CIV7 anyone? - Page 3

Skybird · 04-10-25, 08:41 AM

I just dunked my big toe into the pool for the first time, the Quest 3 version got released today. It costs a hefty 60 Euros and takes 10 GB of space. This make sit the most expensive game on the Quest beside Asgard's Wrath II.

As a concept, it is very mightily impressive, the current state of execution is a b it more sobering, however: good enough but not without rough edges and minor flaws. It has teething problems, and needs time to get polished and optimized. The game on Quest currently gets an awesome lot of fire, many seem to have big technical issues, freezes, stutterings, well, I had nine of all that. The loudest critics dont say to what degree they have tuned their Quest, overclocked it by tools meant to push its resolution and detail - I can imagine that this collides with a game so stressful for the hardware in its default settings state already. I faced issues, but no big ones. I think the disappointment also comes form paying this high orice and then gettugn so many teething issues. For that hefty price you must demand better release quality, on this I agree.

In full VR mode, the playing table has all options needed to adapt it in size, position, zoom level, incline, you can play both seated and standing and walking around it and adapt all these settings and alter them on the fly, intuitively - once you memorized the ways by which to achieve the wanted change. You gotta get used to it, but I absolutely think once you did, you can handle it all very naturally and fast. You do not need to call up a menu for doing so.

In Mixed Reality, the table is of adjustable size like in full VR and can be placed in your real room freely, if you place it over a furniture, say a real table, it shrinks to the size of a boardcame playing board, like a chessboard. It works, and it works very well. It deoends on the quality of your room scan, however, so if you want to use this: scan good and well.

Reviewers say the gameplay, detail of game mechanisms and map sizes are identical to that on the PC. The graphical detail however is a bit reduced. This is a compromises needed due to the hardware. The map can be zoomed in and out on the round playing table, and can be moved quickly. It works, and it works good and well. And I think it looks very good.

I cannot comment on the game mechanisms and game principles by my own experience, I am new to CIV gaming, and so far only tried a first round in a basic tutorial.

In game, opening any game screens , statistics, options , is intuitively done by equipping you with a virtual "watch" on your handwrist like in many other VR games as well, you "read the time" and that way get certain statistics and functions called up that you can manipulate with the other hand, you turn the handwrist and get displays of even more functions and statistics. Works very well and without issues.

The game is not most optimizted currently, and as I said, it has teething problems. I got stuck several times in the tutorial and did not know what to do next to unstick it, sometimes there is a delay when altering the playing table, some of the actions needed to do so need to be done with exquisite movement precision of the hand, controller, pointer. I dont know how the game behaves once the match is in a deeper progress status and the map is full. I think these issues so far all can be hammered out, if the developer indeed is engaged in longer support. The current status I would describe as "acceptable", but not optimal, but it has big potential to become a signature game on the Quest, and an outstanding argument for VR gaming. The ball is opened, how the dance goes on from here depends on how the orchestra plays on from here. There is still some work to do, I would have preferred if they would, have given it more time.

The opening credit screen is a deasaster, however, it took me 5 minutes or so to find out how to get beyond that, and it was messy, very. They indeed force you through dozens of pages in fineprint, and to find out how to flip pages was - a quest, really. Terrible way to do this. The onscreen arrows are not displayed correctly, clicking on the squares they erratically form does nothing, and finding the controller function to flip them is a game of trial and error - and needs absolute movement precision. Very badly done.

Very big potential. Needs polishing and finetuning. VR enthusiasts like me and Civ-fans can buy already now, people not sure whether this is for them wait a bit, wait for one or two patches - and then try a bit later on. But definitely keep this blip on your radar screens, guys - it could become a very very big event: all the ingredients are there.

Skybird · 04-10-25, 09:10 AM

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...d-systems-faq/

https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-guide/

https://www.thegamer.com/civilizatio...eginner-guide/

Threadfin · 04-10-25, 11:30 AM

I don't do VR, and honestly I can't imagine a long session played like this, and Civ is notorious for long sessions haha. This series invented the 'just one more turn' phenomena I think

But people seem to like it. As mentioned above I have held off buying 7 for various reasons, but maybe you can give us your impressions if you keep playing. It would be interesting, as a new player to the franchise, if that's what you are.

Skybird · 04-10-25, 04:16 PM

I am a bit disoriented about how to play, I hate it ver ymuch that these days they do not write manuals annyorw, and that you must collect your needed info manually from across all the we, or mist watch endless viudeos wehre the author usualyl likes to see and listen to himself, but where you impatiently wait for the kind of answers you look for. Or forums, or worse: Discord.

Devs, a pdf of txt file, a manual, wietten, withh all the stuff in it, I do note ven ask for a printed manual, but - a f###### manual, hell. The links I provided above give an idea of how much details must be considered in gameplay, and its all mroe or less non.systematical and scattered all over the place.

Legt an older man sit for half an hour,m read a text, and when he is done, he learned what he must know. Not this - mess...

Threadfin,

I can play VR for logn time,e ven biardgames, have done so with Demeo, if the gameplay is okay, playing for longer time is fine, too. I prefer to do so seated, though, and then plug in a powerbank for the needed increase in power reserves.

Its just that I just found another VR hexfield strategy game, Shogun's Empire, which is also one of these "just one more round" sort of time killers, and that I still play a lot of golf and racket&ball sort of games. Civ7 will not be a major focus of mine, I assume.

Skybird · 04-10-25, 05:49 PM

Threadfin · 04-11-25, 08:45 AM

I think the concept is cool, the way it appears you are playing tabletop. I think that would be really good for a traditional board game, say Risk or Monopoly or something like this, with friends. For Civ, it goes on far too long for me to be interested in playing this way. But then I'm a fuddy duddy aren't I?

I've been playing a lot of Civ 6 recently, completing six or seven runs, with a current one going as well.

But I picked up Desperados 3 a week ago and that is my current one more turn game.

Skybird · 04-11-25, 10:02 AM

I played Catan in VR before, it worked well. They never released the addons for Catan VR, however, and thats why I abandoned it again. I always played Catan with knights and cities and often with Seefahrer, never just the default version.

Also Chess. Demeo, Demeo Battles.

There is a first patch out for Civ7VR, it improves performance and cures issues with erratic texts and buttons. So, the developer seems to be active, and engaged.

I tried the tutprial again, but it is an overwhelming and incomplete course, even when demonstrating something, too many practical questions for me remain. This tutorial really is not the most accessible I have ever seen. And in general, why tutorials? Heck, give me a FM. One with no eye candy and distraction, just solid and thorough explanation of evertyhing.

Off to VR boxing now, I am a bit frustrated, really. They may have done a great game, but they explain it really badly. The problem in one word, again: "accessability", especially for newcomers to the series.

Threadfin · 04-12-25, 03:07 PM

I guess that's what you get for ignoring Civ for the past 34 years

If you won't be playing much you won't be sharing your experience here, which is cool with me, just following up from my earlier comment.

I'll pick it up eventually I'm sure, but I'm not keen on the new eras mechanic. Yeah, who knows.

Platapus · 04-14-25, 04:52 PM

I have not been able to find a favorable review of Civ7 on Youtube.

That's kinda telling.

Skybird · 04-15-25, 11:31 AM

On Quest 3, one third of players gives it 5 stars, one third gives it 1 star, and one third gives it 2,3 or 4 stars, all equally distributed. The feedback is all over the place, from very good to very bad, from technically well done to technically desastrous, from gameplay being very good and innovative to gameplay being an offense.

The technical status seems to be in flux on Quest 3, it started with mild stutterings for many, then being patched into working flawless, and then being patched into often shutting down.

My problems with it derive from that the game system is new to me and that they did not teach the needed matter in an accessible way. But maybe thats just me. I like what I see, very, but somehow they manage to still keep me away, and I end up playing something else I adore more on Q3, or PC. Maybe its just not important enough for me. Expensive lesson then! The two hour testing trial is over, I cannot refund.

Platapus · 04-21-25, 03:48 AM

Thanks for the tip to play Babylon

I have to admit it wouldn't be a civ I would normally select.

I have finished three play throughs and it is a most interesting and surprisingly powerful civ, especially for a science victory.

It does require a different play style though, but an interesting play style.

Threadfin · 04-21-25, 07:17 AM

Yeah, for sure, my pleasure. Super powerful civ when you do it right.

I don't know if I've mentioned it here before, but there's another 4X game that I like, and it gives Civ a run for the money. It's Old World, by the former lead designer of Civ 4.

If Civ 6 has a glaring weakness it is AI warfare, which is lame. In just about every other way (except warfare and world congress) I think 6 is an improvement over Civ 5. But the warfare is rotten. It's about how the AI nations build armies and conduct the war, the mechanics are good. The way the AI goes about it is bad.

But Old World is a different prospect entirely, with a very good war-minded AI that will push you hard. It's a neat game, especially all the ways they have re-interpreted the 4X standards.

I would sum it up as three parts Civ and one part Crusader Kings, and it's a mix that works very well indeed. It's on sale at the mo, a tenner on Steam and worth a look for any fan of this sort of game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/597180/Old_World/

Platapus · 04-21-25, 05:19 PM

Looks like an interesting game.

For $10.00 not much of a risk these days.

Thanks for suggesting it

04-10-25, 08:41 AM	#31
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	I just dunked my big toe into the pool for the first time, the Quest 3 version got released today. It costs a hefty 60 Euros and takes 10 GB of space. This make sit the most expensive game on the Quest beside Asgard's Wrath II. As a concept, it is very mightily impressive, the current state of execution is a b it more sobering, however: good enough but not without rough edges and minor flaws. It has teething problems, and needs time to get polished and optimized. The game on Quest currently gets an awesome lot of fire, many seem to have big technical issues, freezes, stutterings, well, I had nine of all that. The loudest critics dont say to what degree they have tuned their Quest, overclocked it by tools meant to push its resolution and detail - I can imagine that this collides with a game so stressful for the hardware in its default settings state already. I faced issues, but no big ones. I think the disappointment also comes form paying this high orice and then gettugn so many teething issues. For that hefty price you must demand better release quality, on this I agree. In full VR mode, the playing table has all options needed to adapt it in size, position, zoom level, incline, you can play both seated and standing and walking around it and adapt all these settings and alter them on the fly, intuitively - once you memorized the ways by which to achieve the wanted change. You gotta get used to it, but I absolutely think once you did, you can handle it all very naturally and fast. You do not need to call up a menu for doing so. In Mixed Reality, the table is of adjustable size like in full VR and can be placed in your real room freely, if you place it over a furniture, say a real table, it shrinks to the size of a boardcame playing board, like a chessboard. It works, and it works very well. It deoends on the quality of your room scan, however, so if you want to use this: scan good and well. Reviewers say the gameplay, detail of game mechanisms and map sizes are identical to that on the PC. The graphical detail however is a bit reduced. This is a compromises needed due to the hardware. The map can be zoomed in and out on the round playing table, and can be moved quickly. It works, and it works good and well. And I think it looks very good. I cannot comment on the game mechanisms and game principles by my own experience, I am new to CIV gaming, and so far only tried a first round in a basic tutorial. In game, opening any game screens , statistics, options , is intuitively done by equipping you with a virtual "watch" on your handwrist like in many other VR games as well, you "read the time" and that way get certain statistics and functions called up that you can manipulate with the other hand, you turn the handwrist and get displays of even more functions and statistics. Works very well and without issues. The game is not most optimizted currently, and as I said, it has teething problems. I got stuck several times in the tutorial and did not know what to do next to unstick it, sometimes there is a delay when altering the playing table, some of the actions needed to do so need to be done with exquisite movement precision of the hand, controller, pointer. I dont know how the game behaves once the match is in a deeper progress status and the map is full. I think these issues so far all can be hammered out, if the developer indeed is engaged in longer support. The current status I would describe as "acceptable", but not optimal, but it has big potential to become a signature game on the Quest, and an outstanding argument for VR gaming. The ball is opened, how the dance goes on from here depends on how the orchestra plays on from here. There is still some work to do, I would have preferred if they would, have given it more time. The opening credit screen is a deasaster, however, it took me 5 minutes or so to find out how to get beyond that, and it was messy, very. They indeed force you through dozens of pages in fineprint, and to find out how to flip pages was - a quest, really. Terrible way to do this. The onscreen arrows are not displayed correctly, clicking on the squares they erratically form does nothing, and finding the controller function to flip them is a game of trial and error - and needs absolute movement precision. Very badly done. Very big potential. Needs polishing and finetuning. VR enthusiasts like me and Civ-fans can buy already now, people not sure whether this is for them wait a bit, wait for one or two patches - and then try a bit later on. But definitely keep this blip on your radar screens, guys - it could become a very very big event: all the ingredients are there. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-10-25, 09:10 AM	#32
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...d-systems-faq/ https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/game-guide/ https://www.thegamer.com/civilizatio...eginner-guide/ __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-10-25, 11:30 AM	#33
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,163 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I don't do VR, and honestly I can't imagine a long session played like this, and Civ is notorious for long sessions haha. This series invented the 'just one more turn' phenomena I think But people seem to like it. As mentioned above I have held off buying 7 for various reasons, but maybe you can give us your impressions if you keep playing. It would be interesting, as a new player to the franchise, if that's what you are. __________________ What? Behind the rabbit?

04-10-25, 04:16 PM	#34
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	I am a bit disoriented about how to play, I hate it ver ymuch that these days they do not write manuals annyorw, and that you must collect your needed info manually from across all the we, or mist watch endless viudeos wehre the author usualyl likes to see and listen to himself, but where you impatiently wait for the kind of answers you look for. Or forums, or worse: Discord. Devs, a pdf of txt file, a manual, wietten, withh all the stuff in it, I do note ven ask for a printed manual, but - a f###### manual, hell. The links I provided above give an idea of how much details must be considered in gameplay, and its all mroe or less non.systematical and scattered all over the place. Legt an older man sit for half an hour,m read a text, and when he is done, he learned what he must know. Not this - mess... Threadfin, I can play VR for logn time,e ven biardgames, have done so with Demeo, if the gameplay is okay, playing for longer time is fine, too. I prefer to do so seated, though, and then plug in a powerbank for the needed increase in power reserves. Its just that I just found another VR hexfield strategy game, Shogun's Empire, which is also one of these "just one more round" sort of time killers, and that I still play a lot of golf and racket&ball sort of games. Civ7 will not be a major focus of mine, I assume. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-10-25, 05:49 PM	#35
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	__________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-11-25, 08:45 AM	#36
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,163 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I think the concept is cool, the way it appears you are playing tabletop. I think that would be really good for a traditional board game, say Risk or Monopoly or something like this, with friends. For Civ, it goes on far too long for me to be interested in playing this way. But then I'm a fuddy duddy aren't I? I've been playing a lot of Civ 6 recently, completing six or seven runs, with a current one going as well. But I picked up Desperados 3 a week ago and that is my current one more turn game. __________________ What? Behind the rabbit?

04-11-25, 10:02 AM	#37
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	I played Catan in VR before, it worked well. They never released the addons for Catan VR, however, and thats why I abandoned it again. I always played Catan with knights and cities and often with Seefahrer, never just the default version. Also Chess. Demeo, Demeo Battles. There is a first patch out for Civ7VR, it improves performance and cures issues with erratic texts and buttons. So, the developer seems to be active, and engaged. I tried the tutprial again, but it is an overwhelming and incomplete course, even when demonstrating something, too many practical questions for me remain. This tutorial really is not the most accessible I have ever seen. And in general, why tutorials? Heck, give me a FM. One with no eye candy and distraction, just solid and thorough explanation of evertyhing. Off to VR boxing now, I am a bit frustrated, really. They may have done a great game, but they explain it really badly. The problem in one word, again: "accessability", especially for newcomers to the series. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-12-25, 03:07 PM	#38
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,163 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	I guess that's what you get for ignoring Civ for the past 34 years If you won't be playing much you won't be sharing your experience here, which is cool with me, just following up from my earlier comment. I'll pick it up eventually I'm sure, but I'm not keen on the new eras mechanic. Yeah, who knows. __________________ What? Behind the rabbit?

04-14-25, 04:52 PM	#39
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	I have not been able to find a favorable review of Civ7 on Youtube. That's kinda telling. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

04-15-25, 11:31 AM	#40
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,598 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	On Quest 3, one third of players gives it 5 stars, one third gives it 1 star, and one third gives it 2,3 or 4 stars, all equally distributed. The feedback is all over the place, from very good to very bad, from technically well done to technically desastrous, from gameplay being very good and innovative to gameplay being an offense. The technical status seems to be in flux on Quest 3, it started with mild stutterings for many, then being patched into working flawless, and then being patched into often shutting down. My problems with it derive from that the game system is new to me and that they did not teach the needed matter in an accessible way. But maybe thats just me. I like what I see, very, but somehow they manage to still keep me away, and I end up playing something else I adore more on Q3, or PC. Maybe its just not important enough for me. Expensive lesson then! The two hour testing trial is over, I cannot refund. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

04-21-25, 03:48 AM	#41
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the tip to play Babylon I have to admit it wouldn't be a civ I would normally select. I have finished three play throughs and it is a most interesting and surprisingly powerful civ, especially for a science victory. It does require a different play style though, but an interesting play style. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

04-21-25, 07:17 AM	#42
Threadfin Ace of the Deep Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,163 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Yeah, for sure, my pleasure. Super powerful civ when you do it right. I don't know if I've mentioned it here before, but there's another 4X game that I like, and it gives Civ a run for the money. It's Old World, by the former lead designer of Civ 4. If Civ 6 has a glaring weakness it is AI warfare, which is lame. In just about every other way (except warfare and world congress) I think 6 is an improvement over Civ 5. But the warfare is rotten. It's about how the AI nations build armies and conduct the war, the mechanics are good. The way the AI goes about it is bad. But Old World is a different prospect entirely, with a very good war-minded AI that will push you hard. It's a neat game, especially all the ways they have re-interpreted the 4X standards. I would sum it up as three parts Civ and one part Crusader Kings, and it's a mix that works very well indeed. It's on sale at the mo, a tenner on Steam and worth a look for any fan of this sort of game. https://store.steampowered.com/app/597180/Old_World/ __________________ What? Behind the rabbit?

04-21-25, 05:19 PM	#43
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Looks like an interesting game. For $10.00 not much of a risk these days. Thanks for suggesting it __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.