‘History is built in layers’: The design pillar that guided ‘Civilization VII’s’ biggest change 

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The idea 'where you literally build on top of a previous legacy — that's the core idea behind the Ages system,' executive producer Dennis Shirk tells Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – Every Civilization game seemingly comes with a new feature that, to say the least, is polarizing. Civilization VII is no different with its Ages system, which forces players to change a civilization as they go through the eras. Rome, in the future, might become the US. 

It was certainly something that Civ players needed time to wrap their heads around. 

Dennis Shirk, executive producer at Firaxis Games, in an email interview, told Rappler that the Ages system was built around a “design pillar called ‘history is built in layers.’”

Shirk said it was something that was inspired by game director Ed Beach’s trip to London. There, Beach saw some original Roman architecture that “literally forms a foundational layer underneath the city.” 

Imagine Ancient Rome itself laying down the foundation for what would be a national consciousness that is Italy, or the Ottoman empire crumbling to eventually become Turkey. Ancient cities literally crumble, taking a sense of national identity with it, before a new society rises. Naturally, there are always ruins and remnants — a reminder of the past, but also something to build on. 

That’s what Shirk explains, relating to Beach’s trip. “Because London is so well documented, we were able to find maps that showed how as time progressed, different nations and rulers would build new buildings on top of old ones, see how previous historical buildings persisted as time went on, and so forth. This idea of having an initial layer, then adding new layers in the form of technologies and cultures and events of the past, where you literally build on top of a previous legacy — that’s the core idea behind the Ages system, which is what we have in Civilization VII today.”

There was also a practical reason for the new system. 4X games are known for their early-game excitement. You have an unknown world map to explore, and you don’t know the civs or unique resources that surround you. But as the game goes along, it can become a game of micromanagement. 

(“The first couple of turns are magic, where you explore a map and settle where you want,” Shirk says.) 

The new system is, in a way, meant to consolidate all that you have accrued in one era, the essence of that past civilization, which you then transfer to the newer civ. It almost becomes a series of episodes for your playthrough, each with a beginning and a climax, rather than the traditional early game, the long middle, and the late game phases. 

“We don’t develop new Civ games thinking of their sequel – we pour everything into the upcoming title,” Shirk says. 

In a separate interview, Filipina senior narrative designer Nell Raban, explained that the “civ-switching” enabled some new, and “some really powerful storytelling” as well.

“It’s allowed the narrative team to do a lot of things that wouldn’t be possible if the game had you play the same civ all the way through. With the game broken up into multiple discrete age-specific civs, we can build the narrative of the game layer by layer, creating a historical record that is completely unique to each playthrough.

Someone in your Roman empire in Antiquity creates a curse tablet, but then in the Modern Age one of your archaeologists finds the same tablet, and now it’s an artifact. Even if at that point you’re Siam or Buganda, there is still something of Rome embedded in your DNA. That kind of modularity can enable some really powerful storytelling.” 

It’s certainly a sea-change that has forced players to reimagine their perspective on how civilizations rise and fall, and old empires crumble to make space, and allow people to create a hopefully better one in the future.

Raban adds, “There is still a throughline for the whole game in that your leader is the same throughout the ages. But even then, the narrative system allows us to explore how your leader adapts to each age. Is your José Rizal the same leader in the Exploration Age that he was in Antiquity? That’s up to you to decide.” – Rappler.com