Civilization 7's 1.1.1 Update Aims to Boost Competitiveness on Steam

Firaxis, the developer behind the iconic strategy game series, has just announced a significant update for Civilization 7, dubbed Update 1.1.1. This update comes at a critical juncture for the game, which has been experiencing lower player counts on Steam compared to its predecessors, Civilization 6 and the much older Civilization 5.

Currently, Civilization 7's peak concurrent player count over the last 24 hours on Steam stands at 16,921, a figure that doesn't quite crack the top 100 most-played games on the platform. In contrast, Civilization 5, despite being released in 2010, has seen a 24-hour peak of 17,423 players. Meanwhile, Civilization 6, released in 2016, boasts a significantly higher 24-hour peak of 40,676 players, indicating that many fans of the franchise are sticking with the older titles.

In an effort to rejuvenate interest and improve the gameplay experience, Firaxis has outlined a series of enhancements in the upcoming Update 1.1.1. Key additions and refinements include:

• Quick Move Functionality
• New Natural Wonder Mount Everest
• Additional UI Updates & Polish
• Settlement & Commander Renaming
• And more!

Lead designer Ed Beach provided a detailed walkthrough of these changes in a recent video, with full patch notes set to be released soon.

Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes

The Quick Move feature is now an optional setting that players can toggle in the game's menu, enabling units to reach their destinations instantly for a faster gameplay experience.

A new start position option related to map generation has been introduced. The default setting for single-player games is now Standard, offering more varied and less predictable continents similar to Civilization 6. Multiplayer games will continue to use the Balanced setting to ensure fair play on consistent maps.

Players can now rename their settlements and commanders, adding a personalized touch to their gameplay. Additionally, a restart button allows players to generate a new map with the same leader and civilization selections, mimicking a feature from Civilization 6.

User Interface improvements include a persistent city and town panel when making purchases, new notifications for city attacks, indicators for crises, and enhanced resource tooltips. The update also brings significant pacing changes to enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Alongside the update, the paid Crossroads of the World Collection introduces new civilizations Bulgaria and Nepal, as well as the new leader Simón Bolívar, available starting March 25.

Reception and Future Prospects

Civilization 7 has stirred controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics and has struggled to maintain player numbers on Steam. The game currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating on the platform and received a 7/10 from IGN's review.

In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback but remained optimistic, suggesting that the "legacy Civ audience" would eventually embrace the game as they spend more time with it. He described Civilization 7's early performance as "very encouraging."

For players looking to master Civilization 7, IGN offers a variety of resources, including guides on achieving every victory type, understanding the significant changes from Civilization 6, avoiding crucial mistakes, and detailed explanations of map types and difficulty settings.