What needs to be done?

[Nikolai II]

I think we can all agree Civ7 did not meet the mark for many in here, and even those who like the game, like me, see room for improvement.

The last few months we've got a big patch once a month, changing balance, changing era change mechanics, maps etc.

Now, if this continues, what do you think is the major part(s) of the game that needs improvement, or changes?

• More and better maps? Or are you content with the recent additions?
• More civs? Which in that case?
• Addition of scenarios? Which in that case?
• Better modding tools? Better modding documentation?
• Removal of Denuvo? I know some see this as a must, looking at you @Dale , any other takers?
• Changes to the age system (I think removal is probably not in the cards, but changes definitely could be?), if so, which would you like?
• Balance? It's getting better, is it satisfactory for you now, or close to it?
• Pricing? Not a part of the game per se, but the game is costly, too costly for some.

Let's give Firaxis something to chew on.

 

[Krikkit1]

UI
also

Hotseat
Map maker
Improving ability to control the identity of your civ (including semigeneric "Antiquity America/Modern Rome" options)
Improving Victories (extending the Modern Age)
Ability to end in any age (Victories for Exploration/Antiquity if you turn them on)
Improve Religion
Improve pacing of Exploration
Earth Maps (TSL and otherwise)
AI provide constant challenge (ie increasing bonuses for AI after each Age)
Liberation of CS
Improve Crises (have them offer nicer Legacy options)

 

[Evolena]

Map search. Please.

Liberation of CS

That too. Or returning our allie's settlements if we got them back.

 

[Nikolai II]

Good suggestions.

 

[MutilationWave]

AI​

 

[vorlon_mi]

I would like these, in addition to the items listed before:

• Map tacks in the game (as in Civ6), vs. a mod
• Ability to run more than one copy of an endeavour (or sanction) at a time
• More interactions with city-states after befriending them. Or make the interactions we do have more meaningful

Adding my +1 to: hotseat, victories in other ages, liberating city-states, more civs

Which civs, you ask? I love / loved the number of choices in Civ6. I love the current civs, so many of which I hadn't heard of.
Leaving out the "blob" civs, I would favor more from North and South America, more from eastern Asia, more from sub-Saharan Africa. Just more!
Yes, I would pay for a "New Frontier Pass" series of new civs, in 3-packs, one for each age.
Yes, I would pay for a "Leader Pass" series of 4-6 leaders; I would prefer new leaders over personas of existing leaders.

 

[Leucarum]

I think in the long term there are 2 precise things that I could say "Do X" and one more nebulous one.

Some way to play civs out of age. I can't see myself paying for DLC if I can only use the civs for 1/3 of the game. I expect civ switching is here to stay but I think it has to become optional if the game is going to last. I favour the enduring empires model, though locking civs to modern isn't going to work given how bad modern is, and I think it's more plausible that Firaxis makes civs playable out of age than that they make the late game good. So maybe civs need to be playable in earlier ages too.

More flexibile/customizable Legacy Paths. I don't want to have the same goals every game. The replayability of Civ7 is going to crater if we can't set, randomize, and shuffle what the legacy paths look like. It will make the ages less distinct for sure, but I don't see the game working long term otherwise.

And then the nebulous one: Make modern better. I doubt it can be made good, but snowballing needs to be slowed down, and the victory paths probably need to be replaced with a score victory only option so that we actually play the age. Modern civs need a lot if reworks and rebalance, but that will be tough until modern lands somewhere halfway playable. It'a a big, nebulous problem and I think the best Firaxis can achieve is "less bad "

 

[stealth_nsk]

My totally subjective points are:

Blazing hot

1. Removal of age speed up from legacy paths. I found delaying legacy paths is metagamey micromanagement, which goes against natural flow of the game. I understand that it may need some pacing adjustments

UI / Minimal gameplay changes

1. Unit list with the ability to find a particular unit
2. Option to heal and watch, where unit is healing, but wakes up if enemy is nearby. This could actually replace the regular Watch for wounded units since it won't make sense for them not to heal (and be clearly communicated for wounded units that if they watch, they also heal)
3. City-state liberate option
4. Tile switch (in UI it could be just that if unused tile is within more than settlement radius, any of those settlements could use it)

Balance rounds

1. Further tuning of town/city balance
2. Adjusting civilizations and leaders to changes of town/city balance
3. Tweak treasure resource allocation so that it will be less random for exploration
4. More unique difference between cavalry and infantry
5. More maps using Voronoi generation, most importantly version of the archipelago map

Long-term things to change

1. Make score for end of the age and end of era to depend on the whole game achievements (like in previous civ games), not just on legacy paths. Show this score on the age/game end screen and use it for score victory instead of legacy paths
2. Rework victories for victory projects to depend on more areas of the game instead of beelining to one single victory directly
3. Finally introduce victories for all ages and adjust legacy paths accordingly
4. Religion probably needs some revision
5. Hotseat. I'm not a fan of this mode, but it was promised and many people are waiting
6. Some additional ways to play with biomes

EDIT:
I completely forgot about settlement connections. That's pretty awful mechanics - we have several types of connections working with different rules, none of which are clear and communicated. It needs a lot of work both from UI standpoint and, potentially, gameplay too.

 

[IntelligentDisk]

A lot of these suggestions are what I've seen most talked about here on various different forums, and are not directly from me nor do they reflect my opinions on the game or my personal suggestions.

General

1. "Classic Mode"
2. Future Age
3. Option to remove Settlement cap
4. Loyalty mechanic
5. Seamless Age Transitions
6. City-State & Settlement liberation
7. True Start Location Earth map
8. Aqueducts, Canals & Dams
9. Choose what building to Overbuild
10. Alternative Legacy Paths
11. Better peace deal options (Gold, Great Works, Influence, Open Borders, Resources, Transfer Suzerainty)
12. View map during a peal deal offer
13. Console Keyboard & Mouse support
14. More Age-spanning Narrative Events
15. More Diplomatic options in general (Increase Trade Range with allies for example)
16. More Diplomatic options for Independent Powers (Wall Fortifications)
17. Scenarios
18. More Steam achievements
19. An anti-aircraft land unit
20. Diplomatic approach to Treasure Resources
21. City-states stay on Age Transition (game set-up option? in Continuity?)
22. World Builder/Editor
23. Improve Urban tile visibility (too similar)
24. Better map terrain/biome generation (less strips)

Multiplayer

1. HotSeat
2. Distant Land starts (starting separately from other human players, this is currently only possible if you fill up the homeland)
3. One More Turn (not available in Multiplayer)
4. Mementos can not be changed between Ages in Multiplayer

UI

1. More lenses
2. Map Pins & Tacks
3. Unique Civics in Civ selection screen
4. Unit List/Search
5. Map Search
6. Distinguish Towns from Cities in map-view
7. Improved Resource Management screen
8. Swap tiles between overlapping Settlements
9. Yield Totals added to Social Policy cards
10. Memento Age change prompt
11. Better City HP bar
12. More charts & graphs
13. Trader information
14. More Influence yield information
15. Improved zooming (zoom in & out more)
16. Game Log
17. Demographics
18. Army Commander respawn information
19. Enlarge mini-map option

 

[kent77]

Unless these exist and I'm missing them somewhere, then some reports or tables (as were present in every previous iteration of Civ), e.g.:

1. units - how many of each kind of unit do I have right now, what are they costing me, where are they, which ones need upgrading.
2. settlement status - what buildings/improvements do I have in a given settlement? Right now, I can only tell this by trying to decipher the art (which I like, but not for this purpose!) and/or way too much mousing over...
3. building queue - across all my cities, what is currently being built
4. yield advisor - for gold, food, science, culture, happiness: what is my income in all settlements? (I know this is visible in the resource-slotting screen, but not in a way that affords an overview.)
5. income/expenses - what is my gold going on and where is it coming from?

 

[Leucarum]

Removal of age speed up from legacy paths. I found delaying legacy paths is metagamey micromanagement, which goes against natural flow of the game. I understand that it may need some pacing adjustments

I think there was a mod for this prior to the next patch... Dunno if there still is. I think it let you set a lot of the things which advanced era progression. I worry it sounds better in theory than in practice. Especially in exploration where you finish the legacy paths very early, you just end up with the age dragging on after you've done everything of consequence.

 

[Smegger213]

Forced Civ switching needs to be removed.
All Civ's should be playable in any age, and have bonuses / units that apply in each age.
The any leader can play any Civ mechanic needs to go. Leaders should ONLY be able to lead their own Civ or country. No more Benjamin Franklin of The Romans.
More better options to choose at game start, victory conditions, turning off disasters etc etc.
More better maps including a proper TSL Earth map.
A total overhaul of religion. Let us build churches and cathedrals etc.
Better for ships to work in exploration age. IE do something about the damage they take in rough seas.
Do something about how commanders earn XP. Mine take ages to get just one promotion point.
Also bring back units earning XP and promotions.
Bring back workers to allow the player to build roads and railways wherever they want them to go.

 

[Leucarum]

The any leader can play any Civ mechanic needs to go. Leaders should ONLY be able to lead their own Civ or country. No more Benjamin Franklin of The Romans.

Since there are civs that don't have leaders and leaders whose civs are unlikely to appear soon I doubt this is feasible.

I also kinda like it a lot

 

[Dale]

• Removal of Denuvo? I know some see this as a must, looking at you @Dale , any other takers?

1. Remove Denuvo.
2. Remove ages.
3. Remove civ swapping.

I want classic civ, with no Denuvo. It's really that simple.

Though, and I want to be clear here, I will TRY the game with ages and civ swapping, but Denuvo makes the game a hard-no.

 

[Smegger213]

Since there are civs that don't have leaders and leaders whose civs are unlikely to appear soon I doubt this is feasible.

I also kinda like it a lot

Well, they need to make leaders for every Civ.
For me, any leader can play any Civ is just dumb, stupid and totally unrealistic. It totally breaks the immersion IMO.

 

[Leucarum]

Well, they need to make leaders for every Civ.
For me, any leader can play any Civ is just dumb, stupid and totally unrealistic. It totally breaks the immersion IMO.

I get it. I find civ switching breaks mine even though I'm fine with leader mixing/matching. But I do think the resources needed to do this suggestion make it pretty unlikely to happen in Civ7.

 

[GeneralZift]

AI​

Masterpiece post. Is OP the new Einstein? Can we get this framed? I think this is the best post of all time. Have my firstborn child

 

[Krikkit1]

Oh yes also

ENDGAME:
Replays
Demographics

Palace/Throne Room

 

[sonicmyst]

I just want a better end of game presentation, a good storytelling of my three-age history of my empire.

 

[tedhebert]

Hall of fame or at least an inventory of game played, won or lost, which leader and civs etc...