Historical Concepts Translated to Gameplay and Mechanics

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Lack of other Great People for religion is a little disappointing as well.

I'd personally love for Great Prophets to get another ability in addition to founding a religion. If all the religions have been founded you can still keep on recruiting them and use their other abilities.
I think they could do it in a way without personally offending anybody.

Some examples from existing Great Prophets:
Jon the Baptist: Creates a Relic
Confucius: Grants +2 culture to Temples:
Bodhidharma: Grant a Free Warrior Monk with a promotion
Francis of Assisi: Unimproved Woods around Holy Sites grants +2 Faith.
Martin Luther: Trigger the Inspiration for Reformed Church and give units combat strength in theological combat (or regular combat) against units of another religion

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

I'd personally love for Great Prophets to get another ability in addition to founding a religion. If all the religions have been founded you can still keep on recruiting them and use their other abilities.
I think they could do it in a way without personally offending anybody.

Some examples from existing Great Prophets:
Jon the Baptist: Creates a Relic
Confucius: Grants +2 culture to Temples:
Bodhidharma: Grant a Free Warrior Monk with a promotion
Francis of Assisi: Unimproved Woods around Holy Sites grants +2 Faith.
Martin Luther: Trigger the Inspiration for Reformed Church and give units combat strength in theological combat (or regular combat) against units of another religion

To expand on that:

Simon Peter: Apostles can choose a second Promotion in addition to the first one.
Siddhartha Gautama: +10% Food, Growth, and Faith in all CIties that follow this Religion when the owner is at Peace.
Thomas Aquinas: Great Works of Writing provide +4 Faith.

 

[aieeegrunt]

Thank you! This is immensely exciting while simultaneously saddening as I possibly won't be able to enjoy the mod even at its future release. Woes of playing on the Switch where modding is frowned upon by Nintendo.

Xbox is mod friendly

Hell I can succesfully play a modded Fallout game

Your move Fireaxis

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

JFD had a Civ VI Mod that gave you Great Theologians - recruited using all the Great Prophet points you kept getting after founding a religion with your original Great Prophet. I don't know what the status of the Mod is, since I haven't even looked at it since long before NFP started coming out, but it addressed a lot of these ideas.

 

[Kupe Navigator]

JFD had a Civ VI Mod that gave you Great Theologians - recruited using all the Great Prophet points you kept getting after founding a religion with your original Great Prophet. I don't know what the status of the Mod is, since I haven't even looked at it since long before NFP started coming out, but it addressed a lot of these ideas.

broken ever since Heros update. I had to unsubscribe ever since Babylon update came out.

 

[aieeegrunt]

I’m getting really, really sick of mainstream developers shipping stuff with obviously unfinished features

I can give Bethesda a pass because they were smart enough to leverage and encourage their modding scene

Fireaxis doesnt even do that

 

[Myomoto]

The historical concept that I'd like to see is the introduction of city states as the game progresses. As of now, the city states are all on the map from the get-go, and I'd think it would be interesting if they phased in somewhat. So it would work like Mohenjo-Daro, Cahokia and Samarkand from the beginning, and as the game progresses you get things like Brussels in the Medieval, Auckland much later. I'm not asking for strict adherence to our timeline, but I think it would be cool if you had city states pop up on the map, sort of like discovering the strategic resources.
As of now it's a little weird you can be suzerain of Grenada and build Alcazars hundreds of turns before you can build Alhambra.

Honestly, the biggest missed opportunity with free cities from negative loyalty is that they can't eventually evolve into independent city states or even new civs.

 

[anonxanemone]

Honestly, the biggest missed opportunity with free cities from negative loyalty is that they can't eventually evolve into independent city states or even new civs.

Perhaps this was hinted with the Grey Wolf prop in a developer update video not too long ago?

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Perhaps this was hinted with the Grey Wolf prop in a developer update video not too long ago?

I assume we might be getting updates on barbarians.
Even graphical updates would be nice like having barbarian camps along the coast spawn Privateers and look like the ships in the Pirate Scenario.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Honestly, the biggest missed opportunity with free cities from negative loyalty is that they can't eventually evolve into independent city states or even new civs.

There are a whole slew of changes/missed opportunities that could add a lot of dynamism to the game.

Right now, Civ VI is essentially Static. At the start of game all the Civs and City States that there will ever be in the game are present. All the Tribal Huts that will ever be are present. The only changes after Turn 1 are new Barbarian Camps popping up and cities changing status from City State/Civ City to Free City (and back again) or City State/Civ City to Smoldering Ruin.

That Free Cities remain basically Barbarian Cities until they either rejoin their original Civ, join a new Civ, or become SR (Smoldering Ruin) is a huge missed opportunity.

That Free Cities conquered by a Civ don't have an 'extra' chance of revolting and becoming a Free City and then the City State again is a huge missed opportunity (for one thing, extra problems keeping a City State loyal might go a long way to keeping City States on the map instead of watching them disappear one by one as the game progresses)

That cities that revolt never turn their new 'freedom' into anything other than Barbarian City (Free City) or Join Another Civ is a huge missed opportunity to add new Free Cities or even new Civs to the game.

That Tribal Huts or Barbarian Camps left alone for a few thousand years never become anything else is Fantasy, and bad fantasy at that. Why shouldn't they ask to join the nearest Civ, or develop into new City States, or pack up and migrate?

Changing any single one of these things would make the game far more dynamic and continuously interesting, especially in the mid and late game, than it is now.

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

Perhaps this was hinted with the Grey Wolf prop in a developer update video not too long ago?

I think it'll be more of a Barbarian Mode.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I think it'll be more of a Barbarian Mode.

Would it be asking too much if it was a Neolithic Game Mode where we all start out as wandering "barbarians" before the Ancient Era, similar to Humankind?

 

[anonxanemone]

Would it be asking too much if it was a Neolithic Game Mode where we all start out as wandering "barbarians" before the Ancient Era, similar to Humankind?

There is nothing stopping you from doing that now. It'd just make for a very difficult game

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Would it be asking too much if it was a Neolithic Game Mode where we all start out as wandering "barbarians" before the Ancient Era, similar to Humankind?

While I think Civ is long, long overdue for a change to the "4000 BCE With A City" start the franchise has used forever, I doubt that any such fundamental change is going to be introduced to Civ VI at this point. I think a change of some kind to the equally long overdue for a change Barbarians is much more likely. As I've posted ad nauseum in other Threads, there are a lot of things they could change to make Barbarians more interesting in the game, including incorporating some of the features of the Tribal Huts into the Barbarian Camps - although I suspect that is Too Much Change for the Firaxis crew at this point in the Civ VI cycle.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

There is nothing stopping you from doing that now. It'd just make for a very difficult game

Well now that I think about it, the Maori already have that ability in the Ocean, so they'd have to rework them somehow if they implemented that game mode.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Well now that I think about it, the Maori already have that ability in the Ocean, so they'd have to rework them somehow if they implemented that game mode.

There is a Nomadic Start Mod from Port Lime, which combined with the Mod Faster Starting Settlers and Expanded Initial Vision pretty much allows you to do a Maori/Humankind-type start on land. The problem, of course, is that while your 'settler/tribal' unit is scampering around the map, all the AI Civs have already started their first cities . . .

 

[aieeegrunt]

A free city becoming a new civ in say the classical or medieval era is going to be hilariously hopelessly behind

This highlights another problem, the snowball effect

I kinda like the Free City Domino that happens sometimes. It’s often a bigger challenge than actual AI civs

I just pretend they are the actual American Civ

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

There is a Nomadic Start Mod from Port Lime, which combined with the Mod Faster Starting Settlers and Expanded Initial Vision pretty much allows you to do a Maori/Humankind-type start on land. The problem, of course, is that while your 'settler/tribal' unit is scampering around the map, all the AI Civs have already started their first cities . . .

Well I'm hoping for something where we all have to start out the game nomadic, not just the human players.

 

[anonxanemone]

The recent First Look video on the new Vietnam civilization (and a ton of speculation/sleuthing about Kublai Khan) got me wondering what qualities of a civilization design would capture the essence of that civilization. Civilization design has the following components (let me know if I'm missing):

• the personification of the leader themselves (costume design and leader background),
• unique civilization,
• unique leader ability,
• unique military units,
• unique infrastructure (whether they be districts, buildings, or tile improvements),
• variations of city buildings (e.g. palace, monument, urban sprawl, etc.),
• theme music,
• religion (loosely),
• and delegation gifts,
• agenda.

Being listed this way, it seems a "unique cultural heritage" akin to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage is missing. I hear there was some hoping for water puppetry for Vietnam. My amateur game designer self tells me a civilization design can be evaluated on their cohesiveness of the cultural source material and the gameplay itself. Byzantium's design is very cohesive mechanically as religion, amenities through the unique district, and combat bonuses all work together seamlessly but does it really capture the Byzantine-ness? Maya depends on the Aqueducts for the housing that becomes a framework for Industrial Zones, plus having a unique Campus, makes them a well designed scientific civ IMHO but does it feel Mayan? Vietnam's advantage/restrictions on features attempt to illustrate the history of "driving out aggressors" but is it successful?

Just curious: who do you think is the best-designed civ, game mechanically and/or culturally?

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Being listed this way, it seems a "unique cultural heritage" akin to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage is missing. I hear there was some hoping for water puppetry for Vietnam. My amateur game designer self tells me a civilization design can be evaluated on their cohesive on the cultural source material and the gameplay itself.

I was hoping for water puppetry for Vietnam but I've come around on the idea of the unique encampment. Warfare has played a big part in Vietnam's culture so I do think it's appropriate for Vietnam to get a unique encampment that provides/culture and tourism.

Byzantium's design is very cohesive mechanically as religion, amenities through the unique district, and combat bonuses all work together seamlessly but does it really capture the Byzantine-ness?

Byzantium seems very Crusade like which fits the idea of them being involved in the Crusades, and Basil II being one of the most aggressive leaders so the design does fit him. It would feel more out of place for another leader though.

As to one of the best designed civs when it comes to theme I think Spain fits the idea pretty well. Living in Texas a big chunk of Texas History is talked about Spain coming the New World and setting up their colonies, which Texas was a part of.

So from the combination of Conquistadors, Missions, Treasure Fleets, and Phillips zealous nature I think they hit the mark. It might not translate well when it comes to playing the game but historically they got it right.

America they got pretty right too with Teddy (both of him).