[R&F] Idle speculation...

[acluewithout]

So, let’s assume we’re not getting DLC before the next Expansion. Let’s also assume we’re getting an Expansion Q1 2019. ...

So, well, it’s possible we might get a fairly decent patch just before the next Expansion like we did just before RnF. (You know, the patch with the warrior monks and new religion visualisation). ...

SO, if we did get a patch, ... what do you think it might patch?

Let’s be clear on the rules for this IDLE SPECULATION. It’s not “what do you want patched”, or “will there be dlc”, or “what will the dlc contain”. It’s, “what would the next patch patch (if a wood chuck could patch Civ”.

My guess (entirely not tongue in cheek, I promise):

- IZ and Tier 3 Buildings;

- Anti-cav prices;

- Aerodromes;

- Maybe buff Georgia;

- tweaks to housing.

 

[AmazonQueen]

Nerf England
but more seriously (I hope)
the above list looks sensible
Maybe adjust chopping yields. Chopping was powerful before Magnus but now! Maybe just adjust Magnus
Rebalance pantheons

 

[Naktis]

Q1 for 2019 ?! isnt this a bit to early ?

My guess next xpac is in mid of 2019.

I have a "tweak" make game less booring from rennainsance.

 

[acluewithout]

Q1 for 2019 ?! isnt this a bit to early ?

My guess next xpac is in mid of 2019.

I have a "tweak" make game less booring from rennainsance.

That’s a pretty big tweak. I guess maybe Q2. I think they’d aim for timing similar to RnF, but I could see it getting pushed back if the next Expansion was still not ready or because of other things in their calendar. ...hang on, didn’t I say no speculation on the Expansion!?! Argh ... so... hard ... to stop...

I’d be surprised if they nerfed chopping. I’m guessing they’ll rework late game production and so probably wouldn’t nerf chopping until they’d made those changes too.

Pantheons are a possibility. There could be a bit of moving some pantheons to policy cards or government abilities. EG I think there is a good case for Goddess of Harvest and Earth Goddess being Policy Cards not Pantheons.

One thing I wonder about - do FXS think seriously about balance, or are they just reactive? I do see a lot of changes which seem to be reactive to fans, but also see some which look more independent (eg melee promotions). And yet some stuff just seems to never get fixed right (anti cav). It’s a mystery to me.

 

[Weraptor]

I don't think there will be such a big patch like SEA DLC patch, if any. Firstly, it probably wouldn't accompany any new civs, secondly, the religion lens was basically adjusted loyalty lens and thirdly, the "spring" patch seemed final enough, so no news until next expansion.

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

A November patch - possibly even a small DLC - could be possible to generate attention during the holiday season. That's assuming there isn't an announcement for an early 2019 expansion by that time. Otherwise, a patch prior to a new expansion (if any) would be likely, where they roll into the existing game balance changes / fixes addressed while working on the new expansion.

If there's a pre-holiday patch, I'd expect it to include "sellable" stuff: a cool new feature they can talk to the media about, or new graphical enhancements to the game. Plus one or two bug fixes and a tweak or two so that some people post positive things about Firaxis' support of the game.

In the theme of idle speculation, here's some things that could cover off a couple of these at once and therefore could possibly be part of my imagined pre-holiday release:

• A new building or two that boosts tiles with bonus resources. That would be an indirect nerf to chopping while also giving the general player base a cool new toy.
• Stealth Bombers as a new unit, combined with a rebalance of the cost of air units (possibly even all late game military units) and tweaks to the AI to make it more likely to build and use air units.
  
• A new leader for an existing Civ (England?) either as a small DLC or even maybe as a throwaway.

I wouldn't expect a general balance pass / AI upgrade. I'm not sure that would even make sense prior to the release of the final expansion (= final Civ 6 rule set).

 

[Haig]

Theres been lots of posts about air units, so I bet the next patch makes ai create a bigger airforce and use it more.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Combining a boost to the game from Renaissance on and better late-game naval and air play, a 'theme' change that could tie into all these would be a well-designed Terra type Map for the game, with the following characteristics:
All Civs on one set of 'connected continents'
A separate continent or continents that have about 1/3 of the Amenity resources exclusive to them, as well as several City States with Suzereign Bonuses especially desirable in the mid to late game (Zanzibar, Buenos Ares, for example).
That would give everybody almost an entirely new 'colonial-expansion' game to play from the Renaissance Era on, with really pressing reasons to reach the 'new' continent and exploit it with up to date units that can outmatch the hordes of Barbarians that should be swarming that continent by the time any Civ reaches it. Could even throw in a new Resource or three, like Obsidian, Emeralds and Gold, to 'prime the pump' for reaching the new continent even more.

Couple that with, perhaps, a Colonial Alternate Leader or two (George III for England, a nice Controversial Choice!) or a new 'Colonizing' Civ (Portugal?) or Colonial Civ (Mexico, Cuba, Argentina, Hawaii, or a Native American Civ like Maya) and they would have a lot of publicizable features for the Pre-Christmas Rush.

 

[acluewithout]

I’m still hoping England might get an alternate leader, and that be the excuse to overhaul Vicky and the Civ generally.

I really think the Alternate Leader should be Elizabeth. Two female leaders for one Civ would be very cool, and Elizabeth has a fun history with the franchise (are you interested in a trade deal with England? How about you give me all your gold and cities and I give you gun powder and tears?). I think a gameplay case for her could also be made - where Victoria is secular and outward looking in terms of gameplay, Lizzy could focus on a more defensive religious / loyalty game, perhaps working in some spies too. It would be fun to have a second leader that unlocks spies in the Medieval Era.

I think getting an alternate leader as part of a patch is a stretch, but you never know.

...In the theme of idle speculation, here's some things that could cover off a couple of these at once and therefore could possibly be part of my imagined pre-holiday release:

• A new building or two that boosts tiles with bonus resources. That would be an indirect nerf to chopping while also giving the general player base a cool new toy.
• Stealth Bombers as a new unit, combined with a rebalance of the cost of air units (possibly even all late game military units) and tweaks to the AI to make it more likely to build and use air units. ...

Yeah, I think both of these are a possibility.

I think the IZ is a front runner for an overhaul, and could see this happening in a patch. I guess people will have their own views, but I think the fix for the IZ is pretty obvious (with credit to @FearSunn for some of these ideas).

- IZ should get a minor adjacency buff: say, in addition to existing bonuses, +0.5 from lumber mills, +1 from strategic resources (in addition to any adjacency from mines / quarries), and +2 from Harbours or other IZs.

- Workshop: keep the +2 production, citizen slot and great people, and add +1 housing, and something like +1 production and food to pastures and camps in this city.

- Factory: regional production, housing and amenities.

- Powerplant: same as Factory, but regional bonuses depend on having two coal, two oil and or two uranium.

- Slightly more out their ideas (which are more likely to appear in an Expansion than a patch): (1) split Workshop into two mutually exclusive buildings. A “workshop” that works as described above, and a “artisan’s corner” that provides +2 production, +1 citizen slot, +1 GE, +1 housing and +1 gold to all mined or quarried luxury or bonus resources. (2) make the powerplant a separate district which boost production, housing and amenities based on having coal, oil and uranium, and replace the IZ “power plant” building with a tech hub which boosts science and projects, and maybe gets additional production for each Research Lab within 6 tiles. (3) factories and powerplants (and some other tier 3 buildings, eg stock exchange and research lab) may also get linked to Ideologies if FXS bring that back in an Expansion.