Why are the scenarios so lacklustre?

[Prester John 2]

The question is in the title. I find the Civ6 scenarios all not that great. Few civs are playable and there's seldom a great replay value. I remember Civ2 and Civ4 scenarios were much better. Some of them were made by players like FFH and RFC but Civ2's Rise of Rome and Crusades scenarios were pretty decent as they were playable by all factions. My impression is that scenario development has seen a downturn in the last iteration. They shouldn't be so scripted for only one civ that once you have mastered it its boring.
What do you think?

 

[blackcatatonic]

I imagine it's in response to many players ignoring them completely, myself included, sorry to say. They just don't appeal to me. I play Civ for the sandbox experience.

 

[Zdarg]

For me, at least 2 scenarios for Civ6 are playable and replayable: Poland and Egypt/Ethiopia.
It's not the level of Rhye's and Fall and Fall from Heaven, but those were mods, not scenarios.
(Well, FfH was also scenario, but not playable scenario, up to my taste, I never finished it)

 

[Kaan Boztepe]

the scenarios in civ vi are not like the total overhaul mods of the past when the modders got access to the whole game. i think firaxis would have sold those "scenarios" as seperate games.

 

[Finvola]

I tried a couple before but never finished them. I find the scenarios kind of dull. Also, the Vikings pack was a regret purchase. When I bought all the DLC, I didn't look closely at it and thought a new civ would also be included with it. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed but at least I only paid like €2.50 for it or something like that because they were all on sale at the time.

 

[chazzycat]

I'm generally a sandbox guy, but a well-done scenario is a nice change of pace. Civ 3 had the best ones IMO. Feudal Japan & Napoleonic Europe were fantastic! I would absolutely pay for DLC containing some high-quality scenarios like those. I do agree it shouldn't be the main focus of the devs.

 

[iammaxhailme]

The only scenarios I enjoy are ones where it's basically just regular sandbox civ with a twist. One that comes to mind is the Australia one in Civ 6 and the Polynesia one in Civ 5. Ones with large civilizations and armies already set up, like WW2 ones... no thanks

 

[acluewithout]

In fact, the Scenarios are pretty awesome.

The problem is that the base game is so much fun, that I rarely ever get to the Scenarios. Basically, the problem is not Scenarios are lacklustre, it’s that the game is so good anyway, particularly with the new map scripts.

If there is a problem with the Scenarios, it’s maybe that they tend to focus on tactical combat, and the game is fairly weak there. To some extent that’s not really a fault - Civ’s combat is quite lite because it has to sit as part of lots of other mechanisms and so can’t be too demanding. But even then, they Scenarios are still pretty good. The Poland one is a hoot. The WWI one has a great map. And that Plague one could honestly be it’s own spin-off game.

 

[Mr. Shadows]

Personally I've really enjoyed the scenarios. I've had a lot of fun with Jadwiga's Legacy, Vikings, Raiders and Traders as well as Conquests of Alexander. Sure, once you master the scenario you're done but that's why they're scenarios. I just wish we had some new ones because I'm mostly done with the old ones.

 

[Chefofrats]

I am by no means an expert on scenarios, but I do not think the ones in Civ VI are lacklustre. In fact, I dislike them because they try to be original. They have their own winning conditions, as well as changes to technologies, units etc. When I want to play something else than the sandbox of the classic Civ experience, I start my PS4 and play something completely different. I am something of an achievment whore, and I forced myself to start a scenario several times to get 100% completion, but after several turns I always become annoyed and ragequit. The magic of the epic, millenia-spanning empire-building fantasy just is not there. I guess 75% of achievments is all I can get.

 

[Morningcalm]

Civ IV had some great scenarios but scenario quality and quantity overall has declined steadily since then for official Civ scenarios. I suspect it’s because Firaxis thinks their resources are better spent elsewhere, and I guess that’s fair. Notice how in Civ V scenarios had their own unique menu art, music, and even quote readings (including at least one from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean). Civ VI largely kept unique assets to visual art only (like gold, a resource available in scenarios but not in the main game itself).

I continue to miss the glory days of Civ IV when there were tons of great official scenarios (and some fan-made ones that became official by inclusion in Civ IV: Beyond the Sword).

 

[UWHabs]

I've never been all that excited by scenarios. I think it's because I like building my empire, so a scenario just drops you into a spot with a very narrow focus. Back in civ 2ish days I maybe played a couple of them, but rarely touch them since.

 

[youngsteve]

This is why the previous games are so strong, & the reason why this game hasn't eclipsed them. Modder's haven't got the tools to make decent mods. Sad but true.

 

[Krajzen]

Civ5 scenarios seem more diverse and fun

 

[dagriggstar]

I think the scenario I sunk the most time into was the WWII one from civ 2. Followed by Ryhes and Fall.

I actually tried to design a scenario for V, think the map for it is floating online still. I ran into the problem of there is just so many systems in the base game nowadays, to design a scenario typically means overhauling those systems, some of which may not actually add anything to the game. The base game just has sooo much stuff, it actually makes it difficult to make a scenario now, as a modder anyway.

 

[Equilin]

It's not exactly lackluster, just not as good as previous iterations. I've never played IV or before, but V alone has like 10 scenarios which i really enjoy, like, half of those.
For VI I only take a liking to Vikings and Black Plague. The former being in exploration (the mediterranean is really difficult to explore) and the latter is in the plague itself. The WWI is good but cannot play in SP (either multi or hotseat only).
For V I like plenty of them, there are a mix of ready-to-go scenarios (Mongol, Fall of Rome) and build-from start scenarios (Renaissance, New World) and even a mix of both (Africa).
I tried only one WWII mod for V and it's great.

Guess we'll have to wait for the modder's to get the codes.

 

[The googles do nothing]

When I was able to play the scenarios several times I started to enjoy them more when I understood and 'master' there rules and goals. It's a lot like MP because you can't really just fire up a game and mess around, you have to know what you are doing.

I wonder why they haven't opened up the extra content for the base rules.

 

[Caprikel]

The Poland scenario was my favorite, I really enjoyed how it felt like a tower defense game, but with a Civilization.
Just give us a new gamemode where it plays like that and I'll be good.
I enjoy Civ when it feels like I'm trying to survive, rather than just dominating the rest of the world through warfare or peacefully.