Let ME decide when to transition to the next age.

[pure badge]

I won't pretend to like the new ages system. I don't. But I can live with it if I'm given agency over how it affects my gameplay. As it stands, I have zero desire to invest in any war or diplomatic efforts because I know they will be arbitrarily wiped from the board and I'll be quickly forced down some other narrow path regardless of how I feel about that.

In my first game, I was really enjoying new mechanics and absolutely loving some of the new systems I had available. I had a roller-coaster alliance form between my civ and Lafayette. Lafayette had two occupied settlements that I was hell-bent on freeing. I was leveraging diplomacy with nearby-city states to assist in the war effort, spending a few turns building fortifications around the contested areas and setting up my military for a swift and smooth operation. You see, I was going to make a forever-friend here. I was going to give the Lafayette his settlements back and we were going to do glorious things together. I began my assault.

And then the screen faded to black, I was told to pick between two culture-focused civs that I DID NOT want to play, all of my units were converted into basic warrior types as well and piled into my capital, and all of my diplomatic history was erased. All in one single turn.

I immediately quit playing. What would be the point? If all progress is reset and major decisions are made for you, why bother playing?

I fervently hope that they completely dismantle the ages system but if they have to keep the ages system, which breaks continuity and drains the fun out of the emergent narrative, at least let me decide where I go next. Let me decide WHEN I go. Let me play until I'm not having fun anymore. DON'T press the reset button when I'm just getting to the good stuff.

[real oxide]

Yes!!!!!

[forest prism]

Diplomatic history should be retained between transitions

[safe junco]

I have to disagree I'm quite enjoying the new age system at the moment, I like how it puts on the breaks and you get to make more and new decisions on how to build your empire. A narrow path is not how I'd describe an age transition, if anything it opens more avenues for change, the previous civ was very much a constant race that you'd have to travel down an optimal path to get the win. I like how forgiving the new system is.

[split ridge]

Era's feel like their solution to the hyped narrative that more than half of Civ players never finish a single campaign, to simply chop the game into smaller pieces that are almost as long as a normal Civ game. 150 turns on standard speed to complete an age? You can win Civ6 games on Diety, without cheesing or save-scumming in 200-220 turns. The game runs on rails shoving you down their desired narrative path.

[forest prism]

I'd prefer a better and improved way to feel the advancement to a new age...I know there's a % in the upper left corner and I can always take note of the crisis and other civs legacy paths but...it should be better integrated, I'm right now in a gameplay in which I'd like to make war and it'd be good but I don't know if I have enough time left

@split ridge I highly doubt that the people who know how to win in 200-220 turns on Deity are the people who have never finished the game.

[lost pecan]

Yes, please. Give us agency!

[split ridge]

I didn't say they were, I said it was possible to do so. You can win/finish a game on easier difficulties in the same timeframe or earlier. If you want more people to finish a game, why would you extend the overall gameplay by 2x? Eras acting as a reset is a way to keep people playing because instead of being left behind they can get a hard reset and any bad decisions they made are now erased and they don't have to deal with the fallout. It's not a good mechanic for a long-term strategy game to just pretend everything you did for centuries has no affect other than your buildings stay there and everyone just "forgot" about your warmongering, spying or economic sabotage. The era should either end your game totally, or it should just be an age transition, as it currently works its an un-engaging mechanic.

[jolly fractal]

Great idea. Maybe have a timer. So game would say you can transition to next era now or the game will automatically transition in X turns

[forest prism]

Does diplomacy actually reset though? It was explicitly stated that diplomacy is partially retained across transitions and in my last game I was constantly at war with 4 empires throughout the whole game because my alley dragged me into a way in Antiquity

[sacred ether]

I think what would be a great solution is that the ages stay as they are, but instead of being forced to change you also have the option to play "one more turn" in any age, so you continue the age as it is, similar to how it works in the information era. Only limit then is the tech tree and civic tree of the age, but also might be cool to have a game that is only the ancient age or exploration age

but I wouldn't want to have the underlying systems be modified for that

[earnest glen]

If they have to have this ridiculous mechanic there is no reason they can't have actions you take during the existing age count towards the next culture. Say if you use this particular civic it counts so many points per turn towards this next civ. And you absolutely should be able to do things that keep you in your current civ. When the bucket is full you then go into the transition period. If multiple buckets were within so many points of completing at the same time there would be a possibility of civil war. The hard reset might be the least needed mechanic I've ever seen added to a game. There is absolutely no need for the hard reset.

[sacred ether]

It is actually a soft reset, because lots of things remain

and I think the system works really well, only issue I see is that the phasing out could be smoother. I think there should be more restrictions based on how close it is at the end of an age. First stop the capability of researching, then stop the production so you have to survive like 10 turns with what you have until you feel relieved by the age switch. I think that would be very cool!

[gaunt wave]

I'm okay with the whole ages thing, but would like to see an option where I can sacrifice something (possibly a legacy point) to get a few more turns in. * looks at that last remaining city on the continent with an army three tiles away when the age ended *

[astral frost]

The age transition being at 100% is too abrupt. Even if they thought the balancing was perfect (not sure I agree, it could be a tiny bit longer), just have the points required be a few less and give a mandated 5-10 turn warning at 100% just like Civ 6.

The other related suggestion is to allow influence to be spent to further delay or expedite that timer somehow. That part is tricky because of MP but whatever.

The unique units being "lost", just imagine they've all been upgraded. It's like bringing a Jaguar Warrior to a Pike and Shot fight. Fancy bonuses don't matter they're going to get clapped. You don't lose any unit counts unless you're over the commander soft cap, that could be communicated better.

Keeping Civs makes little sense in that the entire game is designed around the overbuilding and soft reset with new features. Old civs would have useless unique units in most cases and questionable other bonuses (although that could be balance speaking) as there are generally new mechanics each age