[NFP] Ethiopia Update Discussion Thread

[PhoenicianGold]

Yeah I'd agree it's unlikely.

But my understanding with game development is that the programming generally takes a lot more time than the art time in a lot of games. Or at least that the art can't start til a lot of the engine work is done.

It's why you see a lot of 'cosmetic DLC' in other games. It's basically trying to keep the art department busy/income generating while the core engineers are working on the engine and mechanics. Previously companies would just lay off art resources between major games/updates.

With Civ, I think the DLC civilizations are mostly those 'content DLC' (i.e. mostly art and not engineering resources). But they could be spit-balling more 'art resource' heavy options depending.

See, I would think that they could keep the art department busy by designing alternate leaders, which as far as I can tell by the cloth physics on RRT/MCdM don't require that much more effort to render from scratch.

I do agree that NFP does seem to be coasting on pretty low R&D investment. The question becomes whether this actually is intended to fill time between another "major game/update" for VI, or for a new property.

Why do you all assume that these alternate looks existed before the last few months? I really doubt it.

Because there was obviously pre-production research and design before civs were implemented. And because concept art is extremely cheap and often floats far more ideas than are actually implemented in any given game.

And because we have evidence that such tentative concept art actually exists for VI:

https://www.reddit.com/r/civ/comments/ej3opz/concept_art_turns_out_instead_of_teddy_roosevelt/

https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/eleanor-concept-art-and-others.642798/

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...ept_Art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190328150621

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...ept_Art.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200229210730

https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/king-tamar-of-georgia-and-amanitore-concept-art.628559/

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

I don‘t get this. I always thought Civ is a historical(!!!) 4X-Game-Series, and the best one of them. Even if it is not always that historical...ok. But Now they throw Vampires into it. Ok. I‘m shocked. Yesterday when i watched the Video i was shocked and i am still shocked today. Vampires...Vampires in Civ? I was hoping this morning i would wake up and the Vampires were just a nightmare or something, but no. Can‘t believe what is going on with my favourite game... for me personal, Vampires in Civ are just ridiculous

 

[knighterrant81]

I don‘t get this. I always thought Civ is a historical(!!!) 4X-Game-Series, and the best one of them. Even if it is not always that historical...ok. But Now they throw Vampires into it. Ok. I‘m shocked. Yesterday when i watched the Video i was shocked and i am still shocked today. Vampires...Vampires in Civ? I was hoping this morning i would wake up and the Vampires were just a nightmare or something, but no. Can‘t believe what is going on with my favourite game... for me personal, Vampires in Civ are just ridiculous

To be fair, there have been fantastical scenarios since waay back. There was a bunch released for Civ II (some were based on fan-made versions).

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I don‘t get this. I always thought Civ is a historical(!!!) 4X-Game-Series, and the best one of them. Even if it is not always that historical...ok. But Now they throw Vampires into it. Ok. I‘m shocked. Yesterday when i watched the Video i was shocked and i am still shocked today. Vampires...Vampires in Civ? I was hoping this morning i would wake up and the Vampires were just a nightmare or something, but no. Can‘t believe what is going on with my favourite game... for me personal, Vampires in Civ are just ridiculous

Then don't use the Secret Society mode.

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

Then don't use the Secret Society mode.

To be honest, your comment give me hope, i did not notice that it is a new game mode, thought the Secret Societies would be a part of the standard mode

then it is my fault. Thanks for pointing this out

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

To be honest, your comment give me hope, i did not notice that it is a new game mode, thought the Secret Societies would be a part of the standard mode

then it is my fault. Thanks for pointing this out

Like the Apocalypse Mode from May, I suspect this game mode will also be optional. Just a way to add additional flavour to your games, & thus further increase replayability.

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

Like the Apocalypse Mode from May, I suspect this game mode will also be optional. Just a way to add additional flavour to your games, & thus further increase replayability.

Hopefully. „I Suspect it“ is not the same as „I know it“, but we will see.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

For the record, the vampire unit is adorable. And I don't even like vampires.

I'm gonna build me a buncha lil castles and play whack-a-mole with the cowfields of my soulsworn enemies.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Hopefully. „I Suspect it“ is not the same as „I know it“, but we will see.

Even if not explicitly stated this time again, the optionality of all these modes was communicated as core principle when the NFP was released. You are free to decide in every new game, if you want to use none, one, all or any combination of the 6 modes (depending of course on how many you have access to and on how many have been released already). Original quote from first NFP announcement on Steam:

Game modes can include additional content such as new units, buildings, or improvements and can be turned on or off during game setup to apply significant and dramatic changes to the rules of the game.

 

[leandrombraz]

Hopefully. „I Suspect it“ is not the same as „I know it“, but we will see.

I know it. It's a game mode for sure, completely optional. I also expect to see mods that will remove the vampire society, redesign it to remove the vampire unit or replace it entirely.

 

[Mr Jon of Cheam]

Hopefully. „I Suspect it“ is not the same as „I know it“, but we will see.

They already confirmed that the game modes are optional and can be toggled on and off in whatever combination you desire.

I wonder whether some of the disatisfaction with the new modes is based on the idea that NFP is an expansion pack split into monthly installments. It isn't, and they've been fairly clear about that, so the majority of the content is 'cherry on the top' style. Not necessarily what people wanted but exactly what was advertised.

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

I just can say that i hope you guys are right. Otherwise it would destroy the game for me, unfortunately. It is not that i want to bash the game, Civ6 is my favourite game by now, but i really thought the Vampire stuff would be for the standard mode...now i hope it is not.

btw, it has nothing to do with me expecting NFP would be an expansion pack split into monthly installments. It was just that i did not hear the key words: „it is a new game mode“ in the video. I really hope it was just my fault.

 

[Pfeffersack]

It was just that i did not hear the key words: „it is a new game mode“ in the video. I really hope it was just my fault.

Not sure on the video, but again the written Steam announcement is clear:

There’s also Secret Societies, a new optional game mode with its own exclusive ruleset full of mystery and intrigue.

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

Not sure on the video, but again the written Steam announcement is clear:

There’s also Secret Societies, a new optional game mode with its own exclusive ruleset full of mystery and intrigue.

Then everything is fine with me Thanks. No problem with optional(!!!) Vampires. Civ standard mode remains historical (more or less)

 

[AriochIV]

@AriochIV

It would be great to update your Civilization Analyst website with all that new information.

Done.

Secret Societies looks like a lot of fun. It also looks like it will be a lot more playable than Apocalypse mode. The abilities of the fantasy units are actually not any more outlandish than those of some of the supposedly historical units.

(totally NOT Cthulhu)

 

[Solver]

Minerva - CH give culture, a potential extra trade route, and EXTRA ECONOMIC AND WILDCARD SLOT. Holy cow - that's early game power!

The Wildcard seems to be an Industrial-era bonus, based on the video. So in the early game you just have an extra economic policy, which is powerful but reasonable. Having an extra economic and wildcard slot early on would be too much.

 

[Republic of San Montuoso]

The Wildcard seems to be an Industrial-era bonus, based on the video. So in the early game you just have an extra economic policy, which is powerful but reasonable. Having an extra economic and wildcard slot early on would be too much.

Playing Greece with OoM: you can already put the four Code of Laws civics in your government. No need to choose anymore!

 

[Deggial]

Some thoughts of mine:

1) Ley-lines
I am surprised, that so many people seem to be upset about vampires, but nobody mentioned ley-lines so far! Personally, I would categorize them as way more “critical”, because everything regarding vampires can actually be re-named with relative ease via mods. Those ley-lines, however, are a very visual part of the game and finding a real-world explanation for them might be way more difficult.

2) Fantasy in Civ6
I am wondering, if the survey results had anything to do with Firaxis’ decision to implement those fantastic game elements. I for one did say, that I would love a fantasy spin-off. I was referring to an entire new game, though and not to fantasy game elements in Civ6.
Generally, I can live with their introduction, though. Live with them, not being hyped! They actually sound fun and they will add new and probably interesting elements to the game. (More “mundane” implementations might have done the same, though.)
Anyway, I will take them as what they are and have fun with them. Cthulhu is awesome and vampires are okay, as long as they don’t glitter in the sunlight.

3) “Modes are optional”
Yes, of course modes are optional. Players not liking them can always chose not to play with them.
However, only 6 new game modes will be part of the NFP. Not only did their addition cost development time that could have been spent on other things. More importantly, every mode not to a person’s liking reduces the value of the NFP noticeably for this person. I don’t think “Modes are optional” is a valid response to verbalized displeasure.
Fortunately, I like the “Apocalypse Mode” and the “Secret Societies Mode” sounds promising as well. (I still wish, disaster intensity could be adjusted in the “A. M.”. Without this change, it will be a 1/6 dropout for my usual games.)

4) Vampire units
I am curious, how these units will progress during the game. Will they share the warrior monk’s fate and be rendered useless when the game reaches later eras? Or will they grow in strength in relation to the era, like the Nihang? I definitely hope for the later!

 

[Nerevatar]

Some thoughts of mine:
4) Vampire units
I am curious, how these units will progress during the game. Will they share the warrior monk’s fate and be rendered useless when the game reaches later areas? Or will they grow in strength in relation to the era, like the Nihang? I definitely hope for the later!

If my experience in professional software development has taught me anything, I would say that vampires will definitely progress as Nihang. I would go as far as to say the Nihang probably only exists because they made the "tech" for the vampires (part of a core feature of NFP) and then they thought it would be cool to re-use this functionality in the standard game as well. Re-using cool functionality that you had to develop for something else is a cheap way to provide lots of value to the customer => entertainment to the players.

 

[GenyaArikado]

I highly doubt that magnificence/rough rider are the result of original concepts. I mean, they might have been just that, concepts, but i think that going as far as to think that Magnificence Catherine was supposed to be the original because she is holding a cup is unrealistic.