Sid Meier's Civilization VII

Sid Meier's Civilization VII is the seventh main installment in the cult turn-based 4X strategy game series started in 1991. The game was developed by Firaxis Games studio, which has been overseeing the development of the series since its third installment.

Gameplay

The idea that guided the authors of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII was to preserve some of the elements of the sixth installment, modify and improve others, and introduce a number of completely new mechanics.

The game is based on the pillars erected by its predecessors, allowing us to lead a chosen historical civilization and follow its development to domination over the other nations. We can achieve victory by conquering new territories, building cities and expanding existing ones, taking care of economic and technological development, as well as subordinating other civilizations (through war or using diplomacy) with goals similar to ours.

During the game we take on the role of a leader whom we choose for the entire game. The decision we make is important, because each leader has individual abilities and brings specific bonuses.

Civilization change and other novelties

The gameplay in Sid Meier's Civilization VII is divided into three eras - the Antiquity Age, the Exploration Age, and the Modern Age. Each of them lasts about 150 turns, and at the end of it our civilization falls victim to various crises, which ultimately lead to its collapse. Then we have no choice but to choose another civilization, which will be built on its ruins, while retaining some of the bonuses developed by its predecessor. It is worth remembering that the civilizations that are made available to us are closely related to specific eras. This means it is not possible to control ancient Americans or the contemporary Roman Empire.

The changes introduced by the creators do not end there. We can achieve victory in four ways – militarily, economically, diplomatically and scientifically. Although there was no religious victory here, religion itself plays a significant role, especially in the era of discoveries. Moreover, the leaders are not tied to specific civilizations (which often leads to surprising and quite unusual situations). From time to time, the game forces us to familiarize ourselves with fictional events and make various decisions.

In addition to this, rivers do not only serve a decorative function (our units can sail on them, which facilitates the exploration of the world map), the game world lacks barbarians (they were a thorn in the side for many players in the sixth part of the series), and standard units do not gain experience. The last of the mentioned novelties deserves an additional explanation - the experience is gathered by commanders, i.e. special units that do not take direct part in battles, but have abilities that allow them to influence the results of skirmishes, issue orders and improve the transport of units.

Last updated on 22 August 2024