[NFP] What's your favorite expansion?

[Duke William of Normandy]

I appreciate that single pity vote for the misc. DLCs

Poor little guys...

And it's made by the Firaxis employee. He knows it won't get love, so he's just giving it a small hug.

 

[Kmart_Elvis]

I chose GS because I like the civs overall and I do appreciate the fact that FXS made the mid to late game better. Civs like Maori, Sweden, Inca, Phoenicia, Canada, Hungary, have all provided me interesting and fun games.

R+F I'm mixed because I love loyalty and governors, and game mechanic wise, this is probably the best expansion, but I really hate the civs. By far they are the worst in this game. There's a special place in hell for the dev who came up with the "If declare X war, Y for 10 turns" idea. Even if you ignore that you have super boring Korea or poor Mapuche which is a complete mess of a civ. So despite the game mechanics being more relevant than GS, the civs being so bad just brings it down.

DLC is pretty cheesy. Macedon and Australia are so boring because they are OP. Then you have Khmer who can actually be pretty fun, but their underpowered design sets them back. Indonesia is pretty great though.

NFP... Yeah let's just throw everything to the wall and see what sticks. Overall, it's been a letdown with a few really cool things here and there. I'll give FXS a break though because I know they're just testing out future features for Civ 7. And to their credit, they did make Ethiopia which is my favorite civ in all of Civ 6, so there's that.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Also polders.

Polders probably are the best thing to come out of R&F.

 

[Isengardtom]

Rise and fall for the game mechanics : the loyalty tied to the governors and the ages and that timeline are all great

Gathering Storm for the civs : Kupe, Mansa Musa, Eleanor and Dido are some of my favourites.

NFP for the game modes : although I find some great, some good and some meh they do add an additional optional layer of fun to each game.

(Base game : districting : love planning my districts)

 

[Aussie_Lurker]

Definitely gathering storm. The changes made to strategic resources, addition of power for the post-industrial era, addition of natural disasters & the addition of the World Congress/Diplomatic Victory put it well ahead of Rise & Fall (which is still a great Expansion, btw). New Frontier is coming a very close second though.

 

[cain3456]

OK, I'm gonna be the contrarian and vote R&F, just for the loyalty & golden ages mechanisms.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

Rise and Fall seems like it'll have the most lasting changes for the franchise with the Golden/Dark Ages.

 

[Deadly Dog]

Rise and Fall definitely set the bar high for me. Moved Civ6 back into top spot for the game I was spending most time on. It's also kind of necessary, Civ6 wasn't complete without it.

Gathering Storm topped that though, with some daring mechanics that captivated me like Mali and Maori, Eleanor and Suleiman. Including the coastal cities update, this expansion gets my vote as favourite for giving me exciting new civs and leaders.

NFP has been a great ride, for sure, but it's getting a bit overwhelming and the game seems to "break" easily. Still, I rate all 3 expansions highly, in terms of giving me content that I enjoy and want to keep using. I expected less content and more balancing/integration, to be honest. Ultimately the verdict is still out I guess because we have more to come from NFP. Not sure if I like the slow-release model or not, but I know next time I won't play after each and every update, instead I think I'll go back to shelving Civ6 for months at a time and come back to it after a few updates.

For example, I spent a lot of time last fall messing with BM Teddy until I could win a no-campus SV. Then in January we got the Preserve district, and yup guess what I've been doing?

In some ways I guess I'm saying GS is the only one that qualifies as an expansion as RF was more a completion of an unfinished game and NFP is more of an experiment. No complaints about the money I've forked over for these. In terms of hrs played/money spent CIV6 compares to my other favourite games. But if NFP is to be the future model it should include community content and collaborate with modders. If the game is going to be this wacky/unstable, but with modular content we can add or subtract, let's have ALL the ideas out there get a chance.

 

[kaspergm]

For me it's a toss between Rise And Fall and Gathering Storm - both expansions have some good things and some bad things. I ended up casting my vote with Rise And Fall because the World Congress in Gathering Storm is so abysmally bad in its implementation. New Frontier Pass ... meh.

 

[Starwars]

I have plenty of problems with implementation of a lot of things in the expansions, but on the whole I think Rise and Fall is my favorite. The loyalty mechanic is one of the best additions to the game for me and I think it made the game a lot more interesting as a whole.

The civs in Gathering Storm are fun but the mechanics sound more exciting on paper than they are I think. The World Congress is horrendous and the global warming mechanics just don't come into play in a very impactful way. Especially since most games tend to end before it kicks in. I do like the disasters though, which I didn't expect.

NFP has introduced some fun civs but the modes are not my jam overall as they tend to screw the game's balance even more. I don't like the "let's supercharge it!" approach to the design, and a lot of it just seems to break things. Like AI workers not improving resources properly in Corporations mode, or spamming the map with Cultists in Societies mode.

 

[Aurelesk]

For myself: the math is quickly done. Eleanor of Aquitaine was introduced in Gathering Storm, so here my vote!


Here a quick recap what each Pack / Expansions / Pass added, so you could choose wisely:


Civ and Scenario Pack

1. Vikings Scenario Pack: Adds 6 city-states: Auckland, Antananarivo, Armagh, Grenada, Muscat, and Palenque; 3 natural wonders: Eyjafjallajökull, Giant’s Causeway, and Lysefjord; and the scenario: Vikings, Traders, and Raiders!.
2. Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack: Adds Poland and the scenario: Jadwiga's Legacy.
3. Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack: Adds Australia, a natural wonder: Uluru; and the scenario: Outback Tycoon.
4. Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack: Adds Persia and Macedonia, 2 world wonder: Apadana, and Mausoleum at Halicarnassus; and the scenario: Conquests of Alexander.
5. Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack: Adds Nubia; a world wonder: Jebel Barkal; and a scenario: Gifts of the Nile.
6. Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack: Adds the Khmer and Indonesia, a natural wonder: Ha Long Bay; a world wonder: Angkor Wat; a new map: Southeast Asia; and the scenario: Path to Nirvana.

Rise and Fall Expansion Pack:

• Great Ages (Dark, normal, Golden, Heroic), era score, time line, dedications, dark policies...
• Loyalty, and all its mechanics.
• Governors: Amani, Liang, Magnus, Moksha, Pingala, Reyna, and Victor (and Ibrahim).
• Enhanced Alliances: cultural, economical, military, religious and scientific.
• Emergencies
• New Leaders and Civilizations: Chandragupta (India), Genghis Khan (Mongolia), Lautaro (the Mapuche), Poundmaker (the Cree), Robert the Bruche (Scotland), Seondeok (Korea), Shaka (the Zulu), Tamar (Georgia), and Wihelmina (the Netherlands).
• 7 new natural wonders: Delicate Arch, Eye of the Sahara, Lake Retba, Matterhorn, Mount Roraima, Ubsunur Hollow, and Zhangye Danxia.
• 8 new world wonders: Amundsen-Scott Research Station, Casa de Contratación, Kilwa Kisiwani, Kotoku-in, Statue of Liberty, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Taj Mahal, and Temple of Artemis.
• 4 new units: Drone, Pike and Shot, Spec Ops, and Supply Convoy.
• 2 new districts and 14 new buildings: Food Market / Shopping Mall (Neighborhood), the Government Plaza and its 9 buildings, the Water Park and its 3 buildings.
• 3 new ressources: Amber, Olives and Turtles.

Gathering Storm Expansion Pack:

• Disasters with droughts, floods, storms, and volcanoes; and climate change.
• Power and consumable ressources, with Coal, Oil, Nuclear, and Geothermal Plant, Wind and Solar farms, and Hydroelectric Dam.
• Engineering projects: Canal, Dams, Tunnels, Railroad, and Flood Barriers.
• World Congress, Diplomatic Favor, and Diplomatic Victory.
• Future Era with its technologies and civics, future government, future cards, and future future.
• New Leaders and Civilizations: Dido (Phoenicia), Eleanor of Aquitaine (England / France), Kristina (Sweden), Kupe (the Māori), Matthias Corvinus (Hungary), Pachacuti (the Inca), Suleiman (the Ottoman), and Wilfrid Laurier (Canada).
• New scenarios: the Black Death, and the War Machine.
• 7 natural wonders: Chocolate Hills, Gobustan, Ik-Kil, Mato Tipila, Mount Vesuvius, Pamukkale, and Sahara el Beyda.
• 5 new units: Courser, Cuirassier, Giant Death Robot, Rock Band and Skirmisher.
• 7 world wonders: Golden gate Bridge, Great Bath, Machu Picchu, Meenakshi Temple, Országház, Panama Canal, and University of Sankore.
• Grievances system.
• Science victory update (Exoplant Expedition)
• Cultural victory update (Tourism modifier are motstly additive and not multiplicative, half Tourism from Writing, Computer: +100% → +25%, Ski Resort, Rock Bands)

New Frontier Pass:

1. Maya & Gran Colombia Pack: Adds the Maya and Gran Colombia; 6 city-states: Caguana, Hunza, Lahore, Singapore, Tarunga, and Vatican City; 3 natural wonders: Bermuda Triangle, Foutain of Youth, and Païtiti; 2 ressources: Honey, and Maize; and a game mode: Apocalypse.
2. Ethiopia Pack: Adds Ethiopia; a district: Diplomatic Quarter; 2 buildings: Consulate, and Chancery; and a game mode: Secret Societies.
3. Byzantium & Gaul Pack: Adds Byzantium and Gaul; 2 world wonders: Biosphère, and Statue of Zeus; a new map: Highlands; and a game mode: Dramatic Ages.
4. Babylon Pack: Adds Babylon; 6 city-states: Ayutthaya, Chinguetti, Johannesburg, Nalanda, Samarkand, and Wolin, a bunch of Great People (General: Trưng Trắc, Dandara, and Tupac Amaru; Admiral: Hanno the Navigator, Himerios, and Matthew Perry; Engineer: Imhotep, Shah Jahān, and Kenzo Tange; Merchant: Ibn Fadlan, Zhou Daguan, and Stamford Raffles; Scientist: Zhang Heng, Ibn Khaldun, and Margaret Mead; Writer: Valmiki, Rumi, Beatrix Potter, and Gabriela Mistral; Artist: Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, Hasegawa Tōhaku, and Wassily Kandinsky; and Musician: Dimitrie Cantemir, and Scott Joplin); and the game mode: Heroes & Legends.
5. Vietnam & Kublai Khan Pack: Adds Vietnam and Kublai Khan; a district: Preserve; 2 buildings: Grove, and Sanctuary; and a game mode: Monopolies and Corporations.
6. Pack 6: Adds a Civilization; some world wonders, a new map, and a game mode.

 

[KayAU]

I went with the majority opinion, and chose Gathering Storm. To be honest, I am...underwhelmed...with the expansions overall. The new systems didn't lift the game experience the same way the Civ 5 expansions did, and some of the features I would have happily removed from my game (such as the mostly annoying World Congress). So, when I rate the packs, it will simply be by the new civs they provided. While I may complain about many other aspects of the game, I do think there have been some very nice civ designs, and even though the Maya from NFP are my favorite, Gathering Storm had multiple good ones.

 

[Zaarin]

The new systems didn't lift the game experience the same way the Civ 5 expansions did

To be fair, the Civ5 base game was so abysmal it desperately needed some serious lifting.

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

To be fair, the Civ5 base game was so abysmal it desperately needed some serious lifting.

No Trade Routes or Religion were in it, I believe.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

No Trade Routes or Religion were in it, I believe.

As someone who never played Civ V...

You can just... release a Civ game without those? What?

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

As someone who never played Civ V...

You can just... release a Civ game without those? What?

This is from a Youtube comment not of my making, but here's a list of what vanilla Civ 5 didn't have:

10 HP System Nightmare
No Trade Routes
No Religion
No Espionage
No Tourism
Ranged Only Ships

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

No Trade Routes or Religion were in it, I believe.

No wonder why they decided to go choose Songhai to be in the base game over Mali.

 

[kaspergm]

This is from a Youtube comment not of my making, but here's a list of what vanilla Civ 5 didn't have:

10 HP System Nightmare
No Trade Routes
No Religion
No Espionage
No Tourism
Ranged Only Ships

Well, to be fair, no civ game before Civ5 had tourism, so it's hardly fair to blame it for being launched without it.

As for religion, yes Civ5 was launched without it, a big omission, but when they introduced religion in GnK, it was on a much larger scope than religion was in previous Civ games, and Civ5 religion basically laid the foundation for the Civ6 religion system, so it was much less work intensive to include it in vanilla Civ6. That's partially true for tourism and trade routes as well.

 

[KayAU]

To be fair, the Civ5 base game was so abysmal it desperately needed some serious lifting.

I personally didn't find it abysmal, but I know many didn't like it at launch, so mine might the minority view. I think part of the problem was that it was being compared to a fully expanded Civ 4. As the expansions did come, however, Civ V became very feature rich, and most importantly, the systems were generally well interconnected and refined.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I personally didn't find it abysmal, but I know many didn't like it at launch, so mine might the minority view. I think part of the problem was that it was being compared to a fully expanded Civ 4. As the expansions did come, however, Civ V became very feature rich, and most importantly, the systems were generally well interconnected and refined.

Ironically I think every civ game is compared to a fully expanded Civ 4.