Let's make Civ 5

[EmpressOfNona]

4) The Space Conquest: most of you I am sure will agree that one of the most thrilling aspects of Civilization is when you explore a new, unknown map. Imagine if you could this more than once in one game. Imagine if the game did not end after sending a spaceship to Alpha Centuri. Instead, the gamer could be engaged with the new task of conquering a new planet(s) (while managing its earthy affairs), with its own set of problems, technologies and enemies, a new colony, which could be used as such: military purposes, resource extraction, actual colonization and further conquest of the space, you name it. This way, the game could become trully open ended, with new expansion packs adding new planets and features and "problems" to the "Civ" universe.

I love that idea. It kind of reminds me of the "Extended Original" game from Civ 2: Test of Time, except even more extended. Maybe you could have the option to play as the aliens, too? Or maybe not. Either way, it sounds awesome. I hope they take that idea into consideration, and that it works with a more complicated game.

 

[Mattimeo]

you can't have a city larger than size 6 until Industrial age

Hell no! I love my size 17 cities in the Ancient Era!

Representation (Pyramids)/Expansive/Hanging Gardens/Aqueduct/Ball Court/Theatre FTW!

 

[NubianMercenary]

Ummm Lets play Civ Revolution first?
Than even think about Civ5 ..!

 

[RickFGS]

How to make a good Civ5 since Civ4 is for ********, simple, send all that Civ4 as brought to the garbage can, re-install Civ3 and conquests expansion and use the new graphics 2D qualility around as well as the 3D (leave it to cities, wonders and other stuff) for minor things and create a simple, fun and strategical game that allows people to get fun with it. Go call some of the people who worked on conquests for Civ3 and there you have Firaxis!

 

[kibbles]

An option to choose which era you can't advance past would be nice. So you don't have to worry about getting Modern if the tech ends at the end of the Renaissonce times. That'd make a good feature for people who want to keep the game medieval or those who want to stop at the age of cannons and all that stuff.

I agree with that indefinably. I have longed to play a game just in the classical era maybe. Or the medieval era.

 

[SJSerio]

Ummm Lets play Civ Revolution first?
Than even think about Civ5 ..!

Civ Rev is the Console Civ. All of the threads referencing Civ 5 are referring to the next PC iteration of Civ. Now that Civ 4 has 2 expansions, it is more likely that Firaxis is starting their conceptualizing for Civ 5, which would make this the key time for us to get our voices heard.

 

[Tholish]

Era limitation is easily modded. Test of Time like stuff (the layers of maps) would be great and is NOT easily modded. Also a Sim City like element, depending on civics, of basically zoning and letting civilians build. Civ 4 was not a complete bummer, it has many good qualities that were not in Civ 3, especially the BtS version. Civ just has such a potential to be the one in all game. The philosophy of having to take things out to put them in is understandable in light of some of the overly-complex-up-front games that are out there. However, Civ 4 has all this stuff that's just invisible and uncontrollable and uncalculable. The surface layer should be instantly playable, and micromanagement should be there aplenty as you delve further. With that approach you can add without taking away.

Any discussion of changes instantly comes to moddability. You can skip all "this feature should be in" and "that feature should be in" by simply saying make it moddable. All the code should be utterly documented with modding in mind, saying exactly what everything does so there doesn't have to be a Wiki of discoveries.


However, saying "make it moddable" is not a comprehensive suggestion for the game for non modders. A tactical subscreen would be great. When stack A meets stack B in square (34,90), instead of watching what we do now, a new screen pops up showing the battlefield, square (34,90), with all the units of stack A and of stack B. Now archers can shoot over the heads of spearmen, catapults can attack the city out of range of archer attack, cavalry can flank. It can still be turn based, but tactical capabilities can be dealt with much better.

If possible, you could break populations down by skills, with each skill being a technology. You have the technology because you have a population who has that skill. So, you have X number of Agriculture technicians, X number of Iron Working technicians, and so on. Under the right conditions there is a chance a technician will acquire a skill for which their current skill is a "prerequisite," and you have a "Discoverer" unit/citizen. This discoverer can teach, write a book start a school, whatever. Additional techs might include things like Stone Age Homemaker, Bronze Age Homemaker, etc...and Homemaker population would produce Child populations in addition to other benefits. Over time, child populations would turn into Student populations that could acquire new skills.

 

[EmpressOfNona]

However, saying "make it moddable" is not a comprehensive suggestion for the game for non modders.

Well, of course; most of us seem to want it to be very moddable, but it should also have other new features as well that don't necessarily have to do with modding. Otherwise, we might as well just ask for an updated editor and/or the source code (like people have already been doing), and not even bother talking about Civ V. It's just that moddability is, to many of us, one of the most important things that should be improved in Civ V.

 

[Kissa]

This is exactly what we need for city graphics in Civilization V !!

Realistic 3D !
At last.

 

[Moosezilla]

When I read the title of this thread I thought "Wow who got a licence from Sid?". But nooo! I guess we're pikers!

 

[Seaman Sample]

Post deleted.

 

[Stuck in Pi]

Even if you have just cosmetic diferences for units, it still will eat up much more memory than same pics. I agree on the different cities and aerial view. I miss being able to see every wonder in one city...

 

[Mechanarkismo]

A major element I am miffed by is the tactical ability of artillery. Sure they can bombard city defenses, all good. But throwing them against enemy units just to get collateral damage seems a bit strange. How about allowing arty to cause collateral damage to units from the safety of a stack? I find myself building huge flocks of expendable arty to go on an offensive or defend from an enemy offensive only to see them march like zombies(or WW 1 infantry) into enemy units more adept at head to head fighting. Perhaps making arty more difficult to build but more effective tactically, eg: cities with siegeworks can only build arty/ and or more expensive build/maintain.
I think I remember civ 3 having a more realistic arty approach. Capture of arty if left unguarded was a good idea too.
Also, why not have naval bombardments cause collateral damage to landbased units if within range?
Aerial stuff is fine I think. Although, transport helos able to drop and uplift units might be cool.
I have other little "constructive criticisms" for another time perhaps. Still manage to enjoy the game when I get time but, just feel Civ 4 went for pretty instead of depth.
- You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.

 

[devilhunterred]

Actually, that's not true. Populations started growing way before the industrial age (although more slowly). There were ancient Roman cities of a million+ inhabitants (at least Rome itself). Middle ages Arabian cities were quite large (I'm thinking of Damas and Baghdad in particular). Chinese cities were also quite large. Perhaps not exactly healthy, but pretty crowded nonetheless.

Population in Europe started growing again after the demise of the Roman empire (and the subsequent dark ages), during its middle ages. There was an agricultural revolution back then which accelerated demography to a point. The reason for the eventual stagnation of pre-industrial era was the fact that most of the wooded lands had been claimed for farming, and the various black plagues that culled the popations by more than half at one point. Many major historical invasions found their sources in overpopulation somewhere, and therefore a need for new lands (usually at someone else's expense).

Fact is China had the largest cities. Marco Polo returned to Europe after his expedition in the 14th century with reccords of megatrapolis (namely Chengan, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu and a couple others) containing several millions of Chinese. Of course few from Europe believed him at the time.

You speak more prejudice than wisdom my friend. It can be argued that no medieval cities in any civilizations were ever "healthy".

Athens in the Middle Ages had been described as:
"The city itself was crowded, dirty and, from a material point of view, primitive- The Athenians had no stable running water in their houses, no central heating, no adequate artificial light. The moutainous task of cleaning up the corpses of cows and sheeps and livestocks that were littered on the sides of the road, proved too great for the city's legion of slaves."

Even the most powerful and wealthiest of all Lords would only take a bath once a week. Royal castles of Britain had the notorious reputation of having a damp, foul ordor within its walls. Hygiene just wasn't the trend back then, and it goes for all civilizations, not just the Chinese.

In fact, I would regard the ancient Chinese to place more emphasize on hygiene than most other ancients, if not any less.

 

[Dero Zero]

Finland as a Civ to civ5!!!

 

[FalconJH]

I really like the idea of having civil war. You know the unhappiness in far cities or if the capital gets taken or you are changing civics.

Plagues are a neat idea.

Better use of mountains and more resources. Having larger civs need more resources.

Canals, I really would like to see the capability to build canals. Also have rivers be navigable by certain ship units and have the big rivers be impassable to land units without a bridge or passable at only certain points

A more realistic random world generating, with things more natural.

I have seen barbarian states that have more cities and larger ones then some of the computer Ai players, why can't they become new civilizations?

I really liked the multiple maps/space conquest of test of time.

An idea I have had is to have the tech tree be more limiting. That is having some technologies cut off access to others. Perhaps having certain buildings do the same thing. For example in mesoamerica the flint napping was excellent to the point that metallurgy was not used because they had become so adapt at the stone tools that even the Spanish with guns and armor weren't protected from the Atlatl. you could have a complete tech tree and have the limiting factors be known but have the worlds physics be different for each map and the player not know which tree is going to be the most effective. Like you could have ritualistic magic be an off shoot of religion and take it all the way up to magic technology but have some maps not have magic past a certain point. Or perhaps have multiple options for things like the scientific method that change what your civilizations units and things are like for later technologies. Things like steam powered artillery, steam machine guns, flying dirigible fortresses, who knows what else if combustion engines wasn't available or researched.

 

[thomas.berubeg]

An idea I have had is to have the tech tree be more limiting. That is having some technologies cut off access to others. Perhaps having certain buildings do the same thing. For example in mesoamerica the flint napping was excellent to the point that metallurgy was not used because they had become so adapt at the stone tools that even the Spanish with guns and armor weren't protected from the Atlatl. you could have a complete tech tree and have the limiting factors be known but have the worlds physics be different for each map and the player not know which tree is going to be the most effective. Like you could have ritualistic magic be an off shoot of religion and take it all the way up to magic technology but have some maps not have magic past a certain point. Or perhaps have multiple options for things like the scientific method that change what your civilizations units and things are like for later technologies. Things like steam powered artillery, steam machine guns, flying dirigible fortresses, who knows what else if combustion engines wasn't available or researched.

that would be nice.

 

[Stuck in Pi]

I think part of this is wanting to see real life embued in Civ more, but also remember that it is meant to be fun. What fun is it if an AI questions your moves (like a critic)?

 

[anpuZA]

Hi

So here's a thought... which might just go kaboom in my face and have me branded a heretic but hey...

A real time option.

LAN would be so much less comatose if real time could be implemented as an OPTION. I love the idea of cities growing into other cities. Indeed that would be nice. Also... train track everywhere is a bit silly... train tracks should have an AOE across tiles (if this idea has not been given already.) With highways (and designated flyways for later tech eras when cars fly ) and food + material imports. Certain resources must be more common than others and units / buildings a little less oversized as I love the concept of correct scale, but I understand the reason for avatar reprisentation of units. The whole graphics engine of Civ 4 seems to take a lot more out of the system then should be expected. And the building of workers should be scrapped for the tax model as with Call to Power... designated public works could be animated showing work teams working, but since when did work teams (even way back in the ancient days) cause a civilization to stop food production or growth? it's insane. It would free up unit count.

Settlers, as leader you should be able to designate sites for settling new cities, but "sub" cities should also be able to grow around mines and farming centres... say 2 or more farm sharing borders adds a little town developing between them thus adding to credit growth and pop. This town might in time even be swallowed up by the bigger city and end up as a suburb. Maybe a circular area around the city will provide food, so that as more and more urban areas fill up food must be imported from "farming" cities and towns.

I also dont think that civ 4 was so bad... but I really do feel that it's time for
Civilization to show that a 4x game can also have a realtime component AND that it will kick some of those boring generic RTS's butts.

 

[warpstorm]

Hi

So here's a thought... which might just go kaboom in my face and have me branded a heretic but hey...

A real time option.

Burn, Heretic, Burn!!!