Get ready for change because “Sid Meier’s Civilization VI” will deliver plenty of it when it’s released on Oct. 21 on PC. With the upcoming release, Firaxis carries over and fine-tunes the improvements over two expansions in the previous entry and meshes it with the unstacking of cities and revamped systems.
The result is that game is going to be a novel experience for both newcomers and veterans alike. I’ve spent some hours with the game, and I’m still learning and getting used to the new mechanics. In my hands-on time, here is what I learned:
1. YOU ARE GOING TO START OVER AT LEAST TWICE: “Civilization VI” is complex and the best way to learn is by diving in head first. During your first campaign, you will make mistakes. You will discover that you didn’t plan out your cities that well or that you built a district in the wrong area. Sometimes an overlooked error doesn’t become evident until the midgame.
You won’t get a hang of the idea of unstacked cities or the tweaks to religion until a second or third campaign. I’ve played the game in different preview settings and I’m still learning the finer points on how to build cities. To say the learning curve is steep is an understatement, and I’m a longtime “Civilization” player.
2. TRY TO ESTABLISH A RELIGION QUICKLY: Unlike previous games, there’s a finite number of religions in “Civilization VI.” If you don’t receive a great prophet fast, you will miss out on a chance to establish a faith, and that could set you back when going against rival nations.
Faith is a huge bonus because it can be used to expand culture or quickly build structures and units. In a campaign, I waited too long to establish a religion and had to cede those benefits to rival countries who kept on spamming out missionaries and apostles.
3. DEALING WITH AMENITIES AND HOUSING IS A HASSLE: Remember that feeling in “StarCraft” when you’re building an army and suddenly, you get an alert — “You must construct more pylons.” “Civilization VI” has a similar moment and that mainly deals with amenities and housing.
These are two new concepts that go into the growth of a city. Players no longer have to worry about keeping a population fed. They now have to make sure there’s enough structures to house the people and they need to have quality-of-life improvements such as Entertainment Districts and Luxuries resources (coffee or ivory) to keep them happy. If players are deficient in any of these, it curbs a cities growth.
This puts pressure on players to not just expand, but they should expand in the right way. This leads into lesson number four.
4. HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT YOUR CITIES BEFORE ESTABLISHING THEM: Back in previous “Civilization” games, players could establish a city willy-nilly. They could use them to block an opponent from a resource or they could set up a new municipality to provoke a war. With “Civilization VI,” more care should be used when setting up a settlement.
With the unstacking of cities, the game becomes more of a positional one. Ever resource tile has an importance. Mountains and jungles are great for campuses, where universities are established. Commercial hubs are best at crossroads, where caravans intersect when they travel across to cities. Theater districts get bonuses from wonders and other districts.
In addition, Wonders have tile requirements as well. Players can’t just build the Great Pyramids on a grassy plain. They must put it on a desert space. Stonehenge can’t be built in a forest; it must be constructed next to a quarry.
With tiles and resources being so important, players have to plan out and gear cities toward specializations. Players can’t freestyle it and have a city major in trade, culture and production. It’s best to pair a harbor district and industrial zone together so that players can pump out ships. Players can take advantage of a wonder and focus a city on becoming a cultural center with a Theater district working off a Holy Site. The bonus of having a Theater district is that they are home to a museum, which can house a great work from a writer or artist if you’re going toward the cultural victory route.
5. DON’T NEGLECT DIPLOMACY: In the beginning of a campaign, diplomacy takes a back seat to expanding a nation and conquering other civilizations. But the more players advance toward the modern era, the more important diplomacy becomes.
“Civilization VI” offers a more transparent way of dealing with other nations. Players will see the characteristics of each leader. They can learn how to get on a nation’s good side and build a longstanding relationship with them. It often means aligning your government with theirs or building an army that they admire. The game seems more flexible when it comes to having allied relationships. Players can build friendships that last centuries and not worry about one nation betraying your civlization.
6. KEEP AN EYE ON OTHERS USING CITY-STATES. The other half of diplomacy focuses on city-states. These are independent cities that are scattered all over the map. Players send envoys to each city-state and those diplomats help increase your influence over the government. If you have the most influence in a city state, you become its suzerain and it opens up an array of bonuses and options to your civilization.
The key thing is that if you attain this status, the city-state becomes almost like an extension of your empire. It lifts the fog of war from a the region around it. Players can see troop movement or any special resources it may have. If players are involved in a war, they can rent a city-state troops and use it for their attack or defense.
The only issue city-states is that the loyalties can often flip without notice. With all the managing of cities, you may not notice that a city-state has gone dark for you. And that can sometimes lead to trouble or an unwanted ambush.
