I’m convinced now that not even Firaxis (this being the studio’s second attempt) can correct the mistake of using happiness as the only growth limiter. None of the other additions - not the new civilizations you can play nor the ideologies sandwiched into the revamped social policy system nor the archeological digs you can uncover - do anything to fix this fundamental flaw in the design. And with that, trade routes make it easier you to rather conveniently avoid the only growth limiter in the game: a negative civilization-wide happiness rating. By making it easier to earn gold, Firaxis has made buying the allegiance of city-states easier, which bestow all kinds of bonuses - most important of which are food and happiness. Sometimes, you’ll also earn science or religious influence, depending on where you’re sending your caravans or cargo ships. The new trade routes allow you to gather easy gold. Just as I wrote then, the heart of Civ V makes for a terribly uninteresting strategy game, and the new additions, once again, at best don’t address the problem at all and at worst exasperate the issue. It’s telling that I wrote the above subhead before going back to look at my review of the last expansion, Gods and Kings, which has a nearly identical introduction to that game’s “What You Won’t Like” section. (What the … ?) But the World Congress at least adds some extra flavor to these otherwise vanilla interactions. Guess who held a grudge against me for that? Yes, the Zulu. I lied, saying they were just passing through because I didn’t want to jump-start the fight without the Zulu. After amassing my forces at the Egyptian border, Ramesses II asked what my armies were doing. In one game, I made a promise to the Zulu to join their war plans against Egypt in 10 turns. You can also try to sway your rivals to vote your way through traditional negotiation before the ballots are cast.ĭiplomacy is still a little wonky. Your proposal and voting decisions can have long-term effects on your relationships with other civilizations. The Congress plays well into diplomacy, too, where other leaders have their own preferences.

Civilization new world