I really want to want to buy Civ7, but ... [Help me]

[kaspergm]

I really want to want to buy Civ7. I have waited for its release for I don't even know how many years. Yet here I am, a week before release, and I still haven't bought it. I've put it in my shopping basket several times, someone even posted links to a discounted version recently - yet here I am still. The main reason for this is not so much all the major gripes I have with the design (and I have some major ones - everything in me still screams NO! every time I see Benjamin Franklin leading Ancient Greece or Harriet Tubman leading Ancient Egypt). But what's worse is, whenever I see gameplay footage, I'm left with the thought that: This just doesn't look like a game I will find particularly fun to play.

I have played every civ game since Civ1 (although perhaps that doesn't count, because I didn't really understand english back then and had next to zero clue about what went on). I love seeing my empire develop and (hopefully) thrive over the ages. Most time have gone into Civ5 and Civ6. I loved 5 for the looks, for the excitement of developing my unique infrastructures (I prefered civs that had those) and for shaping and developing my policy trees to match the way the game unfolded. I loved 6 for the "play the map" approach, maximizing district, improvement and wonder placement to optimize strategy (however broken that system might be) and for competing for the unique great people and city states.

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

 

[Archanist]

Would you prefer if you spent (or saved) Civ 7's cost somewhere else? It sounds to me that you've been really really really thinking about it and the game still isn't a buy for you, and I'd suggest to just wait until a bunch of people have played it so you can figure out if there was something missing from all the content creators and review sites.

The game isn't gonna go anywhere, and it'll be there when you decide to buy it, whether it being next week, in a few months, or when it's on sale with all the expansions included.

 

[Uberfrog]

There is no reason to pre-order the game. Give it a few weeks and then the community will be able to answer your questions! Don’t ask us to talk you into buying it before we’ve even played it ourselves

 

[pokiehl]

Sounds like you're probably not going to enjoy it. I have a similar lengthy history with civ as you do, but I'm really excited for it. Everyone has different tastes.

If you buy a discounted key from a 3rd party, you have no way to get a refund. If you buy directly from Steam, you'll pay more, but you'll have 2 hours to figure out if you like it or not to get a refund.

 

[AD1730]

I've resigned to the fact that I will never buy this game or will do so at a steep discount (how steep is my main issue at this point, 66% or 75% off at least). I can't reward developers for making choices that I find anathema to the franchise. I just fundamentally disagree with far too much of what they've done. It is almost as if I gave Firaxis a list of things I would absolutely not want in a Civ game and they used that as a design document.

 

[Acken]

You have to go in with some interest into the age system. That's so core to the game that if you really know you hate it I'd skip or wait if I were you. Maybe if you go past that and feel "why not ?" it will then be time.

 

[NickTheGreek!]

I feel the same, had it been any other game i would have waited. But this is not just any game, can't say no to "just one more CIV" !

 

[Oberst Kraft]

I really want to want to buy Civ7. I have waited for its release for I don't even know how many years. Yet here I am, a week before release, and I still haven't bought it. I've put it in my shopping basket several times, someone even posted links to a discounted version recently - yet here I am still. The main reason for this is not so much all the major gripes I have with the design (and I have some major ones - everything in me still screams NO! every time I see Benjamin Franklin leading Ancient Greece or Harriet Tubman leading Ancient Egypt). But what's worse is, whenever I see gameplay footage, I'm left with the thought that: This just doesn't look like a game I will find particularly fun to play.

I have played every civ game since Civ1 (although perhaps that doesn't count, because I didn't really understand english back then and had next to zero clue about what went on). I love seeing my empire develop and (hopefully) thrive over the ages. Most time have gone into Civ5 and Civ6. I loved 5 for the looks, for the excitement of developing my unique infrastructures (I prefered civs that had those) and for shaping and developing my policy trees to match the way the game unfolded. I loved 6 for the "play the map" approach, maximizing district, improvement and wonder placement to optimize strategy (however broken that system might be) and for competing for the unique great people and city states.

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

I share your doubts bro/bracie. So let me tell you how I dealt with it.
First of all, I stopped looking at leaders in Civ 7 as leaders of civs. For me now they are like advisors or emissaries to other players, where on the diplomacy screen they talk (or rather mutter and groan: "hmm") with other players' emissaries.
Secondly, I stopped looking at civs in Civ 7 as civilizations. For me now they are empires or cultures that are representatives of my civilization in a given era. And my civilization - a real great civilization - is all that extends through all eras - Firaxis called it an empire, and I call it a civilization, e.g. Western civilization or Latin civilization. And in order to stick to historical realities, I will try to choose in each era an empire/culture that fits my civilization, e.g. when playing with my imaginary Western civilization, in Antiquity I will play, for example, the Roman empire/culture, in Exploration - the Spanish empire /culture, and in Modern - the French empire/culture.
Of course, I will also experiment sometimes with various exotic leader-civs combinations to play with different combos - just for fun - but mostly I will play games historically.
Maybe this approach to Civ 7 will help you too. It helps me and I can't wait to play.

 

[Sagax]

Honestly - wait for (or find) a sale. With so many reservations, it’s clear that you can’t quite justify the purchase of the game in its current state.

Civ is not a live service game, there is no real FOMO, and we basically experience a “soft-reset” every time an expansion comes out. You can afford to wait.

 

[The_goggles_do_nothing]

It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken ou

It’s the opposite for me. So I would say just wait as there will be changes that may or may not change your mind.

 

[theadder]

Reason to buy: fanatical adherence to Sid.

 

[stealth_nsk]

When I'm not sure whether I want to buy a game, I just wait for later patches, discounts and letsplays.

 

[BrotherInJah]

I really want to want to buy Civ7. I have waited for its release for I don't even know how many years. Yet here I am, a week before release, and I still haven't bought it. I've put it in my shopping basket several times, someone even posted links to a discounted version recently - yet here I am still. The main reason for this is not so much all the major gripes I have with the design (and I have some major ones - everything in me still screams NO! every time I see Benjamin Franklin leading Ancient Greece or Harriet Tubman leading Ancient Egypt). But what's worse is, whenever I see gameplay footage, I'm left with the thought that: This just doesn't look like a game I will find particularly fun to play.

I have played every civ game since Civ1 (although perhaps that doesn't count, because I didn't really understand english back then and had next to zero clue about what went on). I love seeing my empire develop and (hopefully) thrive over the ages. Most time have gone into Civ5 and Civ6. I loved 5 for the looks, for the excitement of developing my unique infrastructures (I prefered civs that had those) and for shaping and developing my policy trees to match the way the game unfolded. I loved 6 for the "play the map" approach, maximizing district, improvement and wonder placement to optimize strategy (however broken that system might be) and for competing for the unique great people and city states.

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

I had my civ1 in German.. także tego..

Anyways, never bought civ game on release, usually it's too bare.. it has to mature first, like a good wine

 

[AlexByrde]

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

I'm most excited about the changes to micromanagement. In particular, commanders helping with managing military is an interesting change, and I'm very excited for the new diplomacy/trade system. That's the part that I think will spoil older games for me where the trade screen was just me trying to get the most out of the AI and tapping "more" until they refused the trade offer and going back off one. Moving resource trade to merchant/trade route units and using the diplomacy screen for endeavors and sanctions seems to be the most natural and clear improvement Civ 7 introduces.

Agreed with most other comments, if you're not excited to try, maybe wait a bit. It'll only iterate more over time and find its identity, and that'll make it either better or worse for your tastes. If you can justify the price now, consider whether it's just FOMO you're feeling or if you really do want to try it out, and if you feel like its worth the risk, go for it.

 

[Brew God]

Hello Civ Fans - If you are not a day one buyer you can wait a year and get a nice discount price during Steam's Winter sale. I was instantly addicted to Civ 1 back in college when it came out and have played thousands of hours of each generation. I look forward to February 6th and can't wait. Your decision will come down to cost and interest.

I really like Oberst Kraft perspective on Civ 7. Great way to digest and look at the new ramped up generation of Civ.



Brew God

 

[Lord Shadow]

No shame in waiting a bit, for patches, mods and/or reviews you trust. It won't ding your civfan credentials.

 

[Aquila SPQR]

Don't rush it. Wait for more gameplays. Wait for mods. Buy where you can return it with no problems.

 

[sonicmyst]

If there is even a slight feeling that you will regret the purchase, do not buy it. I believe things fall in the right place at the right time. If you think it is the right time to get the game, it will present itself to you. The game is here to stay and will be ready when you are.

 

[ColtSeavers]

I really want to want to buy Civ7. I have waited for its release for I don't even know how many years. Yet here I am, a week before release, and I still haven't bought it. I've put it in my shopping basket several times, someone even posted links to a discounted version recently - yet here I am still. The main reason for this is not so much all the major gripes I have with the design (and I have some major ones - everything in me still screams NO! every time I see Benjamin Franklin leading Ancient Greece or Harriet Tubman leading Ancient Egypt). But what's worse is, whenever I see gameplay footage, I'm left with the thought that: This just doesn't look like a game I will find particularly fun to play.

I have played every civ game since Civ1 (although perhaps that doesn't count, because I didn't really understand english back then and had next to zero clue about what went on). I love seeing my empire develop and (hopefully) thrive over the ages. Most time have gone into Civ5 and Civ6. I loved 5 for the looks, for the excitement of developing my unique infrastructures (I prefered civs that had those) and for shaping and developing my policy trees to match the way the game unfolded. I loved 6 for the "play the map" approach, maximizing district, improvement and wonder placement to optimize strategy (however broken that system might be) and for competing for the unique great people and city states.

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

I think you know the answer yourself. I understand where you are coming from, I sort of feel the same way. Civ is basically the only game I play (besides some Age of Empires 2 on multiplayer), and I was absolutely sure, that I will buy this game before it was announced. But I'm afraid, this game is not for you or me. Maybe after several DLCs some time in the future, but not right now.

 

[trev1972]

I really want to want to buy Civ7. I have waited for its release for I don't even know how many years. Yet here I am, a week before release, and I still haven't bought it. I've put it in my shopping basket several times, someone even posted links to a discounted version recently - yet here I am still. The main reason for this is not so much all the major gripes I have with the design (and I have some major ones - everything in me still screams NO! every time I see Benjamin Franklin leading Ancient Greece or Harriet Tubman leading Ancient Egypt). But what's worse is, whenever I see gameplay footage, I'm left with the thought that: This just doesn't look like a game I will find particularly fun to play.

I have played every civ game since Civ1 (although perhaps that doesn't count, because I didn't really understand english back then and had next to zero clue about what went on). I love seeing my empire develop and (hopefully) thrive over the ages. Most time have gone into Civ5 and Civ6. I loved 5 for the looks, for the excitement of developing my unique infrastructures (I prefered civs that had those) and for shaping and developing my policy trees to match the way the game unfolded. I loved 6 for the "play the map" approach, maximizing district, improvement and wonder placement to optimize strategy (however broken that system might be) and for competing for the unique great people and city states.

So please help me understand: What should I love about Civ7? What will make that game fun to play? It seems pretty much all the elements I love about the civ franchise in general and the previous games have been taken out, but please make me see that I'm mistaken - because I really want to have as much fun and joy from Civ7 as I had from the previous chapters.

This is how i feel as well to be honest, i also tend to play earth maps more than any other map and i think the mechanics make it unlikely there will ever be a tsl earth map.
I think the answer is, dont buy it for a while- see how the game looks in an expansion or two, and then re-assess?

I dare say the game will be a huge success, so there is no rush, it isnt going anywhere