anonxanemone
Warlord
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2020
- Messages
- 297
What are some gameplay and mechanics that represent concepts of history well? Are there any concepts that should be implemented or (if already implemented) should be implemented better?
Personally, my favorites are the eureka/inspiration and district adjacency mechanics introduced in Civilization VI (though I admit it is my first and only game in know in the franchise). I think the eurekas and inspirations muses on the serendipitous-ness of how a civilization might develop. A coastal settlement accelerates the research of sailing, starting a trade route necessitates the establishment of currency, law & order is the first prerequisite in starting a civilization through Code of Laws, etc. The only issue I have with them is the sameness of the tech tree for all civilizations and how the periods are too loosely biased towards European history. Why is the whole world in The Renaissance when renaissances happened (if such a concept exists for them) at different times for different cultures? But it's probably for balance reasons.
The district adjacency mechanic, similarly to the eureka/inspiration mechanic, highlights the importance of geography on civilizations. I particularly like the district adjacency for the Campus as each of them might represent different fields of science: mountains (astronomy as in observatories), reefs (marine sciences), and rainforests (biology/botany). Perhaps the pseudoscience of feng shui might have an element of truth to it in this aspect. Cities like Rome and Tenochtitlan were founded on the auspices concerning the land; the former having something to do with the shapes of the hills if I recall correctly and the latter having the legend of an eagle landing on a cactus with a snake in their beak.
My least favorite is how unique improvements (including those city-states) disappear when a city is conquered by a foreign force. Current political borders are not in line with the ever-changing cultural borders throughout history. Past artifacts are preserved or destroyed (or stolen/appropriated) depending on how the new power respects the predecessor. I think rethinking this mechanic could give an interesting tradeoff between remembering a legacy or destroying the past for future development; this way, a cultural or scientific victory would be easier depending on the choice.
Personally, my favorites are the eureka/inspiration and district adjacency mechanics introduced in Civilization VI (though I admit it is my first and only game in know in the franchise). I think the eurekas and inspirations muses on the serendipitous-ness of how a civilization might develop. A coastal settlement accelerates the research of sailing, starting a trade route necessitates the establishment of currency, law & order is the first prerequisite in starting a civilization through Code of Laws, etc. The only issue I have with them is the sameness of the tech tree for all civilizations and how the periods are too loosely biased towards European history. Why is the whole world in The Renaissance when renaissances happened (if such a concept exists for them) at different times for different cultures? But it's probably for balance reasons.
The district adjacency mechanic, similarly to the eureka/inspiration mechanic, highlights the importance of geography on civilizations. I particularly like the district adjacency for the Campus as each of them might represent different fields of science: mountains (astronomy as in observatories), reefs (marine sciences), and rainforests (biology/botany). Perhaps the pseudoscience of feng shui might have an element of truth to it in this aspect. Cities like Rome and Tenochtitlan were founded on the auspices concerning the land; the former having something to do with the shapes of the hills if I recall correctly and the latter having the legend of an eagle landing on a cactus with a snake in their beak.
My least favorite is how unique improvements (including those city-states) disappear when a city is conquered by a foreign force. Current political borders are not in line with the ever-changing cultural borders throughout history. Past artifacts are preserved or destroyed (or stolen/appropriated) depending on how the new power respects the predecessor. I think rethinking this mechanic could give an interesting tradeoff between remembering a legacy or destroying the past for future development; this way, a cultural or scientific victory would be easier depending on the choice.