Arioch wrote: ↑Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:22 pm
Civ 4 was pre-Steam and so I don't have stats on how long I played it, but I have almost 2000 hours in Civ 5 and a slightly lesser amount in Civ 6, and I suspect either number is much higher than it was for Civ 4. It's my opinion that "unstacking" armies and cities were significant and positive additions to the series. I think the "eurekas" for science was also a really nice addition.
I think my playtime in Civ4 would exceed 4000.
Actually, a rather interesting solution for those "doomstacks" was already developed in Call for Power. You could only fit 9 units in a tile, and they would all enter combat as a group, lined up as melee and ranged units. So, no more one-on-one duels, or those ridiculous archers which can shoot over several kilometers.
The eurekas were an incredible "cheesification" of the research system. On the one hand, you couldn't really skip them, but on the other, the ability to see their requirements in advance made this mechanic far too meta. I think that the system of giving a free tech as a reward for some discoveries, or the already present quests were plenty enough. Why turn
everything into a quest? This is not an RPG!
Arioch wrote: ↑Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:22 pm
I was less of a fan of the changes to civics and happiness/health. There's an awful lot, especially in Civ 6, that's almost totally opaque to the player, which (IMO) pretty much by definition means that it is not a positive thing for gameplay. I would like it if and when Civ 7 eventually rolls around (which I don't expect to be anytime soon) that they take the infrastructure model either back to it roots, or else in a new direction.
The system of mixing and matching civics to form a customized government form was already good enough. But splitting this into a myriad of cultural advanced with minuscule effects simply made it utterly confusing. Something like a 15% cost reduction of a single unit? Really?
Arioch wrote: ↑Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:22 pm
But really, I'd rather Firaxis focus on something new (or else more XCOM... though I have little interest in the Marvel XCOM thing that's going on now). There's a huge empty place in my soul left by the unfulfilled potential of both
Beyond Earth and
Side Meier's Starships!. A Firaxis version of Master of Orion or Master of Magic could be very interesting.
"Starships" was weird, a bit too much for a mobile game, but far too lackluster for a full game. "Beyond Earth", on the other hand, had severe balancing issues. Both weren't really worthy of bearing the title of "Sid Meier's", though.