[NFP] Gaul First Look

[Zaarin]

Oppidium is Latin word which Romans called those villages within their domain. even in Italia. Why didn't Firaxis use the term 'Hill Fort', 'Caer' or Dunon instead?

Caesar used the word, as did other Romans describing the Gauls, so many scholars have picked it up. I would have preferred Dunon, and I'm hoping a mod will change it reasonably quickly.

 

[CoconutTank]

Gauls look pretty cool I'm still going to play the Byz first, but I really like the formation combat bonus units get from adjacent friendlies (and apparently from adjacent enemies!). Mines will be super duper great for culture and buffing up adjacency bonuses, and apparently specialty districts lose their minor adjacency bonuses to each other, which I don't think is a heavily prioritized part of district planning anyway (unless one is Japan).

 

[Wielki Hegemon]

I liked the music, it reminded me of the ambient music in Grizzly Hills in WoW.

Yes! I have the same association. And perhaps this is the reason why all this gaulish mining theme makes me think about the dwarves

 

[DJ_Tanner]

Oppidium is Latin word which Romans called those villages within their domain. even in Italia. Why didn't Firaxis use the term 'Hill Fort', 'Caer' or Dunon instead?

They are not required to be built on hills, so Dunon isn't accurate either.

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

^ Eh? Actual Dunon builds on hills too?

 

[Zaarin]

They are not required to be built on hills, so Dunon isn't accurate either.

A dunon is clearly what they were intending it to be, though. Also worth noting that some dunoi were built on artificial hills so I'm okay with not having hill requirements, though the visuals could support that better.

 

[hhhhhh]

All improvements which provide culture provide tourism after Flight.

I know this is what Flight says, but if they don't put the "tourism after Flight" modifier to the Mine improvement, mines won't provide tourism. And if they do, Chichen Itza or St. Basil's Cathedral mines will provide extra tourism.

 

[FinalDoomsday]

Decentralised focus is different I guess it will encourage you to spread far and wide much like the Celts did (Well Gauls)

Leader design is dissapointing, another 'Noble Savage' depiction and the unique unit also appears to be shirtless. Although seeing as they replace the warrior unit, chainmail would be too advanced looking maybe they could have got a armoured soldier to replace the swordsmen it would also mean it would turn up the same time as Rome's Legion but oh well they look fun.

 

[UWHabs]

The oppidum comes earlier than the normal industrial zone, but do we know what tech unlocks it?

I think the oppidum unlock apprenticeship (which gives +1 production to mines) is going to be huge by itself, especially if that comes very early

Yeah, there's a lot of add-on effects. Getting an early Apprenticeship should give some bonus era score, and then your mines are going to be +2 production/+1 culture tiles earlier than others.

As for when it unlocks, it doesn't look like it shows up at bronze working, which I had originally guessed. In the video it looks like they had it completed while researching Military Engineering, but that doesn't really tell you much. My guess is it would be one of Construction/Iron Working/Engineering.

 

[hhhhhh]

It's specialty districts. You can still do Aqueducts, DQs, GPs, etc. No science, production, culture, gold, etc.

Do DQ and GP count as speciality districts? I know they don't provide Great Person Points but they do take your district slots.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

I am actually very surprised that it auto-unlocks Apprenticeship, this means you save a portional amount of Science since you have 1 less tech to research for Education and Banking

 

[DJ_Tanner]

A dunon is clearly what they were intending it to be, though. Also worth noting that some dunoi were built on artificial hills so I'm okay with not having hill requirements, though the visuals could support that better.

I mean not necessarily. Oppidum is a more broad term leaving it for more flexible usage. So while, every dunon is an oppidum, not every oppidum is a dunon. So while the dunon was a preferred encampment the usage of oppidum would capture the more sprawling nature which can also been seen in their requirement that it not connect to the city proper.

 

[bite]

Leader Agenda - https://twitter.com/EdBeach23/status/1308457525939965952?s=20

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

https://twitter.com/EdBeach23/status/1308457525939965952?s=19

Agenda: Scourge of Rome. He likes civs with Numerous units. (Note Cleo is "strong military, not quantity)

He also has a bias to mined resources.

 

[Ezumiyr]

I'm a bit disappointed that they used the 19th century design for the moustache (it was actually based on Napoléon III) and that they went for the one gallic tribe that fought naked (when everyone else used chainmail). I guess it was just too iconic to ignore.
Otherwise, it's a nice civ.

 

[WillowBrook]

what happens to districts next to city center in the cities you conquer?

I'm wondering this, too. I hope nothing happens. Disappearing districts would be annoying (even worse: unrepairable pillaged districts).

 

[8housesofelixir]

https://twitter.com/EdBeach23/status/1308457525939965952?s=19
Agenda: Scourge of Rome. He likes civs with Numerous units.

So he and Shaka will hate each other.

 

[hhhhhh]

BTW Gaesate are known for fighting BUTT NAKED. Of cause they can't show it here so civ team gave them a Gaulic pants. ( don't know why they added female).

Oh TIL... watching people talking about Gaul made me feel ignorant. I am reading this right now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudity_in_combat

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

The Gauls seem to have some good bonuses, but I think they are a little "all over the place" and I really think the "no adjacency bonuses" from districts is kind of harsh, as well as tying so much of their power to mines, strategic resources and quarries.
That sounds to me like a rather inconsistent civ, if you happen to have few strategic resources and/or hills around, and makes you definitely want to set "World Age: New" for each game to secure more mining opportunities.
There's also the issue with tying lump culture to unit production.
Early on that sounds great, but generally when I do domination I find that by the medieval/renaissance era, I mostly stop producing units alltogether and just upgrade those I have or buy new ones for gold or faith.
At least with Gorgo, her culture bonus is tied to unit kills so it keeps being relevant even if it does fall off in strength.

That being said, what immediately struck me is that Gaul might be able pull off a hyper-aggressive ancient era rush involving mass unit production in order to rush Agoge (for even faster unit production) into Oligarchy for fast additional combat strength, where all the produced units tie in nicely adjacent to each other for even more combat strength.
I have obviously not tested this to see how the timings work out, but it might be worth a shot.
If it does, Gaul should be right up there with Sumeria, Nubia and Aztecs for their early rushing potential.

 

[CivLuvah]

Now that's one interesting civ! I like how they twist the district adjacency mechanics on this one. Leader model's good too.