Finally, the iconic Civ tech tree is now effectively doubled by the inclusion of a “civics” tree. The “worker” unit had been around since the first Civ – and always a source of tedium in the late-game – but is now gone, with roads built automatically as you direct traders between cities, and other improvements completed by “builders” who disappear after a finite number of uses. Also all-new is the way you’ll build a road network and deploy workers to cultivate the local landscape. You’ll have to take account of terrain and think hundreds of years ahead to the ways you want your cities to develop. Instead of building in the city centre (whether your barracks, market, library, temple, colosseum – the list is long), “districts” are now placed on the surrounding tiles. Most notably, the way cities are built and developed demands a layer of strategy previously absent.
