Civ6 June Update Video

[criZp]

You make it sound like FXS is EA... that sort of thing is what I hear from Sims community. And Civ 6 is NOT as problematic as sims 4.

Why would you bring up sims out of nowhere? The game got problems, there's no denying that.

 

[Republic of San Montuoso]

Seeing all the discussions, I have to ask: is it only me or since the NFP the AI got better?
I mean, I played a game with my boyfriend, usually when we play together it's a battle between each other and the AIs are just... there, not a real threat.
But our last game, we actually had to compete against Philip II to win ScV, and we were toe-to-toe with him to win. Usually, when we're lauching our last part of the ScV, some other civs might have built their spaceports but very, very few have actually sent their first satellite. Here, same games we play as usual, and suddenly Philip II had sent a colony on Mars? Is it me or the AI had become way better in the last expansion (at least for casual gamers)?

Speaking of Civ IV, I played it again some time ago and I have to say: we came a long way and Civ VI have a lot of things making it (IMO) better. First, each civ feels more unique and I had more replayability in Civ VI than Civ IV just because picking a civ makes you play in a different way. For me, civs in Civ IV were more just cosmetic changes rather than true different mechanics. I manage to play Civ IV only with the Rhyes and Fall mod because the concept is awesome. Also, Civ IV has way too many problems: religions have no difference whatsoever, making the choice of any of them really pointless; the squared grid is tedious especially when you discovered the hexed grid from V and VI; doomstacks are broken; you can loose a walled city to a scout if you have no army in it (I don't know for you, but cities were able to defend themselves through milicia even without armies in it, it's the point of sieges); I don't feel like I play the map in IV while in VI the map is everything, from districts to wonders to loyalty; when founding a new city, you have no way to help it develop quickly (no buying buildings except you took Universa Suffrage, no trades routes to help you gain some hammers or food) meaning that expansion in the mid-late game is awfully tedious... So yeah, IV had a lot of good features (health/disease, the way culture works, the governments systems) but overall I feel like Civ VI is way more that a simple cosmetic goofy change.


Also, as long as I love the new concept for Religious Community (gold for trade routes through religion), we have to aknowledge that this tenets will give as much gold as one of the first civic you can adopt, Caravanseries. And Caravanseries add +2 gold for every trade route without exception. I'm not good for balance myself as often I feel like some civs are strong even if apparently they're not (I have fun playing with Canada and I feel like their bonuses are very good and not weak), but even me can see than Religious Communities will become the new Radio Oranje of religious tenets: based on trade routes but utterly pointless.

 

[Deggial]

Seeing all the discussions, I have to ask: is it only me or since the NFP the AI got better? ...

While your post is mainly about the strategic AI, I've also the imression that the combat AI got noticably better - maybe not in sieging cities, but at least in targeting and killing units. I was surprised (and delighted) how much the AI now concentrates attacks on exposed units, softening them up with ranged strikes first (if possible) and then killing them with melee attacks (oftentimes with cavalry units swooping in from far behind (previously covered by the fog of war). Apparently, the latest "focused fire" tweak was quite succesfull. Have others experienced this as well or do I deceive myself here?

Now, if the AI would finally build more aircrafts (the district was therer, but apparently never used) and - if built - actually USE them offensively and in defense, I would say the combat AI might be in an acceptable state. (Wow! Did I really write this?)

 

[Uberfrog]

Now, if the AI would finally build more aircrafts (the district was therer, but apparently never used) and - if built - actually USE them offensively and in defense, I would say the combat AI might be in an acceptable state. (Wow! Did I really write this?)

In my recent multiplayer game (albeit Online speed and Medieval Era start, which will have helped the AI keep tech pace with us humans), the AI did build bombers and fighters and even used the fighters offensively.

I didn’t see the Bomber used (I was nervous as the World Congress had recently given everyone a nuke — this is a great resolution by the way!), but there is definitely some improvement there. Still not seeing anti-air, which would be more impactful against the player, I think.

 

[Deggial]

In my recent multiplayer game (albeit Online speed and Medieval Era start, which will have helped the AI keep tech pace with us humans), the AI did build bombers and fighters and even used the fighters offensively.

I didn’t see the Bomber used (I was nervous as the World Congress had recently given everyone a nuke — this is a great resolution by the way!), but there is definitely some improvement there. Still not seeing anti-air, which would be more impactful against the player, I think.

I hope to experience this (more frequently) in my games, too. Granted, I've spotted a fighter in a more recent game as well. And with this fighter, the AI actually defended itself against my bomber attacks - once or twice. Then it moved it away and it was never seen again. As I remember, if the AI opponents had access to airplanes in Civ5 and I as the player haden't, I was facing a very hard time. I do remember that I oftentimes had to rush AA technologies in order to stand a chance against them. (And I even modded my MGs to have a limited AA capacity, which I found quite an interesting addition to the game.)
Anyway - I want aircrafts to be the threat in the game this technology actually was and is in real life. Air superiority is cruical nowadays and so it should be in Civ6!

 

[King of Prussia]

Now, if the AI would finally build more aircrafts (the district was therer, but apparently never used) and - if built - actually USE them offensively and in defense, I would say the combat AI might be in an acceptable state. (Wow! Did I really write this?)

You wont see reliable plane building by the AI until the amount of hurdles one has to go through to make them are either reduced or made easier.

You need a district slot free and a viable plot to place it. You need decent production to make it, the buildings, and the planes.

You need the resources that also compete with other troops and possibly buildings/SV.(including maintenance) The distribution of resources and quantity makes this even harder.

The policy cards for planes i believe comes pretty late, and there is no policy card to make Aerodomes faster to build unlike the other military districts.(why not?)

You only needed a city in Civ V to do this. You had ways of getting more resources by building various buildings.

The more checks you add, the higher likelihood it will fail.

The use of said planes is another matter.

 

[Deggial]

@King of Prussia :

I completely agree! That's why I proposed the ability to build (early) planes in the city center (like all other units, actually), albeit without any production speed-ups or experience effects of their special district (also like all other units).

This seems such an obvious change and I do not understand, why a) it is not requested more frequently by the players and b) Firaxis doesn't seem to realize this. What is actually the point of making airlpane construction so different from other unit-building game mechanics?

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

Edit: Since I may be stupid and don't know if you were being sarcastic, I will answer in a double feature:

Being Sarcastic

You know this is not an argument right?.

Fxs already added aliens and zombies. The option of includding then in the main game is not unreasonable nor would it be detrimental to any player.

The feature is already there, and the resources have already been used. Your comment sems to imply that since you don't like the idea, nobody should benefit from it. Which i would argue is not a reasonable way to have a discussion.

Not being Sarcastic:

Actually maybe those could be ported from BE without spending dev resources, so I would not oppose the idea either . But I'm also aware most players already feel the game is deviating too much from historicity. It may be a good addition for the apocalypse mode thought... So... Yes please....

I was being both *zoidberg claw runaway gif* but honestly, I never understood people's obession with realism in a game where scale of the world has never made sense (those are some huge wonders) and the leaders are eternally immortal.

The Kraken though did remind me of the unit from Beyond Earth, which made me in turn think of Siege Worms, honestly I think it would be possible to add aliens because there's seems to me a database for custom barbarian camp types.

 

[MrRadar]

Seeing all the discussions, I have to ask: is it only me or since the NFP the AI got better?
<...> Here, same games we play as usual, and suddenly Philip II had sent a colony on Mars? Is it me or the AI had become way better in the last expansion (at least for casual gamers)?

They improved some tactical aspects, for example now, if you put your unit in range of multiple hostile cities/encampments, they will all shoot you. Ranged units will also shoot. Even AI fighters can now attack aground targets. And if you take your game well past t300, AI may get a lucky break and win. As far as I remember, pre-expansion vanilla AI used to beeline much more aggressively and could win pre-t300 more often. But if you focus just a little bit, AI has no hope even on Deity.

Also, Civ IV has way too many problems: religions have no difference whatsoever, making the choice of any of them really pointless;

Religion in Civ IV has more political impact than in both Civ V and VI combined. While it may not be such a bountiful store for bonus-shopping as in V and VI, it is the first great divider of civs into rival political camps.

The impact of the overall situation is considerable: will most of civs fall within one religion and will have a happy tech trading peacful time, making you sweat in trying to catch up with them, or will they fall apart into a few powerful camps, and you will be left before a very difficult choice when a couple of yout neighbours come asking to convert to their religion, and you know that if you refuse one of them, the rejected party will very likely come back with an army which may be bigger than yours.

Having state religion and organized religion boosts your production of buildings. Being in Apostolic Palace religion adds production to repective religious buildings.

It is simple, yet very elegant system, offering sometimes very difficult choices, and not overloading you with a ton of tedious micro.

the squared grid is tedious especially when you discovered the hexed grid from V and VI

Matter of taste, discussed to the death. Squares do give more movement freedom - 8 directions, hexes only 6.

doomstacks are broken;

They're... not? I honestly fail to see how they are broken. AI handles hexes and 1UPT considerably worse.

you can loose a walled city to a scout if you have no army in it (I don't know for you, but cities were able to defend themselves through milicia even without armies in it, it's the point of sieges)

Keep a cheap garrison unit then as militia or leave it undefended at your own risk. V and VI giving guaranteed garrisons everywhere are further from reality, I guess.

when founding a new city, you have no way to help it develop quickly (no buying buildings except you took Universa Suffrage, no trades routes to help you gain some hammers or food) meaning that expansion in the mid-late game is awfully tedious...

Using the title of the Civ IV meme thread, 'Do you even whip, bro?'
There is a way, it is called slavery and pop whipping, i. e. converting food to production. That's the fastest way to build up your new city (so food is king, so you need spots with lots of food, so map does have some importance, doesn't it?). And late game you have sufficiently powerful tile improvements to build up your city, or yes go universal suffrage and buy, if you so wish.

 

[Kwami]

Can we stop talking about Civ IV in the thread about Thursday's Civ VI patch? It's really getting tedious to wade through all the off-topic nonsense to find useful information.

There's a whole forum for Civ IV if you want to talk about why you think it's better than VI.

 

[Elhoim]

I never understood people's obession with realism in a game where scale of the world has never made sense (those are some huge wonders) and the leaders are eternally immortal.

I'd say that what you pointed out is an abstraction of realism for gameplay's sake (you can't have a huge world or hundreds of leaders for each civ) vs straight up fantasy/fiction that didn't happen in history (zombies/aliens/etc).

So when people talk about "realism" is about making an abstraction of something that happened in history or the real life vs making something up.

 

[trev1972]

Seeing all the discussions, I have to ask: is it only me or since the NFP the AI got better?
.

They still dont seem to update their military, i have scythia in my current game, tech wise she is modern era but she has literally filled her entire area with obsolete horse units.

 

[Corgiwealth]

I do think its a little odd they're starting out the New Frontiers Pack with updates to the more unusual aspects of the game rather then the aspects of the game the players talk about the most, namely diplomacy, unit lines, era pacing, empire management, AI, etc. you'd think they'd want to present what the NFP will be for the coming year with those aspects rather then Red Death or Apocalypse mode which are fun for the odd game but by no means for the majority of games played. I do think Red Death is interesting for the odd game and Apocalypse mode with some improvements such as making Soothsayers faith units, adding the ability to defend against asteroid collisions and solar flares, possibly the ability to wait out the apocalypse would be a fun game-mode to play for the odd game you want to have a unique major late-game event.

I do hope the next few updates focus on adding more to and improving the base game and all the features the community has had issues with in terms of not meeting their full potential or not adequately effecting the game deeply enough. From what Anton Strenger said about upcoming game modes it does seem as if there will be more focus on these aspects than the more niche and surreal ones.

 

[leandrombraz]

https://twitter.com/antonstrenger/status/1275163860580868099?s=20

We have a balance change to the Cliffs of Dover natural wonder as well, we just didn't cover it in the video.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we got a lurker here

 

[SammyKhalifa]

https://twitter.com/antonstrenger/status/1275163860580868099?s=20




Ladies and Gentlemen, we got a lurker here

Great to hear for sure but I'd hope that most expected it

 

[MrRadar]

https://twitter.com/antonstrenger/status/1275163860580868099?s=20




Ladies and Gentlemen, we got a lurker here

Hallelujah! Will we finally be able to grow a little turnip of our own on those tiles for 1 food? Or maybe, just maybe... a great big turnip in the country for whole 2 food? Please, let those biggest ambitions in life become reality!

And... please, don't stop lurkin'... and lettin' us know, of course, of us being lurked upon

 

[Sherlock]

When are they going to announce their next game? The next 'Beyond Earth' or whatever the 'we're going to put out a game with this engine while we work on the next big thing' is?

 

[Kwami]

When are they going to announce their next game? The next 'Beyond Earth' or whatever the 'we're going to put out a game with this engine while we work on the next big thing' is?

Not any time soon, I think. They've already committed to a full year of Civ VI updates instead.

 

[GrumboMumbo]

https://twitter.com/antonstrenger/status/1275163860580868099?s=20

Ladies and Gentlemen, we got a lurker here

Wow, I kinda feel bad now for some of the harsh comments made in this thread. But it does all come from a deep investment and love for the game

It's nice to see those comments, and it makes me more enthusiastic about the coming patches

 

[bbbt]

When are they going to announce their next game? The next 'Beyond Earth' or whatever the 'we're going to put out a game with this engine while we work on the next big thing' is?

I'd guess next spring for a release in fall 2021 for a game based on the civ engine.

They did talk about working on a brand new game besides the XCom and Civ series, so who knowy with that one.