Designing America for Civ7

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

1. Underlying themes? (Late 18th Century, Mid 19th Century, or 20th Century)
2. Who should be leader? And should there be 'Lincoln VS Davis' too?
3. What should be their Unique Units?
- Mine might be the Yellow Legs (US Army Cavalry), which distincts in that they were immune to any Anticavalry maluses (they never do melee saber cavalry charges AT ALL! actually they were developed after British Light Dragoons (still Mounted Infantry by the time other 'dragoons' became actual Heavy Cavalry) ), and can build a fort.. Note that 'Rough Riders' in Civ6 are more correctly represented by this unit.
4. What should be their Infrastructures.?

 

[Evie]

No Civil War. Lincoln can lead, but the CSA was a short lived failed state that needs to be left in the dust. Vermont was a self-govening state longer than the CSA existed, for crying out loud.

Given discussion of England was leaning against GBR and Industrial Revolution as themes, America is a strong contender for the Industrial civ. If the game has immigration mechanics, America would also be a natural at it, and could certainly play a very solid Great People game as a third option,

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Well here I go:

Leader: Thomas Jefferson with Louisiana Purchase purchase ability. Neutral tiles may be purchased at a 50% discount while you can purchase other civs tiles at a 25% discount as long as the tiles are 3 spaces away from one of your cities. (Purchasing from other civs can also help with alliances and diplo relationships). Recon units gain extra sight.

Civ ability: American Dream- Something to do with immigration mechanics above and if you reach a certain number in the city you could receive a free Great Person.

UU: Navy Seal- Maybe just enhanced Combat Strength in all situations.

UB: Film Studio- It's hard to find a building truly unique to America but I think this works out fine. I'd maybe make it to where you can add in a Great Work of Writing too and combine it with music to make a Great Work of Film.
I did consider Saloon as well but I'm not sure what gameplay elements it would do besides give amenities.

 

[civac]

These uniques are too late. It would mean they are rarely used. I have seen minutemen and immigration station (harbor replacement) in a mod.

 

[Evie]

Your Tired and Your Poor
Whenever any other civilization not at war with America would lose a population point in one of their city, it is instead added to the population of the American city with the largest food surplus, and that city gains +1 production. Whenever an American city gets to 15 population, it produces a great person of the type the city produces the most point for. The cost of purchasing great people with golf is reduced X% for you.

I'm tempted to say there should be an ability powerful enough involving civics to justify a "you must go through an anarchy turn to remove an existing civic", as America's great progresses are almost always born at the cost of great social upheaval and internal conflicts. But it would probably need to be an ability granting America a goodly number of extra slots at the cost of having a much harder time switching them (so: great at new ideas, not so great at moving on from old ones), or something like that

 

[Xandinho]

I like how America is designed in Civ6 as a cultural and diplomatic powerhouse, I don't know if I'd design it any other way. Perhaps diplomacy in general should play a more important role in the economy?
I think the film studio should allow the creation of a filmmaker as a unique civil unit that would transform great works of writting into movies that would be exhibited in film studios. Each movie studio would have three slots for movies.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

These uniques are too late. It would mean they are rarely used. I have seen minutemen and immigration station (harbor replacement) in a mod.

I mean it's no later than some of America's uniques now (P51 Mustang and Film Studio). Minutemen could work as a leader UU for Washington and I think other civs would be better off with a unique harbor.

I like how America is designed in Civ6 as a cultural and diplomatic powerhouse, I don't know if I'd design it any other way. Perhaps diplomacy in general should play a more important role in the economy?
I think the film studio should allow the creation of a filmmaker as a unique civil unit that would transform great works of writting into movies that would be exhibited in film studios. Each movie studio would have three slots for movies.

That's kind of how I thought of Louisiana purchase ability, just in a more unique way than how Teddy does culture and diplomacy.

I like the idea of having a filmmaker unit. Would they be considered a special type of Great Person and have names like Alfred Hitchcock, or just regular civilian names like archaeologists?

 

[Phrozen]

UB: Film Studio- It's hard to find a building truly unique to America but I think this works out fine. I'd maybe make it to where you can add in a Great Work of Writing too and combine it with music to make a Great Work of Film.
I did consider Saloon as well but I'm not sure what gameplay elements it would do besides give amenities.

Land-Grant University. Cheaper than a normal university and provides +1 to each tile improvements yield. Some examples of land grant universities are: Cal Berkley, MIT, Michigan State U, Minnesota, Cornell, Wisconsin, Arizona.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Land-Grant University. Cheaper than a normal university and provides +1 to each tile improvements yield. Some examples of land grant universities are: Cal Berkley, MIT, Michigan State U, Minnesota, Cornell, Wisconsin, Arizona.

Well a university replacement would also fit Thomas Jefferson very well considering he did found the University of Virginia, even though it's not exactly a land-grant university itself.

You also left out the best one, Texas A&M.

 

[Zaarin]

Leader: John Adams: Federalism: Some bonus relating to centralized administration, diplomacy, and economics.
Civ Ability: Manifest Destiny: A bonus relating to territorial expansion, agriculture, and industry.
Unique Infrastructure: Meeting House: Replaces Shrine?, grants a bonus to stability (whatever mechanic Civ7 uses to represent that), plus small bonuses to faith and industry (Protestant work ethic, baby ).
Unique Unit: Pioneer: Replaces the Settler, has low combat strength with a substantial bonus to defense (so you won't be making a "Pioneer rush" with it but you could conceivably send it out unescorted), moves faster over rugged terrain than an ordinary Settler.

So I've chosen to center America around its early 19th century history. America is an expansionist power designed to go both Wide and Tall. It isn't really geared towards any specific victory; similar to Civ6 Cree or Inca, a combination of wide empire and big, industrious cities provide a basis for any victory, but especially Science and Domination.

America is a strong contender for the Industrial civ.

Problem is the bulk of American industrial era presidents (between, say, Lincoln and McKinley) were awful; of the few that weren't awful, Cleveland is boring, Grant's administration was riddled with scandals even if he himself wasn't part of them, and Hayes wasn't horrible, wasn't great, and really isn't all that exciting. You could still design America as an industrial power, of course, but I wouldn't go for a Reconstruction-era president for sure.

 

[Xandinho]

That's kind of how I thought of Louisiana purchase ability, just in a more unique way than how Teddy does culture and diplomacy.

I like the idea of having a filmmaker unit. Would they be considered a special type of Great Person and have names like Alfred Hitchcock, or just regular civilian names like archaeologists?

I'm thinking about something more how archaeologists work, you could even send them to other civs. Ideally, I think all civs could create movie works, America would just get more benefit than the others by generating much more culture and tourism, maybe some gold too. Movie studio would replace cinema, which all civs could build on. And while cinema would have two movie slots, movie studio would have three or four, and the filmmaker would show up as soon as the studio was built, without the need to buy or build it like the other civs would have to do.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Unique Infrastructure: Meeting House: Replaces Shrine?, grants a bonus to stability (whatever mechanic Civ7 uses to represent that), plus small bonuses to faith and industry (Protestant work ethic, baby ).

Interesting idea but I'd personally want to keep the Meeting House as a worship building representing Protestantism.

Unique Unit: Pioneer: Replaces the Settler, has low combat strength with a substantial bonus to defense (so you won't be making a "Pioneer rush" with it but you could conceivably send it out unescorted), moves faster over rugged terrain than an ordinary Settler.

I like this idea, even better than mine. I'm usually not a fan of just having civilian UUs but being able to have some combat strength for a settler is just too good to pass up. Would definitely have to come with a "Oregon Trail" achievement which is being able to settle Portland with a Pioneer unit.

I'm thinking about something more how archaeologists work, you could even send them to other civs. Ideally, I think all civs could create movie works, America would just get more benefit than the others by generating much more culture and tourism, maybe some gold too. Movie studio would replace cinema, which all civs could build on. And while cinema would have two movie slots, movie studio would have three or four, and the filmmaker would show up as soon as the studio was built, without the need to buy or build it like the other civs would have to do.

I personally like the idea of sending films to other civs cinemas, which should give you tourism from that civ. I think that's how the corporation products should have worked.

I do think it makes more sense if filmmakers would be exclusive to the film studio and appear whenever you finish a "Create Film" project by combining a writing and music great work. Then they would go to other civs cinemas and use a charge to give a film.

I guess for other civs regular cinemas could combine a great writing and music as a film for their own civ.

 

[Zaarin]

Interesting idea but I'd personally want to keep the Meeting House as a worship building representing Protestantism.

Thing is, most Protestants (Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, etc.) don't meet in meeting houses; meeting houses are specifically an expression of the Radical Reformation (traditionally called "Anabaptists"): Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, German Brethren, Dunkers, Shakers, etc. And they're disproportionately represented in America because they weren't welcome anywhere else. Also in America the meeting house wasn't just a church; it was the center of the community. You could have an American Meeting House alongside a Protestant Church or Chapel.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Thing is, most Protestants (Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, etc.) don't meet in meeting houses; meeting houses are specifically an expression of the Radical Reformation (traditionally called "Anabaptists"): Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, German Brethren, Dunkers, Shakers, etc. And they're disproportionately represented in America because they weren't welcome anywhere else. Also in America the meeting house wasn't just a church; it was the center of the community. You could have an American Meeting House alongside a Protestant Church or Chapel.

True. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm glad that Christianity got another building besides just the Cathedral, and would like keeping the Meeting House as a worship building option. Though I guess calling it a Chapel would work just as well though chapels aren't exclusively Protestant either.

 

[Zaarin]

True. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm glad that Christianity got another building besides just the Cathedral, and would like keeping the Meeting House as a worship building option. Though I guess calling it a Chapel would work just as well though chapels aren't exclusively Protestant either.

Most terminology isn't as specific as the game's usage of it. Cathedrals aren't exclusively Catholic (there are Protestant and Orthodox cathedrals as well); a meeting house isn't even exclusively religious and can refer to any place where people meet for a purpose; even "synagogue" didn't originally refer specifically to a Jewish house of worship (though it does now outside of Greek). So one more generic label isn't too out of place.

 

[jsciv69]

AMERICA

Leader: Dwight D Eisenhower. WWII General and Allied leader and later US President. Post WWII and Korean War America saw prosperity and growth. US reach around the World reached alarming heights. This Era saw the rise of the CIA. And a Nuclear Arms race that made the World hold it's breath. The Military evolved into the most powerful in the World. The Navy turned to Nuclear Powered ships. as America reigns supreme as a military and industrial superpower. America under Ike became a 50 state country. Eisenhower was the 1st two-term President in the Cold War Era. The 1950's America was about prestige and exceptionalism. and the population boomed.

Unique Buildings: CIA headquarters, Camp Pendleton, TV Studio
Unique Units: M60 Battle Tank, B52 Bomber, Super Aircraft Carrier, Marines

 

[Zaarin]

Eisenhower was the 1st two-term President in the Cold War Era.

He wasn't elected for two terms, but Harry Truman did serve essentially two terms as FDR died three months into his fourth term.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Land-Grant University. Cheaper than a normal university and provides +1 to each tile improvements yield. Some examples of land grant universities are: Cal Berkley, MIT, Michigan State U, Minnesota, Cornell, Wisconsin, Arizona.

Land Grant universities were also all designed to have Reserve Officer's Training Courses to train commanders for the US Army, so could provide a discount on forming new military units as well.

For Unique American Buildings, a short list:

Town Hall - Loyalty, Amenity bonuses. (This could be an alternative to the 'Meeting House' and more precise to America)
Department Store - major Gold, Amenity bonuses
Union Station - a railroad terminal used by all railroads serving a city: Trade, Amenity, Gold bonuses

Unique Improvement:
Stockade: a Fort built by US Military Engineers, can be built on unclaimed tiles within 4 tiles of tthe American border and turns the tile it's on and the surrounding adjacent tiles into American territory.

Possible Unique Units:

NOT the 'Minuteman' which was a mediocre militia outfit.
Legion of the United States - a Line Infantry unit with Scout-like vision and movement (the original Legion had line infantry, light infantry, light artillery and dragoons all in a regiment-sized unit, oe of the best Combined Arms units ever designed for rough country actions)
Mounted Rifles - a Line Infantry unit that moves like Cavalry (the first 'Kentucky' Mounted Rifles rode in loose formation to the battlefield, but used mostly mounted or dismounted firepower with muskets, rifles, shotguns, and/or pistols)
Yellow Legs - US Cavalry of the 19th century, no anti-mounted bonus applies when fighting them because they almost always fought dismounted.
Redlegs - US Artillery of the early Modern Era. Can fire twice in one turn (the Fire Direction Center invented by the US Army Artillery School in the late 1930s could direct an entire division's artillery to mass fire on a target within 3 minutes of spotting the target, and within 3 - 5 minutes after the guns finished firing, redirect them to another target - no other artillery in the world could come close to that performance)
FireFinder - US Rocket Artillery automatically attacks any opposing artillery unit that fires within range of the rocket artillery (the Fire Finder radar could pinpoint an enemy artillery position before the first round they fired had hit the ground, and the MLRS (M270) rocket artillery could put several thousand sub-munitions on that position within 2 minutes. In the first Gulf War, that combination wiped out over 70% of the Iraqi artillery)
Heavy Frigate - the US 44-gun frigates of the post-Revolution: they could out-fight even small shps of the line.
Monitor - coastal Ironclad with extremely high firepower
Essex Class Carrier - aircraft carrier, get two whenever you build one (the US built 27 Essex class fleet carriers in less than 4 years: it is still the largest single class of capital ships built since the 18th century and more aircraft carriers than the entire rest of the world combined managed to build in WWII)

 

[Zaarin]

Town Hall - Loyalty, Amenity bonuses. (This could be an alternative to the 'Meeting House' and more precise to America)

I went with the Meeting House because I wanted a small nod to America's religious roots, which I don't think has even been alluded to in any previous iteration of the civ.

 

[jsciv69]

He wasn't elected for two terms, but Harry Truman did serve essentially two terms as FDR died three months int

I guess I should have indicated that Ike was the 1st elected to two terms in the Cold War Era.