[Sid Meier] Civilization VI

infinitelurker · Post by **infinitelurker** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:36 pm

I saw this bit over on Qt3 too, and it gave me a chuckle, because this has been me in the past:

I'm gonna treat this Civ game like every other one:

- buy it when it first comes out
- play a little
- read complaints about missing AI & features, decide to shelve it for a bit for some other new and shiny game
- in a couple of years, note there is a "Complete Edition" with all the DLC I never bought
- buy the Complete Edition on sale
- play a little, get distracted by some other new game and put it on the shelf until "later"
- start reading about the awesome features in the next version

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:29 pm

You folks are making it very hard to avoid the OO Effect, especially since I just finished Mafia III. How soon before I miss out on any pre-order bonuses?

Mandeville · Post by **Mandeville** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:31 pm

persself wrote:
Kraken wrote:Well, thanks to some devious horsetrading with persself I unexpectedly acquired and pre-loaded this game today.

Also added the Aztec civ DLC, but apparently that can't be preinstalled, or maybe it was already included in the pre-load...I'm not clear on how that works.
Couldn't have you waiting til Christmas to play with the rest of us. Admit it, you're glad it's pre-loaded and ready to play come Friday...or whenever you have the time to play. Something tells me you will somehow "make" the time.

And thank you for my football game!

My wedding anniversary is that day and I scheduled it off back in January. At the beginning of the school year my wife informed me that she had an important meeting for one of her students that day and she was not going to be able to get the time off so I could bank the day and use it later. I informed her it was OK because that was Civ 6 day and my day was salvaged. Now she doesn't believe I ever had any intention of spending our anniversary Friday together and that this was my plan all along. I said that that was true it was some Dark Knight/Joker level planning that I just pulled off and I should look to use my powers for more profitable gains. But whatever...I have a whole day of blissful playing then a nice dinner out while the in-laws keep the kids overnight. It is like the perfect day.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:38 pm

Well after the battle royale, it's seems most of the Internet has decided the AI is worthless. It was pretty bad, seemingly incapable of upgrading units, or hardly fighting any wars in the full game.

Still think I will have fun with it, but if AI is important to you, you might want to hold off.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:43 pm

Lee wrote:Still think I will have fun with it, but if AI is important to you, you might want to hold off.

Well, that gives me a good reason not to pre-order.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:59 pm

I finally gave in to the OO effect.
Pre-purchased from GMG.

I won't be able to play at length until next week... but at least I got a deal.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 9:03 pm

Lee wrote:Well after the battle royale, it's seems most of the Internet has decided the AI is worthless. It was pretty bad, seemingly incapable of upgrading units, or hardly fighting any wars in the full game.

Still think I will have fun with it, but if AI is important to you, you might want to hold off.

Some days I can use a brain dead AI to beat up on. I'm sure the powers that be will fix it up...hopefully.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 9:40 pm

Well, I'm in too... went with GMG also. Always had good experiences with them.

I've been watching Trump's videos, and while it's interesting enough to have kept me watching him long-play a game for three hours (!) so far, I'm a little concerned Civ VI isn't going to be different enough for me. I loved Civ V and came back to it repeatedly (365 hours in Steam), but while I never really tired of it, watching someone else play even the new version makes it seem kind of stale.

I haven't been able to get into any other 4X games since Civ 5, though I've tried. But Endless Legend and the like seem to do enough different that I think I may expect more from Civ VI than it has to offer. On the other hand, I'm sure I'm guaranteed to get my money's worth. I think part of it is also that watching just isn't as fun as playing when it comes to TBS.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 10:18 pm

FWIW I told myself for months that I wasn't going to get VI because I didn't see enough about it that was different. I avoided all coverage.

For some reason I started watching bits and pieces of videos, and finally started to grok the changes. My come to Jesus moment was watching Totalbiscuit's video about what had changed, particularly the improvements to diplomacy and taking some of the better ideas from the guys at Paradox and Amplitude.

I ordered my copy yesterday, and am looking forward to tomorrow night.

By the way, Quill18 just started a series playing as Japan and going for a cultural victory. It's quite good, and shows off the new civics system. Since I typically tend to play for cultural/diplomatic/science victories I'm finding it very informative.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 10:42 pm

The game will release in the NA at midnight Eastern.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:09 am

Lorini wrote:The game will release in the NA at midnight Eastern.

That is why the West Coast is the best coast. (Unless you like European Sports.) 9pm here!

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:31 am

Lee wrote:
Lorini wrote:The game will release in the NA at midnight Eastern.
Thus us why the West Coast is the best coast. (Unless you like European Sports.) 9pm here!

tlr has to get up for work at 3:45 AM, which means I'm up at 3:45, so we're typically asleep by 9. However, I know I won't be able to resist the temptation to stay up "just for another 15 minutes", which means unless something unforeseen happens It's going to be an all-nighter.

Malacheye · Post by **Malacheye** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:48 am

Look, guys...there seems to be lots of anxiety about Civ 6 release today, so I have a plan...

How about all of you just relax and wait until after the weekend to play it! Then I will take "the plunge" for all of you and let you know if its any good or not. Then, if the game stinks, you can all request your refunds...

Really guys, I'm up for the task. Get the sleep you need, spend time with your wife and children on birthdays and anniversaries. Dont risk losing your job or disfavor with your boss, and dont risk the $40-$80 hit on your wallets...

My gift to all of you:)

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:11 pm

Sudy Nym wrote:I've been watching Trump's videos, and while it's interesting enough to have kept me watching him long-play a game for three hours (!) so far, I'm a little concerned Civ VI isn't going to be different enough for me.

Wow, I knew he wanted to be a dictator, but is it possible we could have avoided this election had the game released in January?

Oh wait... NM... Wrong guy...

I can't wait until this releases. OTOH, I invited my friends over to go to a HUGE Ren Faire this weekend, so I have a happy distraction that will prevent me from playing too much!

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 7:13 pm

This may or may not be news, but the manual is up.

165 pages, so it's pretty old school, although I would like to see a chapter for Civ vets that just details the changes.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 8:59 pm

baelthazar wrote:
Sudy Nym wrote:I've been watching Trump's videos, and while it's interesting enough to have kept me watching him long-play a game for three hours (!) so far, I'm a little concerned Civ VI isn't going to be different enough for me.
Wow, I knew he wanted to be a dictator, but is it possible we could have avoided this election had the game released in January?

Oh wait... NM... Wrong guy...

It's funny, because I didn't make that connection until a couple of months ago, and I've been watching Trump (i.e. the polite Asian gamer) for a couple of years. You know, back before saying you "enjoy Trump" was disgracefully abhorrent.

Malacheye · Post by **Malacheye** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:02 am

heh...taking a few minutes to update and launch...says about 15 minutes for me...so much for "pre-loading"

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:04 am

Says 5 Min. for me.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:06 am

It's been fluctuating between 7 and 30 minutes for me. I'm already tired. I may just go to bed and get to it in the morning.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:09 am

Malacheye wrote:heh...taking a few minutes to update and launch...says about 15 minutes for me...so much for "pre-loading"

Yah, it's always a toss-up whether decrypting a pre-load will actually be faster than waiting and downloading it after it goes live.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:14 am

Done, time for bed!

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:15 am

It's really standing the test of time.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:16 am

That was actually pretty quick. And the journey begins...

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:15 am

Played 20 turns as Ghandi on Prince level. I was going to tackle the tutorial, but so far at least the Civilopedia has been pretty clear on anything I didn't grok, so I probably won't bother. Some brief observations:

1) Barbarians are a lot tougher. Where before in the early game a warrior could take one out with a couple of shots, here they are considerably less effective.

2) I think I'm going to like the new system of dealing with City-states.

3) Continents are confusing, since they can be on the same land mass (think the Americas). It took me a while to find the filter that shows them. Discovering a new continent is important since it leads to a Eureka moment.

4) I've gotten 3 Eureka moments just by blindly stumbling about. I'm sure in time I'll intuitively know how to get the ones I want.

5) I came across one Goody Hut and was rewarded with an artifact (the Shroud of Turin in 3280 BC - that's a little immersion breaking) that I could hang on the palace wall to generate points towards the cultural and religious victories.

6) The number of pantheons has been considerably reduced.

7) I met Pericles, and early reports are right - the new diplomacy system is a lot more transparent.

Now to bed.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:28 am

tgb wrote:1) Barbarians are a lot tougher. Where before in the early game a warrior could take one out with a couple of shots, here they are considerably less effective.

Indeed. I heard about this and prepared by producing a slinger first. But he fell in one or two hits to a barbarian spearman. I've now barely fended off an attack on my capital by two warriors and a slinger. I'm going to make it, but losing that first unit really hurts. Luckily I decided to play my first game on Prince. Trying to find my way with religion/culture as France.

To bed for me, as well.

Mandeville · Post by **Mandeville** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:36 am

An hour and a half of play and my take away is thus:

- I like that the interface and mechanics are familiar yet brand new. Not in a Beyond earth way but in a way that I wanted Beyond Earth to be.
- I like the civics choices but after discovering three civics and opening up all those new cards I haven't seen a compelling reason to switch out of my tribal civics. I'm sue that will change with familiarity.
- I really like "eureka" moments. I met Lisbon and they wanted me to have a eureka moment and I bee lined toward it. It also incentivized some tech I was ignoring. And lastly, I have played too many games where I had no access to water yet I could develop sailing in 3 turns. The r is a real immersion I like with this new system.
- I'm building my first district and I found it hard to do so. Old habits die hard and I wanted to surround my city with mines and farms. I can't wait to see that system in it's glory.
- It has a slower pace and I am happy with that. In the same amount of time I played civ five I would have been into the classical era. I'm nowhere near it.

I was in high school when Civilization came out and I took over my life. I have played every Civilization from day one since then. According to Steam I played Civ 5 for 720 hours. I am really looking forward to diving into this version. I have a good feeling about it. A better feeling then I had for both 4 and 5.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:12 am

Grand_Director wrote:According to Steam I played Civ 5 for 720 hours.

Piker. I was at 3300+ hours the last time I looked, and I'm going to finish one last game before I fire up 6. I just nuked Babylon tonight. I must follow through. Probably start the new one on Sat or Sun.

Butterknife · Post by **Butterknife** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:15 am

I've played for 2 hours, about 60 turns, and I just lost my first game by having my capital conquered. I was playing on King difficulty level by the way. At first blush I'd say the AI was doing just fine, or else I have gotten far worse at turn-based strategy lately. I used to dominate on King difficulty no problem.

My first impressions are very positive, but I'm awfully tired so off to bed.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:15 am

I played for a couple of hours. Overall, I like it, even though I have a long way to go to learn the ins-and-outs. I've sent a bunch of envoys to the three neighboring city states, and I've met India, but mostly havent done much exploring. I did run into an issue with great people. I already had a few and it was apparently time to get a new one, but it didn't look like I had aquired any. Then I realized I could spend coins or faith to get one. So I got one. And then it still said to take my great person, so I bought another one. And now it *still* says to get one, and I can't afford another. And I can't figure out how to skip it and move on with the game.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:27 am

So far I really like it, but I am about to get crushed by a surprise war from Sumeria. I am loving the leader animations, when Gilgamesh popped up angry, I was surprised and yelling at the screen, "What did I do wrong?" Bastard is just aggressive, war-carts all over the place. Germany is also being really pushy over the city states too. We're friends now, but don't think that is going to last long.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 2:40 am

1.5 Hours. I agree with what others above have said. I like it so far.

The 3 stand out things for me are;
1. Barbarians are tougher
2. AI is kind of a dick - Kongo declared a surprise war on me early on. I thought all those warriors were helping me kill barbarians, but they were actually coming to burn my fields.
I defeated him and got some sort of Holy Sandals relic as part of my peace deal.
3. The civics/government is over my head at the moment. I'm basically just picking semi-randomly at this point. Need to read up on it.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:48 am

2 further points from skimming the manual:

pp 98-99 lists all the districts and their optimal placement. Most are common sense (i.e. industrial district next to a mine or theater district next to a Wonder) so it shouldn't take too long to absorb, but I've got it printed out in the meantime.

I'm not seeing any reference to espionage. Can someone confirm that it's out (until, I assume, the inevitable DLC)?

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 6:06 am

baelthazar wrote:
Sudy Nym wrote:I've been watching Trump's videos, and while it's interesting enough to have kept me watching him long-play a game for three hours (!) so far, I'm a little concerned Civ VI isn't going to be different enough for me.
Wow, I knew he wanted to be a dictator, but is it possible we could have avoided this election had the game released in January?

Oh wait... NM... Wrong guy...

I can't wait until this releases. OTOH, I invited my friends over to go to a HUGE Ren Faire this weekend, so I have a happy distraction that will prevent me from playing too much!

That would be brilliant though. No telling how many votes he could pick up by live streaming himself till the election Making America Great Again in Civ6. Missed opportunity.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 6:48 am

From what I can tell, ranged units are more effective against Barbarians than melee are, at least in the early game. I'm thinking that unless there's a compelling reason not to, I will be making a beeline towards Archery first turn, despite it being a dead end

abr · Post by **abr** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:14 am

tgb wrote:2 further points from skimming the manual:

I'm not seeing any reference to espionage. Can someone confirm that it's out (until, I assume, the inevitable DLC)?

The manual mentions espionage a few times in passing, but the referenced espionage section is missing. There should be an "espionage overview" button at the top of the screen and F3 should also open the espionage screen. (Cannot check 'cause I'm at work atm.)

EDIT: I remember also seeing Quill do some spy stuff in one of his LPs.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:55 am

94 so far on Metacritic, but that's with only 4 reporting...obviously a lot more to come. I assume the protocol is to wait to review the actual release version, no? If so, I can't imagine how anyone could possibly be giving out scores this early, for a game like Civ.

Kinda like ranking NCAA teams in the first week of season play.

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:20 am

Lee wrote:So far I really like it, but I am about to get crushed by a surprise war from Sumeria.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:34 am

Yeah, seems I was wrong about espionage. It's discussed at length in the Civilopedia. I guess that means that just because something isn't referenced in a 165 page manual, that doesn't mean it isn't in the game.

I can see I'm going to have to adjust the performance/beauty sliders since my rig is just slightly above the minimum requirements. 30 turns in and turn times are already unreasonably long.

Someone made a comment about the map seeming small, and I tend to agree. 30 turns in on a normal sized map and I've already encountered 6 our of 7 AI civs. That doesn't feel right to me.

Stuie · Post by **Stuie** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 9:00 am

Started on Prince as Rome with Gandhi as my neighbor. So I got to fight an early war.

I feel like I'm not entirely certain as to what I'm doing with districts and civics and such, but I'm still leading in domination and science. I guess that's from targeting Genoa early for their science boost, and taking 2 of India's 3 cities... but still it seems like I'm way ahead of where I would expect to be with my haphazard approach to the game. Guess I need to bump it up to King for the next game and see if that makes things more challenging.

Mandeville · Post by **Mandeville** » Fri Oct 21, 2016 9:16 am

Kraken wrote:
Grand_Director wrote:According to Steam I played Civ 5 for 720 hours.
Piker. I was at 3300+ hours the last time I looked, and I'm going to finish one last game before I fire up 6. I just nuked Babylon tonight. I must follow through. Probably start the new one on Sat or Sun.

That's...fantastic! I'm in the middle of a nasty war with Greece in my civ 5 game and I will return to finish it of...I just had to dive into the new one.