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Simplicity is King

GeneralZIft

Professional
Joined
Feb 25, 2019
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785
Opinion piece.

What makes Civilization as a franchise so successful, especially in the mainstream, where many other 4X games are designated as niche strategic games or otherwise flop and fail?

Simplicity is King. But not just simplicity. It needs to be simple on the face of it and complex as you dig deep down. In other words, layered like an onion.

A child could learn to play Civilisation, because the first two-dozen turns are so simple, that the required decisions to just 'play' the game (not to master it or to play it perfectly) are few and easy to make.
It hand-holds you through the start. Typically only a couple choices in science. Only a choice of a couple production and only basic culture decisions to make.

It has to be viewed in two lense - one lense from the beginner, and one lense from the expert. The beginner doesn't need to think too hard or understand too much to make a choice between Barbarian policy or the Scouting policy.
But, the expert understands the critical underlying consequences of each choice, and this gives that early game far better replayability and a feeling of 'mastery'.

Sid Meier's Civilisation series is a masterclass in 'easy to learn, hard to master'. The number of moving parts gradually gets higher and higher with each passing age, which gets players hooked and leaves them understanding more each layer of the game.

The strength of Civilisation mechanics come not in the inherent complexity but in the underlying interactivity with other mechanics. This is the type of complexity that doesn't need to be studied and understood like copious amounts of attributes, resources and numbers - but a complexity that is understood via gameplay awareness.

If a game really wants to rival the best of Civilisation, they need to fully understand this hurdle. Where many 4X games fail (or otherwise succeed but only in the niche 4X market) is when the game comes with too many inherently complex mechanics and far too much to handle on any given turn for a player to wrap their head around, unless they were already vehemently familiar with 4X.

That's not to say extra complex 4X games are bad, but, that if you're talking about rivalling Civ games in the mainstream, mastering that slow gradual growth in complexity, and the low skill floor, high skill ceiling gameplay is the key to captivating that large audience.
That, and flawless execution in UI / presentation, good music, good art, good balance and all the other stuff that comes with any game release.
 
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