Small Observations General Thread (things not worth separate threads)

[Krajzen]

I am going to being with one small and not obvious one which has great implications imo, but I don't think deserves its own discussion thread:

At one point, when you see various policies (or civics?) you choose from, they don't just cause positives, but also negatives.

This has actually massive implications for the design of the entire game. Civ5 and especially civ6 were extremely "penalty-averse"; almost everything you chose were bonuses with no drawbacks besides opportunity cost of other bonuses. I actually really disliked this approach to civ6 design in particular, as it made the game feel even more like static sandbox with little challenge rather than dramatic history where you have to make tough choices with consequences. And in civ7 time will show us what other elements of design are impacted by that shift - especially as we now seem to have normal happiness system (thank God, after two games of weird abstractons) and one of policies is specifically lowering city happiness in some context...

What are your minor observations, especially those with major impact?

 

[tedhebert]

Yes but those seems to be crisis choices from what I gather... it seems that there will be 3 stages of crisis, and at each stage you will have to chose one of those choices that will give bonuses AND maluses...

But that's pure speculation on my part atm

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Camels and Dates as resources

 

[wesplaysciv]

Some beautiful train stations… but very curious how the rail network would be made. Seems they are trying to reduce micromanagement where possible so perhaps automatic?

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Some beautiful train stations… but very curious how the rail network would be made. Seems they are trying to reduce micromanagement where possible so perhaps automatic?

Possibly you build a Station in a city and then simply designate another Station and it automatically connects?

Something similar could be done with earlier Roads: build a Caravanserai or Markt of some kind and designate another one within range to auto-connect to.

Given that they've done away with Builders I would bet that they will also automate as much other on-map construction as possible.

 

[Glassmage]

Negative policies is not a new idea. Dev already did this in Civ5 Fall of Rome scenario.

 

[UncivilizedGuy]

This is essentially a list of things that seem to be missing:

• No mention of religion. Either saved for expansion or maybe they will integrate it into culture.
• No evidence of World Congress. Likely saved for expansion. But then again, we really haven't seen much of the modern era.
• Room for more eras? Maybe add a Medieval or Future era in an expansion
• Health or disease missing. Possibly saved for expansion. Plague could be a crisis for Medieval period

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

Room for more eras? Maybe add a Medieval or Future era in an expansion

I think technological eras will remain. Ages, on the other hand, are when you change your civ

 

[UncivilizedGuy]

I think technological eras will remain. Ages, on the other hand, are when you change your civ

I'm using era and age interchangeably. I believe each age has a separate tech tree.

 

[rocksinmypath]

I noticed civs get heavy production bonuses toward wonders that historically belong to them. I really hate this decision. It feels amateurish and like it was made for the sake of historical accuracy rather than gameplay (reminiscent of Civ 6 Lincoln's loyalty penalty from plantations). I'm all for synergy between wonders and their owner civs, but there are more subtle ways of achieving this. In Civ 6, if Hanging Gardens went exceptionally early, you'd know Babylon was in the game because Babylon could unlock Irrigation faster than anyone else. Civ 6 Egypt got +15% production toward riverside wonders. You could build the Pyramids next to a river for the production bonus. If the devs had wanted to, they could've added a requirement to the Pyramids that they could only be built next to a river. Angkor Wat suited Khmer, who had to build many aqueducts and could gain extra faith and culture from the population added by the wonder.

 

[moysturfurmer]

This is essentially a list of things that seem to be missing:

• No mention of religion. Either saved for expansion or maybe they will integrate it into culture.
• No evidence of World Congress. Likely saved for expansion. But then again, we really haven't seen much of the modern era.
• Room for more eras? Maybe add a Medieval or Future era in an expansion
• Health or disease missing. Possibly saved for expansion. Plague could be a crisis for Medieval period

Religion is in. Maurya gets a pantheon bonus, and someone else gets a Missionary UU.

Health/Disease seem to be in as a Crisis. Mentions of infected cities. There’s a screen of it in the 25 min preview.

 

[Haig]

On some screenshot there's both a sherman and a t-34 so one of them might be a UU

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

that blue-domed building. is it generic or a UU or a wonder? is it too early to dream of a Timurid civ?

 

[notNamed]

On some screenshot there's both a sherman and a t-34 so one of them might be a UU

Since they're going Humankind, all the civs will have unique unit graphics. So it's perfectly possible for there to be US and USSR civs in the 3rd age which have CIA agent and VDV (RIP in Pieces ) as their UUs and the Sherman/T-34 are just regular Tank unit graphics for those respective civs.

 

[notNamed]

View attachment 700109

that blue-domed building. is it generic or a UU or a wonder? is it too early to dream of a Timurid civ?

Since most of the buildings push style over history, I would suggest not putting too much hope into that. The very same domes but in green are present even on Aksumite structures.
They're strongly likely to be part of the generic asset language for "desert dweller" civilisations.

 

[God of Kings]

Some beautiful train stations… but very curious how the rail network would be made. Seems they are trying to reduce micromanagement where possible so perhaps automatic?

The railway crossing signs in Civ VII look like Canadian railway crossing signs as the X is crossed at 90° in-game:



Perhaps it is a nod to Sid Meier being born in Canada.

Note that it looks similar to the Vienna Convention railway crossing sign, which is not crossed at 90°:

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

wonders take up a whole tile like in Civ6

 

[moysturfurmer]

Dur Sharrukin is a wonder unlocked in the Discipline Civic (19:45, Raptor preview). Might imply the inclusion of an Assyrian civ, since Wonders seem to be tied to civs in the game.

Oh and the Hippodrome is a Secret District for Rome that’s built the same way as Egypt’s Necropolis

 

[Heinage]

Anyone else notice how Civ 5 - style Social Policies are effectively back?
Notably in the form of the leader attributes…

Not sure exactly how they are earned, but they have the same tree structure, almost the same thematic breakdown (science, culture, military, economics etc.) and similarly apply bonuses that are locked in and stay for your entire empire(s) throughout the whole game.

It’s almost exactly the same mechanic, just reskinned.
I’m not judging, just observing at this point

 

[E.C.H]

View attachment 700109

that blue-domed building. is it generic or a UU or a wonder? is it too early to dream of a Timurid civ?

One of the DLC packs on release is the 'Crossroads of the World' Pack, which to me screams Silk Road civs, so there perhaps? Sogdia or Parthia or somesuch in Antiquity, Timurids in Exploration perhaps would be cool.