Zegangani
King
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2020
- Messages
- 898
Can Civ VI have a better AI? Yes, it can. Is it a poor Game Design to introduce mechanics that the AI can't handle very well? Yes, it is.Yes I can and I do compare them. First of all, Firaxis has had 5 years to fix the AI in Civ VI - is that really "limited"? And the devs are being paid!
And why don't we have Vox Populi for Civ VI? Because Firaxis won't release the dll code.
And the mechanics the AI can't handle? Again, Firaxis made those choice which is POOR game design,
So let's not make excuses for Firaxis here.
But is it a bad Choice for a Game Company to prioritise the Player Experience (that isn't necessarilly tied to a competitive AI, but maybe a passive one, which is the case for Civ VI) over a good and competitive AI? No. Because If the Game is good enough (engaging mechanisms/replayability), and made in such a way that the Player Experience isn't tied to a good AI, and perhaps also support Multiplayer, then the Game doesn't need a proper AI to make good Sells.
Which is the case for Civ VI, but also, because of its cartoonish art style and Board Game feeling, it is more appealing to new Players, especially younger ones. Civ VI is also a much better Game for Casual Players than Civ V (which I think is designed on Purpose by the Devs). And looking at the NFP Game Modes which are poorly handled by AI, but were a Success for Firaxis, it's the perfect example for this (a successful Game not needing a proper AI).
And just to be clear, I'm neither defending 2K/Firaxis for neglecting the AI nor I'm happy with Civ VI's current AI state. But I'm also not blaming 2K/Firaxis for making such Choices. Yes, we are expecting FXS to improve the AI, but It's not like they promised us a good AI for the Game but didn't deliver what was promised. On the other hand, Bugfixes and Gamebalance are rightfully expected from us, since we paid for a Game that should work as intended and not break now and then.
I'm also on the same Boat, that seemingly most of CivFanatics on this Forum are in, of People that won't Buy Civ VII till the Game is in a good state, in terms of Playability (Gameplay Design) and Modability.
I won't repeat what Gedemon already explained thoroughly, but add that even if Modders aren't paid for their work and have less Time to Mod (Yes, we have Duties, Work, Studies...etc), we can freely Plan our Modding Projects, work Together and also ask the Comunity for Playtesting while Mods are still in a WIP state. There are Modders that started their Modding Projects Months before they release the finished Mods.Modders have less time to work then firaxis staff.
Modders have real jobs and obligations while firaxis programmers are being paid to do their job on a daily basis.
I don't know where this "Modders have more time to fix stuff" myth comes from.It is blatantly false and disrespectful toward people using up their free time to make mods.
It's not about the Amount of freetime we have, but about the periode of Time we have in order to finish a Project. In our case, its not an Issue, it's a matter of Time till a Mod is finished, but in the case of the Devs, it's limited. they have a limited Periode of Time and a fixed date to finish a Project. Which results in Devs making Priorities, such as: Making something really good (balance, AI, Bugs Fixes) but simple, or something deep and complex but not quite complete (no balance, many Bugs, poor to no AI decisions...etc).
That aside,
I really think that the Devs will be much more open in terms of Communication for Civ VII. especially since NFP and also because of the Humankind Approach durring it's developpement Time (which has proved that prerelease testings can be very advantageous). So I really think/hope that there is going to be open Beta testings for Civ VII.