Aussie_Lurker
Deity
This post is mostly in response to the idea that GS will cover most of the gameplay content left for Civ to add. While asking for a 3rd expansion is still mostly wishful desperation to see some of the gaps in civs that this expansion will inevitably leave out: I wanted to make a legitimate post exploring the features Gathering Storm has missed and may be a really good addition to a third expansion.
With that said the main ideas I came up while browsing the forums were:
1. Health/Diseases
2. Migrations
3. Vassalage
4. Slavery
5. Corporations
6. Colonies
7. Improvements to Religion
Just reading down that list I feel like a lot of those mechanics could feasibly be tied together in some hypothetical Expansion 3. It would give Expansion 3 a return to known history and really flesh out the effect that migrations have had on people in both sharing culture, setting up international companies, creating vassal states, spreading diseases, capturing people from far away lands, etc. All of these mechanics focus on how people have moved over time and how the world has been interconnected.
I feel like this kind of expansion would further reinforce the tone set in Gather Storm where they are trying to create a dynamic map that you interact with, by having the citizens of the map in every country also be people with their own reactions and interactions (Migrating, spreading disease, being turned into slaves, etc) I also think this would be enough content to warrant a new expansion and not feel too little, maybe not as big as GS but still sizable.
What do you all think? Do you have any other features you would like to see in Civ 6 that won't be making it to Gathering Storm? Are you hoping for a 3rd expansion after this one?
Though I'd love for a 3rd expansion to come out (& I believe there is sufficient longevity in this version for the game to receive one) I'd be happy enough just to receive 2 or 3 large DLC's.
As for what I'd like to see in any future updates:
1. More ways to interact with City-States & Major Civilizations.....especially towards the later eras. In particular, I'd like to see Government Type, Religion Choice & Espionage play a bigger part in your relations with CS's & Major Powers.
2. Have Bonus, Strategic & Luxury resources play a bigger role in the broader civilian economy. I'd like to see working these resources impact on Great People points, increase City Yields on a Nation-wide basis & allow for the construction of more unique buildings within your cities (like the Mint from Civilization V). I'd also like to see the switch to a military focus impact on the economic benefits of these resources.
3. More Civics directly related to the Legal & Labour spheres of government. In particular, don't be afraid to have certain Civics provide negative consequences along with their benefits.
4. More balancing of going Wide vs going Tall. Make Specialists more meaningful, make resource access more meaningful (see point 2), make wider empires with more cities more costly.....but with buildings available that can mitigate those costs, & also make overcrowding more of an issue for tall empires (in particular when it comes to diseases).
5. Bring back certain aspects of Culture from Civilization IV-like Ethnicity & Culture Pressure on shared borders. Also, have a migration system to go along with this.
6. Bring back some of the secondary abilities that Great People had in Civilization V-particularly Artists, Musicians & Writers. Also, let Holy Sites continue to generate Great People points, but give Great Prophets abilities outside of founding religions (maybe give them a Schism ability).
7. Expand the theming bonus system to all artistic Buildings & Wonders (as it was in Civilization V), & generally make the Culture Victory more in-depth (again, as it was in Civilization V). Make Tourism & cultural pressure an issue in diplomatic relations.
8. A dynamic Eureka/Inspiration system that can change with each new game. So whilst killing a unit with a Slinger might boost Archery this time around, in the next game it might be building a Camp that does it. Some Techs/Civics might have 3 or 4 potential triggers apiece, thus leading to a wholly different system each game.
Those are the key ones for me.