Summary
One of the highest-selling strategy franchises of all time,Civilizationhas managed to retain a sizable fan-base since its debut all the way back in 1991, and now, the series is bigger than it ever has been before. WhileCivilization 5might potentially be the series' most beloved and most influential entry, it’s the most recent entry that’s managed to reach the masses in a way like never before, withCivilization 6being the series' first truly multi-platform title.
With an even bigger fan-base behind it than ever before,theCivilizationfranchiseis ready to boldly go where few grand strategy franchises have gone before, with a seventh installment confirmed to be in active development right now. But while Firaxis may just want to stick to a safe approach withCivilization 7, it’s imperative that it doesn’t just rest on its laurels, and that’s especially true for the game’s Science Victory condition, which needs a real shake-up this time around.
It’s Time for a New Science Victory In Civilization 7
Civilization’s Space Race Has Been Going Since 1991
TheCivilizationfranchise has been using the same Science Victory condition for 33 years now, withCivilization 6’s Science Victory being pretty much the exact same as the very firstCivilization’s from 1991. For over three decades, players have been tasked with building and launching a spaceship, and seeing itreach Alpha Centaurior Mars.
This objective remained completely unchanged all the way up through toCivilization 5, which launched back in 2010, albeit with a few contextual caveats and additions over the years. For instance, inCivilization 4,unlocking the Space Flight technologywould also grant players the Space Elevator building, which increased the city’s production by 50%, which in turn would help players build their spaceship faster.
Civilization 6technically features a different Science Victory to the rest on paper, but in reality it functions almost identically, just with extra steps. Rather than just having to build and launch a ship,Civilization 6’s Science Victoryforces players to land on the moon and establish a colony on Mars, and its Gathering Storm expansion requires players to also launch an Exoplanet Expedition. Though the steps are more complex and the ending is different,Civ 6’s Science Victory still revolves around the space race, just like the original 1991Civdid.
Civilization 7 Needs to Tap Into Modern Tech for Its Science Victory
While the space race is an inherently exciting concept, and one that holds a great deal of real-world historical significance, it’s been beaten to death by theCivilizationfranchise. It’s time for the series to make a big change. Though the space race was an incrediblyimportant era for real-world history, it’s far from the forefront of modern age technology, and it’s timeCivilizationadapted its own Science Victory to reflect that.
Right now, the hottest topic in the world of technology isArtificial Intelligence. An extremely controversial subject, AI is mystifying and terrifying in equal measure, with it having the potential to be humanity’s greatest achievement, but also its potential downfall. While a Skynet-like threat may still be a little far-fetched, AI still comes with a lot of risks for the global economy, politics, and so on.
While it may be controversial, AI is still at the very forefront of modern technology, andCivilization 7could make great use of it for its new Science Victory condition. As opposed to having players compete to launch their spaceships as fast as possible,Civilization 7could have players racing to build a sentient AI. Firaxis doesn’t need to portray this as an inherently good thing either, with there being plenty of room for the victory cutscene to comment on how potentially dangerous this invention of AI could be.
