"Civ 7's 1.1.1 Update Aims to Boost Competitiveness on Steam"

Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization 7, has announced a significant update, version 1.1.1, aimed at enhancing the gameplay experience of the recently released strategy game. This update comes at a time when Civilization 7 is seeing lower player counts on Steam compared to its predecessors, Civilization 6 and even the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

On Steam, Civilization 7 has reached a 24-hour peak of 16,921 concurrent players, a number that falls short of making it into the platform's top 100 most-played games. In contrast, Civilization 5, which was released in 2010, achieved a 24-hour peak of 17,423 players, while Civilization 6, released in 2016, significantly outperformed with a peak of 40,676 players. This indicates a preference among fans to continue playing the older titles.

In a detailed post on Steam, Firaxis outlined the "additions and refinements" that players can expect with Update 1.1.1. These include:

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

In an accompanying video, lead designer Ed Beach provided an in-depth look at these changes, with full patch notes expected soon.

Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes:

The Quick Move feature is now an optional setting that players can toggle on in the game's menu. This function allows units to move to their destination immediately, facilitating a faster gameplay experience.

A new start position option related to map generation has been introduced. For single-player games, the default setting is now Standard, which provides a gameplay experience reminiscent of Civilization 6, with more varied and less predictable continents. Multiplayer games will continue to use the Balanced setting to ensure a level playing field on more consistent maps.

Players can now rename settlements and commanders, adding a personal touch to their civilizations. Additionally, a restart feature allows players to regenerate the map with new seeds while retaining their chosen leader and civilization.

The user interface has seen several improvements, including a city and town panel that remains open during purchases, new notifications for city attacks, indicators for crises, and enhanced resource tooltips. The update also brings significant pacing changes to improve the overall flow of the game.

Alongside these updates, the paid Crossroads of the World Collection introduces new civilizations Bulgaria and Nepal, along with a new leader, Simón Bolívar, available as of March 25.

Rank Every Civilization Game

Civilization 7 has sparked controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics, and it has struggled to maintain player interest on Steam. Unlike the console versions, where player numbers are not disclosed, Steam's figures show Civilization 7 with a 'mixed' user review rating and a 7/10 score 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 the game, IGN offers a comprehensive guide to achieving every Civ 7 victory, an overview of the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, and a list of the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes to avoid. Additionally, detailed explanations of all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings are available to help players navigate the game's complexities.