The Game-Changing Potential of Civilization 7's Technological Revolution

Highlights

The Civilization series has consistently provided players with rewarding and diverse ways to achieve victory, and one such triumph that stands out is the science/technology victory. This specific victory condition offers an enjoyable blend of strategic decision-making and captivating visual effects.

The technology endgame in Civilization 7 has potential for expansion, incorporating additional tasks and objectives like establishing contact with aliens and studying their technology. This expansion could open up possibilities for a crossover with XCOM, enabling players to research and deploy exclusive XCOM soldiers, thereby enhancing the excitement of the game.

A strategy game's victory conditions are crucial, especially if it takes several hours to complete. While smaller-scale games can rely on a simple military victory, grand strategy games like Civilization require more compelling endgames to keep players engaged until the very end. Fortunately, the Civilization series excels in this aspect by offering satisfying and diverse victory conditions. With economic, military, religious, cultural, and science/technology victories, the franchise consistently provides depth and strategy. However, there is potential for even greater enhancement in the technology endgame, which Civilization 7 could explore.

Civilization 7 Could Expand its Technology Endgame in a Few Big Ways

In previous Civilization games, the science victory remained largely unchanged for a long time. Players were required to research most of the game's technologies, particularly advanced ones related to flight, and then construct a spaceship piece by piece. The goal was to successfully launch the spaceship and hope it reached Alpha Centauri before opponents achieved any other victory conditions.

However, Civilization 6 revolutionized the victory conditions, particularly for the science victory. Although the focus still lies on researching the majority of technologies, there have been significant changes in the end goal. Instead of constructing a spaceship, players now need to establish a spaceport district, launch a satellite, and accomplish the research, construction, and launch of three separate components for a Mars colony.

There is no confirmation yet, but it appears probable that Firaxis will want to further expand the victory conditions in the upcoming Civilization 7. Improving the technology endgame in several significant ways would be the key. The most significant enhancement would be to extend the science victory in Civilization 7, by adding more tasks that players must complete before achieving victory. For example, after establishing a colony on Mars, players could be required to make contact with aliens. Following that, they could then be tasked with researching alien technology and utilizing it to develop faster-than-light travel, ultimately concluding the game by reaching another galaxy.

Furthermore, expanding on the technology endgame in Civilization 7 could potentially open the door for a crossover with XCOM. Players could research and utilize exclusive XCOM soldiers after obtaining alien technology, similar to the Brave New World expansion in Civilization 5. However, it is important that the science victory in Civilization 7 is not the only condition to receive expansion, as this would make the game unbalanced. Nonetheless, there is significant potential for Firaxis to create a captivating technology endgame in Civ 7. While landing on Mars is undoubtedly enjoyable, players have likely witnessed this ending numerous times since Civilization 6's release seven years ago. Therefore, Firaxis should not miss the opportunity to surpass expectations and deliver something truly exceptional.

Civilization 7 is in development.