Review of Civilization 6, published in March 2013

[Optimizer]

Structures of the Industrial Age

Canal (Geology): Can be built in coastal land hexes, costs 120 (increased by elevation)
Ships can enter, land units can embark/disembark directly, carries freshwater, + +1 Merchant slot with Railroad
Replaceable Parts: +1
Combustion: Ships heal 20%/turn

Nitro Plant (High Voltage): Can be built on any land hex, costs 120
Produces Saltpeter, +1 with Railroad, +
Biochemistry: +1 Engineer slot
Nitro Plants are costly to build, but they are useful to boost production of Saltpeter, to support agriculture and military.

Airfield (Aviation): Can be built on any land hex, clears vegetation, costs 160 , self-destructs when captured.
Hosts and repairs air & missile units, +
+2 with Railroad
Flight Instruments: Can Airlift
Jet Engine: +1 Merchant slot

Listening Station (Radio): Can be built on any land hex, costs 120
+1 Guard slot, air interception (1 range, 12 strength), +1 unit stealth, vulnerable to EMP, hosts missile units, self-destructs when captured.
Vacuum Tube: +2 vision
Rocketry: +1 air interception range
Computers: +2 vision
Unified Physics: +2 unit stealth
Single-party State: +3 DCP
Strategy: Listening Stations' upgrades are significant, so though they might seem as a waste of space in the early game, they are very useful in the endgame. Build them on high elevation to take best use of enhanced vision, preferably on infertile land.

Nuclear Plant (Fission): Can be built on any land hex with access to water, costs 160
+2 with Railroad, +3 with Uranium
Computers: +1 Scientist slot
Fusion: +3
A Nuclear Plant structure represents a cluster of enrichment plants, reactors, reprocession plants, waste repositories, research facilites and a safety buffer zone.

Solar Plant (Laser): Can be built on Desert or Savanna, costs 100
+3 , +1 with Aluminum, +5 Victory points
Superconductor: -

 

[orion777]

Maybe a new Idea is to make the game more starcraft/age of empires like. If the game was continuous not turn based it would add a new strategy and excitement to the game.

 

[Cryptic_Snow]

How many players can you have?

 

[Buccaneer]

A lot of work and thought to be sure but I don't see the point. Too many elements of SMAC, Starcraft, etc. for a historical-based Civ game.

 

[sukritact]

Rise of Nations pulled it off. I just wish it was a bit more strategic, had walls, and had more emphasis on terrain. In any case that isn't a path CIV (even a speculative successor for CIV V) should take. It'd be a new game or at least a spin-off.

 

[Optimizer]

Structures in Civilization VI: Blitz

Naval Base (Railroad): Can be built in coastal water, costs 160
Repairs ships, +defense, +3 ,
Combustion: Allows embarkment as on a Road
Heavy Equipment: +1 unit stealth
Containerization: Repairs ships faster

Polymer Factory (Biochemistry): Can be built on any land terrain, costs 160
Produces Oil,
Refrigeration: +1 Engineer slot
Plastics: Produces Rubber

Structures in Civilization VI: Balance of Power

Textile Mill (Replaceable Parts): Can be built on any land terrain, costs 120
Produces Fur, bonus with Cotton, Wool, Dye and Silk, +
Assembly Line: +1 Artist slot

Marine Park (Ecology): Can be built on any ocean hex, costs 80
+1 Scientist slot, +, -, +5 victory points
Applied Genetics: Can spawn organic resource

Arcology (Microsurgery): Costs 280
+1 Scientist, Merchant and Artist slot, +3 and +3 with Railroad, +1 unit stealth, +5 victory points
Seasteading: Can be built in shallow water
Superconductor: Allows direct embarking/disembarking
Terraforming: Can be built in deep water

Aquafarm (Applied Genetics): Can be built on any Ocean hex, costs 160
+3 , +

Extractor (Seasteading): Can be built on Cold Seep and Vent, costs 200, increasing with depth
+2 , +1 with Tunnel, +
Cybernetics: +1 Engineer slot, can be built in deep water
Androids: Can spawn mineral resource

Bridge (Automobile): Can be built on Islet, costs 80,
Functions as Railroad

Tunnel (Robotics): Can be built on Ocean hexes, costs 120, increasing by depth
Functions as Railroad

 

[Optimizer]

Equipment

Individual units can be enhanced by Equipment. Equipment can generally be bought in domestic territory, expending gold or science. When a unit is damaged, equipment might be lost. If a unit is destroyed, equipment remains on the tile, as a crate that can be picked up by relevant units. If a unit is displaced by bombardment (which usually happens instead of complete destruction) there is a large risk of losing equipment.

Equipment is normally not visible in the unit animations, though it might have sound effects. Rival civilizations' equipment is visible if the enemy is within vision range by a margin of 2.

Spyglass (Telescope): +1 Vision, obsoleted by Radar
Unit classes: All - Cost: 30

Surgeon (Anatomy): Heals Melee, Archery, Mounted and Gun units on same tile, including itself, obsoleted by Paramedic
Unit classes: All - Cost: 40

Bayonet (Mechanics): +4 against Mounted and Melee units, obsoleted by Machine Gun
Unit class: Gun - Cost: 30

Grenades (Chemistry): Nullifies entrenchment and Walls, +6 against Armored units, obsoleted by Rocket Launcher
Unit class: Gun, Siege, Armor - Cost: 60

AA Gun (Explosives): +1 air interception range, +8 strength
Unit classes: Siege, Gun, Armor, Naval - Cost: 60

Sonar (High Voltage): +1 Sea vision. Can Ping.
Unit classes: Naval, Gun - Cost: 50
Strategy: The Ping order gives the units another +3 vision for ships, but increases visibility by +3.

Machine Gun (Assembly Line): +6 against Gun and Mounted units for assault and ground interception
Unit classes: Gun, Armored, Siege - Cost: 80

Paramedic (Biochemistry): Heals Melee, Archer and Gun units in adjacent tiles
Unit class: All - Cost: 120

Atomic Bomb (Fission): Damages most targets within 1 tile, consumed after attack
Unit classes: Missile, Bomber - Cost: 180

Radar (Semiconductor): +2 vision, +1 air interception range
Unit classes: Gun, Armored, Siege, Naval, Air - Cost: 80

Night Goggles (Photonics): +8 assault strength, +1 vision on land, can capture enemy structures without self-destruction
Unit class: All - Cost: 80

 

[Ozymandias9891]

Excellent job with this thread. I really like where this has the potential to go. Perhaps some of these ideas will be used in Civ 6. We can only hope, I suppose.

 

[awesome]

i have to admit, i do like how this is including some future era units, even though civ 6 wouldn't exactly be released in 2013, especially march.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

No doubt CiVI could be potentially really nice game....

 

[awesome]

well, considering that they haven't even started working on it yet, since they're still working on civ 5 stuff, there's all the potential in the world.

 

[Matt the Czar]

AWSOME. SMAC 2! my only complaints.

-dont have it need internet! just add fringe benefits if you join

-none other!

actually, most of the things you came up with are very similar, Sattilites, space war, etc. I thought of when i thoughtof doing of Smac 2. But if Firaxis hires you, Optimizer, no need!

 

[AbsintheRed]

About the civs:
You mention these civs in later expansions/DLC packs:
- Zulu, Carthage, Ethiopia, Kongo, Persia, Babylon, Mongolia, Songhai, Korea, Siam, Indonesia, Netherlands, Portugal, Iroquois, Celts, Poland, Sweden from the obvious (and definitely worthwile) civs
- Dravida, Bengal, Harappans, Berbers, Cherokee, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa??, Canada??, Australia??, Colombia??, Romania??????????

Some of the second category are highly controversial (wtf, Romania? really??), but that's your subjective opinion, I'm not here to argue with that


On the other hand, what got to my attention, is that you speak of 15 original civs
Spain, England, Egypt, France, Russia, Germany, Rome, Greece, China, Japan, USA, India, Arabia all has at least some small hints in your articles and/or highly expected to be in the first 15

My problem is that it leaves only 2 free places, and there are a LOT of great civs missing:
Byzantium, Denmark (Vikings), Sumer, Hungary, Ottoman, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Austria
This means only 2 of these 9 would have made into Civ VI in your thoughts?? Sounds a little strange to me. IMO all of these are must have, at least through the DLCs/expansions...

I could even go further with a couple potentional expansion civs (which are in a lesser category than the previous 9, but still could make it through DLC in my eyes):
Sioux, Apache/Navajo, Khmer, Mali, Assyria, Phoenicia, Hittite, Armenia, Scythia, Khazar, Tibet, Vietnam, Israel/Hebrew, Bulgaria, Morocco, Nubia, Zimbabwe, Swahili
All of these are a probably more viable options than most civs in second category of your listed expansion/DLC civs

 

[stfoskey12]

This is very interesting. I haven't gotten very far in the thread, but on the first one, you said that Civ V never had a full expansion pack, but it does. Also, 2013 seems a little early. Other than that, it looks great so far.

 

[Ikael]

A mostly interesting topic, I also love to design videogames in paper (will probably do something like your tread someday) and now, for my personal more in - depth review of your Civ 6!

Pros:

+ The emphasis of terrain improvement rather than landgrabbing makes for an interesting game: battles, urban planning and frontier expansion become more crucial thanks to that
+ Great expansion ideas, really. Would love to see something like that. I always loved the idea of going a bit further into the future, a la Call to Power
+ The luxury resources new mechanic is quite genious
+ Terrain height and unit equipment / customization are two great SMAC ideas worth of being copied

Cons:

- The "no difference between civs" is a real bummer. Some of my favourite games are the ones where factions have a distinct flavour and change significantly your gameplay style (Master of Orion 2 comes to mind). It really does add to replayability
- More than "discipline", I think that the term "governance" should be more accurate (sorry, I am a semanticwhore at heart)

 

[Naokaukodem]

Cons:

- The "no difference between civs" is a real bummer. Some of my favourite games are the ones where factions have a distinct flavour and change significantly your gameplay style (Master of Orion 2 comes to mind). It really does add to replayability

I have to disagree. I have talked about that elsewhere, but I think that the need to have all existing countries makes for a better role playing. I think that this part (role play) is very important retrospectively from the series fan perspective. If there would not be differencies between civs, the devs could put them all, and any player could conquer the world with his country.

Also, from my own perspective at least, I believe that giving countries traits makes for a worst role playing. For example, I am French, I like Civ role play but rarely play France in that game, because I think those traits are not terrible. In the same vain, many players complained that America wasn't good, I think that those people are American and that they feel disapointed by this o****ry in the game. I think that choosing a civ regardless of its abilities would be better, just like Civ2.

Additionnally, I believe that putting the different civilizations on the map according to their real neighbours makes for a better "History rewriting". I'm pretty sad that the feature disappeared from Civ4 and Civ5.

Ultimately, it may be the case for the game you mention (I didn't play at it), but it's far from being the case in Civ5. The civs traits are, for a purpose of balance, mostly odd and unsignificant. This is completely removing all the point of them.

 

[unfairlane]

First question; will units still "embark" giving workers swimming in open oceans like in civ5? If so I`m out.

 

[4sterisk]

I don't think George Carlin deserves to be in Civilopedia. No matter how funny he is.

 

[awesome]

This is very interesting. I haven't gotten very far in the thread, but on the first one, you said that Civ V never had a full expansion pack, but it does. Also, 2013 seems a little early. Other than that, it looks great so far.

Well, to explain that, he made the thread before the expansion was even announced. It still makes no and to assume that there wouldn't be an expansion, or to assume that the next game in the series would be released so soon after the last one, but we're working with suspension of disbelief here. Those small details aren't really all that important, as much as the main idea of the thread.

 

[cinattra]

This is not Civ... it is an entirely different game... and I would play it right along with Civ.