Your Domination Awaits: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Due In October

After nearly six years, the latest Civilization game is announced and will be available this autumn. Originally, we were tipped off in an email last year about a possible summer release for the latest Firaxis title, and while not completely accurate, the timeline matches up (we should have said announced instead of released in the summer). However, this isn’t about ‘we told you so’, so let’s find out what’s coming!

This isn’t an exhaustive list of new features and gameplay footage at this time for Civilization VI, but Firaxis has released some preliminary information. First is a big focus on cities and how they now move beyond single-square blobs on the map. As a city grows, so too does the number of tiles it takes up, making its placement critical as the game develops. This is the single biggest change to cities since the introduction of the culture mechanic increasing borders.

The new city square ties in with what can be built in particular parts, as you will need to have developed certain districts before you can build new buildings (such as the requirement for a campus for libraries). You will need to build a city or district near water in order to improve research into sailing technologies, too. These new districts will add a whole new layer of strategy to the game as space will still be limited. In addition, building wonders now take up whole tiles, and some require them to be built on specific types (pyramids on desert, etc).

There are changes to the AI and diplomacy; leaders will now change behavior based on timeline and past experience – with any luck, that’ll put an end to Alexander making peace and declaring war every other turn… maybe. However, the main inclination behind this is to promote alliances in the later game, rather than all-out war, non-stop, effectively increasing the reliance on diplomatic wins instead of crush your opponents into submission.

One change that is likely to bring up some excitement is the concept of combined arms or hybrid units. One of the big changes with Civilization V was the switch to single-unit tiles, preventing massive invading armies from piling units on top of each other to effectively tank-rush a city. While this strategy worked to an extent, it introduced concerns about city defenses and the roll of support units. Combined arms is effectively a reintroduction of stacked units by allowing support units to be embedded into infantry, or provide armed escorts for settlers. This also means you can now have anti-air support for mechanized infantry.

The visual engine has been overhauled as well, leaders are more expressive with greater animation, so it’s easier to determine mood. Units are more detailed, too. While fundamentally, the changes are not huge in Civ VI compared to V, the truth is, not a huge amount needs to change. The two expansions settled many of the initial concerns, while introducing new features. Civilization VI continues to build upon the many fine advances of its predecessor without rocking the boat. Some exciting times ahead this coming October.