Is Civ 6 up to par with Civ V yet?

[labellavienna]

Hey guys! I was one of those people who eagerly anticipated the release of Civ 6 and although I really enjoyed it (it was way better than civ v at launch), I went back to Civ V because it felt like a more complete game. I haven't played Civ 6 yet but has there been any good updates that changes how the game is played? Are ships still useless? Has there been some good updates?

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

There have been several improvements on tactical AI and warmonger penalties were reduced a bit. The AI upgrades units more reliably now. Some bugs have been fixed and "quality of life" changes have been made. But the AI still can't navy or air.

 

[UWHabs]

There have been several improvements on tactical AI and warmonger penalties were reduced a bit. The AI upgrades units more reliably now. Some bugs have been fixed and "quality of life" changes have been made. But the AI still can't navy or air.

I was shocked in my last game to actually see Kongo with a few fighters, although they never used them on me (although to be fair, I only saw them like 2 turns before wiping them out).

Otherwise, I'm definitely in the 6 > 5 camp. I had just over 700 hours in 5, but already 360+ hours in 6.

 

[labellavienna]

I was shocked in my last game to actually see Kongo with a few fighters, although they never used them on me (although to be fair, I only saw them like 2 turns before wiping them out).

Otherwise, I'm definitely in the 6 > 5 camp. I had just over 700 hours in 5, but already 360+ hours in 6.

What is your favorite thing about it that makes it better than V?

 

[Pythakoreas]

I've been playing Civ6 recently and I quit one game at Industrial as it got boring for me. Civ6 still doesn't have something that compares to Ideology/World Congress in the BNW late game.

Another thing I would add is that Civ5 is a lot more straightforward whereas Civ6 is a minefield of micromanagement and pretty harsh consequences if you don't do it right. I like complex games but not everyone does.

When it comes to the updates none of it was a G&K or BNW level of overhaul, most of it were minor adjustments and I don't find the game drastically different from launch.
(lesser Warmonger Penalty is a gift from heaven though)

 

[ShakaKhan]

Another thing I would add is that Civ5 is a lot more straightforward whereas Civ6 is a minefield of micromanagement and pretty harsh consequences if you don't do it right. I like complex games but not everyone does.

I think this is a byproduct of the design formula and rules, wherein CIv5 has optimal play being based around 3-5 meticulously placed and managed cities (taller) but Civ6 has optimal play utilizing as many cities as possible (wider). The thing is, there's really just as much micromanagement per city in civ6 as there was in civ5, arguably considerably more since just about every single tile either gives or receives an adjacency bonus, regardless of whether it is an improvement or a wonder or a district tile, even the city center. However, as more cities leads to more power in just about every way, once you cross a certain threshold of power (by making your umpteenth billionth city) you can pretty much ignore it since you're a god among insects.

Basically, if you want an uncomplicated game where you can move at a decent pace because you only have to check in on a few things every dozen turns or so, go with civ5. If you want a massive, sprawling empire of unlimited power, go with civ6, just be warned that there's a lot of work (that feels like work) in doing so.

 

[simplybag]

Hey guys! I was one of those people who eagerly anticipated the release of Civ 6 and although I really enjoyed it (it was way better than civ v at launch), I went back to Civ V because it felt like a more complete game. I haven't played Civ 6 yet but has there been any good updates that changes how the game is played? Are ships still useless? Has there been some good updates?

Same here. Went back to Civ5 about 3 months ago. Civ6 looked interesting, robust and "stable" on the first look but then it turned out (to me) it was just not fun anymore. No surprises, no serious AI, no feeling of being "in a game" but just a bystander in a sandbox game.

I don't understand why some friends reduce this choice to the fact that Civ5 supports a "tall" game whereas Civ6 is the long anticipated comeback to a game that asks for a "wide" empire. Personally, I can handle both, but Civ5 (in the latest version) just does its job in a much more enjoyable way than Civ6 currently does.

To answer your question: I am also waiting for Civ6 to reach the level of entertainment Civ5 currently provides.

 

[rschissler]

I never liked Civ 5, so it is hard for me to compare them, but Civ 6 has a lot of cool features. The top game for me is Civ IV.

The biggest problem with Civ 6 is the AI, or lack thereof. In my current game I'm playing Conquest (though there is no such victory condition in Civ 5-6), and I've saved the most advanced and powerful civ for last. Other than the time it takes to take out city defenses, there is basically no opposition. They have no units to counter my huge army. I'm resorting to nukes to hurry up and get this game over.

 

[gfeier]

I'm enjoying Civ 6 a lot more than Civ 5 and I had almost 4,000 hours on Civ 5. I just find it to be a more wide-open game.

 

[iammaxhailme]

The short answer is no, mostly due to a very dull late-game.

The initial exploration and colonization is almost as good, though.

 

[UWHabs]

What is your favorite thing about it that makes it better than V?

I think I like the variety most. Each civ has very distinct bonuses that draws me in wanting to play them, and I like the decisions on placing stuff on the map and building out districts that way. And while the diplomacy may still be lacking, and the AI still has troubles with lots of things, I don't think either are any worse than they were in 5.

 

[TruthfulCake]

I already can't go back to Civ V.

I think Civ VI offers more of a comeback mechanism than V. In BNW, if you are ahead in science you are most likely ahead in everything. Once a civ starts running away, it will be very hard to stop them, which means late game is just a boring next-turn-fest. In VI however, with the science/culture split and the fact that you can't buy out the allegiance of the entire map with money anymore, you have more opportunity to turn the tables. Religious victory is surprisingly a very viable underdog option, and a strong faith can secure crucial great persons for your strategy, or deny them to a powerful rival.

I believe late game in VI is already better than V due to the superficial diplomacy in the latter. If you have enough gold, you control the World Congress, which makes the inclusion of that feature itself kind of pointless. Sans the World Congress, there really isn't any late-game feature from V that is absent from VI.

 

[Sherlock]

No.

 

[spfun]

No. For quite a few reasons I won't list, but 1) its not a complete game yet, give it an expansion or two then compare. 2) Civ 5 suited my Tall playstyle better, taking up workable tiles for wonders/districts and housing/amenities/low growth issues leads to smaller cities instead of a few super cities I normally like to build. I don't think that's going to change with expansions either.

 

[anandus]

It depends how you look at it.

Is it on par with Civ 5 before the expansion packs came out? Most definitely. It's by far a more complete game with far more gameplay content.
Is it on par with Civ 5 after the first expansion? Yes, I think it's at that level
Is it on par with Civ 5 after two expansions? No, it's not, Civ 5 with BNW is a 'fuller' game.

 

[Leyrann]

What is your favorite thing about it that makes it better than V?

1. The absence of Global Happiness.
2. The absence of Tech and Social Policy/Civic costs scaling with amount of cities.

These two things make the game, to me, by definition better than Civ 5. And to top it off, there are a number of mechanics in Civ 6 that I really like:

1. Districts.
2. Split trees.
3. Traders building roads.
4. Diplomacy being hard but rewarding if done right.
5. More uniqueness to civs.
6. Suzerain bonuses.
7. A-ma-zing graphics.

I do agree the AI still needs some more improvements, but if they continue the way they have so far we're surpassing Civ V AI around the time the first expansion hits, maybe even earlier, which would mean everything after that would be a harder AI than Civ V.

 

[magha77]

Civ 6 could be close if it adds the following:
1- vassal states or puppet cities
2- more techs and units
3- an AI that actually fights with multiple units in open field as opposed to just sitting in a city undergoing a siege without even counterattacking

 

[DocRock]

I will wait for the addons. It's a matter of pure subjective and personal opinion, but I stopped playing 6 after 50-60 hours because I think it's a bit boring and the graphics are so bad and unclear compared to V. V all the way.

(And Endless Space 2 until then. )

 

[Victoria]

In many ways I prefer V.
One thing that Inalways could not help abusing was AI archers could not move and fire in the same turn. This alone has stopped me playing V.
Also the path to victory in V via science and great wth is just dull after 2k hours to me.

Civs 6 annoys me in so many ways but the complexity and choice enthrals me.
I play 6 as much because 5 is no longer a game, it's just like watching a remake of the same movie each game.

 

[Arent11]

Hey guys! I was one of those people who eagerly anticipated the release of Civ 6 and although I really enjoyed it (it was way better than civ v at launch), I went back to Civ V because it felt like a more complete game. I haven't played Civ 6 yet but has there been any good updates that changes how the game is played? Are ships still useless? Has there been some good updates?

I didn't like civ 5, so I'm happy with civ 6. That being said, there are still some things I don't like:

(1) The weird, conditional abilities of civilizations. Really, I don't want a "you get +5 combat against wounded units" or "you get 100% production bonus if you are declared war on". Just give me a flat, +3 combat bonus or a flat 10% production bonus.
(2) No tech trade. Just let me trade eurekas, dammit. You can steal them, so obviously, you could also hand them over peacefully.
(3) Few incentives to play peaceful.