Civ 7's 1.1.1 Update Aims to Boost Competitiveness Against Civ 6 and 5 on Steam

Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization 7, has announced the significant update 1.1.1 for the recently released strategy game. This update arrives at a time when Civilization 7 is struggling to attract players on Steam, with a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 16,921, which falls short of making it into Steam's top 100 most-played games. In comparison, the older Civilization 5, released in 2010, boasts a higher 24-hour peak of 17,423 players, while Civilization 6, launched in 2016, significantly outperforms both with a peak of 40,676 players. It appears that many fans of the series are sticking with the previous installment, Civilization 6.

In a detailed post on Steam, Firaxis outlined the upcoming "additions and refinements" in Update 1.1.1, which include:

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

Lead designer Ed Beach provided an in-depth video walkthrough of 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 can be toggled in the game’s menu, allowing units to move to their destination immediately, thereby speeding up gameplay.

A new start position option related to map generation has been introduced. The default setting for single-player games is now Standard, which offers more varied and less predictable continents, reminiscent of Civilization 6. For multiplayer games, the Balanced setting remains to ensure players start on a level playing field with consistent maps.

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

User interface improvements include 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 changes to the game's pacing.

Alongside the update, a new civilization, Bulgaria, is being introduced, joining Nepal and the new leader Simón Bolívar as part of the paid Crossroads of the World Collection, available from March 25.

Rank every Civilization Game

Civilization 7 has sparked controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics and has struggled to maintain player numbers on Steam. Console player counts remain undisclosed. The game currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating on Valve's platform and received a 7/10 from IGN's review.

In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback but expressed optimism about the game's future, stating that the "legacy Civ audience" would warm up to it over time. He described Civilization 7's early performance as "very encouraging." There's also mention of potential future updates for the iconic leader Gandhi.

For those looking to master Civilization 7, IGN offers guides on achieving every victory type, understanding the major changes from Civilization 6, avoiding common mistakes, and exploring different map types and difficulty settings.