Humankind - the Civ killer?

[Tamas]

Haven't been this infatuated with a game in a long while. Easily best Civ-like game since Civ4.

It was nice that I had a game on Nation and I thought I had it nailed by mid-game, having a comfortable Fame lead and a safe position. Thought I just needed to hit end turn for the rest of the game. But my empire seemed incapable of gaining Industrial+ eras stars with any sort of acceptable speed and I was left behind.

[KRonn]

Haven't been this infatuated with a game in a long while. Easily best Civ-like game since Civ4.

It was nice that I had a game on Nation and I thought I had it nailed by mid-game, having a comfortable Fame lead and a safe position. Thought I just needed to hit end turn for the rest of the game. But my empire seemed incapable of gaining Industrial+ eras stars with any sort of acceptable speed and I was left behind.

I love it when a game draws me in like that! 

[Tamas]

Took me a lot of time to realise, when you get to select a new Tenet (or maybe any time you go to the religion screen) you can change the default name of your religion (XY Polyethism/Shamanism) to a historical religion name and afterwards the religious building you can build reflects that choice.

[Josephus]

I've played about five times now. Yet to see airplanes, or tanks or any modern equipment.

[Tamas]

I've played about five times now. Yet to see airplanes, or tanks or any modern equipment.

If you have it on Steam make sure to apply the beta patch, their generation of modern era strategic resources is bugged otherwise.


Related to this, one important aspect of the design (in some ways different to Civ6) is that more is just simply better. Of everything. So if you, like me, just ease off on building new infrastructure, you are likely to fall behind.

The big (and clever) mechanism clearly intent to offset the massive snowballing that can result from the above is Stability. Which is were I think the lack of late game testing comes into play. Stability works quite well in the first half of the game, but later one can amass so many Stability bonuses (from Districts and luxury trade goods) that it seems to become largely inconsequential in the late game, assuming the player keeps a minimum level of attention to it.

[Josephus]

For me though it's been less a resources issues as the fact that the 300 turns are up before I get anywhere near contemporary tech.

[Tamas]

For me though it's been less a resources issues as the fact that the 300 turns are up before I get anywhere near contemporary tech.

I am now very much settled on playing Slow (450 turns) at least. Much better pacing. On my next play I'll try the slowest setting.

I am undecided on map size and number of opponents though. Because of the "ever more of everything is always better" mechanic and the late-game neutering of Stability to counter that, it feels like the variety and challenge offered by more opponents on a bigger map is offset by there being more trade goods and just, well, everything.

[Josephus]

I played my first couple games on larger maps, but now I'm moving to smaller maps and less civs.

I found in the larger games I always end up next to aggressive Huns and Mongols and never get far.

Less civs give me a better chance of survival.

I might try the slower pace

[Grey Fox]

I completed my first game. Finished 2nd. The end sucked, with 30 turns left there was nothing to do. I couldn't gain any stars/fame without attacking other civs. Civs that were too far away to get there before their were only about 5 turns left. This game needs roads much earlier than what train stations allow.

Airports are cool tho.

[Josephus]

I completed my first game. Finished 2nd. The end sucked, with 30 turns left there was nothing to do. I couldn't gain any stars/fame without attacking other civs. Civs that were too far away to get there before their were only about 5 turns left. This game needs roads much earlier than what train stations allow.

Airports are cool tho.

Airports? Fuck I suck at this game.

[Tamas]

I completed my first game. Finished 2nd. The end sucked, with 30 turns left there was nothing to do. I couldn't gain any stars/fame without attacking other civs. Civs that were too far away to get there before their were only about 5 turns left. This game needs roads much earlier than what train stations allow.

Airports are cool tho.

You get roads with the Wheel invention. They are created automatically and are visible when you zoom out to the strategic view.

[Grey Fox]

There's art but do they affect movement? I didn't notice.


@Jo, It was a science oriented game and I made a beeline for that tech.

[Tamas]

There's art but do they affect movement? I didn't notice.

They set movement cost on the terrain to 1, apparently.

[Tamas]

Although I realise the game would become more challenging if I just auto-resolved, I rather enjoy the tactical battles. When the AI enemy outclasses me in number or tech of units I find myself checking the terrain and aiming to seek favourable grounds for battle - changes in elevation, a river, or even forests can matter a lot.

[Josephus]

So I just finished a small game with only two AI characters and me. Still finished second. Didn't even get to railroads.

I find there's always one CIV that does really well. It finished levelling up when I was still in Early Modern. It went war with me. I was lobbing arrows at his musketmen. I got slaughtered.