# Civilization VI **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 18, 2016, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933 "2016-10-18T10:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/121 "2016-11-03T18:05:06Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The AI’s refusal to upgrade its troops makes some wars pretty silly. I know you love the hoplites, Gorgo, but they can’t stop bullets. Which is weird since the bonus that makes hoplites so good should stay with an upgraded unit, shouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/122 "2016-11-03T18:27:11Z")
I haven’t played civ since 3 but it seems like ya need to wait until you get "civ x complete 2 years after release " But its always been a hallmark that it needs 3 or 4 upgrades for it to work as intended even civ 2 needed 3 releases to get fixed (civ2 civ multiplayer , and multiplayer gold)but this release seems to sound like its civ 2 first ed … ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/123 "2016-11-03T18:33:27Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I haven’t played civ since 3 but it seems like ya need to wait until you get "civ x complete 2 years after release " > > But its always been a hallmark that it needs 3 or 4 upgrades for it to work as intended even civ 2 needed 3 releases to get fixed (civ2 civ multiplayer , and multiplayer gold)but this release seems to sound like its civ 2 first ed … Civ 2 first ed was still a huge improvement over its predecessor. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/124 "2016-11-03T19:18:48Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > I do have to admit that the concept of the musical themes for each civilization in the game mutating through four different versions (ancient, medieval, classical, modern) is nice. I’ve enjoyed listening to “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme” in each of its versions. And the Norwegian theme is just teh awesome! > > Not as impressed with the Christopher Lin theme song this time. Very grandiose, yes. But not as catchy. I loved “Baba Yetu.” And the opening movie simply sucks by comparison to some prior versions of the game. > > OK, I’ll quite whining until these games are done. 😕 My daughter got to play “Baba Yetu” in her high school concert band a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/125 "2016-11-03T19:34:11Z")
I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out how to optimize district purchases. My last game was going great - I kicked the crap out of Germany in a defensive war and felt like King Awesome. But then all of a sudden my pikemen are waving Greek cargo trucks into my cities and Russia is giving me crap for not being in the modern era. I realized it’s because I hadn’t built enough campuses, and my research output had fallen too far behind. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/126 "2016-11-04T15:02:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out how to optimize district purchases. My last game was going great - I kicked the crap out of Germany in a defensive war and felt like King Awesome. But then all of a sudden my pikemen are waving Greek cargo trucks into my cities and Russia is giving me crap for not being in the modern era. I realized it’s because I hadn’t built enough campuses, and my research output had fallen too far behind. Yeah, I’ve just been dropping them where ever I see the highest + number, but I’m not sure that’s the right way to go! ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/127 "2016-11-04T15:08:43Z")
Campuses are best placed next to mountains - they get one extra science per bordering mountain. I had a nice U-shaped mountain range once that really drove my research up. They get another one for every _2_ rainforest tiles, and also for every 2 bordering districts (but no mix and match) - city centre counts. Holy sites get charged by mountains and forest (and other districts), theater squares by wonders and districts, industrial zones by mines and districts, and commercial zones by rivers and districts. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/128 "2016-11-04T15:14:46Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Campuses are best placed next to mountains - they get one extra science per bordering mountain. I had a nice U-shaped mountain range once that really drove my research up. They get another one for every _2_ rainforest tiles, and also for every 2 bordering districts (but no mix and match) - city centre counts. Holy sites get charged by mountains and forest (and other districts), theater squares by wonders and districts, industrial zones by mines and districts, and commercial zones by rivers and districts. So, then is my “just drop it where the pluses are highest” strategy make sense? I found [this](http://www.pcgamesn.com/civilization-vi/civ-6-district-guide) guide, which either helps or makes things way more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/129 "2016-11-04T15:18:46Z")
There’s a bit of future planning involved: for instance, if you’ve got a bunch of hills/resource tiles in a concentration, you won’t see the bonus for an industrial zone right away, but it’s something you’ll want to develop with a builder. And then you’ll want to concentrate districts if you can - put that entertainment district bordering the theater square and the commercial zone so even though the ent district doesn’t get any bonus, it juices the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/130 "2016-11-04T15:21:16Z")
Most districts also get +1 for every 2 districts next to them, so you can make a little triangle and get a bonus that way. I think this counts even for non-yield districts like the encampment. It might be worth taking the long view and doing that in desert tiles rather than placing your campus or whatever in a tile that give +1 right now. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/131 "2016-11-04T15:32:04Z")
Another balance issue that I’ve seen emerge is spies. If I plant three spies in the richest empire and set them to steal money for each mission, then I essentially get unlimited money with no real consequences. Part of the reason for this is that counter-spy missions are district-specific. So if you have a decent-sized empire, you have probably two dozen plausible counter-spy mission locations, making them pretty meaningless. True, there’s civics and spy promotions that can shift things a bit, but the arms race isn’t balanced at all, since by the time you can clamp down with civics and well-trained counter-spies, the original spies have three or four levels of promotions. I also don’t understand how after decades of Civ games the AI explore option isn’t just optimized. There just aren’t that many parameters for optimal exploration. How is it not a solved puzzle? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/132 "2016-11-04T16:30:18Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I also don’t understand how after decades of Civ games the AI explore option isn’t just optimized. There just aren’t that many parameters for optimal exploration. How is it not a solved puzzle? But this patch of arctic is **sooooo** interesting! ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/133 "2016-11-04T16:42:08Z")
Speaking of exploration, are there fewer “goody huts” in Civ 6 than previous versions or is it just me? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/134 "2016-11-04T16:59:06Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > But this patch of arctic is **sooooo** interesting! I’m not even saying the AI should decide what’s interesting. I’d be happy if it were literally just route optimized to explore the unexplored regions in as few moves as possible. I swear a roomba is more efficient and it just bounces off shit when it can’t go further. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/135 "2016-11-04T17:20:37Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Speaking of exploration, are there fewer “goody huts” in Civ 6 than previous versions or is it just me? Maybe slightly fewer but I’ve generally had no trouble grabbing 3 or 4 each game. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/136 "2016-11-04T20:07:52Z")
Wow, Terracotta Army is a tad overpowered I think. It allows you a free exp level boost to _all_ your units. I now have a kingdom full of level 3/4 armies :D. I wonder if you do a Suzerain takeover of city-state units, and then pop the wonder, if it will also boost all of the city-state units as well? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/137 "2016-11-04T20:11:49Z")
I’ve definitely won a couple defensive wars with a timely Terracotta Army. The promotions are great but, in the middle of a war, all the free heals are even better. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/138 "2016-11-04T21:32:49Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I’m not even saying the AI should decide what’s interesting. I’d be happy if it were literally just route optimized to explore the unexplored regions in as few moves as possible. I swear a roomba is more efficient and it just bounces off shit when it can’t go further. Is it possible it’s designed to not be optimal? You have the choice of micromanaging units for an optimal outcome, or fire and forget for a “good enough” one? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2016, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/139 "2016-11-05T02:05:55Z")
God damned Germans are complaining about my troops on their borders. None of my units are within 2 hexes of their lands so I don’t know who they are bitching about. In the mean time they have a huge force right on the border and there is no way for me to ask them to move… I would like to see some tweaks to the diplomacy AI. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933/140 "2016-11-05T02:20:36Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Is it possible it’s designed to not be optimal? You have the choice of micromanaging units for an optimal outcome, or fire and forget for a “good enough” one? That sure seems like the best explanation, since I cannot imagine that it’s a huge programming challenge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civilization-vi/768933.md?page=8)