Civilization VI | Cheerful Ghost

Civilization VI: Gathering Storm Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

New mechanics like power and climate change

New victory

New civs and leaders

Civ 6 is such an amazing game and a new expansion, Gathering Storm, was released a while ago. I’ve been too busy playing it, which is why I am now just getting to write about it. Civ 6 was the cure I needed, but didn’t think I wanted. I had gotten bored of video games and wasn’t sure what to do. I was hesitating to buy GS, because I didn’t really feel like playing a strategy game like Civ 6 and I was intimidated by the game. However, I am absolutely glad that I bought GS. Since then, I can’t stop playing Civ 6.

The theme of GS is climate change and global warming. Cities... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/13/2019 at 02:34am

Awesome review, thanks Greg!

> Civ 6 is (in my opinion) one of the best games in recent years and this expansion adds more to it, making it more playable.

That's great to hear as Civ VI is one of the top games I want to buy on the Switch. I've heard the port is really good and playing it in handheld mode is surprisingly intuitive.

> This pretty much make all achievements possible for me. I also learned how to use the command console. You need to edit a config file to enable it, but then you can hit a key to activate it. One of the commands you can use is “reveal all” which will show you everything on the map.

Cool. It's fun to play games this way and I'm glad developers still add these modes in.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/13/2019 at 06:59pm

I believe I read that hot seat mode is not in the Switch version. Still it's a damn good game. If you enjoyed Civ Rev you'll probably enjoy Civ 6. I may get into older Civ games as I can't seem to get enough now lol.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 05/14/2019 at 02:50am

Jon, I added a note at the end w/ some good links. I also strongly recommend watching the video I embedded in this post as it covers some things I left out, like the new scenarios (which I haven't played *yet*).

My love for this game has grown since GS came out and I want more. I found a Civ anthology collection on Steam I may buy during the summer sale.

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Civilization VI Rise and Fall Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

New game mechanics

The latest expansion for Civ6, Rise and Fall, has been released. The expansion adds 9 civs and new game mechanics. One of the new features is the ability to use governors. They come with their own unique promotions that provide helpful abilities. They can be established in your own cities, or in a city-state. One of my personal favorite governors is the cardinal, who ultimately can give apostles an extra promotion. There are others focused on other aspects of the game like military, growth, etc.

As time progresses in the game, you will move into different eras, like Ancient, Classical, Modern, etc. The expansion introduces a new... Read All Review

Recommended

New game mechanics

The latest expansion for Civ6, Rise and Fall, has been released. The expansion adds 9 civs and new game mechanics. One of the new features is the ability to use governors. They come with their own unique promotions that provide helpful abilities. They can be established in your own cities, or in a city-state. One of my personal favorite governors is the cardinal, who ultimately can give apostles an extra promotion. There are others focused on other aspects of the game like military, growth, etc.

As time progresses in the game, you will move into different eras, like Ancient, Classical, Modern, etc. The expansion introduces a new bonus system, which calculates an “era score.” You gain points by doing different things, like being the first to fully establish a religion. There are Dark, Normal, Golden, and Heroic ages. Dark ages aren’t necessarily bad and being in one actually makes it easier to enter a Golden age. For a more of a detailed look check out
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-02-11-civilization-6-rise-and-fall-era-score-historic-moments-golden-ages-heroic-ages-dark-ages-dedications-explained-5003

There are a few more new things I haven’t fully explored yet. I know that you can actually lose a city if it’s loyalty drops, it can gain its independence. Loyalty is something I haven’t really observed, perhaps it becomes more of an issue at a higher difficulty. There are also world emergencies, in which multiple civs can team up against another. I’ve seen this in my game as I convert other civs to my religion. I had to defend my religion, which I was able to do and was granted a nice bonus.

If you want to know more about Rise and Fall, I suggest looking at the wiki or checking out one of the many videos the developers have released on YouTube. Be sure to check out the one I embedded to see a bit of what's new.

*Update 6/4/19*
Oh my, Civ6 how I love thee! I wanted to come back to this post to add some more thoughts and feelings. Gathering Storm was released as a new expansion to the game this year and since then I've been playing Civ6 again non-stop. I really love this game and it may have taken me this long to realize just how much I really love this game. However, this post is about R&F. I don't really have much to add, but I do have a little bit. One thing I recently realized was that I was neglecting governors and not building a Government Plaza. This was a mistake! I now look to build this ASAP. The reason being is that I want to upgrade it to the Ancestral Hall, which grants a free builder for every city you settle after building the Ancestral Hall. This, to me, is quite valuable, in fact it's pretty much a must have for every city I settle now. There's also a governor (Magnus) who (with a promotion) can make it so that producing a settler does not reduce your city's population. This, again, is a pretty must have thing for me. I always get this governor for my original city and get him promoted before I begin to settle any more cities. It took me a while to realize the value of this and has definitely changed my Civ6 gameplay. I think Rise and Fall is a good expansion, although it may have taken me a little while to realize how good it really is.

Civilization VI Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

Awesome turn-based strategy civilization builder with some combat

Has tutorial and demo

Multiple ways to win a game

Each game can last for hours

Great replayability

After almost 200 hours of Civ6, I find it a good time to write more about the game. Basically, Sid Meier’s Civilization is a turn based strategy game. It’s not completely focused on combat, it’s more about growing a civilization. I don’t really like the combat part of the game, it doesn’t fit my play style and that’s perfectly ok, there are many ways to play. I like to build cities. I’m too busy building districts to worry about units, so my armies are usually very small. Unfortunately... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/12/2018 at 05:03pm

Awesome review! Does Civ 6 still retain AI for the other civilizations, or is it all multiplayer at this point?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/12/2018 at 09:04pm

Oh yeah, other Civs are AI. I'm sure there is a multiplayer part of it, but I haven't looked into it. @Scrypt decided to buy Civ6, too! :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/13/2018 at 02:56pm

Hey Greg. One bit I have with some modern Civ games is that they are a bit complicated to pickup and play. Civilization Revolution really improves this I thought.

Curious how long you think it takes to get familiar with the basic gameplay to be successful at the game?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2018 at 10:37pm

That is a really good question and I'm not sure I can answer. It took me a while, but I was new to the series, too.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/14/2018 at 05:31am

I haven’t played Civ 6 but Civ 5 was pretty good at the easy to play, hard to master difficulty curve.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/15/2018 at 09:43pm

I don't remember which Civilization I played, but it was a really fun game back in the day.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/17/2018 at 07:17am

Here's a great new video about the new features in the Rise And Fall expansion, which is coming soon! https://youtu.be/h31myLyc_qk

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Sid Meier's Civilization VI Fantastic Review

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Review

Recommended

Turn-based strategy game with free demo and tutorial

Multiple ways to win

Months ago I began to watch one of my friends playing Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution on their Xbox. It looked interesting, so I thought I’d see what’s available for the PC. I noticed that the latest Civilization for PC was VI, so I set my sights on it, I eventually got the Digital Deluxe Edition for half price.

During this time Civ3 became free, so I thought getting a free Civilization game would be a good way to play the game and decide if I wanted to buy it. Civ3 offered no tutorial, so I was lost. However, I realized that Civ6 is the first of the series to offer a... Read All Review

Recommended

Turn-based strategy game with free demo and tutorial

Multiple ways to win

Months ago I began to watch one of my friends playing Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution on their Xbox. It looked interesting, so I thought I’d see what’s available for the PC. I noticed that the latest Civilization for PC was VI, so I set my sights on it, I eventually got the Digital Deluxe Edition for half price.

During this time Civ3 became free, so I thought getting a free Civilization game would be a good way to play the game and decide if I wanted to buy it. Civ3 offered no tutorial, so I was lost. However, I realized that Civ6 is the first of the series to offer a tutorial. Luckily, I found out that the game also has a free demo.

So, I tried out the demo. I started with the tutorial, but ran into a few problems. One of the worst things about the tutorial is that you cannot save your game. So, you either have to keep playing or lose your progress. I also thought I ran into a glitch, but I found my way around it. My next problem was that the amount of turns in the game was running out. This happens at 2050, but the game didn’t end. It continued and I built a massive force and thought I took over my opponent, but the game continued. I may not have completed the final objective (a Domination Victory) in time.

If you’re not familiar with the game series, Civilization is a turn based strategy game. The game focuses on managing a civilization, kind of like Sim City. There are many ways to play and thus many ways to win. You can work towards amassing an army, conquering other nations, and achieving a Domination Victory. You can also work towards science and eventually launch into space achieving a Science Victory. You can also work towards religion, including getting into religious wars, and achieving a Religious Victory. You can also work towards culture, generating tourism, and achieving a Culture Victory. The final way to win is with a Score Victory, when no other victory has been achieved and thus victory depends on who has the highest score.

The game reflects real world civilizations including modern and historic. There are many to play, each with their unique bonuses. I find the real world modern and historical aspects of the game to be extremely appealing.

There are a variety of ways to manage your civilization. The AI provides some suggestions, including an adviser. During turns you can research civics like policies, and science like technologies. You can trigger eureka moments which boost research. This is done by completing certain conditions, for instance killing an enemy with a Slinger boosts the research towards Archer. When that’s complete, you can pay in-game gold to upgrade the unit or build new ones. Units also receive experience and get promotions, which includes offensive and defensive bonus trees.

I’ve only barely scratched the surface of things here, this game is deep. There is a bit of a learning curve for new players, but it's fun. While it doesn’t cover everything, it helps you get started. You will learn a lot as you play and the game includes Civilopedia, basically the game’s detailed manual. However, I’ve found an excellent “Tutorial for Complete Beginners” on YouTube (https://youtu.be/pczrASkYGSo).

scrypt Supporter wrote on 12/07/2017 at 10:49pm

Love those Civ games :D! Cool that your digging into 6. I have 5, and love it, but I've heard good things about its successor. The Eureka objectives sounds really interesting. I'm assuming they still have per-unit advancements, but also having research benefits stem from that is a cool idea.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 12/08/2017 at 12:51am

Yeah, still have per-unit upgrades you can purchase. I'm glad you like 5, from what I've heard they've changed a lot since then. They also recently announced a DLC for release in Feb., which I'll most likely get.

I'm still learning the game. After I watched the tutorial I embedded, I played America and actually got a Science Victory. I'm trying to play as different or random civs to get a feel for them and the game.

This game has made me much more patient for the release of Ark: Aberration lol.

BTW, I saw you play Subnautica as do I. It just updated. I'm interested in what you think of it.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 12/08/2017 at 11:02pm

I can't remember my play-style changing too much with the different civilizations, though I tend to favor the monarchs: Elizabeth, Dido, Isabella, etc. I'm sure I'm not playing them to their full potential ;).

Subnautica is amazing, and far better than I expected! I'm working on an article for the site now, so you can read the full take in a couple days.

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There Is No Limit To Civilization Sequels - Civilization VI Is Coming In October!

Firaxis released the trailer for it's upcoming turn based strategy mega franchise Civilization VI. Voiced by Sean Bean this trailer shows off a look at the best parts of history and teases some of the new game. It's light on details and heavy on fluff and if film history is our guide somewhere in this game Sean Bean will die. Firaxis has stated that new features are coming to the game, but again nothing terribly concrete right now.

"Civilization VI offers new ways to interact with your world, expand your empire across the map, advance your culture, and compete against history’s greatest leaders to build a civilization that will stand the test of time."

Are you... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 05/13/2016 at 04:53am

We will be old and gray, with young whippersnappers abound, while we rot away in a wheelchair, and Civ 25 will be released. It'll never stop.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/13/2016 at 04:55am

Also yeah, Civ V is pretty great. This will do super well.

I assume Sean Bean voices every major historical figure that had a famous death.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2016 at 05:10am

> We will be old and gray, with young whippersnappers abound, while we rot away in a wheelchair, and Civ 25 will be released. It'll never stop.

I don't think i'd want it any other way either.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/13/2016 at 05:11am

> I assume Sean Bean voices every major historical figure that had a famous death.

Can't wait for Sean Bean's Lincoln movie.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/13/2016 at 05:43am

Oh also: https://twitter.com/CivGame/status/730440440437055490

Even better!

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/13/2016 at 01:12pm

The updates to the mechanics that they've mentioned so far sound interesting, and one in particular - unit embedding - long overdue. Gone are they days of "one unit per tile." Now you won't have to dance around settlers as they are mobilized in unprotected territory. They can simply hitch a ride with an offensive or defensive unit, and get the protection they've always deserved.

Dynamic diplomacy sounds really interesting, too. Diplomacy tactics will be as primitive as your civilization is, with more advanced strategies opening up as you advance through the ages. Neat! Also curious about that enhanced multiplayer. Single session scenarios, both competitive and cooperative. The screenshots remind me more of what they were doing with Civ Revolution for the consoles. I hope they don't drift back too far in that direction.

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