Civilization 6: Gameplay - tips Civilization VI Game Guide
Last update: 08 March 2022
This chapter of the Civilization 6 game guide includes tips on the gameplay mechanics and the dependencies between different game elements. We also explain what are the rules of turns in Civ6, how to explore the world map, and what kind of units you can command.
Turns
Just like in the previous installments, players in Civilization VI perform their actions in turns. In the case of the Single Player campaign, the duration of your turn is unlimited and then, during your turn, when you exhaust all of your available options for interaction, you have to press the button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, which allows your opponents to make their turns.
During your turn only you take action, so regardless of whether you play against the computer AI or real-life players, no enemy units will take action that would change the situation on the board.
The meaning of turns
The game suggests what actions you can still take before the end of your turn and it does not let you end your turn before you make decisions that are important from the viewpoint of civilization development. Each single turn of the scenario is important, so try not to skip your turns at random, because it may turn out that your passiveness will soon backfire. The abundance of time prompts you to plan on your next moves in each area possible, be it technological development, ideological development or expansion. The mechanism that prevents you from ending your turn is designed not to let you skip important actions. Remember not to speed up the pace of the game only because there is only one turn left before you can attain a goal that may be seemingly very important. Civilization VI requires you to pay attention constantly and has you adopt a strategic approach from the very first to the last minutes of the scenario. Therefore, you cannot afford any negligence.
Between your turns, all of the actions taken by your opponents and by neutral units take place. Basically, you will be unable to follow the direction in which the rest of the nations develop, but occasionally you will receive a message that informs you of important events that have taken place in the opposing parties.
The map
Each scenario takes place on a random map. The pool that the map is selected from depends on the game parameters that you define, so there is little chance that you will play twice on the same map.
Maps are divided into hexagonal tiles and they have a direct effect on the game. Each of the tiles has its own characteristic, which to a large extent depends on landform features or thickness of forests. After you roll your mouse over any tile, a window providing additional information about that tile will pop up. You will receive some of the information just by taking a glance at the tile itself, such as landform features, but it is better to check the details, because even tiles that look identical may have different properties and different effects on the gameplay.
Cost of movement
The most important thing for the movement of your units are landform features. In the case of a forested areas, marshes or hills, the cost of movement in movement points will be higher than in the case of an arable field on a flat area.
The same goes for crossing rivers. If between the tile that you are on and the one that you want to move to there is a river, crossing the river will cost you two movement points, even if the area suggests one. Another important issue is queuing of movements, which will allow you to save up on many points, if you use that properly. If you approach a river and the unit has not yet used up all of its movement points for the current turn, you can issue an order to move to the neighboring tile. After you end the turn, the unit will carry out the order and spend the required number of points on that, but to do it, it will use the leftover points from the previous turn and spend an appropriate number of points for the current turn to carry out the order.
To illustrate that, I will use an example. Assume that you reached the bank of a river with your troops, which cost you 1 action point in this turn. By default, your troops have 2 points, which means that you still have 1 point left. Crossing the river costs 2 points, so you cannot cross the river, but you can select the tiles that you want your warriors to move to. The order will wait to be carried out until you end your turn. Then, your warriors will cross the river and take up 2 movement points, where one of the points was the one that remained from the previous turn, and the other one from the current turn. Therefore, after the crossing, you will be left with 1 point which is usually important. If you do not queue up the order, your troops at the bank will have 2 points that will allow them to cross the river, but 1 point that you could still have after the crossing will be lost.
Continents and Appeal
Apart from the cost of movement for each tile, there are such features as the continent and appeal. Continent has a special meaning for international actions and it does not have any direct connection with what you see on the map. In Civilization VI, continents do not necessarily have to be separated from each other with a body of water. In the majority of cases, a river is enough to determine a boundary between two separate continents.
To see where exactly the boundary is, you have to apply a specific filter that you find next to the minimap. Just as I mentioned above, this is especially important from the point of view of international relations. The majority of nations are keenly interested in events that take place on the continent that they have their settlements on. Depending on the nation, reactions to your policy may be different. It is a good idea to be familiar with which nations have interests on the same continents as you do and how significant that is for you. Therefore, you should realize where the boundary between continents lies.
Another factor is appeal. If your city is located on an attractive terrain, you can expect higher tourist flow than in the case of other locations. This factor is especially high when you settle in areas near a natural wonder so, if your goal is the cultural victory, you should fight for slots with unique touristic appeal.
Basic resources and bonuses
Apart from all of the above, you should especially pay attention to food and production meters, because they determine directly the rate of development of your civilization at the beginning of the game. The higher the bonuses, the faster you will get important units and additionally, the faster the settlement rate in your city and the faster you will get new plots for development. Individual tiles, apart from the benefits connected with production and food, can offer you various resources that are of high significance. You will learn about them from a separate chapter.
However, what is important from the point of view of development is that each of the districts that you can build in cities can benefit you more if only they are located on tiles that meet specific requirements. For example, Campus provides you with more science points per turn if it is located directly by the mountains. There are many such interconnections, so it is better to familiarize yourself with our advice before you start playing, because it will allow you to build settlements over areas that provide you with a passive advantage over your opponents from the very beginning.
Units
In the game, there are two types of units: civilian and combat. Each unit has different features, depending on the type, such as the number of movement points, use and, in the case of combat units, attack strength. There are certain relations between civilian and combat units, which I will lay out in a moment.
Escorting civilian units
Each unit in the game takes up one tile. It does not matter if there is a building or an upgrade on the same tile. The unit is, in this case, of superior role. It is possible for two units to occupy the same hex, as long as they are civilian and combat units. In such situation, you can combine the two units into an escort formation, but there is no way to add up their movement points. The number of tiles that they can cover within a turn depends on the number of points in the superior unit, i.e. the combat unit.
You should realize that if a civilian unit is left without escort, any enemy unit can seize it with no further consequences, regardless of how close to your boundary this takes place. The only way to avoid that is to form an escort formation. Units will move slower, but they will be safe. In the time of conflict, you should remember that only the combat unit takes damage from fights and, if they are destroyed, the opponent immediately seizes control over the civilian one.
Tile volume and exchanging of units
It is impossible for two civilian units to occupy a single tile simultaneously. The same goes for combat units. There is a mechanic of tile exchange connected with this, which you can use to your advantage if you master it. For example: if your combat unit is about to seize a tile with an allied combat unit on, they will trade places, even if one of them has no movement points left. It is a good idea to use this mechanic when forming the preferred combat formation of units. If you have started a fight with a ranged unit, because this was the only available one, and there are close range units on the neighboring tile, you can trade places to bring closer the short range units, and at the same time to protect the ranged one. In regular conditions, this would probably be impossible to do within a single turn, but thanks to this mechanic, you can save up on several movement points for each of the units.
Offensive action
Attack takes place when two enemy units occupy neighboring hexes. Keep in mind that attacks of units on neighboring tiles cost as many movement points as movement to the tile. In the case of combat units, if you have already performed a move and you are on a neighboring tile, and the cost of attack is lower or equal to the number of movement points that you still have left, then you can attack. In the case of civilian units, either you take the opportunity to move, or you use its unique property. If you decide to move the unit, you will be unable to perform another action until the next turn.
Fighting can take place between two units at the same time. Depending on whether troops fight at a long or a short range, the initiating unit encroaches the tile of the opponent If the attacked unit remains alive, the initiating unit returns to the tile it previously occupied. If the attacked unit is defeated, the attacker enters the tile that the losing unit used to stand on. This is important because units in this formation act as if they were chess pieces. With their victory, they can potentially approach the opponent, which may result in the loss of a unit. Always try to finish out opponents using units in full health, thanks to which they will be able to defend themselves effectively if they enter a dangerous area.