Civ6 now on iPhone7 and later

[MrRadar]

ArsTechnica has a review with screenshots.

Still no R&F, but earlier DLCs are included, in fact it is the same as released earlier for iPad.
And one purchase is valid for both.

 

[DWilson]

Can we please not pretend that the graphics are bad because of this? IRCC, even the iPad's graphics are hamstrung and vastly limited compared to the PC release.

Seriously, all it takes is for one to take time to observe the graphics in practice (with eh quality turned up) to appreciate their quality.

(Complaints about art style are different than quality).

 

[Leathaface]

Not exactly excited about Civ VI heading to iPhone. My honest opinion is that it cheapens the Civ franchise. Or at the very least Civ VI.

I don't anticipate anybody on here playing Civ VI on iPhone.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

I couldn't imagine playing Civ on a phone.

 

[WillowBrook]

Can iPhone play be recorded and uploaded to YouTube like desktop play? Has anyone done it? I'm curious to see how it looks.

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

Not exactly excited about Civ VI heading to iPhone. My honest opinion is that it cheapens the Civ franchise. Or at the very least Civ VI.

I don't anticipate anybody on here playing Civ VI on iPhone.

I think it has the potential to improve the Civ experience for Civ 7+.

As I posted on the original thread, the top selling phone games offer compelling and challenging gameplay with simple to understand rules. Civ's mechanics have become bloated over the years and unnecessarily complex. I'd love to see a re-boot of the series with a complete re-think about how to depict the development of civilizations in a way that offers challenging decisions and fun game play based on rules that are easy to catch on to.

 

[DWilson]

My suspicion is that it's going to be a very limited version of the game (map size, civs, and graphics), like the iPad version. Great to allow access on the go, but not the full experience.

And for me, that's probably a net good thing. It gets more people exposed to the game, and allows better mobility for those that are comfortable with it. It stabilizes continued revenue, which should ensure continuous support and success of the game long term.

As long as the game isn't sacrificing for the compatibility (which as far as I can tell isn't so, as Aspyr is simply converting the PC version to other devices, and you can't truly say VI is lacking in mechanics- refinement being another topic), this can only be a net good as far as I am concerned. And converting from iPad to iPhone presumably shouldn't have raised costs too notably.

 

[MrRadar]

Can iPhone play be recorded and uploaded to YouTube like desktop play? Has anyone done it? I'm curious to see how it looks.

It seems, yes. Internet guys are very quick nowadays. Here's some screen footage and a quick peek:

____
Edit:
Another one, with handheld demonstration:

 

[Leathaface]

I think it has the potential to improve the Civ experience for Civ 7+.

As I posted on the original thread, the top selling phone games offer compelling and challenging gameplay with simple to understand rules. Civ's mechanics have become bloated over the years and unnecessarily complex. I'd love to see a re-boot of the series with a complete re-think about how to depict the development of civilizations in a way that offers challenging decisions and fun game play based on rules that are easy to catch on to.

Civ IV is the best Civ for me. Anything that goes far away from that is venturing down the wrong path. Plus I bet we can count on Civ VII having microtransactions.

 

[Jifanodd]

Since the iPad version supports using mods, there’s a chance it’s also possible for iPhone. ”Support” meaning the ability to drop downloaded files to app’s mod folder. Most mods that don’t add or change graphics work on iPad without any changes, and even some modded units seem work.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

Plus I bet we can count on Civ VII having microtransactions.

That's what they said about Civ 6.

 

[iammaxhailme]

I hope they work on porting Rise and Fall to these alternate platforms (mostly switch). I've played with R&F on PC for ages. I'd love to get Civ 6 on switch, but I'm not going to bother if I have to revert back to vanilla, it's too much of a step backwards

 

[Airman1991]

I have Civ 6 on iPhone. I have an iPhone XS Max. Currently playing a game on a huge map with 12 civs. Besides the graphics not looking as good, it’s a little weird on a smaller screen compared to computer. But it all seems to be there. It doesn’t recommend 12 civs, but I am used to slow turn times because my computer isn’t that fast anyway, and the turn times at least in the beginning are only a few seconds, so I did it anyway. Just my two cents.

 

[Hactar]

My suspicion is that it's going to be a very limited version of the game (map size, civs, and graphics), like the iPad version. Great to allow access on the go, but not the full experience.

The iPad version is exactly the same as the desktop, except no Rise & Fall. I suppose there could be graphics differences but I haven’t done a stare-and-compare to notice them. All game play mechanics are the same.

 

[DeutschDachs]

Can we please not pretend that the graphics are bad because of this? IRCC, even the iPad's graphics are hamstrung and vastly limited compared to the PC release.

Seriously, all it takes is for one to take time to observe the graphics in practice (with eh quality turned up) to appreciate their quality.

(Complaints about art style are different than quality).

It may not have been done intentionally but it certainly will not make the people who complained from the outset that this looks like a phone game any happier and I can't really blame them anymore.

 

[DWilson]

It may not have been done intentionally but it certainly will not make the people who complained from the outset that this looks like a phone game any happier and I can't really blame them anymore.

I totally understand if people are upset with the style because they thought this would happen, and it makes sense. Even if I like the style, I acknowledge that it seems simple, less serious, etc. More akin to Pixar than CGI. That's a taste discussion, and wide open.

But much like Pixar isn't just simple, but also quality, I blatantly disagree when people say the graphics are bad or poor- because they aren't.

 

[DWilson]

The iPad version is exactly the same as the desktop, except no Rise & Fall. I suppose there could be graphics differences but I haven’t done a stare-and-compare to notice them. All game play mechanics are the same.

So, I should clarify: the limitations I meant on civs and map size are more related to device power, not hard-coded.

Graphically however, at least in the iPad thread, people were reporting built in limitations (which could be modified to an extent in the background with regard to some options, such as retina settings). And even if users could make those changes, some aspects were not enabled (AA, shader quality, etc., offerings we're reported as more limited).

 

[shaglio]

I'm reluctant to play a game like Civilization on a touch screen device. My biggest concern is not being able to hover the mouse over something and get tool-tip information.

 

[Leathaface]

That's what they said about Civ 6.

I didn't expect Civ VI to have microtransactions, I dunno how people think a PC only game would have microtransactions. I was just saying if Civ VII were to be released on both PC and iPhone, there could be microtransactions.

 

[Disgustipated]

I'm reluctant to play a game like Civilization on a touch screen device. My biggest concern it not being able to hover the mouse over something and get tool-tip information.

Touch screens are terrible and a vastly inferior input device to keyboard/mouse. Even a controller is better.

Who are all these people playing games on their phones? I honestly think phones are so small as they are completely worthless. Especially the Iphones. I actually don't own a smart phone (waste of money), but I do own a tablet. Even watching youtube videos on my tablet is too small. I can't make out the details.

And then the touch screen. Typing emails on my tablet is the worst experience ever. I admit I don't have the most steady finger, and far too often I hit the wrong key. This is why I could never ever game on a touch screen device. I can be much more precise with a mouse (though I occasionally misclick there too) and keyboard.

I think people who play games on their phones are playing games when they should be working. I don't have that luxury, I actually have to work for a living (though I will admit to having some downtime I can check the news on my tablet, certainly not enough to play a game of Civ6). So how are people playing so many games on their phone? I hate smart phones so much because people play music on them, and the music sounds like a one speaker radio from the 1970's. To me it's like going backwards in technology. Small speakers will always sound horrible. And like I said the screen is too small to see what's going on. Why would I game on an inferior device when I can game at home on a pretty awesome computer?

I won't knock it if it keeps Firaxis in business to release more Civ games in the future. Long as they don't dumb down the games. Civ6 is at about the right level of complexity.