Now that we have 3 game variant toggles, which will you use regularly?

[TomTorres]

Apocalypse: almost never, most of my games are with disaster intensity set to 3

Secret Societies: They´re fun but heavily unbalance the game and still not very keen on the Dracula-thingy

Shuffle: very nice twist to the game w/o unbalancing it, will use it more often in the future.

 

[Dave "old computer guy"]

I tend to be an immersive, realism oriented player so Apocalypse and Secret Societies will likely be rare or never choices.

I have been playing a bit of Old World since the early release and initially found the random tech approach that is used to be a bit off-putting. When Civ offered it in the last update I initially rejected it as well... but then upon thinking it over it dawned on me that most "tech" advances are not the result of some government or Civ supported mandate (Atomic bomb/energy and space exploration excluded) but instead arise organically (and randomly) from the local user population. The archer who found the longbow gave him more range, the stone mason who developed an architectural style or the trader who found new markets by building bigger more efficient boats to cross the seas. Invention isn't ordained, especially in early history, it is the product of an individual mind resolving a need.
Henceforth, shuffle shall be my default tech mode.

 

[Piranga]

None

 

[_ViKinG_]

I havent played in a while. started a new game now with all 3 options on. Long into the game a comet crashed into my second city i had worked alot on hehe. even had big ben wonder there. Now its just a hole with water in it.(I was shocked) So in my next game i will tone it down a little
an update: played some more turns, another comet strike. made 4 tiles to coast. im to used to civ v. civ vi destroys me without war

 

[Gambito]

And now that we have 4...
Of them all, I've only tried SS once.
Maybe I'll try the shuffle one.
Don't care about Apocalypse.
The dramatic ages doesn't appeal to me either.
I don't care much about optional content to toggle on and off to make the game harder or crazier.
I'm up for permanent additions, not optional variants.

"tech" advances are not the result of some government or Civ supported mandate (Atomic bomb/energy and space exploration excluded) but instead arise organically (and randomly) from the local user population.

I thought the same when the mode came out, and that's why it's the only mode I would consider using. Stealing technologies with spies makes more sense since you're commanding your people to steal the knowledge of something someone else discovered. I'd like if technology trading was also available like in older games.

 

[MisterBoomBoom]

Shuffle can be difficult, interesting and annoying all at once. Difficult due to the randomness, interesting due to the randomness, and annoying because you cannot really plan or see ahead.
The verdict is still out on this one for me. Question: Does the AI play with the same shuffle set as you or is everyone playing with a different set?

Secret Societies. I loved ....until I played against vampires... now have my doubts. Ley lines are great...putting them in the most arcane of places not so much and a befuddling choice. Owls?...who doesn't like Mo money but devoid of thoughtful developement-much like the alchemy building- kinda a lazy crutch design. Voidsters ...just one more unit spammed to a degree that I often wonder do the developers play test at all? Verdict is stil out. Hope they improve or expand the concept.

Apocalypse- Enjoyed it more than I would think- but I normally kick up disasters anyhow. The sacraficing of your own built war units is gamey, weird, and ass backward. And the unit produced is overpowered and there is no counter unit. Most likely won't play often until fixed up a bit.

 

[topsecret]

Question: Does the AI play with the same shuffle set as you or is everyone playing with a different set?

The same shuffle.

 

[ehecatzin]

I'd love to use secret societies more, but as others have mentioned, it completely messes the governor economy, if it was better balanced and had more diplo interactions...

Shuffle I like because it forces you to adapt , research more on each era (as opposed to always beelining), and puts more emphasis on eurekas.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Apocalypse is just not my thing. Enforced and random disasters turning inevitably endgame into sudden death - not for me. Soothsayers (now even releasing CO2?) and farming disasters for extra yields or to damage opponents feels off as well. Maybe I will motivate me one day, if I look for a really crazy game - but that day has still to come.

Secret Societies will see an occasional return into my games, if balance (as others mentioned for example, early governor title inflation), mechanics (e.g. Cultists operating religious layer, not simplay always yielding relics) and bugs (like HO and Owls special buildings behaving weird with Arabia/Ottomans UBs) should be adressed at some point. Without further changes, as exciting as the idea behind this mode is, I feel sadly that it ruins more than it brings for the average game. I really like the extra source for conflict, but the overall injecting too much "free stuff" (not only gov titles, but also yields) just kills one of the thriving factor of a strategy game: Constant careful managment of scarce ressources.

Tech Shuffle So far the best mode for me. Some bugs have to fixed, but apart from that is a solid addition. I'm still exploring the impact on gameplay, but so far I really like it Probably won't activate it in every future game, but I see myself using that on a regular base.

Dramatic Ages No final judgement until I have played with it, but I fear that it will fall in the same category as secret societies. Nice ideas (e.g. no points wasted, dark ages more threatening), but breaking too much (no more normal ages as middle ground, will the standard policy cards be still competitive?, Georgia getting super-buffed here, but not improved with the mode out)

 

[Fluphen Azine]

Not sure how I feel about the changes.

Apocalypse Mode: Fun for 10 to 20 games for me but I got sour on Civ in general after NFP launched.

Secret Societies: Played about 15 games so far mixed with Tech/Civic Shuffle.
I don't understand why they show you all the AI's SS if it is supposed to be secret.
I have basically bypassed this option in the early/mid game to avoid angering the AI.
I just get more governor promotions and try to roll the AI.

Tech Shuffle: Depends on the shuffle.
I've had games where it slows the game down and others that speed it up.
I still feel the biggest advantage is the land that you spawn on.
If I have good land and easy neighbors the game is a breeze.
If I have difficult land I tend to struggle.
I hate the game when I have no Iron or Horses.
Not sure that I like the Tech/Civic Shuffle but I am playing it now because it is different.

Dramatic Ages: No idea and don't really care.
I thought it was funny that this September Update is basically in October.
I paid for the whole thing months ago so I suppose I will try it eventually.
I notice that I only play games up to turn 75 to 125 these days.
Usually I have a big enough lead and enough cities to call it a GG.
Some games I get an awful combo of bad land, difficult neighbor and Irate Barbarians.
In those games I tend to just quit instead of slogging it out like days of old.

 

[Ferocitus]

I will never, ever use Apocalypse. Secret Societies I will use sometimes, Shuffle will probably be a permanent.

Shuffle only for a while. It has made the game much more challenging.

 

[Slayan]

I'm going to use random techs, you cant use the same script over and over when its different every time

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

Some games I get an awful combo of bad land, difficult neighbor and Irate Barbarians.

Ah yes.
Had a turn 7 barbarian invasion the other day in multiplayer, where the scout that spotted me was not even near my city according to my own scout.
They ended up taking my settler, and I ended up GGing the multiplayer game.
A d*** move perhaps, but you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

 

[Fluphen Azine]

I'm going to use random techs, you cant use the same script over and over when its different every time

Seems pretty much the same or similar but I tend to play the same every time.
Hurry up and get 2 to 4 cities ASAP.
Improve some tiles to get boosts and trade up.
Chop out an Army and camp on the AI in hopes to steal a settler or two.
Now with the SS I concentrate on the Levy and use the units to explore, steal, pillage and or destroy.
Seems cheap at 200 gold for all those units so early in the game.
Tech my way to Iron, Knights, Muskets and Bombers.
Bombers if need be.
Feels like the same game or at least the same benchmark goals.
Once you get 10+ cities the game is over anyways... right??
My first couple attempts with the tech/civic shuffle was disorienting.
After that brief period I realized the game is the same if you Warmonger.

 

[Chekko]

I use everything except for apocalypse mode. Not sure about Dramatic Ages, I’m playing through with it now and have not really made an opinion about it yet.