, I believe that is largely due to learning the new mechanics while not having the clearest mind during the little time that I have had. That should change over the next week as I am feeling better and have a few days to dive in fully (assuming my kids allow me).
Anyway, what I want to address is perhaps the top three complaints... UI, bugs, and DLC.
First., User Interface! This is perhaps the most egregious of problems to me. In my little experience, I have struggled a bit with the UI, especially as I am coming to grips with the new mechanics and setup. I can give them a slight pass on this in realizing that the developers have been working on the game for years and are familiar with the mechanics, so simple things can get overlooked in UI development. But it stands that the UI needs some major overhaul and adjustments.
Next, bugs! Sadly, bugs are a fact of life, especially on PC. I have not heard how it is handling on console. I don't plan on getting a console version until Switch 2 comes out (and I hope they adapt it to that system to be more in line with the other consoles and PC version, at least). Fortunately, in my limited time with the game, I have not encountered any bugs, myself. Hopefully I don't. But here is the thing, many of the bugs that I have heard of seemed to be system related. For some reason, the gaming populous seem to think that developers have warehouses full of every possible rig that could be built where they can test the game on. Now, I understand the frustration with bugs. I've dealt with it before with other games. But to call the game "unfinished" because the game crashes due to a hardware issue is insane. Many developers would love for their games to be bug-free, I am certain. And, while frustrating for gamers, it is just something that occurs as games have gotten more complex. Heck, my own dabbling with RPG Maker has shown me that bugs can be easy to overlook, especially if they are not blatantly obvious. I can forgive bugs if the developer acknowledges them and work quickly to correct them.
Finally, DLC! The bane of gamers... apparently. Personally, I don't mind DLC. It shows intention for long-term support for the game. The vanilla game is there for me to get used to the changes, then the DLC breathes new life into the game (whether as free updates, paid packs, or full expansions), allowing me to continue my journey and discover new things. I am just thankful that Firaxis and Take 2 has not taken the EA route of nickel and diming us for every little element, like they did with The Sims. Personally, I'd rather a 5, 6, or even 10-year cycle for a game supplemented with periodic add-ons.
But that's just two cents from this nobody... for what it's worth.
I haven't touched on other aspects such as the Ages system or Civ-switching, because I haven't gotten far enough to make a personal judgement. Perhaps in the future, I may revisit my experience and share what I think (if anybody cares). But the bottom line is that it is about the content. How does that play? The UI can be fixed, bugs can be fixed, and DLC, well, it is what it is.... and it has its own benefits. Until then, I will just keep on with what I am doing and playing my favorite strategy game series.
