"Civilization 7 Dev Urges All Players to Use Tutorial for First Campaign - Here's Why"

The developer of Civilization 7, Firaxis Games, has strongly advised even seasoned players of the series to utilize the tutorial for their initial full campaign. Creative Director Ed Beach shared valuable tips for embarking on your first journey through Civilization 7 via a Steam post. He emphasized the complexity and novelty of the game, stating, "Civilization 7 is a big game, with many new systems and mechanics that differentiate it from earlier games in our series. There's a lot to learn, so we felt that it was important that we provide some suggestions to ensure everyone has a successful first experience."

A significant departure from previous entries is the introduction of the Ages system in Civilization 7. This feature marks a revolutionary shift for the strategy series, requiring players to navigate through three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Upon completing an Age, all participants, including AI opponents, undergo an Age Transition. During this transition, players must choose a new civilization for the upcoming Age, decide which Legacies to carry forward, and adapt to an evolving game world—a first for the Civilization series.

Beach also shed light on the choice of Small as the default map size for Civilization 7. He explained, "We know that many veteran Civ players love to play on the largest map size and see the maximum number of empires battle it out. However, there's a very deliberate reason that we chose Small as the default map size. With three other empires on your home continent, and a few more to discover later in the game, Small Maps make for a very comfortable experience while you are learning the ins and outs of Civ 7."

He highlighted the benefits of this setting, especially for newcomers to the new Diplomacy system. "We especially recommend this map size as you get your feet wet with our new Diplomacy system. Tracking your relationship and ongoing diplomatic activities with a manageable number of opponents makes it way easier to get the hang of how you want to spend and manage your Diplomatic Influence."

Additionally, Beach recommended sticking with the Continents Plus map type. He noted, "The extra islands just off-shore help ease you into the ocean exploration – a key element of the Exploration Age, the second chapter of our game."

Regarding the tutorial and advisors, Beach confirmed that the game automatically activates the tutorial for your first playthrough. He strongly urged even veteran players to keep it on for their initial full campaign, stating, "The Tutorial is designed to provide tips and explanations exactly when you first encounter something new. Fans experienced with earlier Civ titles may scoff at the idea of playing with the Tutorial on, but with so many of our game systems having received upgrades and revisions, we really do recommend sticking with the Tutorial for your first full campaign through our three Ages."

Beach also pointed out the presence of four different Advisors in the game, suggesting that players might want to focus on one Advisor at a time to avoid information overload. Once players have a good grasp of the game mechanics, Beach recommended switching to the "Only Warnings" setting. This feature allows Advisors to alert players of potential major setbacks to their empire's progress, a setting that even the Firaxis team uses.

In other news, Firaxis unveiled the post-launch roadmap for Civilization 7 during a special livestream event, with Great Britain being added as DLC. The game is set to launch on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S on February 11, with the Deluxe Edition offering early access from February 6.