Today, I bumped into an idea while thinking about the "Evolving Civilizations" concept. There is not much time left for Civ 7 to incorporate this, and if it does, I think it's a new 4X game series instead of the Civilization franchise. Nevertheless, I would like to share it even if it's still a rough idea that might use a lot of work.

Let's hold up for the Age of Exploration, for example. When you play Portugal or Spain in the previous Civilization series, you might have thought, "This Civilization has an advantage for maritime exploration, so let the sail set." In actuality, though, this is ahistorical. During that time, monarchs from Spain or Portugal actually believed, "We won't have any chance against those damn Venetians and Muslims in the Mediterranean because they are monopolizing the trade in the region. But on the other hand, on the Atlantic... So let the sail set," not "We have traits about the sea... So let the sail set." In summary, each Civilization's distinct characteristics and traits were shaped by their surrounding environments rather than being bestowed by the god, Sid Meier, or someone else.

So, here is my idea.

The game begins in the Pre-Historic Era with a chosen Leader as "[chosen or randomized name] Tribe." You can receive a Leader Bonus but no Civ Ability or other Unique Components. And upon you do something, you can advance to the Ancient Era and acquire a Civ Ability that meets the condition.

At this stage, certain distinctions are made. You will first be given the empire name "[the name you chose] Empire." Second, at this stage, there aren't any more Unique Components, such as Unique Units or Unique Buildings. Third, you can obtain Civ Ability, not the Civilization. Furthermore, this Civ Ability does not mention the name of the Civilization; it merely provides you with a clue about it. You may select "Gift of the River" or "Law of Talion," for instance. The former indicates its Egyptian Civilization, and the latter is Babylonian. Even so, you can never be sure because there are other rivers on Earth besides the Nile, and other civilizations may have adopted the Eye for an Eye legislation for various reasons.

(Civilopedia, however, might claim it is Egyptian and Babylonian.)

You can attempt to get the remaining 2 Unique Components by following the same steps you took to earn the Civ Ability after acquiring an unclear Civ Ability. These Unique Components are made from real historical beings (such as Legion or Hul'che) but do not belong to a certain Civilization because there is no "certain Civilization" here. If you conquered at least 2 cities, you may have the Assyrian Siege Tower to conquer more. Or if you have a city with 6 Citizens, you can obtain Harrapan Reservoir to grow cities even more enormous. In the end, you can have Siege Tower and Harrapan Reservoir while enjoying the Civ Ability named "Demokratia."

Advancing into the Exploration Age and the Modern Age remains the same concept. In this way, if you want to establish a vast maritime empire, you may have Civ Ability named East India Company, command Unique Units named Conquistador, and Junk if you did something about expanding through the sea.

How do you like my idea? Does it look good enough?

Still, I must admit there are two huge problems in this. First, it's still ahistorical in nature. Having Incan Civ Ability, Korean Unique Building, and Russian Unique Tile Improvements under names such as "Rohan Empire" or "Gondor Empire" will look like an abomination. Second, maintaining the balance will be tough. An empire that took the most potent Unique Components will be unstoppable.

If you have an opinion, please don't hesitate to leave a comment. It's always a pleasure to talk about one of my favorite topics. :)))