Stomper66
Warlord
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2018
- Messages
- 248
I thought i'd create this thread to give the game a mini review.
Ive played Civ5, 6 and beyond earth, but I held off on Civ7 because I did not like the marketing campaign, civ switching and civs available.
I was also put off by the bad reviews but 7 months on and a bit of free time right now I picked it up discounted and thought id give it a try.
I still am not on board on the civ switching so I am just playing a games in one era, selecting civs and leaders relevant to that era and civ for immersion.
I do know that I started playing the day the last pitch came out and i do understand improvements have been made.
It is also a limited first impression as Ive only played two antiquity games with Greece and Rome.
I've broken it down into the good and the bad, but it is mostly positive and I am enjoying the game a whole lot more than I did first playing civ6.
The Good
Immersion - Just playing antiquity the game is incredibly immersive, I really like the soundtrack, unique units and building design, really making you feel like your in that era.
Map design and city spacing - Building your city is fun and reminds me a lot of the city lights mod from civ6. I like how every civs gets unique infrastructure and advantages to building their historic wonder. The map has tons of space and it feels really nice having pitched battles on open plains or taking your scout through a rainforest river.
Combat- I really like the combat animations when you attack a unit, as they continue fighting when you end the turn. I don't really like the player attack mechanic. At the moment it feels like an intricate combat animation to attack but quick movement when the player attacks you. I would prefer the same animation where you can look at where you are being attacked and click to skip. When you destroy a unit as well it also looks like the are being knocked over by a wave rather than being destroyed. Overall though great combat animations when you are attacking.
Pacing- In 5 and 6 the production is too long compared to the era pacing eg in 5 It would be common to train longbow-men and knights just to be fighting musket men and gatling guns. I am glad that 7 has lowered the production costs so you can field huge armies from the start of the era. I also like it how you can grow a metropolis in antiquity and no longer are waiting 20 turns to build a national monument.
Direction- I actually like the victory paths as you can have a game plan from the very start. Maybe its because im playing one era i have a goal that I don't get bored pursuing. I also like the choices that are presented that are civ specific as again its great for immersion.
Civ diversity - Ive only played 2 games but my Greece game was hugely different from my Rome game. I like it how each civ gives you an opportunity to play in a different way, and that civs have been designed to pursue certain victory paths.
The Bad
Civ switching - as mentioned previously I don't want to lead 3 civs with one leader that's not really historically linked. I hope that eventually we can play nations like England, France, Japan etc in 3 different eras but if not I am content playing one era games.
More Civs than leaders - There are some civs that I've really wanted to play in antiquity like Carthage and Maya but I can't find a leader that is historically appropriate for these civs. The leader animations are nice but if they take up so much of the time and budget are they really necessary? I think they look nice in trailers and make good first impressions but get old fast, are very demanding on graphics cards and become a bit of a nuisance. When the tutorial screen appears 3 beutiful pieces of artwork pop up in a dynamic way. If they would have used this artwork for the leaders and their reactions I think this would have looked really good and allowed every civ to have a leader. Its done now but maybe this could be done with a mod.
Civ balancing - At the moment it feels as though every civ is good at everything and great at some things. It would be nice to see civs given a nerf and a buff at the same time for a more unique and challenging game experience. Civ6 did this with Mali (more gold/ less production on mines) and Moari (resource bonuses but can't be harvested). They could do something like decimation for Rome where you lose a unit if the adjacent unit is destroyed, but the legions then get a combat bonus. Just give more civs strengths and weaknesses i suppose to improve strategy.
That's my take on the game so far anyway I thought Id get instant buyers remorse but I have been pleasantly surprised. I don't really feel like I am playing a civ game though. At the moment the game is really reminding me of age of empires 2. I think its because the map style and city layouts are reminding me of that game and I am just playing one era. That game had awesome scenarios though and I think that this game could be known for the best great scenarios in the franchise if it went in that direction. More concentrated maps with historical cities and large pitched battles is what the game is made for. I don't know how popular scenarios are though compared to a complete play through.
Anyway mostly positive and Im glad i eventually got it. I do hope the game has just had a rocky first year (they're in good company) and can keep improving it and releasing content over the next two or three years.
Ive played Civ5, 6 and beyond earth, but I held off on Civ7 because I did not like the marketing campaign, civ switching and civs available.
I was also put off by the bad reviews but 7 months on and a bit of free time right now I picked it up discounted and thought id give it a try.
I still am not on board on the civ switching so I am just playing a games in one era, selecting civs and leaders relevant to that era and civ for immersion.
I do know that I started playing the day the last pitch came out and i do understand improvements have been made.
It is also a limited first impression as Ive only played two antiquity games with Greece and Rome.
I've broken it down into the good and the bad, but it is mostly positive and I am enjoying the game a whole lot more than I did first playing civ6.
The Good
Immersion - Just playing antiquity the game is incredibly immersive, I really like the soundtrack, unique units and building design, really making you feel like your in that era.
Map design and city spacing - Building your city is fun and reminds me a lot of the city lights mod from civ6. I like how every civs gets unique infrastructure and advantages to building their historic wonder. The map has tons of space and it feels really nice having pitched battles on open plains or taking your scout through a rainforest river.
Combat- I really like the combat animations when you attack a unit, as they continue fighting when you end the turn. I don't really like the player attack mechanic. At the moment it feels like an intricate combat animation to attack but quick movement when the player attacks you. I would prefer the same animation where you can look at where you are being attacked and click to skip. When you destroy a unit as well it also looks like the are being knocked over by a wave rather than being destroyed. Overall though great combat animations when you are attacking.
Pacing- In 5 and 6 the production is too long compared to the era pacing eg in 5 It would be common to train longbow-men and knights just to be fighting musket men and gatling guns. I am glad that 7 has lowered the production costs so you can field huge armies from the start of the era. I also like it how you can grow a metropolis in antiquity and no longer are waiting 20 turns to build a national monument.
Direction- I actually like the victory paths as you can have a game plan from the very start. Maybe its because im playing one era i have a goal that I don't get bored pursuing. I also like the choices that are presented that are civ specific as again its great for immersion.
Civ diversity - Ive only played 2 games but my Greece game was hugely different from my Rome game. I like it how each civ gives you an opportunity to play in a different way, and that civs have been designed to pursue certain victory paths.
The Bad
Civ switching - as mentioned previously I don't want to lead 3 civs with one leader that's not really historically linked. I hope that eventually we can play nations like England, France, Japan etc in 3 different eras but if not I am content playing one era games.
More Civs than leaders - There are some civs that I've really wanted to play in antiquity like Carthage and Maya but I can't find a leader that is historically appropriate for these civs. The leader animations are nice but if they take up so much of the time and budget are they really necessary? I think they look nice in trailers and make good first impressions but get old fast, are very demanding on graphics cards and become a bit of a nuisance. When the tutorial screen appears 3 beutiful pieces of artwork pop up in a dynamic way. If they would have used this artwork for the leaders and their reactions I think this would have looked really good and allowed every civ to have a leader. Its done now but maybe this could be done with a mod.
Civ balancing - At the moment it feels as though every civ is good at everything and great at some things. It would be nice to see civs given a nerf and a buff at the same time for a more unique and challenging game experience. Civ6 did this with Mali (more gold/ less production on mines) and Moari (resource bonuses but can't be harvested). They could do something like decimation for Rome where you lose a unit if the adjacent unit is destroyed, but the legions then get a combat bonus. Just give more civs strengths and weaknesses i suppose to improve strategy.
That's my take on the game so far anyway I thought Id get instant buyers remorse but I have been pleasantly surprised. I don't really feel like I am playing a civ game though. At the moment the game is really reminding me of age of empires 2. I think its because the map style and city layouts are reminding me of that game and I am just playing one era. That game had awesome scenarios though and I think that this game could be known for the best great scenarios in the franchise if it went in that direction. More concentrated maps with historical cities and large pitched battles is what the game is made for. I don't know how popular scenarios are though compared to a complete play through.
Anyway mostly positive and Im glad i eventually got it. I do hope the game has just had a rocky first year (they're in good company) and can keep improving it and releasing content over the next two or three years.
