Rivers and coasts

[Naokaukodem]

As Boris Gudenuf stated multiple times, in the next Civ there should be a major focus on rivers and coasts way of moving and trading, internally as well than externally.

I've already got surprised by the settlers filter with green tiles allowing a faster growth (way faster actually) in Civ6, that's a good step in the right direction.

But let's emphasis that a little bit more shall we ? For example, we should definitely be able to travel along rivers as if their borders were roads. That way, early exploration would be done along them. Maybe a reward could be given for doing so, for example like placing goody huts along rivers more often than in Civ6, that seems to emphasis Industrial Era types of discoveries, with goody huts placed in marginal locations such as toundra and ice.

The discovery of any boating technology should increase dramatically the importance of rivers. Coupled with Animal Husbandry, we should be able to trade for long distances between two points of a river.

Cities placed on the same river should dramatically see their communications increased, beneficial for whatever "loyalty system" is implemented in Civ7. Basically, cities uphill could do whatever pleases to them with water, in virtually infinite quantity. The cities downstream should beg for cooperation, incorporation or aggressive early war of conquest, just like in multiplayer when a player is stuck in a tiny side of the map and have no perspective of expansion due to another civ player.

Cities within the same civ along the same rivers or canals or coast should have a major boost in gold, a little like if Civ2 caravansaries were sent to each others for trading specific goods. (I really miss that feature)

It's hard to tell what the benefits would be as long as we don't know how precisely the next opus of the franchise will look like. But assuming the cultural expansion is kept, cities radius should expand towards rivers, roads and coasts. As I am at it, let's make so the shape of the cultural radiuses matches with the usable tiles, aka earth ones. (I know coastal cities in Civ6 have been buffed, but they are still not nearly as efficient as in reality, like the 'great ports' that can be quite populated, if not capitals, and industrious too -maybe more production bonuses from trade routes ? (arriving and departing))

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Just a few additional points:
1. City Radius, if it reflects where a city can draw food from, is only a single tile from the City Center until Railroads OR multiple tiles away along a river or along the coast. AND since people were building boats and traveling the coasts and rivers before the Start of Game, that City Radius is from the First Turn.
That alone would 'Buff' Coastal Cities tremendously and make a river or coastal position for a city almost mandatory early in the game - as it nearly should be.
2. As said, Communications along rivers is much more efficient than any other land communication before Railroads, so not only Loyalty, but Trade in Luxury Goods is much better, and trade in Bulk Goods like Food or Strategic Resources is effectively Impossible without water-borne travel. Again, 'Buffing' Coastal Cities tremendously.
3. Where two rivers near each other - say, 1 tile apart - should become a Prime City Location because of the communication, Trade, Radius and travel possibilities on both rivers. IF the terrain is flat, the space between the rivers can be more than 1 tile, because up until the Renaissance it was possible to 'portage' - drag the boats or ships across the flat terrain on log rollers - and extend the water-borne transport between both river systems.
4. Other Prime Water City Locations: where a long. navigable river meets the sea, or the furthest point up the river that is navigable with sea-going vessels. See New York City, Alexandria in Egypt, London or Paris (sea-going vessels could sail right up the Seine to Paris until the late Medieval Era - the Vikings even got an entire fleet that far!)