Isabella - Leader Discussion

[Josephias]

Is this the first leader we've seen with an age-variable leader ability?

Not really, you may take Xerxes, in example…

Crusher of Rebellions: Increased Combat Strength for Units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory. Gain Culture and Gold per Age upon capturing a Settlement for the first time. Gain increased Gold in all Settlements, increased even further in Settlements not founded by you. Increased Settlement limit per Age.

Gold rewards increasing per age is just a reflection of inflation (each Age your civ is greater and has more pop, your income is greater and everything costs more, so “prices” like Isabella’s and Xerxes’ must scale as well to become interesting.

Of course, as the game advances, there is also less prizes to be called for, but that is the same also for both. Map opening in exploration just means you cannot run out of prizes in antiquity, and one must admit it is easier Isabella runs out of Natural Wonders than Xerxes of settlements to conquer, but these also can be seen as a somewat “limited” resource.

 

[Lord Lakely]

Machiavelli gets 3 / 6 / 9 Influence per turn based on the Age.

I believe Xerxes's bonus also scales.

So no.

 

[The Fanatical]

Me when I realise I still have to wait through 3 months before Civ 7 drops.

Three months is nothing, really. I'm speculating that we have to wait at least a couple of years for all of these additional delicious leaders and civilizations to arrive in order for the game to feel enriched.

 

[The Fanatical]

Words can't express my disappontment in the most boring, conventional possible selection of rulers Firaxis chose for this game

It's as if they decided to counterbalance civ-age-switching revolution with as many familiar faces as possible, to make for the softer landing

It's nice to see very famous returning faces with updated graphics, but I had hoped that this version of Sid Meier's Civilization will try to include at least one new leader for all the old civilizations. Starting with completely new leaders and adding more new leaders and only a few familiar ones via DLC would have been my approach. Yes, it sounds like a risk, why wouldn't it work though if the chosen leaders are interesting historical figures with a detailed appearance that are fun to play as.

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

Not really, you may take Xerxes, in example…

Crusher of Rebellions: Increased Combat Strength for Units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory. Gain Culture and Gold per Age upon capturing a Settlement for the first time. Gain increased Gold in all Settlements, increased even further in Settlements not founded by you. Increased Settlement limit per Age.
Gold rewards increasing per age is just a reflection of inflation (each Age your civ is greater and has more pop, your income is greater and everything costs more, so “prices” like Isabella’s and Xerxes’ must scale as well to become interesting.

I read this as he gets a Culture and Gold bonus the first time he captures a settlement each age, i.e. he gets it once for the first settlement he captures in the Antiquity age, then not again until the Exploration age when he gets it again for the first settlement he captures in that age, etc. But your interpretation may be correct.

Machiavelli gets 3 / 6 / 9 Influence per turn based on the Age.

I missed this. So Isabelle's "double for Distant Lands" is probably just for keeping up with inflation, rather than something that's more valuable in the Exploration age instead of the Antiquity age. Although by that logic it would become less valuable in the Modern age.

 

[Zaarin]

Wouldn't a hennin be rather scandalous for a devout Catholic queen? Or have I an exaggerated impression of the clergy's reaction to that particular headgear?

Also is it me or are her hands over-large?

If you want to be really scandalous, Italian women were wearing their hair uncovered, and their dresses featured décolletage that would be considered racy today. Meanwhile in France, baring the left breast was fashionable. But yes, the cut of Isabella's headdress here is accurate for many of her depictions, but it would have been made of sheer linen, not thick wool. No one would have worn this particular style of headdress in the 15th century outside of a convent.

 

[Atlas627]

Is this the first leader we've seen with an age-variable leader ability?

I thought one of the design principles was that civs could have age-specific abilities (they're only in one age, so that's fine) but that leader abilities would be generally useful across the whole game (they're in all 3 ages).

Isabella's specials are applicable to all 3 ages, so wouldn't directly violate that principle, but the natural wonder ability varies over time:

• 300 gold in the Antiquity age for finding new Natural Wonders in your starting area (Homelands)
• 600 gold in the Exploration age for finding new Natural Wonders in the Distant Lands. Is this a buff in this age, or is gold generally 2x as easy to get in the Exploration age such that the doubling only keeps the bonus equivalent?
• ??? in the Modern age - will there be anything new to find this age, or will it just be cleaning up any missed Natural Wonders from the prior age

Well, all abilities will vary in usefulness over time. Hatshepsut gets Culture for Imported Resources, but later in the game will have more players and more trade routes (presumably), and yet the Culture itself may be more or less valuable (due to inflation, or because you've switched to a Civ that doesn't need as much Culture for their gameplan). Augustus gets Production in the Capital for each Town, and the Settlement Cap increases as the game goes on, yet also the Production is less valuable.

But sure, I suppose it's a difference in kind. Tecumseh, Machiavelli, and both Xerxes personas say "per Age", so Isabella isn't alone in this.

I read this as he gets a Culture and Gold bonus the first time he captures a settlement each age, i.e. he gets it once for the first settlement he captures in the Antiquity age, then not again until the Exploration age when he gets it again for the first settlement he captures in that age, etc. But your interpretation may be correct.

I assume this works the same way this wording worked in Civ6: it means the first time you capture that Settlement, rather than on each re-capture. It doesn't mean only the first capture of each Age does anything.

 

[B0RDERL1NE]

I assume this works the same way this wording worked in Civ6: it means the first time you capture that Settlement, rather than on each re-capture. It doesn't mean only the first capture of each Age does anything.

That is correct.

 

[Atlas627]

That is correct.

Even though I know what it means, I do find the wording ambiguous, and did during Civ6 as well. Unfortunately, any clearer wording I can think of is also less elegant. "the first capture of each settlement", maybe?

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

Didn't FXis has any love of Charles V? he can pair with either Spain or Germany or Normans.

 

[untitledjuan]

Didn't FXis has any love of Charles V? he can pair with either Spain or Germany or Normans.

Charles V could have been an awesome leader choice back in Civ6, he could have worked similar to how Eleanor of Aquitaine appeared in Civ6, but leading Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

I still think he's a very interesting leader choice for Civ7 and it would be awesome to see him making an appearence in the game, perhaps more now that leaders are separate from civilizations.

 

[Vincent_lacruz]

Well, at least she has a nautral wonder starting bias. So the odd of having a natural wonder at the spawn location, or close by is huge.

Considering the impact of the few natural wonders we have seen so far, and the added yield from her power, that could mean a rather good start.

At worst she will allow a cheap naval power... +50% gold toward purchasing means -33% buying cost, which is really good. And later cheaper maintenance cost is always nice. She will be good for escorting the golden fleets.

 

[Futumch]

That’s the Norman flag behind Benjamin Franklin? So Greece-> Norman->American?

Pretty sure that's Aquitaine. One lion is Aquitaine, two is Normandy, three is England.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Pretty sure that's Aquitaine. One lion is Aquitaine, two is Normandy, three is England.

That's the Norman icon in game. https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/norman-exploration-age-civilization-discussion.691973/
Presumably two lions would be hard to put. The units do carry banners with two lions in game though.

 

[Futumch]

That's the Norman icon in game. https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/norman-exploration-age-civilization-discussion.691973/
Presumably two lions would be hard to put. The units do carry banners with two lions in game though.

Heh, I flew my flag nerd... flag. I haven't really been paying attention to Civ7 development, thanks for the pickup.