Continents Mechanism - Basic Question

[queenpea]

Quick question: in Civ VI, we saw a lot of use of the "continents" mechanic in civ design. For example, Garde Impériale received a combat bonus on the player's "home continent", while Spanish Missions which received bonuses if they were not located on the player's "home continent."

So far, to my knowledge, we haven't seen any similar bonuses for VII. Do we think the mechanic is kaput?

I think this is for a couple of reasons: so far we only have game guides for the Antiquity Age civs, along with a few from Exploration. So far, none of the Exploration Age civs with game guides are considered colonial powers. I suppose we will have a better answer when we have the Spanish guide, and this will allow us to directly compare the design from VI and VII. It's also possible that a continent mechanic will only be a feature in the Modern Age.

What do you all think? Are continents out?

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I believe we have seen continent names on tooltips, if I remember correctly. It may be that we just haven't seen those types of bonuses yet. I'm definitely expecting to see more things involving the so-called Distant Lands now that we are getting a better look at Exploration.

 

[moysturfurmer]

I don’t see a world where the continents mechanic isn’t brought back. But I think it’ll get different terminology. +5 Combat Strength in Distant Lands or something like that. The gameplay distinction between continents like say, Europe and Asia (to use a real world example) I don’t think will be a thing, but given the map expansion and emphasis on the Exploration age Distant Lands, I have to assume it’ll be very tied to gameplay.

 

[Jeppetto]

I think they would be focused as a mechanic and part of colonialism system, as you suggest.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Given the state of map-making in Antiquity, in which 'continents' are simply missing from every depiction, and the emphasis (by the title) on Exploration in the 2nd Age of the game, I would bet on any Continental-based mechanics being reserved for the 2nd and 3rd Ages.

For one thing, having any 'intercontinental' bonuses based on actually reaching distant continents or hemispheres provides another in-game reason to actually perform some Exploring - sitting at home means you Lose Out on something.

 

[AriochIV]

We've definitely seen continent names in the tooltips, but beyond that the mechanics of exploration and the New World are pretty much unknown (other than that the Terra style map is now mandatory, and there won't be any civilizations like Maori in Civ6 with early ocean-crossing capability). None of the known abilities, techs or civics refer to continents.

 

[Krikkit1]

I don’t see a world where the continents mechanic isn’t brought back. But I think it’ll get different terminology. +5 Combat Strength in Distant Lands or something like that. The gameplay distinction between continents like say, Europe and Asia (to use a real world example) I don’t think will be a thing, but given the map expansion and emphasis on the Exploration age Distant Lands, I have to assume it’ll be very tied to gameplay.

Yes “Distant Lands” seems to be the balanced way to refer to New/Old World

So Europe/Asia/Africa are Distant Lands to N+S America and vice versa but those groups of different “continents” aren’t Distant Lands from each other.
(ie if it wasn’t accessible to you in Antiquity it is a Distant Land in Exploration)

 

[AriochIV]

Yes “Distant Lands” seems to be the balanced way to refer to New/Old World

Whether you say New/Old or Near/Far, you're still expressing a frame of reference. It's a distinction without a difference... just adding syllables.

 

[Krikkit1]

Whether you say New/Old or Near/Far, you're still expressing a frame of reference. It's a distinction without a difference... just adding syllables.

The point is it is explicitly related to your civ and would be different as opposed to related to some outside “objective” or “real world” calendar / observer. (Like New World is)

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

We've definitely seen continent names in the tooltips, but beyond that the mechanics of exploration and the New World are pretty much unknown (other than that the Terra style map is now mandatory, and there won't be any civilizations like Maori in Civ6 with early ocean-crossing capability). None of the known abilities, techs or civics refer to continents.

Leaving the term 'continent' out of the Antiquity Age completely leads me to believe that the term will be strictly confined (if used at all) to Exploration and Modern Ages, which would emphasize the difference between the Ages.

On the other hand, if the term is not used at all in Antiquity, then either we are stuck with only a Pangaea Map-type in Antiquity, or something else will have to be used for the old Continents or Continents and Islands type maps. I would be very surprised if they limit us to a single map style for the entire first Age, so 'Distant Lands' or possibly, Continents will still be used but without any special bonuses until Exploration Age.

There's so $%@&^ much we still don't know!

 

[Jeppetto]

I assume they could make multiple continents (as land masses for map generation, not a name for mechanic) separated by 4 - 6 tile wide coasts and land chokepoints, so you would be naturally mildly limited in passing and settling from one continent to another without any hard barrier, sort of emulating an effect of Euro-Afro-Asia. Then once you gain the ability to sail through ocean in EA, you would be able to find Distant Lands as these separate clusters, which would create the mechanic of Home Continent and Foreign Continent. So not inherently bound to Pangea or looking like Islands Map.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I assume they could make multiple continents (as land masses for map generation, not a name for mechanic) separated by 4 - 6 tile wide coasts and land chokepoints, so you would be naturally mildly limited in passing and settling from one continent to another without any hard barrier, sort of emulating an effect of Euro-Afro-Asia. Then once you gain the ability to sail through ocean in EA, you would be able to find Distant Lands as these separate clusters, which would create the mechanic of Home Continent and Foreign Continent. So not inherently bound to Pangea or looking like Islands Map.

Right now, lacking other details, I would assume that the current Civ VI map-types of Pangaea, Continents, Continents and Islands, and Archepelago - anything with water around the land masses - would still be possible in Civ VII for Antiquity Age Game Start.

Seven Seas, Highlands, Central Sea maps - anything that extends the land area to the edge of the map - would seem to be difficult or impossible to 'extend' in Exploration Age, unless all the map edge land is Impassable Ice, Jungle, Desert, or some other formidible terrain type. But that, in turn, would make sea exploration difficult to impossible, which seems to go against the emphasis so far intended/implied for Exploration Age. It would seem that however maps are arranged, they have to allow for Sea Travel between the Antiquity and Post-Antiquity map areas.

That, in turn, seems to imply that the variety of map types available upon which to start the game in Antiquity Age will be less than half of what has been available in Civ VI. Whether some new varieties will be introduced for the later Ages is impossible to tell at this point, knowing so little about the exact mechanics of those Ages.

 

[Jeppetto]

That's true, I have not considered the special map types. I could imagine Mountains used as separation for Seven Seas, and the Seas using some impassable reef on edges to cut the line of Coast, so that there would be 'other half' of the Sea accessible only though Ocean. So the Distant Lands would be beyond the mountains. But that sounds like too much effort. Probably more likely that they would simply drop these maps.

 

[Evolena]

In the Antiquity stream the initial landmass was 2 continents (Maurya was not on the same continent as Rome, the 3rd Discovery thing that the Roman scout didn't get, near the cliffs they talked about, was on the second continent).

 

[queenpea]

In the Antiquity stream the initial landmass was 2 continents (Maurya was not on the same continent as Rome, the 3rd Discovery thing that the Roman scout didn't get, near the cliffs they talked about, was on the second continent).

Did they use the word continent?

My suspicions were mostly confirmed during the Exploration Age stream where the devs explained "distant lands" vs. "homelands." I don't think the word continent was used.

 

[Mr Jon of Cheam]

Did they use the word continent?

My suspicions were mostly confirmed during the Exploration Age stream where the devs explained "distant lands" vs. "homelands." I don't think the word continent was used.

They showed the continents lens and talked about continents, for sure. It's still a thing!

 

[queenpea]

They showed the continents lens and talked about continents, for sure. It's still a thing!

But so far, there are no continent mechanics, right?

 

[Krikkit1]

But so far, there are no continent mechanics, right?

Not as far as we have seen,
(although the continents are grouped into Distant Lands v Homelands)

 

[queenpea]

Not as far as we have seen,
(although the continents are grouped into Distant Lands v Homelands)

Yeah, I mentioned that above.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

The Continents lens shows you what continents the treasure resources are on, so that's nice.