New Civ Game Guide: Tonga (Tides of Power)

[Siptah]

Not really. Building the UQ allows the cross-ocean scouts to remain after the transition. Plus, you get a head start on finding all the good settling spots and befriending DL IPs. It sets you very nicely going into Exploration with Inca (strategically leave your scouts in DL so they can get on land quick after transition) or Hawai'i.

That's what I meant though – it screams to continue playing to make use of what you've set yourself up for. I didn't mean continue with Tonga, sorry if that came across wrongly. I just meant continue to play exploration age, and not abandon the game at the transition.

 

[Leucarum]

Their kit screams "please continue playing after Antiquity" though. If you play antiquity only, you kind of lose a lot of the appeal, no?

I'm a sucker for making sea tiles good, and city state gameplay... But both Tonga and the pirates are the first civs to seem really tied to their age. A trend I'd hoped firaxis would be moving away from if they are making civ switching optional.

Not really a fan of the very inconsistent music. But as I also didn't like Hawai'i's maybe I'm just not much into modern Polynesian traditional music.

I wouldn't put it on outside the context of Civ, but I find it and Hawai'i's theme quite atmospheric. It's the SEA themes I struggle with.

 

[pjotroos]

Well, this looks fantastic. No notes, looking forward to multiple Tonga games.

 

[Krikkit1]

I'm a sucker for making sea tiles good, and city state gameplay... But both Tonga and the pirates are the first civs to seem really tied to their age. A trend I'd hoped firaxis would be moving away from if they are making civ switching optional.

Which means hopefully they won’t just go the route of (just keep your same kit all 3 ages).
I really hope the “Uniques” stay age locked and in other ages it’s semigeneric bonuses, otherwise the age-unique ness of civs gets degraded (like leaders)

 

[ehecatzin]

So, Tonga has some rails to stop you from extending into the DL in Antiquity, like not being able to incorporate Independents, but, would it be possible to levy units from an independent on the DL and go conquering in Antiquity? lol

They seem super fun to kickstart exploring the sea, I really like it.

 

[Krikkit1]

So, Tonga has some rails to stop you from extending into the DL in Antiquity, like not being able to incorporate Independents, but, would it be possible to levy units from an independent on the DL and go conquering in Antiquity? lol

They seem super fun to kickstart exploring the sea, I really like it.

Yeah, they may need to stop Levying as well

 

[pjotroos]

Tofi'a: Unique Quarter. Increased Culture for every Trade Route you have to a City-State. Scouts in any Age from a civilization with a Tofi'a can enter Ocean tiles without taking damage (but cannot disembark in Distant Lands in the Antiquity Age).

Actually really curious about one aspect of this one. Does it impact the movement speed, too, or are we still moving through oceans at 1 tile per turn, just with no damage? If it gives you full speed, that's potentially really good for exploration, even for Regroup games.

 

[queenpea]

This looks fun, and I think the music and civilization art are very nicely done!

 

[Menocchio]

Love more antique age civs! This will do well to make the age feel more diverse. Is it just me, though, or does it seem to anyone else like new civs are pivoting away from unique improvements toward unique quarters?

 

[moondog385]

Awesome civ design. Gonna be farming lots of influence.

 

[tedhebert]

Most likely. BTW, if you take Imago Mundi and civic to increase Scout range, you very often see DL independents without any additional tricks on default maps.

Yes... Very often is quite a reach, but once recently I didn't realize that an IP discovered was actually in distant land iin antiquity. I suzed it, and then incorporated it thinking that it was going to be a great launching pad town in explo to receive treasure fleets, only to discover then that I was already in distant land. That city, btw, couldn't connect to the rest of my empire until late in explo... was really fun

 

[stealth_nsk]

Yes... Very often is quite a reach, but once recently I didn't realize that an IP discovered was actually in distant land iin antiquity. I suzed it, and then incorporated it thinking that it was going to be a great launching pad town in explo to recevie treasure fleets, only to discover then that I was already in distant land. That city, btw, couldn't connect to the rest of my empire until late in explo... was really fun

Do you have any mods? I can't interact with independents in DL in antiquity even if I see them.

 

[Evolena]

I understood that as they can levy scouts in addition to levying normal units. Also if they could levy scouts in distant lands, I am not sure what the point of scouts not being able to disembark in distant lands is.

I already could levy scout in my last game.

They could always be pushed to the coast.

 

[Krikkit1]

Yes... Very often is quite a reach, but once recently I didn't realize that an IP discovered was actually in distant land iin antiquity. I suzed it, and then incorporated it thinking that it was going to be a great launching pad town in explo to recevie treasure fleets, only to discover then that I was already in distant land. That city, btw, couldn't connect to the rest of my empire until late in explo... was really fun

To make Tonga unique, they really should have Ocean block vision (like Mountains) until Astronomy.

 

[SeelingCat]

Tongan Uniques!

Lords of the South	Ability	Tonga	A reference to the fact that the word Tonga means "south" or "southern" in Tongan, so named for it being the southernmost group in Western Polynesia.
Lapita Origins	Civic		Refers to the Lapita Culture, the archaeological term used to describe the Austronesian people who were the direct ancestors of the Austronesian peoples of Polynesia, including Tonga.
ʻEsi Maka Faakinanga	Civic	"Stone to Lean Against"	The name of the stone throne that sits near the Haʻamonga ʻa Maui, built by King Tuʻi-tā-tui in the 13th century.
Kava Ceremony	Civic	kava "bitter"	Kava is a plant in the pepper family, and also the name of a psychoactive beverage that can be made from its root. Kava was consumed in many circumstances, but there was also a specific Taumafa Kava ceremony that requires the presence of the Tongan king.
Ngatu	Tradition		The Tongan word for tapa cloth, a type of barkcloth made throughout the Pacific. Tongan ngatu is commonly made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, and is almost always decorated with painted designs.
Tongiaki	Tradition		A kind of double-hulled canoe that are associated with Tonga.
Takuaka	Tradition		A Tongan deity depicted with the body of a man and the head of shark. He is said to protect those at sea and aid fishermen. In Fiji, he is known as Dakuwaqa.
Tofi'a	Quarter	"inheritance, hereditary estate"	The estate of a noble or chief; also used in the motto of the Kingdom of Tonga, "God and Tonga are my inheritance." This term appears to be a recent term that came into use after the implementation of the Tongan constitution under King George Tupou I in the late 19th century; earlier these estates were known as fonua ("country" among other meanings).
Langi	Building		Large burial mounds built to hold the remains of Tongan kings. Nearly 30 langi exist in Muʻa, the ancient capital of the Tongan Empire.
Vaikaukau	Building	"bathing wells"	Bathing wells owned by chiefs; usually one was located near their residence.
Tehina	Civilian	"brother, younger sibling of the same sex"	A reference to how the Tonga Empids expanded and maintained stability. The "junior brothers or kinsmen (tehina) of the ruling elites were placed at critical points on the outer islands, where they would marry into local chiefly lines and supplant the former... chiefs."
Kalia	Military		"The Tongan adaptation of a drua or double-hulled Polynesian sailing watercraft."

 

[tedhebert]

Do you have any mods? I can't interact with independents in DL in antiquity even if I see them.

I have UI and QOL mods only... I was playing with Lakshmibai too, so I got their units

 

[King Flevance]

Unique Civilian Unit​

Tehina: Unique Scout Unit. Can enter Ocean tiles (without taking damage) and embark at the start of the Age. Cannot disembark in Distant Lands, but can use Coastal Raid on adjacent Discoveries.

Tofi'a: Unique Quarter. Increased Culture for every Trade Route you have to a City-State. Scouts in any Age from a civilization with a Tofi'a can enter Ocean tiles without taking damage (but cannot disembark in Distant Lands in the Antiquity Age). If your only Tofi'a is Pillaged, new Scout Units will not be able to enter Deep Ocean, but existing Scouts with the ability will retain it; if you conquer a Tofi'a, you will get this ability. Tonga can get Scouts by levying Units.

The UU makes me not see much value in the UQ as it can already do what the unique quarter unlocks. I get that it allows scouts in exploration to use it but, eh, I don't bother with scouts in exploration and why would I when I discovered so much in Antiquity already by making use of my Tehinas with the Tonga? Sure, the UQ offers a bit of culture but it also makes it a nice target to capture for any opponents to take your advantage with your UU away. I feel like the UQ should do something else but I am not sure what the "increased culture for every trade route" exactly does. It may be pretty nice. It just feels redundant - possibly to the benefit of your enemies.

 

[Daigotsu Max]

The ocean exploring and influence game is so cool. I have fond memories of the Maori ocean starts in 6!

 

[Rac]

Tonga's Background Art

 

[Leucarum]

Which means hopefully they won’t just go the route of (just keep your same kit all 3 ages).
I really hope the “Uniques” stay age locked and in other ages it’s semigeneric bonuses, otherwise the age-unique ness of civs gets degraded (like leaders)

I really hope not... That would be the most depressing way to introduce Civ continuity... Once things are unlocked they should stay unlocked (even if they become useless like traversing oceans will be)

On an upbeat note though... Tonga has my favourite Civ logo by a country mile...