Civilization 7, developed by Firaxis, is set to receive a significant update with patch 1.1.1, aiming to enhance the gameplay experience for its players. This update comes at a time when the game is experiencing lower player numbers on Steam compared to its predecessors, Civilization 6 and Civilization 5.
On Steam, Civilization 7's 24-hour peak player count stands at 16,921, which falls short of making it into the top 100 most-played games on the platform. In comparison, the older Civilization 5, released in 2010, boasts a higher peak of 17,423 players, while Civilization 6 from 2016 significantly outperforms both with a peak of 40,676 players. These figures suggest that many fans of the series are continuing to favor the earlier titles.
Firaxis has shared details about the upcoming Update 1.1.1 through a Steam post, highlighting several key enhancements:
- Quick Move Functionality: A new optional setting that allows units to move to their destinations instantly, speeding up the gameplay.
- New Natural Wonder: The addition of Mount Everest to the game's world.
- UI Updates & Polish: Various improvements to the user interface to enhance the overall visual and interactive experience.
- Settlement & Commander Renaming: Players can now customize the names of their settlements and commanders, adding a personal touch to their civilizations.
- Additional Features: The update promises further refinements and additions to enrich the gameplay.
In a detailed video presentation, lead designer Ed Beach discussed these changes and provided insights into the full patch notes, which are expected to be released soon.
Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes:
- Quick Move: Now an optional setting accessible from the game menu, enabling faster gameplay by allowing immediate unit movement.
- Map Generation: A new start position option for single-player games set to 'Standard,' offering more varied and unpredictable continents, reminiscent of Civilization 6. Multiplayer games retain the 'Balanced' setting for consistent map layouts.
- Renaming Features: Players can rename settlements and commanders, and restart the game to achieve the ideal first settlement with new map seeds.
- UI Enhancements: The city and town panel remains open during purchases, new notifications for city attacks, crisis indicators, and improved resource tooltips are introduced.
- Pacing Adjustments: Significant changes to the game's pacing to improve the overall flow.
Alongside the update, the Crossroads of the World Collection, a paid expansion, will introduce new civilizations including Bulgaria and Nepal, and a new leader, Simón Bolívar, available as of March 25.
Despite these enhancements, Civilization 7 has faced criticism from series veterans and has received mixed reviews on Steam, with a score of 7/10 from IGN. In response to the feedback, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick remains optimistic, suggesting that the game's core audience will warm to it over time and describing its early performance as "very encouraging."
For players looking to improve their skills, IGN offers various guides including strategies for achieving every victory type in Civilization 7, understanding the significant changes from Civilization 6, avoiding common mistakes, and learning about the different map types and difficulty settings.
