Revolutionary Changes in Civilization 7's Difficulty Modes: Enhancing the Game Like Never Before

Highlights

The inclusion of difficulty levels plays a significant role in strategy games as it ensures player engagement and enhances replay value. In order to stand out from its predecessors, Civilization 7 must introduce innovative and enhanced difficulty modes.

The fan base's discussions bring attention to the dissatisfaction surrounding Civilization 6's AI system, mainly due to its unrealistic choices and gameplay limitations. This matter is of utmost importance for the success of Civilization 7. As players progress to higher difficulty levels, the AI in Civilization 6 becomes increasingly unfair, impeding gameplay. Therefore, Civilization 7 should strive for a more equitable and strategic AI system to elevate the overall gaming experience.

In strategy games, difficulty levels play a crucial role in providing players with a challenging experience against AI opponents. Franchises often strive to enhance their games by introducing unique requirements that push players from easy to hard difficulties. Simply maintaining the same stakes and predictability in AI moves can hinder a game's continuity and replay value. To set themselves apart, top-notch strategy games like Sid Meier's Civilization series offer different difficulty modes, catering to diverse player preferences.

Sid Meier's Civilization series has been continuously entertaining its fans since the early 90s. However, even with the success of Civilization 6, the franchise could benefit from injecting some excitement into its difficulty levels for Civilization 7. By doing so, the game would distinguish itself from its predecessors and provide players with fresh and engaging experiences.

Civilization 6 was widely regarded as one of the franchise's finest offerings, building upon Civilization 5's relatively straightforward gameplay mechanics and adding layers of depth. Strategy games must strike a delicate balance between complexity and approachability, providing players with smooth learning curves while still offering enough challenge. Civ 6 succeeded in this regard, incorporating layered user interfaces and unique victory conditions. Yet, there is always potential for improvement, and one element that sparks discussion among Civilization fans is the difficulty tiers.

For the last two installments, the franchise has featured the same difficulty levels with only minor adjustments. However, Firaxis, the developer of Civilization games, needs to address the AI system for Civilization 7 to truly spread its wings and soar to new heights.

Civilization 6's AI Could Use Some Tweaks

Civilization 6 implemented a difficulty ladder that progressively increased the challenges for players. However, fan discussions have revealed dissatisfaction with the AI system's unrealistic choices, highlighting the need to address the existing flaws in Civilization 6's gameplay for the success of Civilization 7. Interestingly, the AI behavior remains largely unchanged from the lowest Settler level to the highest Deity difficulty. While the gameplay conditions become more challenging, they also restrict players' margin for error.

At the Settler level, the AI receives a minor combat debuff, while players enjoy a +3 bonus, enabling easier victories, as expected for the beginner mode. Upon advancing to the Prince level, players and the AI find themselves on a more balanced playing field. However, it is at the higher difficulty tiers where Civilization 6's shortcomings become evident. For instance, in the Emperor mode, trades become nearly impossible due to unreasonable demands, and unjustified warmonger penalties become commonplace. This poses a significant obstacle to players aiming for a Diplomacy victory, which relies on avoiding warfare, forming alliances, and engaging in beneficial trade. The AI system effectively hampers one of the core mechanics of the Civilization series.

The AI's unfriendly attitude in Civilization 7 often lacks justification and hinders the overall gameplay experience. Instead of engaging in blatant cheating, the game could benefit from a more nuanced negotiation system where both parties make sensible compromises. While players can manage the negative aspects of the Emperor difficulty with a few tricks, the Immortality and Deity modes require significant improvements. At higher difficulty levels, the game heavily favors the AI, placing players at a significant disadvantage. In Civilization 6, the AI in Immortality and Deity tiers receives enormous bonuses, yet fails to effectively utilize them, lacking a clear strategic approach.

The system's strengths lie in its overpowered troops and technological advancements in the Deity mode, allowing it to make poor choices and still easily defeat players' carefully planned strategies. This dynamic contradicts the very essence of a strategy game, and Firaxis should strive to level the playing field and adopt a read-and-react approach to the AI system in Civilization 7. The same limitations that apply to players should also hinder the AI, rather than allowing it the freedom to place cities anywhere and build wonders at an accelerated pace for additional advantages. The strategic planning of Civilization 6's AI system is nearly nonexistent, and Civilization 7 requires a revamped system in order to thrive.

Civilization 7 is in development.