Mrdarklight
Warlord
No, this isn't going to be a complaints post. Probably more of a fanboy post. For the most part, I like this new version a lot, and the things I don't like about it can mostly be patched out, and probably will be. I remember with Civ 5, a lot of the stuff we came to take for granted was not in the first version. Being able to restart if you got a bad start was one. Anyway, here's the list, from the beginning.
1. The opening video is AWESOME. Now this is probably the least important part of the game, because it's not actually part of the game, but I usually skip over these. I've watched this one a couple of times, and it's great.
2. The music is EPICALLY AWESOME. I've come to expect good music in Civ games, but I think this is the best. I love the opening song ("Sogno di Volare", watch it performed live here.) The various Civs music is great too. Christopher Tin, I am now a huge fan.
3. The leader animations are fantastic. They're a little more cartoony than they used to be, but remember, they weren't exactly photorealistic in any of the previous games either. The animation is what makes them great. It's just so well done. Even when Cleopatra is staring at me with her bored "neutral face" I can't stop watching it. There's such a level of nuance here, it's hard to describe, but they're all REALLY well done.
4. Builders. I like them. I can't say I love them more than they were in Civ 5, but they're a nice change. So I'll give that a "Good but not great."
5. Changes to gameplay, like religion, diplomacy, open borders, are all mostly really good. Religion is much more dynamic and interesting now, particularly having religious wars and the way they impact area cities.
6. Districts are really cool, I think. They add a lot to the game, especially trying to figure out how to get the best bonuses.
7. It's great that you don't have to build on the coast any more to build ships. That's a big improvement.
8. Combat AI. Not great. A little better than Civ V, but not a lot, and it still needs more work. The opening "warrior rush" the AI sometimes tries to do is particularly awful. They surround your city with enough warriors to easily take it, then wander around and barely attack it. Thankfully, after this initial problem, it seems to get better. I do like the idea of stacking siege units though, that's fun.
9. Road building. I don't like it. I wish I could just build roads. Using a caravan for the sole purpose of building a road to a new city is annoying to me. I want him to be making me money, not building a road.
10. The way units move now. This is REALLY annoying to me. It used to be, if your units had any move points left, they could enter the next hex. Now, if they don't have the full amount needed, they can't, and it constantly feels like they're stumbling around, unable to move where I want them.
11. The quotes, for wonders and techs... I think they dropped the ball on these. Some of them are so un-serious that it makes you wonder how they couldn't have come up with something better. George Carlin? Not being able to get wi-fi at a wonder? Come on. Please.
I think this game is in much better shape at release than Civ 5 was. It will be interesting to see how expansions improve upon it.
1. The opening video is AWESOME. Now this is probably the least important part of the game, because it's not actually part of the game, but I usually skip over these. I've watched this one a couple of times, and it's great.
2. The music is EPICALLY AWESOME. I've come to expect good music in Civ games, but I think this is the best. I love the opening song ("Sogno di Volare", watch it performed live here.) The various Civs music is great too. Christopher Tin, I am now a huge fan.
3. The leader animations are fantastic. They're a little more cartoony than they used to be, but remember, they weren't exactly photorealistic in any of the previous games either. The animation is what makes them great. It's just so well done. Even when Cleopatra is staring at me with her bored "neutral face" I can't stop watching it. There's such a level of nuance here, it's hard to describe, but they're all REALLY well done.
4. Builders. I like them. I can't say I love them more than they were in Civ 5, but they're a nice change. So I'll give that a "Good but not great."
5. Changes to gameplay, like religion, diplomacy, open borders, are all mostly really good. Religion is much more dynamic and interesting now, particularly having religious wars and the way they impact area cities.
6. Districts are really cool, I think. They add a lot to the game, especially trying to figure out how to get the best bonuses.
7. It's great that you don't have to build on the coast any more to build ships. That's a big improvement.
8. Combat AI. Not great. A little better than Civ V, but not a lot, and it still needs more work. The opening "warrior rush" the AI sometimes tries to do is particularly awful. They surround your city with enough warriors to easily take it, then wander around and barely attack it. Thankfully, after this initial problem, it seems to get better. I do like the idea of stacking siege units though, that's fun.
9. Road building. I don't like it. I wish I could just build roads. Using a caravan for the sole purpose of building a road to a new city is annoying to me. I want him to be making me money, not building a road.
10. The way units move now. This is REALLY annoying to me. It used to be, if your units had any move points left, they could enter the next hex. Now, if they don't have the full amount needed, they can't, and it constantly feels like they're stumbling around, unable to move where I want them.
11. The quotes, for wonders and techs... I think they dropped the ball on these. Some of them are so un-serious that it makes you wonder how they couldn't have come up with something better. George Carlin? Not being able to get wi-fi at a wonder? Come on. Please.
I think this game is in much better shape at release than Civ 5 was. It will be interesting to see how expansions improve upon it.
