What after the New Frontier Pass - the end or more

[oSiyeza]

My opinion,

I would like the game have a patch and balance cycle after NFP. There are simply too many things that released unbalanced, or unfinished and bugged, and they should be ironed out. But I don’t think that will happen

After that, I hope the devs can just leave the game die with some dignity. I think there is nothing new to add, and the problems in the game, the expansions and the modes run so deep that Civ VI will never be the game it could (and should) have been.

It is time to recognize Civ VI is not a solid foundation to build upon. Despite having many new ideas, maybe with the exception of city planning all of them are badly implemented and there is not a single aspect or mechanic where Civ VI is the best in the franchise. Furthermore, I would say Civ VI overall is the most disjointed, shallow, unfocussed and uninspired game of them all (Not considering Beyond Earth).

It is not a bad game by any means, but there are too many things that are completely insubstantial or pointless. Civilization VI is just not good enough to improve upon it.

 

[Deggial]

Everybody here seems to assume, that if we get a spin-off, it will be a BE-like SciFi theme.

As far as I can remember though, Fantasy based spin-offs had quite some support in previous discussions regarding this topic. Personally, I would clearly prefer it over another sterile futuristic game with pale leaders and un-memorable technologies.

We still (after so many years!) need a true successor for “Masters of Magic”!

And the Civ6 engine should allow this: There are volcanoes already, the map can be altered by the player (planting forests), rivers can flood, coastlines change. We even have wildfires. So magic effects causing this and more should be possible.

Now add a second playing layer (probably the most difficult thing to achieve), give resources a local effect (only units produced in cities with certain resources will enjoy certain perks), allow players to exceed their initial starting limitations (= gather additional magic books; don’t be afraid of power creep here; it’s part of the fun! You don’t have to program a totally balanced MP game!) and you are golden!
Don’t shy away from cheese! Add demons as blunt as you can. They don’t need to look like insects. Add leathery wings. Horns. Tails. Claws and fangs. (Oh ... and don’t forget to make one of them multi-dimensional with the ability to freely travel between both playing layers. I know you want it! Just do it! )

 

[Stringer1313]

Yeah I think this is it. I think with all things you want to quit while you're ahead. I do look at other games like 3K and the number of expansions they have just seem endless. I guess it works for them? Stellaris has had like 10 expansions. I don't know.

I'm OK if they are done with this - I just hope they put in a few extra months to really round it out and fix the small annoying UI things that fans have been complaining about for years. Will it help their

 

[AtlantisAuthor]

With one more Civilization and Leader due to be revealed this month (possibly this week going by previous patterns), I find myself wondering if this will be the final DLC for Civ VI. I am aware that there will be an April update that will supposedly bring a bunch of tweaks and balance fixes, but as far as new and original content, is this it before Firaxis moves on to their next project (perhaps Civilization VII)?

With two big expansions and a Season Pass under its belt, Civ VI is already the best-supported iteration of the franchise to date and has more Civs and Leaders represented than any before it. So maybe the appropriate question would be whether anything meaningful could be added to it at this point.

With only one more Civ/Leader slated for the Frontier Pass, it's obvious that some folks will be left disappointed that the one they hoped for didn't make the cut. Portugal makes logical sense as the final Civ, but arguments can certainly be made for a Western North American Indian Civ along the lines of Civ V's Pocatello. Iconic Leaders from previous Civ games are missed by some as well, from Napoleon and Nobunaga to Bismarck, Katherine, and Attila, even though it's understood their addition would likely prove redundant on many levels at this point. Lastly there are the obvious gaps in the Units as you progress through the Tech Tree, such as going from Musketmen straight to (WWII-era) Infantry (where Civ V had both Riflemen and WWI-era Infantry in between them) and Cold War-era bombers that in no way represent "Stealth". If there is any remaining DLC coming for Civ VI, I think this last category makes the most sense for it to address, perhaps as a military-centric expansion (or even mini-expansion).

But can Civ VI ever reach a point where it's "perfect" and has every item on every person's Wish List? Of course not, and although I have to admit there are things I'd still love to see brought into it, there's a time to step back and appreciate what is there in front of you as well as the effort of the people at Firaxis who've worked to bring us "one more turn" for almost half a decade now. Personally, I've enjoyed the heck out of this game, and though I'm more of a "lurker" than an active participant most of the time, I've learned a lot just from reading posts from other members of this community who clearly have more insight into regional histories and key figures than I likely ever will. If this is the end of the line for Civ VI, it's been a great ride and I look anxiously forward to seeing what new facets Firaxis may bring to the table with Civ VII.

 

[blackbutterfly]

...is this it before Firaxis moves on to their next project (perhaps Civilization VII)?

Civilization: Beyond Earth 2?

 

[Stilgar08]

I am in the small team that doubts that. I imagine there's more to come for civ6.
My hope is that it won't be more and more shiny stuff. New Civs and Leaders and natural wonders: Sure!
But not too many new mechanics, more of a revisit would be very welcomed...

 

[Albertan Civfanatic]

I am all for new content, but I am even more for tweaks, balances and bug fixes. Plus throwing more achievements at me to complete would be nice.

 

[Isengardtom]

It’s possible they’ll continue for a bit longer but I doubt we’ll get a full years pass again
But maybe a few mini dlc’s

We’re still not past the pandemic and the challenges of working on collaboration projects is still there. A new game would mean new graphics design, mechanics, music score, ...

It’s easier to add in more content and make some more money that way I think.
Also important to remember this game runs on multiple platforms now.

 

[gunnergoz]

If this is Civ 6's swan song, I'm more than ready for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 2.

 

[Ivan Hunger]

If this is Civ 6's swan song, I'm more than ready for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 2.

You'll have to talk to EA Games about that one. They own the IP.

 

[blackbutterfly]

If this is Civ 6's swan song, I'm more than ready for Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 2.

In an ideal world, that's what we all want right?

IMO if Beyond Earth had SMAC/X sponsors (civs) and lore, I think it would have been a huge hit TBH.

BE's sponsors are so one dimensional. And the lore is rubbish, referring to some unknown "big mistake".
Jeez, you only have to look at the floods, hurricanes and natural disasters happening now to know we're wrecking earth's environment. (Clearly that should've been the "big mistake" IMO)

 

[acluewithout]

I hope we get more. I suspect we might, but whether it’s just some one off dlc or another season pass, I couldn’t say. Or maybe this is the end? Who knows?

But then, plenty said RnF was the end, then GS was the end. I think there’s still room for content (there is) and there’s still demand (there is) and the designers are still interested (maybe) then more content is still possible.

I think 50:50 either way. Maybe 60:40 against if the last NFP Civ is Portugal.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Civilization: Beyond Earth 2?

Depends if they do it properly this time, such a frustrating game that could have been great. I doubt it though, BE seemed like an easy way to generate cash in the short term to tide Firaxis over till Civ 6 came out. This time they've had two expansion packs and a constant stream of DLCs to keep the cashflow up till Civ 7 (or whatever comes next, maybe another XCOM).

 

[Linklite]

But then, plenty said RnF was the end, then GS was the end. I think there’s still room for content (there is) and there’s still demand (there is) and the designers are still interested (maybe) then more content is still possible.

There is a difference, though; looking at the Civ V timeline, we're now beyond the point they stopped developing new content, if we're using same timeline.

A spanner in the works is the pandemic. That may well have delayed Civ VII by a significant amount, which could really mess with Firaxis' cash flow. An obvious solution to tide them over would be to release new content for VI. They'd be able to field that much quicker than a full game like VII and that cash would buoy them up until VII releases. With the various lockdowns seeming to be ending, they could also come up with some real quality content, too.

 

[Alaindor]

But how impactful is really the pandemic? I myself work in the IT field (not the gaming industry, granted) and although lockdown affects our social interactions, it doesn't significantly alter our productivity working from home. Unless game developers need powerful machines they can't use from home?

 

[InsidiousMage]

There is a difference, though; looking at the Civ V timeline, we're now beyond the point they stopped developing new content, if we're using same timeline.

The games industry is also very different than when Civ5 was out. Longer game life is becoming the norm with a couple of games, GTA5 and FF14, actually outliving an entire console generation and still going strong. EU4 came out in 2013 and still getting expansions and updates and CK2 had an eight year lifespan. There is plenty left for Firaxis to do with Civ6 if they wanted.

A spanner in the works is the pandemic. That may well have delayed Civ VII by a significant amount, which could really mess with Firaxis' cash flow. An obvious solution to tide them over would be to release new content for VI. They'd be able to field that much quicker than a full game like VII and that cash would buoy them up until VII releases. With the various lockdowns seeming to be ending, they could also come up with some real quality content, too.

Covid obviously effected the release of NFP but I feel like it exacerbated the problems of monthly release cycle and didn't create them. The monthly cycle obviously caused a lot of problems and hopefully Firaxis learned from the but I hope they stay away from them for future releases.

 

[Archon_Wing]

I would have great respect if they want to push more out of Civ 6.

4 and 5 ended on some flaws that will never be fixed beyond modding, so..

 

[Xur]

Isn’t a swansong usually considered a graceful and beautiful last act? If the current state of the game is how Firaxis want to end civ6, then it’s more like a duck quack.

 

[Naokaukodem]

I would not be surprised if there is another Pass.

Games' lifetime has dramatically increased this last decade. Some examples are Grand Theft Auto V which has been released on 3 generations of consoles, the Final Fantasy saga which 3 iterations used to be released on a single generation which is not the case anymore, Nintendo games which are long sellers for most of them, etc.
E3 (the expo) chronical failures have showed that the "can't wait" hype wasn't as much a thing as previously, either for lack of talent from the devs, either for too much competition that ossifies the market, either for not enough, if we trust the consoles constructors who all deny being in competition with the others. The video game market might be a vast statu quo that contempt every constructor, like an illegal, anti-competition tacit agreement. Plus, video games consumers are now composed of fathers who have fewer time to dedicate to this nonsense.
Also, the mainstream is not receptive to the "can't wait" hype. Looking at internet, there are as many opinions and expectations as there are users. Constructors have achieved their dream : conquer the mainstream. An era has ended, the sellors don't need hardcore gamers anymore.
Also, games have reached some degree of refinement and replayability. (on the model of Civ) The press grants bad reviews to games that have few replayability. Each successful game can now be played hundreds if not thousands hours each. More people play at only 1-2 AAA games for years, but with expansions and microtransactions this is not necessarily a bad thing for sellors. Civ series is obviouly already in that case, but is Civ6 more refined than the previous iterations ? Seeing people keep playing at it could say so.

 

[Vandlys]

, I find myself wondering if this will be the final DLC for Civ VI. VII.

Just FYI, you could have wondered that over here too https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/what-after-the-new-frontier-pass-the-end-or-more.666688/ : P