jdreyer wrote on Feb 15, 2019, 02:00:

Flatline wrote on Feb 14, 2019, 11:46:
My main problem with Civ expansions is that so many of them add late game stuff, and like, that's maybe 10% of a normal game.

Also, I think I'm finally done with Civ. Civ 6 was pretty boring to me.

My main problem with Civ expansions is that so many of them add core mechanics that should have been in the initial release.

I'm not saying you are wrong to feel that way, but given that despite being very profitable there are very few decent clones of CIV, I'm guessing what you feel entitled to is actually very difficult to do in a core release and put off for that reason as opposed to greedy developer decisions. Keeping the scope tight probably helps get them out the door more than once a decade. Also trade and espionage are almost always garbage when they finally do add them.

CIV is complex. And very easy to do wrong. Numbered entries cannot be justified with new graphics alone, they change stuff to see if it helps freshen up the formula or solve longstanding issues with the design.

That said Alpha Centauri seemed to have every system including a deformabale world with climate change, a unit designer, narrative and all sorts of other shit even before the expansion. Maybe they really just don't make them like they used to.

But you know who is really fucked? Paradox. How the fuck do they make a Crusader Kings 3 without spending 15 years refactoring all the CK2 content into it before release?