In true Civilization fashion, Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 is set to introduce fans to a wealth of fresh and innovative features, shaking up familiar gameplay elements. From the clever separation of leaders and civilizations to the introduction of army commanders, this installment promises to present even seasoned players with a fresh gameplay experience. Yet, the most intriguing of all the updates might just be the game’s groundbreaking new emergent narrative feature.
I had the chance to chat with Ed Beach, the lead designer of Civilization 7, in an interview with Game Rant. Beach shared his enthusiasm about this new narrative system, how it refines the old gossip mechanic from Civilization 6, and what players have to look forward to. He explained, “That system we found in Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 was just probably a little bit too noisy. There was just too much churn there for the players to really be able to engage with it and pay attention to it. There were some interesting tidbits in there, but they kind of got missed by players. We took that out for Sid Meier’s Civilization 7, but what we did is the same technology that informed the game systems about what was going on in the game world got fed into our new narrative system.”
In Civilization 7, players won’t just hear gossip; they’ll experience unique narrative events that evolve based on occurrences in the game. So, if a city faces repeated floods, a corresponding event will unfold. Some stories will be simple, while others may develop into complex narrative chains. The result? A dynamic world where each game tells its own story, guaranteeing a unique playthrough every time.
These emergent narratives aren’t just a neat feature; they could revolutionize the way fans engage with the series. Beach can’t wait to see how players embrace these opportunities. He notes, “We actually can track in our new game engine how many times certain stories are shown to players, so it’s going to be really interesting, right after our game launches, to figure out if people are seeing these complex chains of stories. It’s definitely been a pretty interesting journey to get all that in and working, but we’re really excited about the potential, not only for what we can do with it to further expand the experience for Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 players, but also what the mod community is going to be able to do with it.”
The studio’s new technology tracks and analyzes how these events unfold, offering endless possibilities for modders to create their own unique stories. This could mean a future filled with exciting narratives both from Firaxis and the creative fan community. If all goes well, this system might just continue to grow and evolve in future iterations. It certainly seems that Civilization 7 is laying the foundation for years of storytelling potential.
