Firaxis tried something new with Civilization 7’s Ages system, and although the studio’s willingness to experiment with its decades-old grand strategy series is commendable, the evolution hasn’t been a hit.
As a result, Firaxis has been working on options that remake Civ 7 into something more like its still-popular older siblings, and just announced that “one of the most requested features” is in the works: the option to play as one civ from start to finish.
Civ 7’s Ages system divides games into three distinct historical phases, and a lot happens in the transitions between them: Wars end, important variables are reset, and most importantly, players pick a new civilization to lead in the next age.
It’s a more historical approach to grand strategy, in that you can no longer found the United States at the same time as the invention of agriculture, but the player preference is clear: both Civ 5 and Civ 6 are reliably beating Civ 7’s Steam concurrents.
In its effort to give the people what they want, Firaxis has already introduced an option called Continuity Mode that keeps wars going between Age transitions, and now says it’s testing “ways to play as one civ continuously through the ages, allowing you to choose a civilization from any Age and guide them throughout your journey through history.”
It seems like a tough problem to solve, as each civ is currently designed to be played in only one age. I would guess that some Frankensteining will have to happen, as Modern Age civs like the French Empire will need to borrow buildings and units from Exploration and Antiquity age civs, and vice versa.
I hope it works out, because there is a lot to like in Civ 7—I prefer the art style over Civ 6, for one thing—and it’d be a shame if it never found a more solid footing among series fans.
Firaxis says it’ll be testing its solution “over the next few months” via a new initiative, the Firaxis Feature Workshop, which will allow “a small number of community members to go hands-on with features still in development.”
That testing will be coordinated through the official Discord, and application instructions will come alongside a game update next week. That update has a naval flavor, adding a new Harbor building, Privateer unit, new sea resources, and more that you can read about on the official blog.
