"Civ 7's 1.1.1 Update Struggles Against Civ 6 and 5 on Steam"

Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization 7, has recently announced the crucial Update 1.1.1, which arrives at a time when the latest installment of the popular strategy game series is struggling to attract players on Steam. Despite its recent release, Civilization 7's 24-hour peak player count stands at 16,921, falling short of making it into Steam's top 100 most-played games. This number is even lower than the player counts for Civilization 5, released in 2010, which saw a 24-hour peak of 17,423 players, and Civilization 6 from 2016, which boasts a significantly higher 24-hour peak of 40,676 players. It's evident that a large portion of the Civilization fanbase is still loyal to the older games in the series.

In a detailed post on Steam, Firaxis outlined the "additions and refinements" coming with Update 1.1.1, which 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 walkthrough of these changes and pointed to the full patch notes, which are set to be released soon.

Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes:

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

A significant update to map generation includes a new start position option. For single-player games, the default setting has been changed to 'Standard,' which offers a more varied and less predictable continental layout, reminiscent of Civilization 6. Multiplayer games, however, will retain the 'Balanced' setting to ensure fairness and consistency in map generation.

Players can now rename their settlements and commanders, adding a personal touch to their gameplay. Additionally, a new feature allows players to restart the game with a single click to achieve the perfect first settlement. This option recreates the map with new seeds while retaining the player's chosen leader and civilization.

The UI has seen several improvements, including a city and town panel that remains open during purchases, new notifications for cities under attack, indicators for crises, and enhanced resource tooltips. The update also introduces significant pacing changes to enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Alongside the update, the paid Crossroads of the World Collection is set to launch on March 25, introducing new civilizations Bulgaria and Nepal, along with the new leader Simón Bolívar.

Reactions to Civilization 7

Civilization 7 has sparked controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics and has faced challenges on Steam. The game currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating on the platform and received a 7/10 score from IGN. 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 warm up to the game as they spend more time with it. He described Civilization 7's early performance as "very encouraging."

For players looking to master Civilization 7, IGN offers a comprehensive guide to achieving every Civ 7 victory, a detailed breakdown of the biggest changes from Civ 6, and a list of the 14 crucial mistakes to avoid. Additionally, there are resources available on all Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings to help players understand what they're up against.