OCC/OSC Thoughts and Strategy

[Methos]

For those unfamiliar with the term, OCC stands for “One City Challenge”.

I’ve always loved the challenge of OCC games and have played them throughout the Civilization series. The issue with Civ 7 is that technically, by definition of the name, you could play with one city and a bunch of towns. While I will try this play style at least once, it doesn’t feel like a true OCC variant to me.

So I guess that means it’ll now be called the OSC (“One Settlement Challenge”)? One city only and you can never build a settler, nor control a town. You only have your founding settlement.

The Antiquity age I think will be fine, but the Explorer age might be rather difficult. The independent city states on the distant lands will be very useful in this age. I don’t know enough about the modern age to guess the best option.

Any thoughts on strategies for an OSC game? Anyone else also going to give it a try?

Note, I’ll play the game normally for a while until I get used to it before trying an OSC variant, but its fun to me just thinking about it.

 

[AriochIV]

Growing large cities in Civ7 seems dependent on having supporting towns to provide food, so I would think this makes one-city challenge rather difficult.

 

[Methos]

Growing large cities in Civ7 seems dependent on having supporting towns to provide food, so I would think this makes one-city challenge rather difficult.

I agree, but I also feel that with towns it would make OCC extremely easy. It's my understanding the game was designed so that towns were the primary food source (I believe, I could be wrong), so playing without them will be very difficult, as you said.

 

[uppi]

You would be very restricted in earning legacies:

Antiquity:
- Economic: only possible if you can acquire multiple camels
- Cultural: This is the one you probably want to go for, if you can find space for all the wonders
- Military: You are not getting points here
- Scientific: Even if you are getting codices, where would you put them all?

Exploration:
- Economic: You won't be producing treasure fleets. The only option would be to pirate them, but that is going to be tricky
- Cultural: Where do you put the relics?
- Military: Again, no points
- Scientific: If you managed to build a lot of wonders in Antiquity and you get enough food for running specialists, this might be your chance

 

[gdr_willter]

- Economic: You won't be producing treasure fleets. The only option would be to pirate them, but that is going to be tricky

So this challenge is for Songhai, right?

 

[uppi]

So this challenge is for Songhai, right?

I don't think the Songhai ability is going to produce enough fleets with only one city.

 

[Krikkit1]

Growing large cities in Civ7 seems dependent on having supporting towns to provide food, so I would think this makes one-city challenge rather difficult.

Getting food boosts from Diplomacy (IP Trade Routes, endeavors) will probably be important.
Also using Dark ages on transitions

 

[Aeon221]

I hope they add a leader that gives you some kind of bonus for using dark age policy cards. I can imagine that being useful for a OCC run

 

[Krikkit1]

I think Wonders will definitely be important, aside from the adjacency, most of them give good “this city” bonuses.

There are a variety of bonuses specifically for the Capital and for 3 or less cities.

 

[Methos]

At one point he mentions that in order to put two specialists in a building he can only have one building per tile. So does that mean if we have two buildings on a tile we can only put one specialist, or none at all? This isn't something I've come across before, so a bit uncertain.

 

[Krikkit1]

At one point he mentions that in order to put two specialists in a building he can only have one building per tile. So does that mean if we have two buildings on a tile we can only put one specialist, or none at all? This isn't something I've come across before, so a bit uncertain.

That REALLY REALLY REALLY needs to be fixed.

Once I saw the
+%to Gold for buying
+% to Happy and Food for Specialist maintenance,
I thought …oh good they are doing this right…you could have +100% and it just means things are 1/2 cost

+50% to Buying things means that something that normally cost 30 should cost
30/(1.5=150%)=20

Now for Growth (and production of X buildings) that should be a bit different since it happens over multiple turns…so if you are 1/2 way there, a new Bonus should only apply to the new Growth

But it appears they did it all (insert worst possible language allowed)

 

[evonannoredars]

America's prospectors could be useful, I believe they can claim resource tiles up to 5 tiles away from the city? Unsure if claiming a resource 5 tiles away and thus owning a 4th ring tile means you can build on it or not. Although by the modern age those tiles will likely have been claimed by other civs already, so you'd probably need to go raze a few cities.

 

[Seek]

At one point he mentions that in order to put two specialists in a building he can only have one building per tile. So does that mean if we have two buildings on a tile we can only put one specialist, or none at all? This isn't something I've come across before, so a bit uncertain.

He meant that he wanted to create new urban districts rather than fill the second slots on existing urban districts because new ones allow for two more specialists. The phrasing was awkward, it threw me at first too.

 

[moysturfurmer]

Would be good if migrants had an alternative use for fringe cases like this. Maybe like making them emigrate to a foreign nation for a boost in influence or something? Could be interesting even in a normal game

 

[Leyrann]

Would be good if migrants had an alternative use for fringe cases like this. Maybe like making them emigrate to a foreign nation for a boost in influence or something? Could be interesting even in a normal game

I've got nothing against OCC but I don't think the game design should take it into account.

(and yes I know it was an option in Civ 4 custom games and basically the gameplay of Civ 5's Venice - my opinion remains unchanged)

 

[moysturfurmer]

I've got nothing against OCC but I don't think the game design should take it into account.

(and yes I know it was an option in Civ 4 custom games and basically the gameplay of Civ 5's Venice - my opinion remains unchanged)

I tend to agree, but i like the idea of different units having different uses. Consider the great people in V. Great Engineers didn’t just have a single “finish construction” use. They were also able to create production tile improvements. An Emigration for Influence mechanic would solve for situations where you have nowhere to settle a migrant (fringe case, I know) but more importantly it would provide players with an interesting decision to make.

 

[Methos]

He meant that he wanted to create new urban districts rather than fill the second slots on existing urban districts because new ones allow for two more specialists. The phrasing was awkward, it threw me at first too.

Thank you. That makes sense.

I'm wondering if this is something they're going to patch? They've spoken before of stacking bonuses for an advantage, but this seems a bit much.

 

[ggmoyang]

Looks like an oversight from devs, they surely don't want this to be happen - as they know stacking a negative modifier is bad thing.
You can tell it by the rework of purchase cost discount bonuses in Civ 7. Now it says '+x% gold towards purchasing...' and if you have two +20% bonuses, you end up with 1/(1+0.2+0.2)=0.714... -> 71.4% cost.

Oh Krikkit1 already mentioned this lol

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Would be good if migrants had an alternative use for fringe cases like this. Maybe like making them emigrate to a foreign nation for a boost in influence or something? Could be interesting even in a normal game

Problem is that sending Emigrants doesn't usually give you Positive Influence with someone: think Goths and Germanics immigrating into the Roman Empire in 400 CE, or the Irish into the United States after 1849 or the current world-wide un-organized immigration and the problems associated with it.

I could see the 'Migrant' be a possible influence on an IP settlement: adding population as an alternative to 'Influence' to provide a Pro-You faction in their group.

Larger organized states, though, a generally not happy to have large numbers of foreigners arrive unless they are in chains and escorted by their own troops . . .