The creative director at Firaxis Games, Ed Beach, has shared essential advice for players embarking on their first journey in *Civilization 7*. In a detailed post on Steam, Beach emphasized the importance of utilizing the tutorial for an optimal first experience, even for seasoned players of the franchise. He noted, "Civilization 7 is a big game, with many new systems and mechanics that differentiate it from earlier games in our series. There's a lot to learn, so we felt that it was important that we provide some suggestions to ensure everyone has a successful first experience."
One of the significant changes in *Civilization 7* is the introduction of the Ages system, a novel feature for the series. A full campaign spans three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. At the end of each Age, players and AI opponents undergo an Age Transition. This transition involves selecting a new civilization from the new Age, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and experiencing an evolving game world. Such a system is unprecedented in previous *Civilization* games.
AnswerSee ResultsBeach also shed light on the decision to set Small as the default map size for *Civilization 7*. He explained, "We know that many veteran Civ players love to play on the largest map size and see the maximum number of empires battle it out. However, there's a very deliberate reason that we chose Small as the default map size. With three other empires on your home continent, and a few more to discover later in the game, Small Maps make for a very comfortable experience while you are learning the ins and outs of Civ 7."
He further recommended the Small map size for players getting accustomed to the new Diplomacy system, stating, "Tracking your relationship and ongoing diplomatic activities with a manageable number of opponents makes it way easier to get the hang of how you want to spend and manage your Diplomatic Influence."
For the Map Type, Beach suggested sticking with Continents Plus, as it facilitates ocean exploration, a crucial aspect of the Exploration Age. He said, "The extra islands just off-shore help ease you into the ocean exploration – a key element of the Exploration Age, the second chapter of our game."
Regarding the Tutorial and Advisors, Beach confirmed that the tutorial is automatically enabled for the first game. He strongly advised even veteran players to keep it on for their initial full campaign through the three Ages. "The Tutorial is designed to provide tips and explanations exactly when you first encounter something new," Beach explained. He acknowledged that experienced players might be hesitant but stressed the importance of the tutorial due to the significant updates and revisions in the game systems.
Beach also highlighted the role of the four Advisors, suggesting that players might want to focus on one Advisor at a time to avoid information overload. Once players feel confident, he recommended switching to the "Only Warnings" setting, which allows Advisors to alert players of potential major setbacks. "Even our internal team at Firaxis that knows this game so well plays with these warnings enabled!" he added.
In other news, Firaxis unveiled *Civilization 7*'s post-launch roadmap during a special livestream event, revealing that Great Britain will be available as DLC. *Civilization 7* is set to launch on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S on February 11, with the Deluxe Edition offering early access from February 6.
