Sid Meier’s Civilization 7is finally on the way, and the community cannot wait to see what Firaxis delivers. The studio tries to innovate with every entry, andCivilization 7will be its chance to really shake up the series. While a lot of the victories could use some work, and some of the gameplay should be made more engaging, one of the biggest additions should be an expansion of the Future Era.
Civilizationis split up into multiple eras, with each era marking a meaningful change in technology across the world. The Future Era was introduced inCivilization 6’s Gathering Storm DLC as the final era that players progress through. It adds various new technologies that change the late game, but it does not go nearly as far as it could.Civilization 7is Firaxis' change to run wildwith the concept.
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Civilization 6’s Future Era Should Be Expanded Upon
Civilization 6’sFuture Era is a fine final era, albeit a little lacking. Before Gathering Storm was released, the final era was the Information Era. It is there that most of the late game technologies are, and mostveteranCivplayers will have almost claimed victoryby the end. The Future Era was Firaxis' attempt to give players more technologies to research and more things to work towards, but it only took the concept so far.
The Future Era introduced a couple new technologies and civics that unlocked various late game bonuses. Many of the technologies aretied toCivilization’sGiant Death Robot, and they grant it various upgrades to make it unstoppable. A couple of the technologies introduce new improvements or boosts to the Exoplanet Expedition project, and the last technology is just a repeatable research that boosts production. The civics give players various policy cards that should help in the late game, but none of them are groundbreaking.
The Future Era only introduced eight technologies and six civics for players to earn. While they can be fun to play with, the era just feels underdeveloped when compared to other eras. It is an interesting concept that was not necessarily executed well, but Firaxis couldchange all that inSid Meier’s Civilization 7.
Firaxis should use throw in even more technologies that really shake up the game, and go all in on futuristic tech. Players should be able to research things like robot armies, cybernetic implants that boost various units, giant domes that protect cities from disaster, flying vehicles that speed through the skies, and even space faring units that can rain destruction from above. It should include all sorts of futuristic concepts, and give players lots of reasons to work towards it.
The Future Era should also come with new challenges for players to overcome. Maybe players must quell a robot uprising, figure out what to do about cloning, or stop problems that arise from cybernetics. Firaxis could take it even further by introducing alien invasions, time travel, or an actual apocalypse. The Future Era should be filled with sci-fi elements that give the game a whole new aesthetic, and DLCs could expand upon that even more byintroducing concepts fromSid Meier’s Civilization Beyond Earth.
There is a lot that Firaxis could do withthe Future Era feature inCiv 7.Civ 6helped build the foundation, andCiv 7should take the concept to a whole new level. It could easily become one of the most exciting eras of the game if the studio wants it to be. If it meshes well with the currentCivaesthetic, the potential of the Future Era is virtually limitless.
