Developers ofCivilization 7have released a recent Dev Diary detailing the new Emergent Narratives system that will be at the heart of the next installment in the epic strategy franchise. The system focuses on integrating narrative events seamlessly into multipleaspects ofCiv 7’s gameplay, either by enhancing story elements where they existed in previous games or by adding them where they never before existed. The narrative events at the heart of this Emergent Narrative system will give players a greater sense of influence across the three differentnew Ages being introduced byCiv 7, giving players' choices more impact on their civilization’s story.
This new story- and narrative-based approach to4X strategy gameswill likely not feel like a major departure from gameplay inCiv 6,but it will be noticeable as players make choices through the Ages. Choices that players make, even on a granular level with narrative options in Discoveries (the new “goody huts”), will reflect the values and priorities of their civilization and will shape the larger narrative that players create while they grow their civilizations. These narrative aspects are ubiquitous inCiv 7and will be apparent throughout each Age. Here’s a look at how the Emergent Narrative system will work inCivilization 7.
What Emergent Narratives Are In Civ 7
History Built In Layers
The new Emergent Narratives are essentially a reimagined approach to the classicCivexperience that incorporates storytelling into every element of gameplay, from minor narrative decisions that can be made through Discoveries up to larger Narrative Events that have substantial impact on the end result of the game.This system is meant to create stories that"emerge from choices[players] make and the results of those decisions,“according to 2K’sCivilizationwebsite. Despiteconcerns fromCivplayersabout all the new changes coming inCiv 7,this storytelling-focused approach toCiv 7will hopefully result in unique, player-crafted narratives for each playthrough.
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The core philosophy behind this new system is “History Built in Layers,” meaning developers ofCiv 7want to emulate the historical “layering” that occurs in the real world as civilizations progress and evolve. Instead of being stuck with a conventional, linear historical narrative for a single civilization, players will create an original and unique one that allows choices to build upon those that players made in previous Ages.Emergent Narratives are a way for players to feel like their choices matternot only in gameplay, but in telling a larger story about their civilization.
The Narrative Event System And How It Works
Emergent Narratives Use Narrative Events To Tell Unique Stories
The new Emergent Narrative system"tracks major moments in your game – like battles, technological advancements, and big achievements – and responds with events tailored to your playthrough.” This means thatCiv 7will incorporate narrative events that are triggered based on a player’s decisions made throughout the game.Requirements for different events vary depending on leader selection, different civilization choices, or specific gameplay moments like decisions made for Discoveries. Narrative events tied to individual leaders will reflect historically rich stories from their lives, “such as Augustus' urbanization ambitions or Benjamin Franklin’s fire brigade.”
More importantly, this system allows narrative development across Ages, allowing players' decisions from early in the game to have a greater sense of influence and impact on their civilization’s overall story. Practically,this should result in civilizations engaging in redemption arcs, or alternatively, a major fall from grace compared to decisions made during the Antiquity Age. Adding multiple layers of narrative development is the aim of the Emergent Narrative system, and narrative events themselves. A small decision made in a Discovery in the early game, for example, will build toward triggering a narrative event that offers unique rewards.
Narrative Events And What They Mean For Gameplay
Narrative Events Offer A Sense Of Historical Immersion
The Emergent Narrative system is designed with"historical immersion"in mind, and developers are enthusiastic about how narrative events will revolutionizeCivgameplay. Players will experience and create a cumulative story as they progress through the Ages, one that takes into account the many decisions that players make.Certain narrative events will be much rarer or difficult to trigger, but these also offer rewards that are"commensurate with the difficulty or rarity of the triggers.“Players will only experience “a subset of these narrative events in a single campaign, which helps make every new playthrough feel unique.”
Tying narrative events to dynamic types of rewards will incentivize certain choices over others, depending on the individual person’s strategic approach.
As part of the larger narrative-focused system, narrative events have the potential to alter players' approach to the game as a whole and will have them rethinking their motivations for each decision. Considering how each choice impacts future possibilities willdramatically shift how players strategize, explore, build, and develop. Tying narrative events to dynamic types of rewards will incentivize certain choices over others, depending on the individual person’s strategic approach. Players will also see narrative events that involve “callbacks” to choices from previous Ages,“referencing events that happened thousands of (in-game) years ago.”
Types Of Narrative Events And What They Mean For Player Strategy
Narrative Events Range From Discoveries To Systemic Events
There are many different versions of what a narrative event may look like inCiv 7,but developers have broken them down into three broad categories: Historical Events, What-If Scenarios, and Unique Gameplay Moments. These cover the vast range of events that players will experience throughout the Ages, andwill tie directly into long-term strategizing as the civilization evolves. There are also specific types of events tied toCiv 7’sversion of “goody huts,” referred to as Discoveries, and Systemic Events that are “recurring gameplay moments, like Crises or gifts from Independent Powers” – both carry strategic implications as well.
Types Of Narrative Events In Civ 7
Historical Events
“These highlight moments large and small from history that align with your gameplay. You might see ancient medicinal discoveries, daring prisoner escapes, chariot riots, artistic feuds, and enormous Mongolian armies.”
What-If Scenarios
“These explore ‘what if’ questions unique to the sandbox nature of a Civ game. For instance, what could have happened if Ashoka had not been overcome with remorse at the destruction he caused, and instead doubled down on a path of violence? Or if Xerxes had not been defeated and had successfully completed his invasion of Greece?”
Unique Gameplay Moments
“These reflect choices you’ve directly made in your game, showing the on-the-ground impact of your actions during each Age. Achieving a Golden Age with certain Traditions active, choosing your Religion’s beliefs, or suffering damage from wars or weather events can all bring up narrative events.”
Discoveries
“Discoveries are a subset of narrative events that only occur on the map, and replace goody huts from previous games. Instead of a small phrase and a standard reward, you’ll have a short snippet of text giving you a bit of flavor as to why you’re getting these rewards. Unlike goody huts, Discoveries now have a choice between their bonuses, allowing you to have some influence over your early game boosts.”
Systemic Events
“Systemic events are recurring gameplay moments, like Crises or gifts from Independent Powers, and they use the Emergent Narrative system to add context and personality to game mechanics.”
The Emergent Narrative system was developed with historical immersion through narrative events as the key component. These different narrative events will be noticeable in all aspects of gameplay, and will drive players to make specific choices that result in unique playthroughs. While it’s unclear how satisfying this new system and philosophical approach toCivwill be for fans of the franchise, it’s obvious that dynamic and immersive story-telling was incredibly important in the development of the game. Fans will be eager to see what unique stories they can build for themselves whenCivilization 7releases in February.
