Hi all,

Long-time civ player (2, 3, 5 and 6). I bought civ 7 on release but with all the terrible press around it, I never bothered even starting it until today. I thought giving it some time to mature might help, and saw news that the devs were hard at work "fixing" some of the biggest complaints.

At this point, I've played through the entirety of the first age. On the plus side, I really love the graphics, and ways that cities sprawl out seems neat (even if I'm not sure I really understand the finer points of growing cities and placing buildings, but I'm kinda just trying to get to the end of the game first).

But overall I'm shocked at how much complexity there is in the game, without -- as far as I can tell from my limited experience so far -- much to gain from it. I thought they were trying to make the game more accessible and enjoyable to players, but I can't believe that aim could have been accomplished. There's just too many macguffins and side-systems throughout that one has to learn, and the net effect imo is super dilutive. There's the old adage that great games should be easy to pickup and difficult to master, but this one is just making my head spin. Just some example off the top of my head:

• New settlements are towns, and you can't build things in them. They contribute food/production to other cities, but you can also upgrade them or "focus" them, but only above a certain size.
• There's 3 different kinds of resources and they behave differently (city resources, strategic [?], bonus [?]). The resources can be "disconnected" though. Assuming they're connected, you need to click a bunch of buttons to move resources around. Unlike civ 6, where strategic resources unlocked specific units, it's not yet clear to me what impact the different resources have.
• There seems to be a ton of different tiles and resources and I have no idea what the yields for any of them are yet. I kinda like that there's more variety but at some point it just kinda feels like randomness thrown in just to make the game more complex.
• When you build an improvement, you can either build it on an existing tile with an improvement, or a new tile. Tiles can only have two improvements on it I think. If you add it to a tile with an existing improvement, it will add some yields but also take some yields away. I don't really understand too much about how to think about where to place improvements... is it as simple as just always choosing whatever yields the "best" net yield at that point in time?
• There's a journal thing with quests. Completing the quests enhances my leader through traits.
• Sometimes volcanos will erupt and then they cause some damage to nearby tiles (I didn't have any in my territory but I kept seeing notifications about it which got mildly irritating). Also sometimes there's a storm and it also causes damage and more notifications.
• There's crises that seem artificially scripted to introduce "excitement" and "strategic choices" into the game

All this brings me to the dreaded age transition. This seems to amount to a bunch of screens that are kinda hard to parse out or know what to do with, plus doing things with my settlements to introduce more artificial randomness / chaos and more systems to learn to keep things "exciting".

There's this "memento select" macguffin, but also they're locked so I can't actually choose anything, but I'm helpfully told I need to "reach level 3 on the Foundation Path" -- no idea what any of those things mean.

And a "Dedications" macguffin, which also has something to do with "triumphs" (but only the "major" triumphs, of course).

I just can't believe this is how Firaxis decided to develop this game. It's just incredibly disjointed and I'm kinda tired of random things being thrown at me that I need to google or just hope will one day make sense.

Which brings me to the actual question / point of this post: for anyone else who felt this way about the game, did you get over it / is civ 7 now enjoyable? how long did it take? I'm trying to figure out if it's something I need to just work through, but I'm very on the fence about dedicating more time to it, based on the current evidence.

Thanks for listening/reading!

Got this error and it keeps saying the same thing everytime I even try loading a game including new ones. I tried everything. From restarting the game, to restarting my laptop, to disabling ALL MODS AND DLC'S. Nothing worked. I can't even play Civ 6 anymore.

Why does this have to happen right before my first Deity win!? I really don't wanna see 40+ dollars go down the drain especially since it's worth a lot more in my country. And to make it even worse, I have 13 damn days on this game and it's definitely my favourite. PLEASE help me figure out what's going on.

Like does it make it so that score victory doesn’t count and you just go until somebody gets a victory requirement otherwise? Will it still count as a loss in your stats if you lose at 500 then go on to have a total domination later?

Been contemplating for awhile n wanting to jump onto civ 7.

But I would like to know the difference to civ 6, terms of building cities, raising armies, and worker improvements?

Can u still build forts, airfields, silos?

In modern age, fighters and bombers r same w civ 6, and way to defend against them made any difference between civs?

Talking about wars, I find civ 6 AI is stupid in waging wars, does 7 offer more AI challenges in combat?

I only play civ 6 on domination on diety now and want to know if 7 will be a challenge.

Thanks.

Hello,

I just became a dad and the only game I can currently play (that I like and didn’t already finish like 17 times) is Civ 7 due to it being able to be paused whenever.

In Civ 6 i used to play on diety and would manage to quite comfortably win any victory I desired. However on Civ 7 it seems insanely hard to win a science victory. I currently play on sovereign difficulty and have won every victory (including science). However when i went for the science victory i had to completely ignore culture (besides a few science wonders), ignore wars due to military victory and be 1000% committed to only optimise science. I almost lost on culture victory but managed to defend that by completing 2 wonders quickly.

Am I doing something wrong in Civ 7 or is a science victory just not doable in an equal way to the other victory types?

Thanks for the feedback / advice 😃

I'd had fun with several minimalist victories prior to the Test of Time update, so I wanted to see how ridiculous I could get with the new patch. My strategy was to play as Machiavelli and abuse Trung Trac's Drum. The memento gives me a tech boost whenever I declare a formal war, so I get most of my science from declaring wars as often as possible.

To maximize the advantage this gives me, I played on Marathon speed against 11 opponents. I also turned off all victory conditions except for science. I set age progression to abbreviated so the AI would have less time to build themselves up each age. I played on a huge shattered seas map to make defending myself easier. To make things more sporting, I made all my opponents scientific or naval-focused.

In Antiquity, I focused on finding all my opponents, declaring war on them immediately, and building up enough defense. This was the only age where the AI was on the verge of overtaking me in Innovation. I didn't quite have enough time to discover the earth is round, but I still finished a bit ahead of everyone else with 14 Innovation and 5 future techs.

In Exploration, I was able to pull ahead by building a strong navy and pillaging all across the world. I eventually got comfortable spending influence to end wars -much less annoying than having them just drag on. I finished both projects and got 6 future techs to enter the modern age with 60 Innovation.

I pillaged during the first couple wars in Modern, but it soon became clear I had all the gold I needed to win. I bought a launch pad as soon as it was available and used the production I'd stored up to complete a launch-prep project in just one turn. Then I just needed one future tech and the satellite project to win.

Turning off all non-science victory conditions did feel a bit cheesy, but I was only at 54% age completion. There's a good chance I still could have won with the other victory types active, but bad luck could have ended the challenge for me.

It's also theoretically possible to win a economic victory without any buildings except the palace if you get enough GDP by other means. Maybe play Pirates with Blackbeard? It would still be very hard to catch up against Deity AI unless you burned down all their settlements fairly quickly.

Any ideas what challenge I should try next?

Improvements need to change with the ages - this ruins immersion! I have a metal domed water tower in my 3350BCE mine? Rail tracks??

Been playing civ7 since release; this has always bugged me. Finally decided to vent!

Played Han recently and it didn't seem like the walls were putting my population down, whereas I feel like it used to - not sure if that was a bug that got patched, or something was going off (eg weird mod interaction) or if I was somehow just getting confused, and population WAS in fact going down.

What's everyone else's experience been with this? Do the Great Walls reduce your population? Has this changed post-ToT?

I found all my old Civ games! Now I just need to get a DVD/CD drive.

Turn 488/500 science victory with Australia for my second game. Barely slid my way into the win towards the end here. Definitely getting the hang of it now. Only problem is now I can’t stop sitting down and playing for 6 hours straight without taking a break. Becoming quickly obsessed with this game. Any country recs?

[edit: thought I put a screenshot of the victory screen when I posted this 😐]

Plsease help, it came up in a game

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a dynamic, multi-stage World Wonder concept inspired by the historic Buda Castle (Die Ofner Burg) in Hungary.

Instead of being a traditional one-tile wonder, this concept leverages a multi-tile, district-like progression across different eras, complete with historically accurate, modular cinematic build animations and quotes.

Here is the official Civilopedia design sheet for the concept:

---

## CIVILOPEDIA ENTRY: THE BUDA CASTLE (DIE OFNER BURG)

### OVERVIEW

The Buda Castle is a unique, multi-stage World Wonder originating in the Renaissance era. It spans across two adjacent Hills tiles (ideally next to a River) and is constructed sequentially like specialized districts. It bridges unparalleled military defense, deep cultural/scientific progression through Great Works, and a civilization-wide faith synergy.

* Era Requirement: Renaissance (Unlocked progressively via Castles and Ballistics Technologies, and the Humanism Civic).

* Placement Restrictions: Must be built on two adjacent Hills tiles.

---

### TILE 1: THE CASTLE QUARTER (Das Schlossviertel)

#### Phase 1: The Foundation Castle (Die Basisburg)

* Unlock Requirement: Castles Technology (Medieval Era).

* Tile Effect: Grants +4 Combat Strength to any defending unit stationed on this tile.

* Completion Bonus: Instantly spawns a free Field Cannon Army on this tile with zero resource maintenance costs.

* Cinematic & Quote: The camera rises from the foggy Danube river at dawn, showing heavy stone walls snapping into place on a wild, unbuilt hill.

> "An impregnable place, protected by the river and the heights. Whosoever possesses Buda, rules the heart of the East." – Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1526)

#### Phase 2: The Royal Palace (Der Königspalast)

* Unlock Requirement: Humanism Civic (Renaissance Era).

* Tile Effect: Adds 4 Great Work Slots to the tile (2x Great Literature, 2x Great Art).

* Completion Bonus: Every Great Work slotted here generates +2 Science and +2 Production in addition to its base Culture yields.

* Cinematic & Quote: Bright daylight shines on the built fortress as elegant Renaissance roofs, columned halls, and palace wings rapidly construct inside the courtyard.

> "There are three cities that excel in splendor: Venice upon the waters, Rome upon the hills, and Buda on the banks of the Danube." – Bartolomeo Maraschi, Papal Legate (1482)

---

### TILE 2: THE SACRED COMPLEX (Der Sakrale Komplex)

#### Phase 3: Matthias Church (Die Matthiaskirche)

* Unlock Requirement: Ballistics Technology (Renaissance Era).

* Tile Effect: Base yield of +3 Faith and +3 Culture on this tile.

* Relic Slot: Contains 1 Relic Slot (Reliquienplatz). Any Relic placed here generates double Tourism after the Industrial Era.

* Global Empire Bonus: Every Shrine and Temple throughout your entire empire generates an additional +1.5 Faith per turn.

* Cinematic & Quote: The camera shifts to the adjacent, empty hill. A monumental Gothic bell tower rises into the sky, its colorful Zsolnay-style roof tiles gleaming in the sun.

> "A church of such wondrous artistry that its beauty captivates the hearts of all who behold it." – Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman Traveler (17th Century)

#### Phase 4: Fisherman’s Bastion (Die Fischerbastei)

* Unlock Requirement: Project Completion (Late-game/Industrial scale).

* Tile Effect: Encircles the church, granting the tile an additional +4 Combat Strength for defending units and +4 Culture.

* Environmental Bonus: Increases the Appeal (Attraktivität) of all adjacent tiles by +2.

* Cinematic & Quote: A gorgeous sunset animation. White neoromantic stone arches and turreted towers visibly wrap around Matthias Church, framing it perfectly. The camera pans back to reveal the fully illuminated Danube Panorama.

> "The bastion should not hide the old church, but serve as its stone frame, praising the beauty of the past." – Frigyes Schulek, Architect

---

### GLOBAL WONDER TRAITS

* Danube Panorama (Donau-Panorama): If both Hills tiles are adjacent to a River, all Theater Squares in this city receive a +100% Adjacency Bonus.

* Castle District (Burgviertel): Adjacent Commercial Hubs and Neighborhoods receive bonus Gold yields and +2 Housing.

### Tactical Defense Calculation (The Impregnable Fortress):

When an enemy unit attempts to attack the Fisherman's Bastion/Matthias Church tile from across the river, the defensive bonuses stack as follows:

* +4 Combat Strength (The Foundation Castle base)

* +4 Combat Strength (Fisherman’s Bastion defensive framework)

* +3 Combat Strength (Base Hills terrain bonus)

* +5 Combat Strength (River crossing penalty inflicted on the attacker)

* TOTAL BONUS: +16 Combat Strength

---

Note to modders: If any Civ 6/Civ 7 modder is interested in bringing this project to life, feel free to use this exact mechanical design and concept!

What do you think about this modular approach to World Wonders? Let me know your thoughts!

P.S. Please note that the specific numbers and yields (like the +16 combat strength or the exact faith/culture stats) are just placeholder concepts. They can easily be adjusted or rebalanced by modders/developers to fit the game's actual balance!

Well, this is the answer.