Civilization VI shakes up the series formula with a few key changes, such as Unstacking Cities and the switch from Workers to Builders. Another key change we want to talk about is Active Progression.
What is Active Progression?
“Active Progression gives Civilization players the ability to speed up their progress through the game by completing activities in the game world,” says Ed Beach, lead designer on Civilization VI. “It’s the idea that having your units and cities achieve successes helps your civ unlock technological secrets and build a strong society.”
Active Progression had its genesis when the Civilization VI team tried to look at the series’ Technology Tree, which hasn’t evolved much throughout the years, with fresh eyes. “Our biggest complaint with the old model was that the tech tree was divorced from the action in the game world; we always wanted a closer tie. Shouldn’t it matter whether or not you have boats if you are trying to understand Sailing or Navigation?”
It does matter, and it makes sense from a practical standpoint: If you build a city on the coast, naturally your people should have a greater affinity towards sailing and have access to that technology much sooner than a civilization whose initial cities were all land-locked.
Active Progression also presents players with more consistent, thought-engaging action throughout the entire span of the game. “We just had a playtest last night where one of our new Civilization VI testers commented that the Active Progression system kept him thinking every single turn of the game,” Beach happily shares. “He was faced with so many possible unlocks he could trigger that he never was skipping through turns waiting for something to happen. As an experienced player of many earlier Civilization titles, he was amazed at how much more engaging the Active Progression system was.”
While the Civilization VI team finds the relevance of Active Progression remains consistent throughout the entire game experience, it really shines in the Ancient Era due to its strong impact in plotting the course of your civilization. That’s when you’re identifying potential boosts and deciding what kind of civilization you will be, making Active Progression a crucial tool necessary for success.
Finally, we should mention that Active Progression not only applies to Technologies, but also parallel the Civics tree, a second progression system that is particularly useful for unlocking Governments, Social Policies, Wonders and new diplomatic options. “What’s cool is that the Active Progression system applies equally to both trees, and there are even a number of cases where activity in one tree triggers a boost in the other,” Beach reveals. “Even if you are going for a Science/Space Race victory, progressing with culture through the Civics tree can be a very important component of your strategy.”
We can’t wait for players to discover those complex intermingled boosts in the Active Progression system when Civilization VI launches on October 21, 2016!
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