Your favorite Civ 6 alternatives

[acluewithout]

Video Games are such a small part of my life, really.

I’ve bought EU IV and most expansions on special. Very keen to play, but just haven’t had time to get into it.

I’m keeping an eye on BattleTech. Bit more patching and expansion, and I think that could be good turn based fun.

I may also get Dwarf Fortress when that finally gets re-released. Looks awesome.

Diablo 4 announcement is interesting. RPGs and 4X have a lot of similarities. But D3 was just so awful, I find it hard to believe D4 will be any better.

 

[KayAU]

- The Sierra city builders (Pharaoh and Emperor especially)

Oh yes. I love those, although it has been a long time since I played them. If you haven't tried it, I recommend Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile, which is an evolution of the concept by some of the same developers. I always thought that one was criminally overlooked and underrated. Basically it is a city builder where your citizens actually act rationally and try to have their needs met.

I do play RPGs as well, that's my other main genre, although for my own part, I don't consider those "civ alternatives". Some of my favorites are Gothic 2, Quest for Glory 2, and Neverwinter Nights.

I also love a good point-and-click adventure.

 

[tedhebert]

in recents years, I've played witcher 3, divinity: Original sin 2 (and 1 for that matter), cities skylines, deus ex (many), endless space 2, galactic civ 3, rise of tomb raider and all sniper elites and splinter cells...I've also had a lot of fun with a little indie title, Oxygen not Included.

Lately, I have a real hard time finding anything I want to play when I'm not in a Civ 6 mood... I've tried assassin creed:Odyssey, Stellaris, dishonored 2, EU IV... all failed to catch me for more than 20-30 hours ;-(

I feel the business is lacking a real good RPG since Witcher 3 last exp pack ;-( I'd say RPG is my main liking, but in terms of time spent in game, Civ is way ahead of everything else

About Diablo 4... I've seen the trailers... wasn't there a big controversy last year when it was assumed or announced that the game would be a mobile only offering ? Has this changed ? because the gameplay snippets I've seen surely doesn't appear to be mobile quality !

 

[Kaan Boztepe]

in the last 2 years i played
HoMM 3 ( ever green game now with HD graphics thans to HoTA update )
Fallen Enchantress:Fallen Heroes - civ like but where units and cities level up and yeah there are spells too ( i loved master of magic )
Xcom2 - only to be played in ironman mode
Crusader kings 2 - only to be played to drive someone watching you crazy

i await imperator rome to get a few expansion packs ( you should never buy a paradox games unless it has some expansions already )
humankind looks interesting. if firaxis doesnt release a colonization or alpha centauri on the civ 6 engine , i pray someone makes a mod them.

D3 was a disaster so i will not hold my breath for D4 , check Wolcen if you are interested in that genre , or titan quest if you like to experiment with different builds a lot

 

[KayAU]

Xcom2 - only to be played in ironman mode

You know, this is interesting to me...when playing games like XCom, I tend to reload everytime someone dies, as I obsess over keeping everyone alive. Yet, I suspect I would enjoy ironman more, as it would raise the stakes significantly. I think Stellaris did a good thing here: you can play however you want, but only ironman games are eligible for achievements. It might sound strange, but this was the incentive I needed to always play that game in ironman.

I fully agree on Colonization and Alpha Centauri, good remakes would be amazing. I'm talking about good remakes, though...Civ4Col was a major disappointment to me. I only ever completed a single playthrough.

What I might love even more, though, would be a Fall from Heaven/Master of Mana mod for Civ 6, on the same level as the absolutely amazing one which was made for Civ 4.

 

[Sostratus]

Stellaris - This game is the one I have the most hours in outside the civ series, for good reasons. It is heavy on exploration and expansion, but also does warfare and diplomacy well. It combines relatively deep systems with a very usable interface which gives a lot of transparency. It also helps that the game is full of quests, events and flavour. There is just so much to enjoy here

I play stellaris a lot, and what really shocked me was how much the flavor has an impact on your game experience. I mean most of the stuff in the game that you can choose is essentially cosmetic; species, homeworld, for the most parts traits and civics are small bonuses; but they have written huge amounts of text in the with a lot of things that change based on the aforementioned choices, even if they are meaningless. It's a different game model but i think it speaks a lot to the idea that having more distinguished factions in civ6 was a good idea.

Beyond Earth - Now, this was not quite the SMAC sequel/remake many wanted, but it is a pretty good game in its own right. I believe, with a bit more work, it could have been truly great. As it stands, I feel that it is held back in part by its diplomacy and in part by the somewhat bland leaders (especially comared to SMAC). Mechanically it is very good, with lots to enjoy.

CivBE, and BERT, really pioneered a lot of ideas that i wish had made their way into civ6- and several that did.
Ranged units being very weak on defense, for example, was a big change from 5 that ended up in 6. BE had city projects analogous to Wealth and Research, but for all yields, including Food. Kind of a crazy idea but i feel like civ6 district projects may have stemmed from this. They even had resources offering science and culture, which made its way into 6.
One thing that BE had that i really enjoyed was the tile improvements. Specifically, they had tile improvements that cost upkeep - mostly gold, but some even increased unhealthiness (unhappiness/amenities.) I know we have districts on the map now but just the concept of the manufactory as effectively as super mine that cost you money and health was awesome. So much that could be done with that concept in future games (as a method similar to GS power to further your economy but also make it more resource intensive and vulnerable to shocks. Imagine a manufactory improvement that uses power!)

 

[Morningcalm]

My current alternatives to Civ VI (my computer doesn’t always run it very well) are:

Age of Mythology (the original, not the buggy half-ass Definitive Edition)

Age of Wonders III (As much as I liked Age it Wonders II, it was time to move on.)

Civilization IV (better designed and executed than VI, though VI has some advantages like the hex grid, leaders who speak in their language, etc.)

 

[Sostratus]

Age of Mythology (the original, not the buggy half-ass Definitive Edition)

Does AoM even run on windows 10? I've been relying on the steam version for years after my cd stopped functioning. (CDs for computer games! Can you imagine?)

 

[Whiterussian]

Rimworld !
One of the best games ever made. I recommend anyone to give it a try.

 

[Ownsya]

I used to game a lot when i was younger and had time. Many of the games already mentioned I used to play, especially the RTS ones. To some extent I still do depending on the 'season'. I got a Switch last year and really loved playing the remastered version of Dark Souls (my first DS experience). But the other notable games I've played recently are Exiled Kingdoms (mobile rogue-like classic RPG, also available on Steam) and Baldur's Gate. I first started playing Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition a couple of years ago when I used to commute by train a lot but never actually finished it. Wrapping my head around the D&D rules took some time. Picked it up again and am currently making my way through it, final chapter currently (hence my lower activity over the past couple of weeks on here ). Will probably start Baldur's Gate II immediately after, maybe I'll play a game or 2 of Civ VI in between.

But since I really loved everything about Exiled Kingdoms and am a big supporter of its developer (a one-man team by the way!) I will highly recommend it for any fan of RPGs, especially classics with deep story lines, impactful choices that can lead to different outcomes, well-balanced and interesting class systems, like Diablo and Baldur's Gate but with better humor. The game even has multiple endings. I can't recommend it enough. After its success he's been working on another game designed for PC called Archaelund that takes place in the same universe albeit an independent story. It will also be an RPG, this time it will be turn-based combat and will combine first-person exploration with third-person isometric turn-based combat. Early Release on Steam should be available soon estimated Q1 of 2020. If you're interested in learning more about it follow the post on the Exiled Kingdoms forum: http://exiledkingdoms.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16645

Oh, I suppose I should add the game Anno. If you're interested in the chore of using up a limited amount of land in the most efficient was possible to satisfy a population and grow your empire based on basic population needs (met via meticulous city planning), raw materials, and production line management then that is a game to try out. My limited experience with it was the now discontinued mobile version Anno: Build an Empire, and getting my empire ticking like clockwork really consumed me. The bigger PC versions had futuristic settings that didn't draw me in as much but they recently released Anno 1800 based on the industrial revolution that is worth checking out.

 

[KayAU]

I played an Anno game a while ago, I believe it was Anno 1404, but while it looked great, the gameplay failed to engage me. It might be just that one in particular, perhaps there are stronger entries in the series. For me, it just felt a bit too much like a series of fetch quests. I could build up my colony to a certain level, but would then hit a hard ceiling where I could not progress unless I obtained a specific luxury, like say, cheese doodles. Now I had to go colonize the only place this could be obtained, cheese doodle island, which would then allow me to progress a bit...until I hit another ceiling. Now my people demand ball point pens, so I have to go capture ball point pen island. And so on. Perhaps I remember it wrong, but I think this is how I felt about the game at the time...it just didn't grab in the way other city builders in the past had.

Exiled Kingdoms looks like it might be my cup of tea, I will look into it. It also looks like a game which might benefit from a slightly higher budget (but not a very high one), but I can deal with simple graphics if the gameplay is good.

Oh, another one I haven't mentioned, which I play from time to time, Patrician 3, which is a very good game about trading and building up your home town. It's a bit old, but still plays well, and looks lovely. It's very slow paced, which I enjoy.

 

[darkace77450]

You know, this is interesting to me...when playing games like XCom, I tend to reload everytime someone dies, as I obsess over keeping everyone alive. Yet, I suspect I would enjoy ironman more, as it would raise the stakes significantly.

I used to do the same, but I found that switching to Ironman* made me a much better player. Knowing each decision could spell doom for my squad of meticulously customized soldiers saw me taking a more thorough, more tactically sound approach to each mission and my play improved immensely as a result.

* Not technically Ironman, as I reload the occasional mis-click. But I don't reload poor decisions or bad luck.

 

[Abaxial]

I've played a bit of Stellaris and CK2, but the length of a game is off-putting when I just want something to amuse me after work. At present I've actually gone back to WoW, which I started just after it was launched 15 years ago, so it's comfortable like an old pair of slippers. Also, Railway Empire is fun as long as you treat it as a super train set rather than a game.

 

[Ownsya]

Now I had to go colonize the only place this could be obtained, cheese doodle island, which would then allow me to progress a bit...until I hit another ceiling.

Yes it is basically this way although I didn't quite see it the way you did. Once each 'ceiling' (or a few) is met it attracts a new social class to your colony who now have new demands but also bring new capabilities to your colony. Often the thing X that you need can be obtained through trading as well as finding a new island to colonize, but what I enjoyed was the challenge of having to go back occasionally and rebalance my empire's design to make room for the needs of the new population.

To keep things moving you need a balance of population from each social class available to work the jobs that produce all of your needs. And striking this balance includes city planning and ensuring they are in range of services like markets, churches, libraries, etc. The limited amount of land available is what eventually makes it most challenging and almost like a puzzle. It can feel like a grind at times but I guess some people will enjoy it while others won't.

It also looks like a game which might benefit from a slightly higher budget (but not a very high one), but I can deal with simple graphics if the gameplay is good.

oh yes I completely forgot how basic the graphics are, but that's because of how quickly the good story line and gameplay will make up for it

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Up until about 10 years ago I had a PC strictly for gaming, and so had access to a wider variety of games than since then, with just a Mac. Back then, in addition to Civ IV and Civ V when it came out, I played a lot of
Settlers 6 - which could have been a fabulous Medieval City-Builder if they had bothered to develop it, but even in its commercial form had some of the best graphics anywhere and an engaging set of scenarios.
The other city-builders: Caesar IV, Pharaoh, Rise of the Middle Kingdom were among my favorites - wasted countless hours on them.
SMAC, or Alpha Centauri, I still think is the greatest Sci Fi game ever, and if they ever did an intelligent Update of it, I would stand in line in a howling blizzard to buy it. I also played some Galactic Civ II back in the day, but don't have a PC to try Galactic Civ III.

Today, in addition to Civ, which I play by a factor of 10 hours to every 1 hour on everything else, I still find a few hours for EU IV and Endless Legend. I've tried Endless Space 2, Stellaris, Grand Ages: Medieval, and Beyond Earth, but none of them have been able to sustain my interest.
Like some others here, I have less time for gaming now than I used to: retired about 4 years ago, which resulted in being busier than ever with 'projects' - writing a book on the Battle of Moscow, rewriting and updating 12 books on the Soviet Army in WWII, and currently feeding a dozen crows, a dozen Stellar's Jays, a half-dozen squirrels, two families of raccoons and three stray cats out of my backyard.
It's always something . . .

 

[WillowBrook]

Civ VI is the only game I play on PC.

On my phone I play Two Dots and go (on OGS (online-go.com), correspondence games against humans only). I wouldn't consider either to be an alternate to Civ, beyond the fact that I enjoy all three games.

 

[Atlas627]

I played an Anno game a while ago, I believe it was Anno 1404, but while it looked great, the gameplay failed to engage me. It might be just that one in particular, perhaps there are stronger entries in the series. For me, it just felt a bit too much like a series of fetch quests. I could build up my colony to a certain level, but would then hit a hard ceiling where I could not progress unless I obtained a specific luxury, like say, cheese doodles. Now I had to go colonize the only place this could be obtained, cheese doodle island, which would then allow me to progress a bit...until I hit another ceiling. Now my people demand ball point pens, so I have to go capture ball point pen island. And so on. Perhaps I remember it wrong, but I think this is how I felt about the game at the time...it just didn't grab in the way other city builders in the past had.

I have played every one of the old Anno PC games (not the futuristic ones), and I never felt this way about them until 1404, which certainly gives me that vibe even though the gameplay is basically the same! I think it's the way it's presented, not the way the game actually works. They tried to do a sort of tutorial-as-you-go thing, which means you only learn about the new mechanic/need when you get there, which makes everything feel like a fetch quest even though you really could plan strategically. And it also doesn't show you any of the stuff you need to plan to use later until you actually unlock it, which prevents you from planning ahead your first few playthroughs.

Yes it is basically this way although I didn't quite see it the way you did. Once each 'ceiling' (or a few) is met it attracts a new social class to your colony who now have new demands but also bring new capabilities to your colony. Often the thing X that you need can be obtained through trading as well as finding a new island to colonize, but what I enjoyed was the challenge of having to go back occasionally and rebalance my empire's design to make room for the needs of the new population.

To keep things moving you need a balance of population from each social class available to work the jobs that produce all of your needs. And striking this balance includes city planning and ensuring they are in range of services like markets, churches, libraries, etc. The limited amount of land available is what eventually makes it most challenging and almost like a puzzle. It can feel like a grind at times but I guess some people will enjoy it while others won't.

I wish it told you that somewhere in the game. I always assumed I wanted to "upgrade" all of my citizens always, which might explain why my economy would stall in weird ways.

Oh, another one I haven't mentioned, which I play from time to time, Patrician 3, which is a very good game about trading and building up your home town. It's a bit old, but still plays well, and looks lovely. It's very slow paced, which I enjoy.

I've always wanted to like this game, but it is so slow that I've never gotten to the payoff! I load it up every once in awhile and never actually accomplish anything before giving up. I like the concept and really want to like the game, though!

 

[Sostratus]

RPGs and 4X have a lot of similarities.

You're telling me. I think I've played more hours in bethesda RPGs than civ4/5/6 combined. Must be the overlap in character building vs empire building.

Video Games are such a small part of my life, really.

Burn the nonbeliever!

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Burn the nonbeliever!

He didn't say he didn't believe in Video Games, just didn't have time for them. Same problem here: after I get finished burning the occasional Unbeliever, and cleaning up the ashes and debris, it's hard to find time to game . . .

 

[Ondolindë]

I believe . Just saying .