Civilization is one of those franchises that unites all gamers, no matter what their preferred genre is. It is the embodiment of what it means for a came to be considered “4X” and, speaking personally, whenever I see one of my disabled brethren asking online what games are out there suitable for them and what they can do, Civilization is always the first recommendation. This franchise is so prolific that even the voice recognition software I’m using to write this has no trouble recognizing the name of its creator: Sid Meier. However, if you are unaware, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you establish a civilization and lead it throughout history. You expand your cultural and political borders, develop your scientific and military prowess, and interact with other civilizations, be they NPC or player controlled.
It’s been almost 6 years since the release of Civilization V, and I still remember the polarization amongst the fan base as this new release decided to eschew the traditional grid map upon which you could stack as many units as you please in a single square, in favor of a map made up of hexagons which only one unit could occupy at a time. Players developed some pretty strong opinions for and against the new hexagon maps, but eventually the player base, for the most part, accepted the new changes, especially as they required more tactical thinking when waging war instead of simply marching a Big Stack of Doom™ to a city until it capitulates, rinse, repeat.
Civilization VI will be released on October 21, 2016, and in this release, the big changes have to do with how cities themselves are founded and developed. In all five previous releases, city building essentially had the same formula: move a settler to the desired tile, preferably on a coast and/or on a hill and/or and/or next to a river. Rinse. Repeat. In Civilization VI, city planning will move into the front seat.
Cherish the days of every city in your empire having a specific formula of buildings, because now buildings, and more importantly, wonders will have geographic requirements based on the tiles within the city radius (which will remain at 36 tiles). Additionally, the tiles themselves within the city radius can be developed beyond farms, mines, and camps. Players will be able to turn these tiles into “districts.” While it is unclear how these districts will affect your city, there will be 12 different districts available, and hopefully this new game mechanic will breathe a bit of life into making each individual city unique. Of course, this is only the beginning: Firaxis has whet our appetites with yet another fantastic announcement trailer which, in true Civilization form, is a truly inspiring montage of human achievement that makes me proud to be a person on this planet earth.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Gommel Nox.
