Sid Meier's Civilization VII

Sid Meier's Civilization VII is the seventh main installment in the cult turn-based 4X strategy game series, started in 1991. The game was developed by Firaxis Games studio, which has been overseeing the development of the series since its third installment.

Gameplay

The idea that guided the authors of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII was to preserve some of the elements from the sixth installment of the series, modify and improve others, and introduce a number of completely new mechanics.

The game is based on the pillars erected by its predecessors, allowing us to lead a chosen historical civilization and lead it to domination over the others. We can achieve the latter by conquering new territories, building cities and expanding existing ones, taking care of economic and technological development, as well as subordinating other civilizations (through war or using diplomacy), which are guided by goals similar to ours.

During the game, we take on the role of a leader whom we choose for the entire game. The decision we make is important because each leader has individual abilities and brings with them specific bonuses.

Civilization change and other new features

The gameplay in Sid Meier’s Civilization VII has been divided into three eras - ancient, discovery, and modern. Each of them lasts about 150 turns, and at the end of it our civilization collapses due to various, insurmountable crises. We then choose a new civilization, which will be built on the ruins of the previous one, while retaining some of the bonuses it developed. Importantly, the available civilizations are related to specific eras. So there is no question of taking control over ancient Americans or the contemporary Roman Empire.

The changes introduced by the creators do not end there. We can achieve victory in four ways – militarily, economically, diplomatically and scientifically. Although there is no religious victory, religion itself plays a significant role, especially in the era of discoveries. Moreover, leaders are not tied to specific civilizations (which can lead to surprising and quite unusual situations). The game presents us with fictional events from time to time, forcing us to make various decisions.

In addition to this, rivers do not only serve a decorative function (our units can sail on them, which facilitates the exploration of the world), there are no barbarians on the map (who were a thorn in the side for many players in the sixth part), and standard units do not gain experience. The last of the mentioned novelties deserves a detailed explanation: experience is gathered by commanders, i.e. special units that do not take direct part in battles, but have abilities that allow them to influence the results of skirmishes, issue orders and improve the transport of units.

List of civilizations

The base version of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII offers 30 playable civilizations. There are 10 civilizations for each of the three eras.

Antiquity era civilizations

1. Aksumite
2. Han Dynasty Chinese
3. Egyptian
4. Greek
5. Indian Mauryan
6. Khmer
7. Mayan
8. Mississippian
9. Persian
10. Roman

Age of Discovery era civilizations

1. Abbasid
2. Ming Dynasty Chinese
3. Hawaiian
4. Spanish
5. Indian Chola
6. Incan
7. Majapahit
8. Mongolian
9. Norman
10. Shawnee (civilization included in the DLC and made available as a pre-order bonus)

Modern era civilizations

So far, only half of the civilizations available in the modern era have been revealed:

1. Buganda
2. French
3. Japanese
4. Mexican
5. Mongolian

List of leaders

So far, 15 leaders have been revealed that will be available in the "base" version of Sid Meier's Civilization VII:

1. Amina
2. Ashoka
3. Benjamin Franklin
4. Hatshepsut
5. Himiko
6. Isabella
7. Charlemagne
8. Confucius
9. Xerxes
10. Machiavelli
11. Napoleon Bonaparte
12. Octavian Augustus
13. Pachacuti
14. Tecumseh (leader included in the DLC and made available as a pre-order bonus)
15. Trung Trac