Releasing the DLL. I get some people are upset about this. I booted up a game yesterday, and there was a big dummy spit from the Modder of YNAMP on the game creation page, exclaiming that he's not going to continue supporting his mod without the DLL. Leaving aside whether an intrusion like that is reasonable, I think it does emphasise how passionate people are about this.
To me, the DLL conversation basically boils down to this. There is a limit to how good the game will ultimately get if Modders can't accessing certain things like the AI. To my limited understanding, that appears to require the DLL, and therefore there's a limit to how good the game will be without the DLL. I think FXS's comments to date and the lack of DLL being released is concerning - it does suggest that maybe the DLL will never be released. But I also think it's still quite possible they will release the DLL down the line. FXS seem to act in good faith, and personally I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Fingers crossed.
Patch v New Content v New Game Modes v New Civs. I'm happy to get new Civs and Game Modes. But I'm most interested in the base or "core" game getting expanded and refined. It's possible that some of the things I want will come as Game Modes, and I'll basically just leave those modes toggled on for all my games (e.g. if there's an Ideology Game Mode). It's also possible some stuff might come through Patches / Updates. The fact the new Apocalypse Mode comes with additional Disasters (which suggests other Game Modes will also have additional content for the base game), the suggestion FXS played around with new mechanics for units (Lifespan, Renown, whatever they are[0]), and the timetable including game patches every two months, does suggest to me that some expansion and refinement of existing game mechanics is possible. So, for something like Ideological Pressure which I'd really like to see, I feel like it's at least 50:50 that gets introduced via a Game Mode or Update.
So, like a lot of people, the thing I'm most interested to see is the Patch Notes, because that will be the first indication of what this season pass means for the base game. I'm hoping it will at least rebalance / re-work Religion a bit and hopefully fill some unit gaps. But we'll just have to wait and see.
New Frontiers v Third Expansion. I still think FXS had a Third Expansion planned, but then went down this Season Pass route instead. I don't really know why though. Perhaps with the game on Switch, IOS etc., they just go really worried that a Third Expansion would overcomplicate the game. Or maybe they felt stuck, in that they didn't have enough content for a Third Expansion without getting out of the comfort zone a little, but then didn't want to gamble on getting a negative reaction to putting more out there content in the game. As it is, lots of people have criticised Loyalty and the World Congress, and there was also a clear split in the playerbase vis a vis players that wanted Plagues and stuff like that, and players that thought these things would overcomplicate the game. Indeed, FXS seemed very sensitive to this with Disasters given poor experiences in Civ IV, and made a point of making that something you could dial up or down.
NF is basically a Third Expansion spread over a year. It's frustrating to have waited so long for a Third XP and now basically have to wait even longer to get a complete Third XP. I really want to see Ideologies, Trade / Corporations (or at least, Corporations but done better) and some other stuff. I've waited 8 months or so to find out if FXS will add that content. And now I'll have to wait another 6 months to find out if they will, given the first two NF DLC are disasters and spies[?]. So, with four DLC left, I guess I have a roughly 1:4 chance of getting what I want? (Or, really, 1:3, because one of those DLCs will almost certainly be plagues).
Overall, I think the NF Pass model will result in more content then we'd get through a 3XP. But that's really hard to know for sure - we could end up with less in some ways - and obviously there's a lot more waiting around involved.
I don't know. FXS have done a pretty good job supporting the game so far, and most of there judgment calls have been good around mechanics, balance etc. I'm reasonably hopeful, if a bit over the constant feeling that I'm waiting for the game to feel "complete".
TL;DR. It's okay to be concerned about the DLL, but don't lose your minds just yet. NF is basically a 3XP, and will probably mean more content than a 3XP overall, but yeah it's still uncertain what we'll get and the waiting is tedious. And, yeah, the "biggest deal" is what's in the patch notes on 21 May, not new Civs etc. Although Maya are pretty cool and Asteroids will be fine for a few games at least.
[0] I don't think we should read too much into a random Chinese Screen Grab, but the Lifespan / Renown thing is intriguing. It could be something in a game Update, it could be part of a forthcoming Game Mode, or could just be something FXS tried but then decided not to do for Civ. I'm not going to really speculate about it, because really who knows, but it is intriguing.
In the meantime, we are getting something new and exciting, and we'll keep getting something new and exciting for awhile, even if it isn't always everybody's cup of tea every single time.
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