Will Firaxis Stick the Landing

[acluewithout]

So, it looks like we’ll get either an expansion or dlc in the near future. Maybe February next year?

I really like Civ VI. I think the core ideas of the game and execution have been excellent. But it also feels half finished. The early game is very tight, maybe even into Medieval. But to my mind the mid and late game aren’t great, and so much of the game needs better balancing and expanding.

At this stage we don’t know much. Basically, there’s this...

They're updating the usual 2kqa test branches pretty regularly for over a month now, including an unknown DLC. This unknown DLC is probably the second expansion. Other branches are being updated as well.

A couple of days ago someone posted several pictures on an unnameable site (Reddit then picked it up) that were alleged to be concept art for the second expansion code named Vesuvius to be released Feb 14. They depict a Polynesian-looking man and some water-based improvements. They look like pictures tacked to a wall photographed with a phone camera.

I don't have a link.

...and even that is pretty sketchy.

If you take the pictures at face value, it looks like we might get some more ocean districts. If the name is for real, maybe natural disasters or something like that?

Any expansion will have new mechanics and new bling. I don’t mind, but do get a little worried about bloat. Coastal cities maybe need a boost, but do they need new districts? Well, it’s not like the water park was game changing. But yeah, okay. Sounds great.

But what the game really needs is much more work on core gameplay and core mechanics. RnF in particular introduced a tonne of stuff which feels very incomplete - particularly Governors.

My biggest concern is that FXS don’t have a plan. Vanilla had a very clear plan - make the map matter. That goal determined how tactical combat worked, how districts worked, how techs and envoys worked, and so on. It’s why Vanilla was so good. RnF felt like just throwing stuff at the wall, and I’m worried the next expansion (or dlc) might be the same.

Do people think FXS can get there? Or is there just too much for FXS to do? Is this going to be RnF and we get a heap more bling that makes the game feel bloated and doesn’t really take things forward much, or will new stuff just be a cover for really getting the rest of the game as tight as the early game? Are past versions any guide, and if so what do they suggest? Or are we in safe hands, and we should just sit back and play on our iPads and switches while everything falls into place.

 

[darkace77450]

My concern is that they're going to try to address Civ6's mid- and late-game issues with more and more mechanics that don't mesh well, creating a disjointed mess and leaving the AI paralyzed by too many systems it can't handle.

 

[acluewithout]

Agreed. I’m fine with having more units and buildings and options for the late game (provided it’s not bloated). But that’s not what the late game is missing. The real problem is the game is over before or by the Industrial era - either literally if you play efficiently or practically because the outcome is already decided.

Who knows what we’re going to get. But if FXS went down the route of smaller more contained dlc, rather than one Big Bang Expansion, I’d have more faith they could tie everything together.

I’d be interested to hear people’s experience with BNW and the extent this tied the game together versus just introduced more stuff.

 

[darkace77450]

I think their best approach would be addressing these issues in two more expansions, not one. The first could flesh out the mid game with proper colonialism, and the second could give us an Industrial Revolution and modern global diplomacy.

 

[Archon_Wing]

Civ 6's a good game but I don't really know. I'm not too fond of their "2 expansions, a patch or two and release the next half baked game" thing and hope it gets broken. Civ IV BTS honestly if you look back it had good ideas but ultimately those mechanics were unpolished and broken and they left it at that. And Civ 5's development process never impressed me either; personally I am not impressed by the standards they have set for supporting their products, but then again I used Blizzard as a standard.

 

[Leathaface]

It'd be pretty awesome to get 2 more expansions, i'd definitely be up for that. The early game is pretty well covered, anything that spices up the Renaissance era and later is good in my books.

 

[acluewithout]

I think their best approach would be addressing these issues in two more expansions, not one. The first could flesh out the mid game with proper colonialism, and the second could give us an Industrial Revolution and modern global diplomacy.

This. Dear God. This. Seriously guys. This. Just this.

Seriously. I’m happy to pay for both expansions in advance.

Seriously.

 

[ChocolateShake]

There are a few things that I'd like to see in the new expansion:

District stacking
I'd like to be able to build multiple campuses and other districts in a city. I don't think 1 type per city is necessary. Being able to stack campuses/hubs/industrial zones etc. in single cities would I think open up new possibilities and be fun. Would love to create super specialized cities.

Victory conditions rework
One of the problems I have now with the victory conditions is the peaceful ones have some odd behavior. The ability to rush projects with the T3 government building makes science victories really quick. The AI needs to be a lot more competitive at securing a win in the end.

Events
I want to see more events happening that force us to shake up our play-style a bit. Emergencies are a challenge when going for a peaceful play-through, I guess I'd just like to see more things like that. Maybe more barbarian uprisings even after you wipe them out initially, other things like that.

More stuff, but only 1-2 new mechanics and a rework of existing ones
I think more stuff is needed for all the eras. I think the core mechanics need to be explored more, if we get 4-5 new systems like rise and fall it will probably get bloated like you said. Is there precedent for an expansion reworking stuff that was added in a previous expansion? I think any reworks might target core mechanics.

I kind of doubt there's going to be another expansion, Civ 6 is a good platform to build on but I think they'd rather focus on a new game at that point. From a marketing standpoint I'd guess it's a lot easier to market a new game than an expansion for an existing one, and now they've gotten experience in bringing the game to multiple platforms, in 2-3 years a new release could be very successful. Of course I'd love to see 2 or more new expansions, I'd also pay in advance!

I hope we get the DLL too, I've used mods to greatly customize the game to my liking with new units, different pacing, natural wonders, and other stuff. I created some mods too. If we get a DLL then I think the AI will get some key upgrades. It's already been improved in R and F and through mods, but I think a lot more can be done too.

 

[bite]

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