Figure 1 Blessings Upon You Too, LOC_LEADER_NUBIA_SCENARIO_LIBYANS_NAME

Having recently surpassed 1200 hours playing Civilization VI – ignoring probably much more than twice that on previous iterations, including non-Steam versions that don’t track your hours – I have a few thoughts to share. (NOTE: It’s titled “1000 Hours” simply because I have a theme of similar articles that I generally start after 1000, despite being at 1200+ here. Also note: SPOILERS AHEAD!)

A couple of caveats: This article is intended for relative n00bs to the game. Additionally, besides the spoiler alert above, if you’re the type who likes to discover and experiment for themselves, then this article is likely not for you. Yet, even if you’re not a n00b, you may still find some entertainment herein. Either way I thank you for reading!

Before I get too far, I must serve further notice that I’ll be using game terms that may baffle complete newcomers even while offering starting tips, but I don’t intend this as a How to Play session, nor will I get into a lot of detail about certain aspects, such as tactics of warfare and trade; many other writers and videographers have covered such subjects closely, and I have no specifics to add. Therefore, this is mostly a treatise on my recent games and observations during them, as well as a small wishlist of things I’d like to see added or ‘fixed’, and comments on oddities that in my opinion ought to be addressed, if for no other reason than to improve immersion – or simply so that they cease to offend my sense of ‘reason’!

Having clarified my slant, you should also know that I play with all the current (as of September 2023) DLC, and I should preface with a couple of other notes on my playstyle: First, I play with several mods, foremost Resourceful2, YNAMP, Religion Expanded, Quick Deals, Removable Districts, Dynamic Diplomacy, Terra Mirabilis, and other UI and skin changes. If mods may alter my offered tips, I’ll make a note. Next, I always play on a Large Continents and Islands map (2:1) with the default number of civs and city states. Further, I loathe Barbarians screwing up my rapid expansion, so I turn them off; but I like Monopolies and Corporations Mode, and No Duplicate Civs/Leaders; everything else default/standard.

A while ago I started playing as all the female leaders, trying to win a Victory of any kind with each. Most recently, though, I have been endeavouring to avoid a Cultural Victory, having found them too easy – despite game tips telling you the opposite. I raise the Difficulty one notch from my usual Prince after each win, up to my most recent (Science) as Cleopatra (Ptolemaic) at Emperor. I’m now playing as Elizabeth I.

Before then, however, I lost successive games, usually to Cultural Victories by NPCIVs, once a Science. Tip#1: I did not realise that turning off certain Victory Conditions does not affect AI civs; they will still pursue and can win them!

I also abandoned several games as Theodora from the Great Builders Leader Pass DLC. This is mostly because I dislike Religion in my games; I have never won one and rarely even build Holy Site districts, as I find fighting off endless waves of proselytisers infuriating. Instead, I amuse myself watching other civs in theological combat struggling for my people’s hearts and souls. And of course, Theodora’s advantages have to do with religion, thus, not having the disposition to play that style, it was just frustrating. I may return to Theodora later, however.

This means the only allowance I make for religion is trying to get a Pantheon ASAP; I almost always choose Monument to the Gods, primarily to be more easily able to build the Hanging Gardens and/or Great Bath Wonders very early. For this reason, I also choose God King as my first Economic Policy (as well as Recon, to boost my Scouts; see below), at least until I get a pantheon, then change to Urban Planning.

Next, after founding my first city, I most often Queue up two Scouts, a Builder, and then maybe a Monument, although I like to start on a Settler ASAP as well; it depends on the length of time it’ll take (i.e., my city’s Production and Food levels), and whether I need to ‘block’ other civs from claiming land I want. As soon as it’s available, I take the Colonization Civic policy to begin an expansion program, then build as many Settlers as possible until it’s time to concentrate on other areas. I then start connecting my cities by building Trade Routes between them to speed up movement, even eschewing most City State trade opportunities until then – unless their routes are close to where I need to go to connect my cities.

Chief among “other priorities” are Campuses and Commercial and Industrial Districts, not forgetting Encampments – especially the latter if your neighbours are threatening (at higher Difficulties they seem more aggressive and will try to take you out early even if not very close). What I build where in which order depends largely on what bonuses are available; if I can afford it I’ll buy Tiles to get started on them earlier. In addition, I almost always buy Builders, Traders, and Military Engineers, unless I have a city(ies) where they’re built quickly and that city has no other priority.

Regarding Traders, my playstyle also tends toward maximising trade opportunities: Commercial Districts and Harbors with the necessary buildings to make Trade Routes. In the late game I find myself earning thousands per turn, very handy to quickly purchase Granaries, Monuments, even Sewers to get newly founded cities off to a quick start, not to mention for military units when I suddenly find myself in a war I hadn’t been planning for.

Another aspect of the game is Era score or Historic Moments. Generally, you want to avoid Dark Ages and strive for Golden Ages, but there are certain perks (Civics) that a Dark Age allows, especially for insular civs, that may be advantageous at certain points. This very much depends on your play style, though, as Dark Age Civics come with serious trade-offs, for example being unable to build Settlers.

The following points are mostly presented as curiosities that appear contradictory or inexplicable, and IMO should be cleaned up. Many have to do with the AI, which has been richly criticised elsewhere and I will not rehash.

Otherwise, in no special order:

• There are a few glitches such as the title screenshot and the one to the right, though I’m not sure if these have to do with mods or not; you’d think obvious ones would be fixed ASAP by the devs, at least.
• The AI trades way too cheap; e.g., often you can get 3 or 4 Luxuries for 1, and they will still consider this a ‘favourable’ deal, for which you get diplomatic bonuses.
• Wars are generally disappointing. The AI declares war without having much of an advantage, and is often beaten off with relative ease – then whimpers when I start thrashing them!
• The AI builds naval units in landlocked ponds (or at least lakes with a few as a single tile). This seems quite pointless.
• Why do you have to destroy a rainforest to create a Preserve?
• Luxury resources are too spread out; i.e., they need to be more concentrated so that civs can more easily monopolise them. (I’m quite sure this has nothing to do with the Resourceful2 mod, though I wish it would clean this up some.)
• Why is airspace over allies restricted? Allies should even be able to share airports and enter one another’s cities, not just their territory.
• Spies are not very useful. For one thing, when using them defensively – counter-spying – the promotions you can choose are quite often useless, meant for offensive operations. Thus, I hardly ever use them and avoid Leaders with espionage advantages.
• It’s unfair that you’re unable to move trapped units, i.e., between forbidden terrain and/or one or more unallied civs. That is, when an alliance suddenly expires, I have been caught more than once violating a Promise to remove troops and suffering punishment (Grievances). Similarly, you can accidentally convert a city in Theological Combat; even if your unit(s) is only defending itself, this makes no difference, generating more Grievances. Even if you’re temporarily allied with civ for a Military Emergency, they scold you about violating their borders, then once again you get Grievances if you fail to move your troops. There should be a temporary free passage agreement to let you move them. Only then if you fail to do so should you generate Grievances.
• The AI civs will also scold you about letting barbarians ‘live too close’ even when you’ve disabled them.

WISHLIST
• I wish there were more Great Merchants for the Corporations Mode. Having to give up toys or jeans to create a corporation is a tough choice – albeit I acknowledge the game is all about tough choices. Alternatively, let a corporation be automatically created that allows the product to be sold or traded, just like perfume et al.
• A Fort or Encampment should have to be taken before its city; even if strategically placed, they can often be bypassed and ignored.
• I miss the CIV V Trading Post; having to build and send a Settler to build a city to claim a remote oil field, for example, is IMO quite unjustified.

These are admittedly short lists; justifiably so, as the Civ games are some of the highest rated ever, for good reason. I just had to add my $.02!