Do I miss something, or are most of the UI completely crap?

[kaspergm]

I feel like there's something I might be missing, but from what I've seen, most of the unique improvements in the game seem complete crap. I'm talking about stuff like the Sphinx (1 faith, 1 culture), the Ziggurat (2 science, 0-1 culture), the Mission (1 faith, 0-1 science) and the Chateau (1 gold, 1 culture). Why would I ever want to waste a builder charge to build these improvements in the very early game, where their yields could actually make a difference, and what are the odds of actually wanting to work these tiles?

I loved the unique improvements in Civ5, because they were very powerful and gave each civ a unique twist to their gameplay, but in Civ6, it seems that I will go through an entire game without ever building one of them other than just to try it out. The exception from this rule is India's Stepwell, which seems amazing.

 

[smartcanuck1988]

For me the ziggurat was useful early game to get ahead in science and also collect some culture. Which makes sense since Sumer is an "early" civ. But I agree that improvements meant for later in the game are a bit meh.

I feel like unique abilities in general are too diluted for a game like Civ. In a more simulation style game, a +1 here and there would be a massive difference to the player. But Civ is not a simulation game. So in my opinion the game would benefit from fewer unique features but make each unique feature really, REALLY different.

 

[qadams]

I agree that the UIs are mostly duds. It does leave a lot of room, however, for modders to come up with better ideas for them. I'm also looking forward to modded Civs and Leaders that have fun new UIs and UUs.

 

[gimper42]

Thus far the only time that I have used Scythia's UI was after I built Petra, then I began dropping Kurgans on the bare desert tiles since nothing else could be constructed there. This was in the industrial era. I could not justify building a Kurgan anywhere else up to that point, even with the adjacency bonuses.

 

[mrwho]

This has been my impression so far as well, and I've also been wondering whether I'm missing something. The one exception that springs to mind for me is the India UI, the Stepwell, due to the +1 housing it gives. I'll place a stepwell if I really need the housing, or if the location wouldn't be able to take advantage of farm adjacency bonuses.

 

[isau]

They are pretty bad. Several mods out there, including some of mine, improve them.

Biggest issue I think is the tiles have to be worked, where as in general, unique districts and buildings don't. Because of this the way I personally modded some of them was for the improvement to add adjacency bonuses to districts, the way mines/quarries add hammers to the IZ.

 

[kaspergm]

This has been my impression so far as well, and I've also been wondering whether I'm missing something. The one exception that springs to mind for me is the India UI, the Stepwell, due to the +1 housing it gives. I'll place a stepwell if I really need the housing, or if the location wouldn't be able to take advantage of farm adjacency bonuses.

Doesn't the Stepwell also get/provide adjacency bonus to farms like a normal farm does, or is it only the Stepwell that gets the bonus food?

 

[MyOtherName]

Why would I ever want to waste a builder charge to build these improvements in the very early game, where their yields could actually make a difference, and what are the odds of actually wanting to work these tiles?

Because you want science, culture, and/or faith? In the early game, just one of these tiles would represent a large fraction of your entire civ's output of that resource.

 

[kaspergm]

Because you want science, culture, and/or faith? In the early game, just one of these tiles would represent a large fraction of your entire civ's output of that resource.

I can buy the Ziggurat for 2 science as being viable very early. But on a hammer vs. yield calculation, can you try to convince me that putting down a Sphinx is a good investment compared to building a monument or putting down a Theatre District if you want the culture?

 

[mrwho]

Doesn't the Stepwell also get/provide adjacency bonus to farms like a normal farm does, or is it only the Stepwell that gets the bonus food?

It gains +1 food next to a farm, but I don't believe it stacks, and it doesn't give the adjacent farm the bonus. So they can be useful to place in tiles adjacent to a single farm.

 

[Mustakrakish]

Ah, wrong UI... I came here to nod to the notion that UI (user interface) sucks balls big time, but yeah, those suck too.

 

[kaspergm]

It gains +1 food next to a farm, but I don't believe it stacks, and it doesn't give the adjacent farm the bonus. So they can be useful to place in tiles adjacent to a single farm.

Oh ok, thanx for clarification.

 

[Soduka]

At first I was guessing this was about the User Interface, which does suck. But these are bad too.

They're so extremely minor and samey that it introduces no flavor whatsoever to playing different civilizations. Makes it so Firaxis doesn't have to try to balance a more asymmetrical game which they aren't competent at doing on a good day

 

[MyOtherName]

I can buy the Ziggurat for 2 science as being viable very early. But on a hammer vs. yield calculation, can you try to convince me that putting down a Sphinx is a good investment compared to building a monument or putting down a Theatre District if you want the culture?

Well, yes. It takes a long time for building a monument to match the one cog = one culture tradeoff you get by working a sphinx instead of a mine; 40 turns if you have enough production to build the monument in 10 turns. And you pay the cost up front when you could be building other things useful for your civ's development. And you don't get faith from the monument.

And, of course, you can build the monument and still work sphinxes too to speed things along even faster, if desired.

 

[liv]

I played Spain, mission comes late in the Renaissance, exploration and give one faith. i built one. I need housing at that point

 

[Gorbles]

Because you want science, culture, and/or faith? In the early game, just one of these tiles would represent a large fraction of your entire civ's output of that resource.

I came here to say this. Especially with Faith, this is a huge way to get it in the early game.

 

[Plus Ultra]

They are great by Civ V standards.

Civ VI? The problem is simply the increasing opportunity cost. District, wonders, improved resources, farms and mines... and neighborhoods are considerably more important.

On the topic of UI... A good looking pseudo complete wall of China is impossible to build, which is terrible.

 

[DeutschDachs]

They are great by Civ V standards.

Civ VI? The problem is simply the increasing opportunity cost. District, wonders, improved resources, farms and mines... and neighborhoods are considerably more important.

On the topic of UI... A good looking pseudo complete wall of China is impossible to build, which is terrible.

? Polders, Terrace Farms, and Kasbahs were great.

Freitoras and Brazil wood Camps were useful.

Only Maoi and Chateaux seem mediocre to bad and they're the closest thing to Civ VI improvements and arguably still better

 

[Gorbles]

They are great by Civ V standards.

Civ VI? The problem is simply the increasing opportunity cost. District, wonders, improved resources, farms and mines... and neighborhoods are considerably more important.

On the topic of UI... A good looking pseudo complete wall of China is impossible to build, which is terrible.

The opportunity cost is heightened across the board, wouldn't you agree? But this is interestingly a good thing, because it makes the entire package seem more appealing. Which is to me a good part of a good sequel (and why I'm enjoying Civilisation 6 a lot more than CiV, and I've even been playing it more than BE across the same timespan. My taste in Beyond Earth aside, haha).

Wonders are frequently great, as are Districts, but both take considerably more effort than improvements, and some Improvements can really impact your early turns in a game (where every single turn counts). The fact that there is so much competition here is good. I think Improvements are really underrated (then again I think a lot of things are, beyond the necessary and overhyped Financial and Industrial Districts).

That said, the art assets for the Great Wall don't fall under UI It's probably a mix of graphics programming and actual art assets (similar to how the City layout changes and updates itself). A complicated problem with a lot of edge cases.