How do you keep interest in the late game?

[beorn]

The way to keep interest in the late game is to start a new game.

Seriously, all games of this type suffer from the same problem. They are more or less compelling at the outset (this one is extremely compelling), when success feels like it is in question. So it is highly engaging to pay attention to the details of strategy. But once success is assured, it becomes more like a job.

Some people solve this by setting up their own side goals. Me, as soon as I start thinking to myself that it doesn't really matter what I build next... I save the game "just in case" and go get a cup of coffee so as to mull over my choice of next civ and sit down hit the button to create a new game -- which I can count on to be riveting and not at all a job for hours to come.

Repeat after me: "I do not need to see a victory screen."

 

[Atwork]

In my current game on Emperor, I'm just entering the space race and it's looking like I have an excellent shot of winning this game. Until very recently, it wasn't so clear.

But, now that I've conquered my long-time nemesis after centuries of fighting proxy wars over destabalized border cities; and kicking England off my continent; and liberating two city states allies from Brazil -- my cities are finally rockin and rollin and I've surged into the science and military lead.

What to do with so much power and with victory almost a forgone conclusion? Well, get involved in everyone else's politics of course -- pick winners and losers -- be the leader of the 'free' world.

So, I've put together a strong fleet capable of escorting some crack amphibious troops anywhere in the world. I'm also working the espionage and loyalty game. I'll punish my enemies by restoring cities they've conquered to the original owners, strengthen my friends by weakening their rivals, and liberate city states from my enemies.

To me, there's plenty of role playing fun in all this and it keeps the game fun and interesting until I win a space victory. Meanwhile, I do need to make sure that France or Russia doesn't win a cultural victory -- they're close enough that it could get interesting, especially since they're both allies of mine and my role playing doesn't involve turning them into enemies.

 

[Frostburn]

If I am just trying to win a certain victory type then late game often gets boring for me. I like to set arbitrary goals for myself to keep things exciting and role play. For example, if I look like I'm on a clear path to victory, but its slow/boring/tedious, I'll decide to switch around my entire empire to focus on gold yields just to see how high I can get (or some other arbitrary goal that doesn't directly lead to satisfying a victory condition). At this point, I'm not playing efficiently, and things can develop in the game that make things harder- now I go back to trying to win, or decide that my empire is done- I lost and its time to start a new one.

In general, role play, instead of trying to win is the more enjoyable way to play civ- however it's hard to separate the two sometimes. Also, using builder/economic civs or civs with late bonuses can make the late game more interesting

 

[Ferocitus]

If I am just trying to win a certain victory type then late game often gets boring for me. I like to set arbitrary goals for myself to keep things exciting and role play. For example, if I look like I'm on a clear path to victory, but its slow/boring/tedious, I'll decide to switch around my entire empire to focus on gold yields just to see how high I can get (or some other arbitrary goal that doesn't directly lead to satisfying a victory condition). At this point, I'm not playing efficiently, and things can develop in the game that make things harder- now I go back to trying to win, or decide that my empire is done- I lost and its time to start a new one.

In general, role play, instead of trying to win is the more enjoyable way to play civ- however it's hard to separate the two sometimes. Also, using builder/economic civs or civs with late bonuses can make the late game more interesting

I only like playing at marathon pace. For me the challenge is to try to maintain
focus for 12 to 20 hours in a row while working on another machine. Strangely,
I'm better at that now (at 62) than I was at 40. OTOH, it could be the Adult
ADHD drugs I've been on for the last few years.

 

[Naktis]

How ? by quiting the game and startinga new one.

 

[Disgustipated]

ADHD drugs I've been on for the last few years

Civ6 is my ADHD drug. This game has seriously taught me patience, especially my last game which ran fairly poorly on my computer (I hope they can optimize this game more, vanilla was a little faster). Though I no longer play marathon games, I only did that back in Civ4 days, and even played slower than marathon with the Rise of Mankind mod, though I couldn't do the slowest setting.

 

[Ferocitus]

Civ6 is my ADHD drug. This game has seriously taught me patience...

Another way is to give up all pretence to normality and move into a cave like my
family and I did.

 

[King William I]

Maybe it's me, but the feeling of inevitable victory is what I love about the late game

 

[Trengilly]

I maintain my Civ6 (and before that Civ5) interest but not playing it to death. I mix it up with other games (yes there are other games out there!)

But when I do play Civ I don't mind the slower paced endgame. I often turn off leader animation and sounds so I can listen to other music while I play.

 

[Zenstrive]

1. Try to bribe all of the great people
2. Declare surprise war on your long time allies
3. Try to grab the empty spots.
4. Builder spams
5. Chop parties
6. Fisheries spam.
7. perpetual bread and circuses
8. OH, THE MARTIAN HYDROPONIC FINALLY LAUNCHED. new map time!

 

[Portinou]

I’m starting a new game with the following options:

Huge map
16 civs
Only Science and Score victory allowed
350 turns
Deity

Now I put myself the restriction of not building any spaceport, i.e. I only go for score victory. I disable the other victory types to avoid a situational victory (cultural or militaristic). The end game challenge is high to prevent AI from winning a science victory before the end of the 350 turns, actually much more than the early game.
Has anyone else tried this to keep the end game fun?

 

[blackbutterfly]

I cook

Yes, I am often cooking whilst playing Civ (cos it's a great way to save time/multi-task and in fact it's really upped my cooking game cos really patience is needed for many dishes).

 

[Lee Duane Fitzsimmons]

The new changes have made the game much more enjoyable. I've just reached the later stages of the game, and I am hooked. Hopefully, this trend will continue.

The barbs are the most noticeable change I have noticed so far.

 

[Jackanape]

Unless the rest of the game has been so compelling that I am completely immersed, or maybe I should say invested in seeing the while story through to the end, I have a tendency to start a new game, as well.

But sometimes, boy oh boy, you get so involved in your early struggles and the successes they brought that you just have to see that victory screen. In those times, I think many of the recommendations above work great. I love the fisheries...and just started loving the parks! We need more governors like that...

 

[Pomacanthus]

Dual map, Online speed with 4 civs (including me) and maximum city-states is fun. I get to the late age in no time.

 

[mitsho]

I don’t, I never finish games. I have started to play Medieval or Rennaissance starts to get to know the later eras.

As stated above, it‘s the fatal error of civ that they can‘t solve the problems of increasing trivial decisions in the late game. That is fine for the Mini-Maxers (making yout city as big as possible) or the players (get to that victory) but the many many tedious chores you have to do are bad for the roleplayers. The bigger your civ gets, the less direct decisions you should have to make.

I.e. mounting a naval invasion just requires so many units that have to manually moved across the sea through chokepoints and other units. Meanwhile at home, you still have to set build orders manually each turn. It‘s distracting.

But that‘s a very old tune I‘m singing here.

 

[Rambo919]

Basically I play to the point where it's clear that I actually have to try to loose... The AI is good enough in early-to-mid game only because of agressive city placement and childish "war is a fun hobby as long as I don't loose anything", the problem is no real long term infrastructure is put into place and you can easily steamroll over the meager raiding force a AI civ calls an army and then take all their cities without any real opposition.... especially if you do a land invasion on one side of their territory and a coastal invasion on the other doing a pincer type thing.... I have yet to see an AI concentrate a navy... even IF it has a proper sized one. Because of the AI never actually invading and relying on raiding a "world war" has yet to prove a significant challenge. The only real threat I have EVER had was from city states and barbs... come to think of it its quite possible that the AI civs waste their armies on city states which is doubly stupid since I rarely see one actually get captured these days..... Also there is the way in which no AI has ever wilfully established an empire with natural borders.... mountain range tactical value seem unfathomable to em nvm the suicidal rushing of a city across a pond or desert....

 

[Esperr]

You keep interest in the late game by starting a new one. I havent seen a victory screen in forever. Unfortunatly even map dize doesn't help. If your going for Dom, snowball of having,more citys means you win at around the same time whether its huge or standard. Number of civs is irrelevant for science, and i havn't noticed a difference with cultural either.

I guess it makes a difference for religious victory, but ehy subject yourself to tedium in the beggining of the game rather then the end?

 

[Stringer1313]

I've found myself less bored in the late game primarily due to emergencies b/c they sometimes challenge me to conquer a city on the other side of the world. I still wish that people declared war more frequently in late game as well. I definitely would like there to be more emergencies with higher stakes.

The other thing is Steam Achievements; I've yet to beat the game with every civ so that's what keeps me going

Also, maybe this is the real reason they don't have a Hall of Fame, to give players the freedom to quit early without worrying about getting on the HOF (which is what I would do b/c I'm OCD)...

 

[Art Morte]

If I'm (successfully) headed towards either a religious or cultural victory, that's when I usually finish the games, but the science victory is just extremely boring to me. Just waiting around with nothing meaningful to do. The later stages of culture victory are the same, but that end-game doesn't take as long (in my games anyway).

90% of the time I start a new game before finishing the previous one.