Highlights

  • Civilization 7 needs game-changing mechanics to evolve; inspiration can be taken from competitors like Frostpunk for moral choices.
  • Frostpunk's moral choices result in significant consequences; Civilization 7 should incorporate tough decisions that affect gameplay long-term.
  • Civilization 7 should introduce a moral system that impacts the type of cities and population players develop, making choices more impactful.

The Civilization franchise has often been described as iterative. While each new Civilization game has brought a handful of new features and mechanics, and expanded upon the foundations laid before it, for the most part, the Civilization franchise has stayed largely the same for over two decades now, with there not being too much evolution between Civilization 3 and the most recent entry, Civilization 6.

It's about time the Civilization franchise had a proper shake-up, and that should include overhauled systems, and some genuinely new, game-changing mechanics, and with it being the next mainline entry, Civilization 7 is the perfect place for it. After the immense success of Civilization 6, the franchise is bigger than it ever has been, and there's more pressure on the upcoming entry than ever before. Civilization 7 is going to need all the inspiration it can get, and a good place to start is borrowing some novel features from competitors like Frostpunk.

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What Civilization 7 Could Take from Frostpunk

Civilization 7 Should Borrow Frostpunk's Moral Choices

Released in 2018, Frostpunk sees players attempt to establish one of the last bastions of humanity, and manage the city so that it protects all those inside from the lethal volcanic winter surrounding them. As this colony's leader, players will be frequently given difficult moral choices regarding their citizens, choices that are often associated with signing new laws.

One early choice in Frostpunk will see players have to choose whether to sign the Sustain Life bill or the Radical Treatment bill. The former will see doctors keep patients alive until they eventually die, taking up precious space in the hospital but raising Hope, while the latter law will have doctors perform surgery to get them back in the workforce. Frostpunk is full of these difficult moral choices, and each one has both an immediate and lasting impact on the colony. Each choice informs the type of city that the player is building and the type of people who reside there.

A similar moral system in Civilization 7 would be amazing to see. Obviously, Civilization 7's moral choices probably wouldn't be nearly as bleak as those in Frostpunk, but it would be interesting to see players' advisors come to them at certain points during a match, bringing forth a dilemma related to the nation's citizens. These choices could then have lasting effects on the type of cities that the player produces, and the type of population that grows there.

Civilization 7 Should Borrow Frostpunk's Consequences

But a core element of Frostpunk's moral choices is that each one results in some kind of significant consequence. For instance, while one decision might instantly raise the Hope of workers, it could have a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of the workforce later down the line, and in a game like Frostpunk where every resource is precious, this could easily result in a quick game over for even the most experienced players. Similarly, there are certain major decisions that occur during Frostpunk's main story, such as the choice between Order and Faith to keep people in line. These decisions can lead to riots and even a mass exodus of the player's citizens.

If Civilization 7 was going to borrow Frostpunk's moral choices, then it's imperative that it also borrows that game's consequences, albeit probably not as extreme or violent. Civilization has had an anarchy system for a while now, and if a city's culture is too low then it can be consumed by another player, but these systems are quite basic. Civilization 7 should feature tough choices that only get harder the greater the city's population is, making players think twice about expanding too fast.