Firaxis you have a Problem

[Gaelron]

Your game does not work, specifically MP games.

Lobbies continue to crash before filling, then bug rite out.

Cannot join someones lobby as it gets stuck on the loading screen.

If you do get in a lobby, you get dcd/kicked out before the lobby can fill.

10 hours wasted trying to play last 3 days, managed to get 1 game launched, which crashed turn 10.

This is not just my comp/game, I have never used a single mod. Problem seems to be with everyone.

Why do you make/sell games that don't work? Thinking about it now, this same crap has been going on with MP since CIV3/Civ4. I would think after 20 years you would learn how to properly code a video game. You post no mssg's or give your players any info about the problem - you ignore it and your playerbase. This seems to happen everytime you release new DLC greedily trying to get more $$$$. Get your game to work properly first before digging into peoples wallets. In my opinion, you are the worst gaming producer on the market and have a brutal track record. Its a shame you have the rights for such a good game that people love or you probably wouldn't be around anymore.

Anyway, I would like a refund on my game purchase, I have my original receipt. I have reached out to support about the problems in your game, they have ignored me. May I please have my money back from your false advertising and junky game that does not work as advertised?

Unfortunately, most things fall on Firaxis's deaf ears.....how do you people keep your jobs?!?

 

[Browd]

It's not entirely clear to whom you are intending to complain, but keep in mind that CivFanatics is a fan-forum, unaffiliated with Firaxis and 2K. Although we understand that some Firaxis and 2K employees may view these forums from time to time, this is not an official communications outlet for either organization. If you are serious about seeking a refund, you should pursue that through the vendor from whom you purchased the game and/or the game's publisher, 2K -- Firaxis is the game's developer, but the game is distributed and sold by its parent company, 2K.

 

[steveg700]

The problem is, they are making too much money.

Semi-serious answer, actually. They are not making a deep, immersive strategy game with lots of interesting choices. They are making an addictive, easy game focused on building simple engines of war.

 

[legalizefreedom]

Unfortunately, that's where we are... so the next step is to quit buying them... at least until the complete edition is 50% off. Because that's about what we get... half effort over a ridiculously drawn out amount of time. It's painful.

 

[AntoineS]

It appears that the problem with the Civ Series (at least since Civ V) is that Firaxis forgot its "why", as in Simon Sinek´s Golden Circle theory.

The problem is therefore not their budget or the ability of their staff, but the shift in focus from Sid Meier making an amazing and immersive game for the time out of passion to recreate a sense of going through history and building an empire, using the new digital technology, to making money.

Making money is not a goal, it is a consequence of a profoundly driving "why" that leads you to create great games. This is why Civ VI is faulty, buggy, lacking in immersion, depth and that the AI is... game breaking by its inability to play the game.

The content of the game post expansions should be great, I believe, because Firaxis and 2K seem to not care as much about the playability of their game as they do about the marketing content production generates (at least it´s a positive aspect although reached for the wrong reasons).

If someday a few modders, tired of Firaxis´ lack of will to bring the game up to the level where it should be (note that, once again, this has nothing to do with budget or ablity) decided to develop a game similar to Civ out of passion, Firaxis and 2K would most likely lose a good share of their customers (given their lack of "why", they don´t see a fanbase, they see customers), and the Civ series would be in danger of collapsing, forcing Firaxis to react or suffer the consequences.

I will give Civ 6 the benefit of the doubt until the end of its life cycle because as I said, I believe in the content they will keep releasing will be substantial, and maybe, just maybe, they will realize how great a game Civ 6 could be and care enough to make it a great game instead of taking the risk of losing some of the most loyal members of their fanbase (that drove them in the 90´s and early 2000´s and still desperately care today) by releasing Civ 7 prior to having made Civ 6 what it should be.

I don´t mind buying DLCs and expansions as long as the end result is really worth it. But in case Civ 6 were to be a waste of my time and money and a shame for Firaxis members as professionals, then I would stop buying Civ games forever... at least until they found their true why again... if ever.

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Yawn. OP puts forward a legitimate complaint (albeit not in the correct spot) & it just becomes another excuse for people.to complain about Civ6. Funny, but I find Civ6 to be the most replayable version of the game I have had to date. Even if I play the same civ, over & over, I know my gameplay experience will differ markedly based on terrain, City States & Major Civs. It took 2 expansions for either Civ4 or Civ5 to approach that level of replayability.

 

[Disgustipated]

Problem is MP has always been an afterthought. This will never truly be a MP game. Games have been getting less and less MP friendly since SMAC (I miss PBEM games).

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Problem is MP has always been an afterthought. This will never truly be a MP game. Games have been getting less and less MP friendly since SMAC (I miss PBEM games).

.....and yet I remember some truly spectacular MP games with Civ4 back around 2007-08, with groups that spanned the entire planet-with next to zero issues.

 

[skodkim]

Is there any way to cheat/hack etc civ so you can use the previous version again?

I own a perfectly legit version of the game bought through steam but the update has really ruined it for me. Should say that I play with mods (but they should all be updated by now and logs are clean) and the game is just a mess now. I have ctd's all the time (can barely make or five turns into the game) and sometimes the mods break for no apparent reason forcing me to delete cache etc. Must have spent like 30-40 hours or so just trying to get things working again - it worked like a charm before the update.

I'm do fed up with this update!

\Skodkim

 

[Noble Zarkon]

Should say that I play with mods (but they should all be updated by now

The patch has only been out for 10 days and there are a lot of changes - you might want to rethink your expectations.

Check out this thread for some good advice.

 

[skodkim]

@NobleZarkon You're missing my point. The mods I'm using have all been updated to the patch, so they should be more or less safe. That's not to say that they're not causing this, but even if they are, I'm inclined to put at least some of the blame on Firaxis/2K. I mean, what kind of strategy are they applying there community/customer-wise: Other than the occasional post saying that sooooon we'll have another great product for you (to buy...) and the releases we hear nothing from them. It's one-way communication to the extreme and I understand perfectly the frustration of the modders who have spent hours making their mods and seeing it all broken by a (bug filled) patch that is released with very little warning.

And why am I - as a customer - forced to update right away? For once I had a holiday and my family was out of the house for several days so I had a perfect chance to play the game - had a really good game running with a perfectly balanced mod collection and bang it all breaks.

So once again, if anyone know a way to return to pre summer patch version I'd like to hear about it (hope it's ok to ask about this - as said I own a legit steam version).

PS: I did follow the procedures in the link before posting but with no luck. I'll try again though.

\Skodkim

 

[Ferocitus]

And why am I - as a customer - forced to update right away? For once I had a holiday and my family was out of the house for several days so I had a perfect chance to play the game - had a really good game running with a perfectly balanced mod collection and bang it all breaks.

I agree that it could/should be made more explicit, but you weren't forced,
as such. You started playing while online and while logged onto Steam.
You can play offline, and you can disable automatic updates.

Have you seen the rants against Firaxis here and elsewhere? I don't blame them
for ignoring many comments and for not bothering to contribute here any more.
Even if they did show up on CFC, there are those who would just start slinging
crap at them. Sure, Firaxis deserve criticism for many things, but so much of
what I've read on CFC might as well have been written in crayon on paper with
pictures of duckies or elephants holding balloons.

The mods I'm using have all been updated to the patch, so they should be more or less safe.

"More or less safe" is not meaningful in relation to complicated computer
programs. It's more like the Chinese(?) proverb: "One rat dropping spoils a pot
of rice."

There is no way Firaxis could keep track of the many different mods, and modding
techniques, and also guarantee that they are 100% safe after a patch, or at any
other time.

They certainly should do more for modders. The standard (unmodded) game IMO is a
pretty ordinary effort, and I wouldn't bother with it at all if there wasn't one
particular series of enhancements that make it an absolute delight for me.

Different people have different expectations for the game and from Firaxis.
I see it purely as a kind of foundation that can be used by modders to build on.
(I'm probably the only person with that expectation/attitude!)
In that respect I wish it was more open so more game elements could be easier
to change.
I also never expected that Civ6 would be in any way perfect or complete on
release, or even within a year or two. My opinion, for what it's worth, is
based on Civ 5, which was in an afwul state when released.

Of course, many other people wanted a bug-free game, or at least one that would
have its faults patched quickly and regularly. I think those people had
unrealistic expectations, and they probably think I have a ridiculously high
level of tolerance for incomplete games. I wanted the game as soon as it came
out and I didn't care if it was buggy, incomplete, and rough as guts.

Good luck with your future games!

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

I agree that it could/should be made more explicit, but you weren't forced,
as such. You started playing while online and while logged onto Steam.
You can play offline, and you can disable automatic updates.

Have you seen the rants against Firaxis here and elsewhere? I don't blame them
for ignoring many comments and for not bothering to contribute here any more.
Even if they did show up on CFC, there are those who would just start slinging
crap at them. Sure, Firaxis deserve criticism for many things, but so much of
what I've read on CFC might as well have been written in crayon on paper with
pictures of duckies or elephants holding balloons.



"More or less safe" is not meaningful in relation to complicated computer
programs. It's more like the Chinese(?) proverb: "One rat dropping spoils a pot
of rice."

There is no way Firaxis could keep track of the many different mods, and modding
techniques, and also guarantee that they are 100% safe after a patch, or at any
other time.

They certainly should do more for modders. The standard (unmodded) game IMO is a
pretty ordinary effort, and I wouldn't bother with it at all if there wasn't one
particular series of enhancements that make it an absolute delight for me.

Different people have different expectations for the game and from Firaxis.
I see it purely as a kind of foundation that can be used by modders to build on.
(I'm probably the only person with that expectation/attitude!)
In that respect I wish it was more open so more game elements could be easier
to change.
I also never expected that Civ6 would be in any way perfect or complete on
release, or even within a year or two. My opinion, for what it's worth, is
based on Civ 5, which was in an afwul state when released.

Of course, many other people wanted a bug-free game, or at least one that would
have its faults patched quickly and regularly. I think those people had
unrealistic expectations, and they probably think I have a ridiculously high
level of tolerance for incomplete games. I wanted the game as soon as it came
out and I didn't care if it was buggy, incomplete, and rough as guts.

Good luck with your future games!

Again I find this interesting, as this is the first time-in years-that I have felt content with playing Civilization in its un-modified form. Not to say that there aren't more things I want in the game (like a seperate slot for Labour & Legal Civics, for example).....but this is definitely the best "vanilla experience" I have had since I can't remember when.

 

[sonicmyst]

@Aussie it is hard to find a very appreciative player like you!

While I am a bit disappointed with UI and sound bugs that came with the latest patch, and breaking some mods along with it, I am still playing. I don't know what makes me play Civ6, but I am still playing.

And also patiently waiting for new content and announcements from Firaxis.

 

[Ferocitus]

Again I find this interesting, as this is the first time-in years-that I have felt content with playing Civilization in its un-modified form. Not to say that there aren't more things I want in the game (like a seperate slot for Labour & Legal Civics, for example).....but this is definitely the best "vanilla experience" I have had since I can't remember when.

The only mods I use are the Ynamp ones: Giant map, ludicrous size, all civs
(including all DLCs), 60 city-states.
All other mods are of no interest to me, so it's essentially "vanilla" Civ but
on the largest possible map with the maximum number of civs and city states.

 

[Ogro]

@AntoineS, I believe you are very close to the real problem here. This whole situation remember me of what happened to SimCity. I was so hypped about it but luckly I didn't bought it. Since it was a huge disappointment like the last couple civs. Instead I put my money in Cities Skyline and it felt great, it was like there was still hope for good games made with a minimum of care. At this point in the civ series I feel like I don't care anymore about Syd brand. I would like to see someone take the lead make the world feel more bright and less miser...

 

[anandus]

Your game does not work, specifically MP games.

Actually I find MP in Civ 6 rock solid, it is definitely the best MP-engine (lobby, but especially networking) in all the Civ-games so far.
Firaxis should be praised for finally creating a decent MP-experience.

I play Civ almost only in multiplayer and have done so for hundreds of hours.

Both without mods, but mostly with mods (NQ EUI, NQ War Mod and NQ Map pack).
Although I haven't had time to play a game since the last patch, so can't comment on that.

Are you sure the problem is with Civ and not maybe someone's firewall or something that's screwing things up?

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Sure, Firaxis deserve criticism for many things, but so much of
what I've read on CFC might as well have been written in crayon on paper with
pictures of duckies or elephants holding balloons.

If they got that, it's a bed they made. They put similar effort into the game's presentation to us patch-to-patch and have similar respect for players' time.

 

[steveg700]

If someday a few modders, tired of Firaxis´ lack of will to bring the game up to the level where it should be (note that, once again, this has nothing to do with budget or ablity) decided to develop a game similar to Civ out of passion, Firaxis and 2K would most likely lose a good share of their customers (given their lack of "why", they don´t see a fanbase, they see customers), and the Civ series would be in danger of collapsing, forcing Firaxis to react or suffer the consequences.

It strikes me odd that there are so very, very many MOO2 aspirants flying around these days while Civ occupies a relatively uncontended position. The closest rival is Endlgess Legend, and Civ VI's most notable new feature, districts, seem more than a little inspired by it.

 

[Piruparka]

Well I wouldn't go too far and say, the game was unplayable and didn't work. But I agree the recent patch brought into the game a lot of annoying bugs that are frustrating. Among those bugs from the previous updates, I must admit that the game is not as much fun as it could be. Because the concept of the game I think really is awesome.