The next Civilization 7 update tackles "analysis paralysis" with menu reworks

The next big Civilization 7 update is set to make some key changes to improve your decision-making potential. The latest outing for Firaxis has been struggling under the weight of expectation, with a mixed reception to its ages system and a range of other complaints about the menus and UI. The developer has been hard at work correcting and improving in response to community feedback, however, and its newest overhaul focuses on some of the most important moments in a campaign. In a new developer blog, Civ 7 lead producer Tom Shaw talks through the changes in the works for patch 1.2.5.

Shaw mentions three key decision points that are paramount to any Civilization 7 playthrough: "What should I build? Where do I place constructibles? Should I go for an improvement or a specialist?" Having enough information at your fingertips to make educated choices is what makes the best 4X games tick, and Shaw admits that Civ 7 has fallen short in this regard. As a result, he says "it can be all too easy to fall into states of analysis paralysis or, even worse, indifference."

"Our goal is for you to always feel informed and empowered in these moments," Shaw continues, "and we recognize there's plenty of room for improvement in reaching that." First on the cards is the settlement production menu, which currently isn't presenting yield data well, meaning it's "acting as a recommender without actually being one." This encourages players to simply pick the biggest number, when there are many more factors at play that can modify the output of your tiles.

With the new update, the menu now displays base yields along with potential bonuses, including the number of existing improvements that will benefit from a given warehouse effect, and the most adjacencies the building in question currently has available in the settlement. "We've erred on the side of a simple, clear calculation that we believe serves the widest audience," Shaw notes, "but we'd love to hear your thoughts on this or other changes we've made."

Speaking of those others, Firaxis has also overhauled the tooltips for buildings, improvements, and wonders "to improve clarity and readability," ensuring important information doesn't get lost in the shuffle. You can see a before-and-after comparison below, and personally I'm already a big fan of the bulleted lists and the tags along the top that make it easy to track exactly what the object you're inspecting does.

"Another opportunity we identified is the inconsistent visibility of yield losses, such as those caused by maintenance or overbuilding," Shaw remarks. To fix this, you'll now clearly see yield losses in all suitable contexts. As these menu changes are fairly substantial, you're able to return to the old-style formatting via the settings menu if you prefer it to this new offering, although it'll still include the negative yields.

Next is a rework to the screen you see when choosing to place a building. This has always been one of my favorite 'moments' in games like Civilization, hovering over each hex in turn to weigh the balance of the potential payouts. Shaw agrees: "If you're the kind of player who loves optimizing every one of these choices, this can be incredibly satisfying. What's less satisfying? Doing all that math with minimal help from the UI. So, we've made some improvements."

You'll now be shown more clear yield indicators, and green numbers will appear on the tiles that have the highest net or primary yields. The left panel will dynamically change as you hover over valid hexes, and there are arrows that display exactly where your adjacency bonuses are coming from. If you want to know more, there's the option to toggle on an expanded, itemized before-and-after comparison, as seen below.

"We still won't tell you exactly where to place your building," Shaw says. "That decision, and all the clever planning behind it, remains yours. But with these UI enhancements, we hope it feels less like guesswork and more like what it should be: a strategic, informed choice that plays to your strengths."

The last item on today's list is growth events. What's better for your current situation, improvements or specialists? Of course, the answer hinges on many things, "so we've upgraded how that decision is presented to help you make more informed choices without needing to guess." On a basic level, this overhaul resembles that of the new building placement screen discussed above, including the detailed before-and-after toggle.

Firaxis has more clearly laid out the respective benefits of improvements and specialists, and once you dig in further you'll get better breakdowns of adjacency bonuses, maintenance costs, and tile types. For specialists in particular, urban tiles will now more explicitly present their current and maximum capacity, "making it easier to see where you're under-utilized or already full."

Shaw says that all of the changes described here will be "coming soon with update 1.2.5," although there's no exact date given yet. "But we're still not done. There's more to do in this space to push these experiences even further. In addition to continued iteration here, the team is hard at work improving the presentation and usability of the settlement banners, overbuilding experience, and a whole-new commerce hub."

Ready to start a new campaign? We've got a rundown of the Civilization 7 leaders and what each has to offer. If you're tempted to get started for the first time, here are our recommended Civilization 7 settings to optimize your performance and framerate.

Are these adjustments a step in the right direction, and is it enough to get you back on board? Come by the PCGamesN community Discord server and let us know how you're feeling about Civ 7, or tell us what other 4X favorites have your attention.