According to Civilization VII’s creative director, Ed Beach, when developing a new Civilization game, Firaxis aims to strike a perfect balance between new, improved and familiar.
While Civilization VII’s gameplay is still easily recognisable to any of the series’ fans, the new (and removed) features ensure that this is not just a reskin of the previous games.
If you’re wondering what’s new, what’s removed, and what’s improved in Civilization VII, we’re here to explain how it differs from its predecessors.
You can find on G2A.COM: Sid Meier’s Civilization VII.
Leaders no longer tied to civilisations
As strange as it sounds, you can appoint Confucius as the leader of the Mayan civilisation. This change was implemented to allow players to mix and match the bonuses offered by the leader and the civ, further customising their experience. The game will suggest civilisations best suited for your leader.
For example, a militaristic, expansionist leader might not be the best match for a civilisation which prefers diplomacy and science. You can, of course, ignore the suggestions and go wild.
Civilizations change throughout the ages
History in Civilization VII is like an ogre – it has layers. Take real-life London. The Romans created it, the Saxons and Normans developed it further, and eventually, it became the capital of the British Empire.
While in earlier games you would start and end as the same civilizations, in this installment your civ will evolve into something new when you approach a new era. There are three of those: Antiquity, Exploration and Modern.
Your Han China could become Ming China once you enter the Exploration Age. But it can also evolve into Normans or Shawnee. Your choices in the preceding age determine which civilizations are available to you as you enter the new one.
Barbarians – not so barbaric after all
The previous installments featured barbarian settlements that were always hostile and had to be eliminated at some point to keep your civilization safe.
This is no longer true. Renamed Independent Powers, they aren’t necessarily hostile from the get-go (though some are!). As ages progress, the Independent Powers can evolve into powerful City-States, which can become your vassals if you play your cards right.
Building without builders
A military unit escorting a group of builders to their destination is a familiar sight for anyone who has played Civ V and VI.
You might be surprised that builders are not present in Civ VII. Instead, as your settlement’s population grows, you receive population points that can be used to improve a tile or to assign a specialist to an urban tile.
According to the devs, this change will result in a less primitive, more streamlined experience, especially when managing several settlements at once.
Timeless army commanders
Getting your army where you want it used to be a pain, especially if you tried to move it through a narrow mountain pass.
To address this, Civ VII introduced a new unit type. The commander unit can stack up to six nearby units into one and lead them to the target. Upon arrival, they are unstacked to prepare for an upcoming battle or siege. The commander is also the only unit that receives XP from battle and levels up. The buffs unlocked via promotion affect the units within the command radius.
Unlike real generals, the commanders are timeless, meaning they won’t die of old age and take all the unlocked buffs to the grave.
The Commander is supposed to reduce the amount of micromanagement on the player’s side and streamline the military operations.
So, what do you think?
These are some of the many changes introduced by Civilization VII. Do they actually improve the Civ experience, or are they bad design decisions that make it less fun? The best way to find out is to play the game and judge yourself!