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The Civ series has always been criticized for enemy AI behavior patterns that range from daft to incomprehensible to outright unhinged. The second major thrust in Gathering Storm is a rehaul in Civ 6’s ever-troublesome diplomacy system. The World Congress in Civilization 6: Gathering Storm. Firaxis has turned a genuinely difficult historical problem into an asinine, binary problem. Forests that behave like factories are a cop-out. But history - the reality of it - must be the basic template. Here I am, conquering the world as Eleanor of Aquitaine. If the Civilization series is anything, it’s a way to create fantasy versions of history. The Maori are, if anything, overpowered, due to their generous resource attributes. I’m also bothered by the game’s insistence that all problems can be fixed through technology, or that industrial-level growth spurts can be achieved by means other than building factories. The risk/reward offering is too weak to be of any real consequence. Equally, so far as I can tell, human civilization will not be destroyed by human activity, no matter how grotesquely short-sighted. There is no way to “win” as an environmentalist. Mainly, environmental protection feels like a personal microchallenge - much like playing as a pacifist - rather than a genuine game-changer. Global warming turns out to be just another reason for rival AIs to get pissy, one of a long list that includes such crimes as not building enough ships, or failing to invest in military buildings. I get to play as an environmental good guy, which is novel and enjoyable.īut again, there’s not much of a challenge. If I play as the hyper-environmentally sensitive Maori, I gain double resources from untouched woodlands and jungle tiles. If I’m nice (I’m nice), I’ll do my bit to avoid industrial-era pollution, relying instead on nature’s bounty or on later technological innovations, such as solar farms and hydroelectric dams. If I’m an environmental asshole, I can annoy my neighbors by contributing to global warming. You don’t want to feel like you’re being gouged and punished for being a fanĬertain buildings contribute to global warming, such as coal-burning power plants and industrial military units. Once again, I counter this by building barriers. In the industrial age, human activities result in rising greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to rising sea levels, which threaten low-lying cities. Do I want to be fussing around, cleaning up after a flood, or don’t I? I build a flood barrier, much as I build city walls. It’s more a small series of chores prompted by binary considerations.

There’s not much in this that you could describe as a strategic challenge.
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I learn how to build flood barriers, and the problem is solved. Later in the game, they become even less bothersome. Volcanoes and floodplains make for nice graphical sequences and pretty map tiles, but their strategic considerations are minimal. Most players will take the risk, because the downside is a minor inconvenience. The choice is: Either settle these areas, or don’t. But as in the real world, these locations also yield highly fertile ground. They cost resources, as I send in units to clean up the mess. The risk/reward dynamic is straightforward. In the early parts of the game, I endure dangerous natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions and river plain floods. In Gathering Storm, developer Firaxis attempts to address the grim reality of global warming. The Maori in Civilization 6: Gathering Storm. But if you’re looking for value, if you don’t want to feel like you’re being gouged and punished for being a fan, I’m inclined to suggest you wait for a price cut. So I’m going to just say that if you’re looking for a better, more advanced, more complicated Civ 6, then Gathering Storm is just fine. While Gathering Storm is an improvement, it costs $40, which is a poor value. I won’t go back to Civ 6, pre- Gathering Storm.īut that doesn’t mean I’m happy. Now that I’ve spent time with the DLC, I can see that it’s better than previous iterations, that it offers new problems to solve in the late game. It’s mainly an attempt to liven up the endgame, which can feel bloated and dull. So it is with Gathering Storm, the newest non-iPad update, which comes out on Feb. Because basic Civ 6 is not as good as updated, advanced, additional Civ 6. And this leaves the iPad-playing, bed-dwelling version of me feeling frustrated. The iPad version does not yet include last year’s Rise and Fall update, which I’m accustomed to playing on my desktop PC. I’m a huge fan of the Civ series, and it’s always fun for me to create my own little empire, especially while I’m snuggled up in my duvet.īut there’s a snag. Sometimes in bed, I’ll play vanilla Civilization 6 on my iPad.
