What's your recipe for the most fun kind of game in civ7?

[user746383]

Sure, most of us have things that we want to improve, but when your games are just at their absolute most fun and you're really getting the most out of it - what are you doing? Who are you playing, what strategies are you using, and what goals are you going for?

 

[The Economy]

I have the most fun when I ignore all victory conditions, and just roleplay my civ. Even taking suboptimal decisions if it fits my civ better.

 

[Fletchers_Requiem]

Tubman + Anti-Machiavelli + Gate of All Nations is ALWAYS a fun time for me. I've had so many games where I just decimate my way across the continent (as best I can with settlement limits anyways) with that combo.

 

[Suicidekills]

I have the most fun when I ignore all victory conditions, and just roleplay my civ. Even taking suboptimal decisions if it fits my civ better.

I naturally started playing like this. I know the legacy paths exist and I know how they work, but I don't think we should be confined to that. I also don't see the point of turning them off. The legacy paths aren't intrusive to any other aspect of the game.

Tubman + Anti-Machiavelli + Gate of All Nations is ALWAYS a fun time for me.

Anti-Machiavelli?

Sure, most of us have things that we want to improve, but when your games are just at their absolute most fun and you're really getting the most out of it - what are you doing? Who are you playing, what strategies are you using, and what goals are you going for?

I'm interested in hearing what everyone else has to say about this. I'm still going through every civ and leader, but diplomacy and terrain dependencies (i.e. Isabella w/ NW, Egypt w/ Nav rivers) is what I've been leaning towards. I'm loving the NW hunting in my current Isabella game, and the expansionist tendencies for this playstyle have led to some epic military conflicts. I enjoyed a city-state game before that, which was fun, but not as challenging. I still need to go through half the leaders. I only have Han China left to play as in antiquity, but my next game will be Charlamagne as Maurya because I need elephants.

Map-wise, I'm going to stick with Pangea because all the leaders start on the same landmass. Small and Huge were both good in their own ways. Goal-wise, It's dependent on the leader and civ I choose. I try to find obscure synergies and lean on that. Obvious synergies are welcome too. I've beaten the game on Diety with every victory condition including total annihilation, so I guess now the only goal left is to have fun! Unfortunately (actually fortunately!!), there's still more of this game for me to explore to adequately answer that question.

 

[Navelgazer]

I personally like the Terra Incognita map, because it allows for the best map exploration (with scouts in Antiquity, and boats in Exploration.) I've been surprised recently at how much I enjoy Hatshepsut, maybe because she's one of the only ways to have a decent shot at getting 7 Wonders, and if you're playing her right, you should have Songhai unlocked and ready to go for Exploration to lock down Treasure Fleets. Pachacuti/Inca games are also a blast, once the snowball gets rolling. Baroque Freddy/Eqypt was way more fun than I expected, though that might have been a fluke.

I usually aim to play peacefully, but when I feel like a fighty game, I like Simón Bolívar on Pangea, leading Rome or Persia probably, making alliances with whoever will be my friend, and then joining whatever wars they get themselves into, just seeing how that expands my empire.

 

[Sagax]

Anti-Machiavelli?

Anti-Machiavel, the lvl 9 Memento from Friedrich (Baroque).

On topic, I’ve always gravitated towards civs with spammable UIs, both because of the yield potential and because they liven up the otherwise monotonous map. Achaemenid Xerxes + Chalcedony Seal + Serpent Mound is always fun time.

Also, I try not to have a specific Exploration and Modern Civ in mind - just play the map and pick whichever can leverage the most on your state at the end of Antiquity.

 

[EpicWestern]

I play games as a "4 game challenge" which is where I play sets of four games and go for each victory condition on deity, but in no particular order. I've been doing this pretty early on since Civ6. Random starting civ (manual random) and random leader with a rule that you can't have the same leader or civ twice at any point in the challenge. No mementos, no rerolling, settle in place. The primary goal is to win all four games, but I'm still trying to optimize and do it as quickly as possible. This gives you a good mix of games where you're in beast mode and games where you RNG into weird and difficult situations where you have to be scrappy just to win.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I'm also still working my way through all of the leaders. I had fun with Augustus and Tubman; I loved having a highly promoted commander with Trung Trac. So far, my fun factor has been influenced the most by the Exploration Age: are there treasure resources I can find? can I get the treasure fleets going? can I get decent number of relics? can I get some high-yield districts/quarters?

If I have a successful Exploration Age, if the map is generous, then I really enjoy finishing the game into Modern. If Exploration was a slog, I feel like I have to use a speed tactic for culture this forum thread or default into a Railroad Tycoon path. Less fun... Neither of these seem to be super easy when using a particular leader.

 

[MutilationWave]

I have the most fun when I ignore all victory conditions, and just roleplay my civ. Even taking suboptimal decisions if it fits my civ better.

Oh man your icon takes me back. I haven't played the original in half my life. This is so off-topic but I started playing at age 10 and it wasn't until a couple years later that I realized the settler is a covered wagon and not some kind of smiling demon.

 

[Brutus2]

I have always been a fan of building Wonders. I'm having the most fun when my cities are surrounded by tons of cool looking World Wonders. I like how they made Seven Wonders of the World the ancient era culture path. I totally get how wonders became less "impressive" in modern times with modern construction capabilities and it does make sense to make relics and artifacts the culture focus for the other eras but just for my own enjoyment I wish Wonders could still advance the culture path.

 

[Brutus2]

Hatshepsut, maybe because she's one of the only ways to have a decent shot at getting 7 Wonders, and if you're playing her right, you should have Songhai unlocked and ready to go for Exploration to lock down Treasure Fleets.

My last game was Hatshepsut Egypt into Songhai. I got so lucky with quickly exploring and settling the Homeland I think I had like 8-9 cities all on navigable rivers and took the Golden legacy perk that lets you keep all your cities in exploration. So with the new change of treasure fleets spawning without Shipbuilding, I was getting like 9 homeland treasure fleets worth 2 points each as soon as I unlocked that Tradition. Never went through the treasure path so quickly. I did explore and settle a few good distant land spots but could have easily won without them and I built soooo many Wonders!!

 

[Navelgazer]

I have always been a fan of building Wonders. I'm having the most fun when my cities are surrounded by tons of cool looking World Wonders. I like how they made Seven Wonders of the World the ancient era culture path. I totally get how wonders became less "impressive" in modern times with modern construction capabilities and it does make sense to make relics and artifacts the culture focus for the other eras but just for my own enjoyment I wish Wonders could still advance the culture path.

They can in Exploration if you're Bulgaria (or just build Rila Monastery as whoever, I guess)!

 

[Vandlys]

I have the most fun when I ignore all victory conditions, and just roleplay my civ. Even taking suboptimal decisions if it fits my civ better.

Care to tell us how you do this? I'm an avid RP-er in tabletop RPGs, but have yet to try my hands at RP with a game like Civ.

 

[Disgustipated]

We're supposed to be having fun at this game? Seriously sometimes I'm not sure if I'm actually having fun or just addicted to these little goals I set for myself. I still think it's not nearly as fun as Civ 6, but certain aspects of this game can be fun.

I do find the combat fun, but I don't do it every game. I often don't do it in the modern age, with the exception of eliminating AI cities put in between my cities, or blocking my coastal cities from having a fee outlet to the sea. So one thing I do enjoy is to try to build an aesthetically pleasing empire. AI loves to screw up your beautiful borders sometimes, and they must be punished for that.

 

[The Economy]

Care to tell us how you do this? I'm an avid RP-er in tabletop RPGs, but have yet to try my hands at RP with a game like Civ.

To be fair, Civ 7 might be the worst entry for roleplay, which makes me sad. Mostly because of the age reset. But it's still doable!

First thing I do is to ignore every kind of victory condition (or turning them off if possible). Then you just take actions that you think would fit better with the kind of empire you are running, or the kind of ruler you wish to be. And don't do things that would ago against your vision, even if it means you're not playing optimally.

For example, not taking over that one lone city or city-state when you're playing a benevolent ruler, even though taking that city might give your empire good things that will help you in the long run. Or starting a war against an empire that you can easily take over but you limit yourself to a border skirmish and only kill units.

Colonizing a one tile island in an ocean between 2 continents, which will cause a negative modifier to your overal numbers. But you can pretend it's a lookout post, or forward operating base. And then of course actually use it as one. Stuff like that!

The only limit is your imagination most of the times. I think it's a lot of fun, and a game ends when you feel it's done. Not by scoring some arbitrary number of points of whatever.

Oh man your icon takes me back. I haven't played the original in half my life. This is so off-topic but I started playing at age 10 and it wasn't until a couple years later that I realized the settler is a covered wagon and not some kind of smiling demon.

For me it was the chariot icon in Civ 1 that I couldn't interpret. It looked like a guy who was about to be shot out of a cannon lol I was around the same age.

 

[Vandlys]

To be fair, Civ 7 might be the worst entry for roleplay, which makes me sad. Mostly because of the age reset. But it's still doable!

First thing I do is to ignore every kind of victory condition (or turning them off if possible). Then you just take actions that you think would fit better with the kind of empire you are running, or the kind of ruler you wish to be. And don't do things that would ago against your vision, even if it means you're not playing optimally.

For example, not taking over that one lone city or city-state when you're playing a benevolent ruler, even though taking that city might give your empire good things that will help you in the long run. Or starting a war against an empire that you can easily take over but you limit yourself to a border skirmish and only kill units.

Colonizing a one tile island in an ocean between 2 continents, which will cause a negative modifier to your overal numbers. But you can pretend it's a lookout post, or forward operating base. And then of course actually use it as one. Stuff like that!

The only limit is your imagination most of the times. I think it's a lot of fun, and a game ends when you feel it's done. Not by scoring some arbitrary number of points of whatever.



For me it was the chariot icon in Civ 1 that I couldn't interpret. It looked like a guy who was about to be shot out of a cannon lol I was around the same age.

Ah okay, like that Yeah I've been doing that for thousands of hours in VI as well. I thought there was more of a personal roleplaying things like troops wanting to come home or smt, or maybe a system you had behind it.

Still, much obliged!

Why exactly is VII worse in your opinion though? I see the 'reset' as a new chapter, after we don't exactly get to witness what befell the people in the era before. To me I can simply state, depending on the crisis (if I play with them), what happened to them.

 

[The Economy]

Ah okay, like that Yeah I've been doing that for thousands of hours in VI as well. I thought there was more of a personal roleplaying things like troops wanting to come home or smt, or maybe a system you had behind it.

Still, much obliged!

Why exactly is VII worse in your opinion though? I see the 'reset' as a new chapter, after we don't exactly get to witness what befell the people in the era before. To me I can simply state, depending on the crisis (if I play with them), what happened to them.

Civ 4 had some great mods that fit well for RP, such as the RevDCM mod.

I think the age reset happens too abruptly and feels more like a game end to me. I lose sense of continuation, it's like I'm playing someone else's empire suddenly, if that makes sense. It doesn't help that current wars just stop. The countdown timer at the top-left of the screen is way too gamey for me.

The crises sounded better when I heard about them, than their current implementation. It feels very scripted, because it is.

 

[Vandlys]

Civ 4 had some great mods that fit well for RP, such as the RevDCM mod.

I think the age reset happens too abruptly and feels more like a game end to me. I lose sense of continuation, it's like I'm playing someone else's empire suddenly, if that makes sense. It doesn't help that current wars just stop. The countdown timer at the top-left of the screen is way too gamey for me.

The crises sounded better when I heard about them, than their current implementation. It feels very scripted, because it is.

That absolutely makes sense to me. I also often feel like I am 'starting over'.

 

[Berrern]

I'm having a blast now in my current game, I went with Isabella on a huge Pangaea map, with one single goal: Control all 8 natural wonders regardless of how I get them!

I just finished the Antiquity age with 4 under control, all obtained by settling - some of those settlements are really sandwiched in-between the AI like Ji here:

I've identified a 5th NW in one of Battuta's settlements, my early goal for the next age is to conquer that one early on!

It makes for a really different game, because any usual settling strategy goes out the window, and your empire is spread out all over the place!

And the yields, oh wow the yields! This is Vinicunca at the end of Antiquity: