Civilization 7 will get new maps, as Firaxis responds to Ages system controversy

Civilization 7 hasn't got off to a great start. The latest entry to the long-running strategy series seeks to reinvigorate the design of past Civ games by introducing bold new systems. The most controversial of these is Ages, which looks to both set Civ 7 apart from its past while also offering the kind of shot in the arm necessary to keep it competitive with other recent history-focused RTS games like Ara History Untold, Age of Empires 4, and Total War: Pharaoh. Unfortunately, as welcome as Ages' uniqueness may be, it hasn't landed well with large swathes of the game's audience.

Ages, in short, breaks Civilization 7 campaigns up into separate eras, soft resetting progress made as the strategy game moves from its initial Antiquity stage through to its Exploration and Modern phases. Players aren't entirely on board with this system, mostly because it makes playing through an entire game feel disjointed.

Update 1.2.2 looks to address some of these issues. It will provide changes like the addition of Large and Huge map sizes and a new set of options, including Steam Workshop support and the ability to toggle Legacy Paths on or off, customize AI difficulty and the hostility level of Independent Powers, and which crises arise in-game.

The biggest change coming to the new update, though, is a system to bypass civ unlocks. This is meant, per the update's official description, to give players the option "to pick ANY civ from the next Age during an Age transition, no matter what you've unlocked through your gameplay decisions."

The post acknowledges that players are unhappy with aspects of Ages, including the fact that "there's room for improving the player's sense of empire identity and continuity throughout a multi-Age campaign." To that end, Firaxis wants to fix this problem "over the course of several updates," with "some smaller changes in July focused on end of Age countdowns and improvements to Age Transitions" and larger updates arriving as time goes on.

Civilization 7's Update 1.2.2 is currently planned to launch next Tuesday June 17. 

While you're waiting, there are plenty of other games like Civ 7 to check out with our picks for the best 4X games and best grand strategy games on PC.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.