Yesterday Firaxis announced the sixth "civilization". However, from a short teaser, little could be learned, except for the release date – October 21. But since the way out is so soon, it means that the game is already at the final stages of development and almost all should be known about it!
And we contacted the developers to find out the details of the first hand. Ed Beach answered our questions, leading designer Sid Meier’s Civilization VI , and in the past – and both additions to the fifth part.
How the planet works
Firstly, in the main ones, the card will remain divided not into squares, but into hexagons. This can be seen at few screenshots, this is confirmed by the developers themselves. A full -fledged globe, as in Xcom , There is no way yet – the planet can be bypassed by the equator, but you can not cross the pole.
Once again the visual style has changed. If you remember, each “civilization” has its own approach to what the player will see. In the first part, the role of units was played by pictograms, in the second – figurines on stands, in the third – animated models, in the fourth – already three -dimensional. And in the fifth, the emphasis was made on realism under the great influence of the ar-deco.
What can you tell about the visual style of the sixth part?
Ed Beach: We survived it in a style closest, perhaps, to the style of "civilization 4". We wanted the player to be able to get a lot of information, just looking at the map. So that you can navigate the colors and small details like the expression of faces from the leaders. Therefore, the sixth part will again be bright, colorful and very hospitable in appearance.
And this is a very important point, since “civilization” is a game that many hours are playing. And far from always the developers took care that the player spent this time with comfort. From the color scheme, for example, the Alpha Centaurus began to naturally watery, and I myself could never look at the faded colors of “civilization 3” without longing and despondency.
But in the fourth, it really was an extremely juicy color scheme and a delightful soundtrack (especially in ancient times with tribal tunes). And if it is she who is taken as a basis for the visual style, then we are completely approved.
In one single “civilization”, namely, in Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, there was a three-dimensional surface of the planet. The lowlands could be flooded, more energy was mined on the high-mountain plateau, the vegetation is more abundant on the eastern slopes … Whether this will ever return to “civilization”?
Ed Beach: Not yet. But the sixth “civilization” is still very similar to the “alpha centaur” – with hills, cavities and much more neat adhesive cells, which gives the impression of a whole and real earthly surface. And yes, we drew inspiration in this game.
What progress has come to
As for game mechanics, there are a lot of changes expected here – as, however, it has always occurred when each license plate was released. The first main shock is to rethink the structure of the cities. Now they will occupy more than one cage, but how much it turns out – and this is much more logical than before, when both the metropolitan metropolis and the freshly built village had the same size on the global map.
And you can tell you more about the new city development system? What does it mean – the city will occupy more than one cage? Is it necessary to take this into account in advance, leaving the space for growth? Will the growing city rake farms and mines under itself? Is it possible to win only part of the enemy metropolis and is fenced off from the opponent by the local analogue of the Berlin wall, finally?
Ed Beach: Everything is not quite. In addition to the city center, you can build separate areas on cells. They will have specialization, and it will be possible to build buildings of the corresponding type. Well, for example, a campus, a scientific quarter, will give an increase in science, and it will be possible to build a library, a university and a scientific laboratory in it. Its location is also very important. Campus in mountainous areas will give advantages to the astrological sciences. In the jungle – biological. And in the middle of the prairie there will be much less than.
And you have to choose what to build on a cage – a district or a traditional improvement like a farm or mine. In addition, the miracles of the world will also occupy a whole cage and have requirements for building. For example, pyramids can only be erected in the desert or on a river floodplain, so this will have to be taken into account.
As for the conquests, the cells with areas, of course, can be plundered, but you cannot take a separately scientific quarter or a miracle of light for yourself. Who owns the city center, belongs to the surroundings.
Touched the changes and the tree of technology. Not so radical, but still important enough for the gameplay to become not the same as in the past parts. But those who have already managed to play in Stellaris , now probably nods knowingly.
In Civilization: Beyond Earth, a non -linear tree of technology appeared, and this was perhaps the best part of it. Have you used these achievements in Civilization VI ".
Ed Beach: No, the Tree of Technologies remains traditional, but one very important change is still. Now all the actions you take on the map will affect the speed of research. Roughly speaking, if you are building many mines, this will accelerate your developments in the field of resource mining and building buildings. If you build a city on the coast – accelerate the development of navigation science.
But, of course, you can still explore sailing boats, even if you are in the middle of the desert. It just takes more time than that of the seaside power. Thus, each civilization will develop harmoniously, getting an increase in those sciences that is more important for it.
Nothing reminds? Different directions of science, different points that are spent on them, the opportunity to speed up development thanks to actions on a global map … The coincidence, of course, is not one hundred percent, but the course is clearly similar. Nevertheless, in the Civilization VI, you still choose what technology to develop, and do not expect mercy from the random factor. No one is going to take away from the players.
Another important aspect that they are trying to improve from the game to the game is a relationship with AI-rival. It has not yet been possible to make a computer player, but this time, the developers voiced one working, at first glance, idea.
Tell us about diplomacy. What will change, what will happen the old?
Ed Beach: Here the most important change is that AI leaders will have their own aspirations. First of all, they are based on biographies of historical personalities, but there will be hidden motives that you can find out through spies and data analysis. Say, some are obsessed with the miracles of the world and will become furious if you build them first. Another leader appreciates large armies and is friendly with those who share his passion.
And of course, the better your civilization is developed, the more diplomatic options you have.
Thus, AI will become at least a little predictable, and not as before – go, understand when, why and why will he suddenly declare war and ruin all development plans. At least it will be clear in advance what should not be done so as not to run into troubles. Well, or just at the beginning of the game to choose their opponents whose views from yours are not too radical.
By the way, did you know that for similar reasons – to make the game more predictable – the developers and did not introduce all sorts of global disasters into it?
Will there be global warming? It used to be so exciting to turn the Earth into a radioactive wasteland! Well, or any other disasters. Volcanoes? Glacial periods? Will the climate at least change, otherwise the weather is of great importance in life, and in “civilization”, as a rule, it is not taken into account at all
Ed Beach: You know, usually the players are only annoyed when the game gets out of control and begins to alode. You came up with a plan of action, and here R-time, the world around you has changed and everything has gone dust. Before introducing such systems, we must make it necessary to make sure that they will not interfere with the player to have fun.
How and by whom to win
Each “civilization” always went out in a cut, “base”, version, and new mechanics were added in additions. Then the “license plate” went out again, where they remained partly, and partly disappeared in anticipation of new additions.
But here, according to the developers, everything will remain: espionage, religion, trading routes and even tourism, which has become a cornerstone to achieve a cultural victory. In addition Brave New World It became not enough to get a lot of cultural points, there was also a cultural influence on other nations – it was necessary to make sure that everyone in the world watched your films, listened to your music and came to you on vacation, admire your wonders of the world.
In late additions to the fifth part, it became very difficult to achieve a cultural victory. Mechanics, of course, are interesting, but painfully demanding. What a cultural victory will look like now?
Ed Beach: We will also talk about Victory options later. But as for the cultural victory, we took precisely this mechanics as the basis, with tourism and the spread of influence. But it will work a little differently – and, we hope, it will become much easier for understanding.
Some developers are not ready to talk yet. For example, about how the cities-states will look like. They will remain in the game, and they confirmed it, but how exactly they will work-while the secret.
Whether the designer of civilizations will appear? Such as to make peaceful Stalin with Egyptian chariots? And, by the way of Stalin, who will generally represent the Russians this time?
Ed Beach: We have not yet announced a list of nations and leaders. But, in general, this will be part of popular and favorite leaders, and partly new. Learn closer to the release.
As for manual settings, there are modifications for this. Their options for civilizations have always been very popular in the modder environment, but we still provide extensive tools for folk art.
The developers are planning to develop and multiplayer. The main task remained the same – to make it interesting to play in short sessions, and not just in a full -fledged marathon for 540 moves. And then the account of undamaged parties in “civilization” is probably comparable to a similar indicator in Heroes of Might & Magic. So "high -speed" modes will. But which ones are not yet specified.
As you think, which will become the main argument for the transition from the fifth "civilization" to the sixth? What will happen in the new part, https://sister-site.org/fresh-bet/ which will make all the previous ones outdated?
Ed Beach: Years of work on a series and tons of reviews from players allowed us to form an idea that they really need.
Say, hardcores quickly felt for optimal development paths, and when they all adopted them, all parties became similar to one another. We decided that we need to make the game so that each party was unique. And for this they made the world interactive – so that each action had consequences.
And of course, the fact that the city will cease to be the only cage is also very important. In the fifth part, we made it so that even two military detachments cannot be put on one cage at once (at least a hundred detachments could sit in the early parts on each other), and this sharply changed the tactics of war. It seems to us that similar changes in the mechanics of cities will also refresh the development strategy.
In a word, we took the best that was in the Civilization V-still the most popular of the parts-and added many new ideas. And, of course, took into account the wishes of the players. We hope everyone will like it.
