Small Observations General Thread (things not worth separate threads)

[Sagax]

I don’t know if they have increased the tile count of each map size, but if it remained more or less the same as in previous games, then it’s not surprising that the maps feel boring. Between rivers, lakes, cliffs, and mountain ranges, that’s a lot more features that require multiple chained tiles to look and feel interesting - but they can’t go all out, because they compete with the traditional land tiles that you need for districts and buildings.

Not enough real estate, and so every map feature ends up lackluster in an attempt to have a bit of everything.

 

[Krikkit1]

Edit: also, future civic and tech are not repeatable so if you have excess culture/science it just goes to waste!

That seems like a shame... They are self limiting because they give era progress.

 

[FXS_Sar]

After unlocking a new policy you can change your policies for free, and you can make multiple changes in the same turn. This means you can check the effect of your new policies and switch them back if they don't seem worth:

Edit: also, future civic and tech are not repeatable so if you have excess culture/science it just goes to waste!

Future tech/civic is repeatable

 

[Nikolai II]

Thanks for clearing that up Sarah.

 

[Trengilly]

Unrelated to the ongoing conversation, but after watching a couple of gameplay videos, I'm left a bit concerned by the fact ages seem to end centuries before they should. I saw an Antiquity playthrough end circa 1600 BCE, and skip right to 400 CE (almost 2000 years!) when the end-of-era proceedings were done. And likewise, I saw a different content creator end the Exploration Age circa 1200 CE, at least 500 years before it should. I'm pretty certain the Modern Age kicks off around 1700-1800 CE.

Both were Deity runs, and one at least was on Online speed. Could this be a quirk of those rather extreme settings, or is this wonky as designed? I feel like the game should be balanced so that the era deadlines are time-based, and conducive to a continuous timeline. Otherwise it's rather jarring.

I honestly thing the only time I have EVER looked at the calendar years in a Civ game was when playing the Mayans in Civ 5 and trying to figure out the Long Count.
Civilization plays in Turns! That's all I've ever cared about.

 

[Trengilly]

I like that it feels like there are genuinely multiple ways to win, I can potentially be doing well even if I am seriously lagging in science or generating very little gold. I think some of the victory conditions are a bit let of down in this regard. Personally I would consider Exploration Science is an example of a "good" victory condition since you have to usually consciously aim to get a single tile with high yields but especially the military victory I have seen most people are just picking up in the course of their normal gameplay without even trying. And then since more settlements generally speaking means more resources often if you are doing well on the military you are also doing well on the Antiquity Economic Victory Path again without having to make many conscious tradeoffs or compromise any strategy. That has been my impression anyway.

My worry here is that it doesn't look like you need to focus on ANYTHING to win. Most playthroughs we've seen, even the Diety ones, the players easily get most of the legacy milestones and frequently complete ones they aren't even trying for.

It kind of has a sandboxy just 'do enough stuff' whatever it is and you end up winning.

 

[Trengilly]

In all of the preview videos I've watched, I'm getting this feeling that the map is very boring. I can't put my finger on exactly why I feel that way. At first, I felt like it was due to lack of mountains, cliffs and rivers, so I went back to some of these videos to take another look at the maps. Some of it is true. I think cliffs, especially, are very scarce, which is surprising given that it's a new feature I thought Firaxis might want to show off. Also, given how much more powerful the scout is now (you even get one for free) and how much smaller the map is especially at the beginning of the game, I think it makes a lot of sense to create more obstacles for the scout to navigate around. I don't if it's true that there aren't a lot of rivers, but it does seem like navigable rivers are rarer than what I was expecting. A lot of rivers are minor upstream and navigable downstream, and the navigable part often only spans fewer than 5 tiles. Per major continent, I was expecting to see at least 3 navigable rivers long enough to host at least a couple settlements. Again, I feel like there was a pretty heavy incentive for Firaxis to show off long navigable rivers, but at any rate, I'm now less excited about the potential of sailing galleys up rivers to take enemy cities.

Part of it is the small sizes of maps.

But I think some is because they have balanced all the terrain types and standardized the adjacency bonuses. Everything is so balanced that it doesn't really matter what terrain you have (with obvious Civ preference exceptions).

I know they wanted to eliminate lots of rerolls/restarts before playing a game . . . but the reason players were rerolling was because they were trying to get unusual start positions. They have eliminated the need to reroll . . . because any start is just kind of the same as the next one.

 

[Acid.Crash]

Poor elephants chilling in heavy snow...
First though they are on "Tundra" tile, but it turned out it is "Grassland"
Still, it is a bit strange seeing them in snow.

 

[Giskler]

Stone Head

Enables the construction of the unique Stone Head improvement.
The Stone Head provides +4 Culture. +1 Culture for each adjacent Stone Head. Must be placed on terrain tiles with natural Happiness yield.

 

[chaosprophet]

But I still plan on playing with Extended Ages or Long Ages or whatever the setting is called turned on.

I believe that option only reduce the age progression caused by things like legacies and civics. So for example, if you play standard speed, the max age turn still would be 200, but the same actions that would reduce it to 130 on a run will reduce it to a less amount if you go for the longer age setting.

Which sounds like a good thing imo, especially because the game speed affect lots of things like amount of production needed for build things, amount of food to growth, etc. While the age setting probably doesn't, it just makes so you can in the same game speed enjoy more of the end of the game for that age.

 

[Lord Shadow]

I believe that option only reduce the age progression caused by things like legacies and civics. So for example, if you play standard speed, the max age turn still would be 200, but the same actions that would reduce it to 130 on a run will reduce it to a less amount if you go for the longer age setting.

Which sounds like a good thing imo, especially because the game speed affect lots of things like amount of production needed for build things, amount of food to growth, etc. While the age setting probably doesn't, it just makes so you can in the same game speed enjoy more of the end of the game for that age.

It sounds like game speed and age length settings would work in tandem, the former drawing out production, research, etc. times within a longer turn span, and the latter expanding the effort required to go through the mechanical milestones of the ages.

 

[Giskler]

Civilization

Unlocked

The silk gown has become a symbol of ultimate refinement and prosperity. Because this shining garment reflects sunlight and moonlight, causing it to sparkle, the nobles who wear it are simply called 'the luminous ones.'

Ming Dynasty

Develop 3 Silk.

 

[gdr_willter]

View attachment 716819

Civilization

Unlocked

The silk gown has become a symbol of ultimate refinement and prosperity. Because this shining garment reflects sunlight and moonlight, causing it to sparkle, the nobles who wear it are simply called 'the luminous ones.'

Ming Dynasty

Develop 3 Silk.

Here's the English version.

 

[Giskler]

Civilization

Unlocked

Whether wine loosens their tongues, some city dwellers of Songhai have become masters not only of wine and fermentation but also of philosophy and politics. Though their language is mostly unintelligible, this emboldened new community of thinkers and artists has begun to imagine a new way of life.

French Empire

Develop 3 Wine.

 

[Giskler]

Better look at Himiko's model.

 

[Giskler]

And here's Freddy.

 

[8housesofelixir]

Whether wine loosens their tongues......

So the narrative basically suggests that being drunk with wine makes you French.

 

[Wohlauf]

View attachment 716824
And here's Freddy.

Good find. The outfit is bit ornate and blue for my tastes, so I may stick with his Oblique persona for now. Though I am interested to see this one's abilities.

 

[Krikkit1]

So the narrative basically suggests that being drunk with wine makes you French.

Sounds about right.

 

[Oberst Kraft]

You can support your ally with your Influence, reducing the enemy's combat strength in effect against both of you, your ally and yourself.