The UI inSid Meier’s Civilization 7might be the main reason it didn’t have a very promising launch. Even after Update 1.1.0 earlier this week, there’s a long road ahead, and an even longerlist of UI problems. I’m not the sort ofCivplayer to be so focused on UI or other design snafus that I can’t enjoy a campaign, but the numerous “minor” UI issues inCiv 7are like death by a thousand paper cuts. And sadly, the UI updates in 1.1.0 are a sign thatCiv 7might be prioritizing the wrong things.
Civ 7’sUI issues are bigger than fixing the thread alignments in the Tech and Research trees, though it’s nice that those line up now. There are fundamental design, formatting, style, and organization issues scattered throughout the game that are far more important than tweaking a few pixels to line things up properly. While it’s understandable that developer Firaxis will try to address the simplest fixes first, I’m nervous that there are no signs of a full redesign of things like City Details tabs or the mini-map.
Civ 7’s UI Updates Need To Save Clicks
From Unit Menus To Civic & Tech Pop-Ups, There’s A Lot To Unpack
The upcoming scheduled UI updates need to save clicks, plain and simple. That means refining or restructuring things like unit sub-menus, which hide some useful features in an extra menu without actually saving space. The City Details tab is another instance of having to click too many times to see basic information such as yield breakdowns. Similar problems occur in the menus for leaders, Government, and Diplomacy, pointing to the need for a larger menuoverhaul inCiv 7.
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Another example can be found in the Civic and Tech Quick Option menus. In almost every conceivable situation, I’m opening the full Tech or Research tree to see which option I should choose. When Firaxis makes research queuing available in April, it will serve even less of a purpose.Clicking the Tech icon should open up the full Tech tree, or there should at least be an option to disable the Quick Option menus.
It’s not just about saving clicks —Civ 7needs to make clicks matter more. When you click something, it needs to be obvious that you actually did something, and the result should take you to the most logical destination. For example,if I click a Silk resource in my Settlement, it should take me to the Resource screenand highlight where the Silk is allocated. Likewise, if I click an Independent Power’s unit, it should take me to the Independent Power in question.
Toggles & UI Features That Civ 7 Should Add
An All-Unit Panel Or Toggle Would Be Extremely Useful
One feature that would help is some sort of unit toggle or panel or at least a useful menu/list of all units. The only reallist of unitsis in the Civilization overview menu at the very bottom, for some inexplicable reason, and that’s only so we can see what they cost. If there’s only one comprehensive list of all my units, and I can’t even click on it to take me to them automatically,I’m going to lose track of units on the map. It’s a step backward fromCiv 6, which didn’t skip this basic utility.
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I’d also love to see a City/Town toggle option to scroll between Settlements. If you’ve built a massive civilization, which is relatively easy to do thanks to the reduced micromanagement that Towns require,you’re stuck dragging the map or clicking around the mini-mapto find what you’re looking for. This should be possible for other civilizations' Settlements that you’ve discovered and for Independent Powers and City-States as well.
There should also be better Lens options for the map and a dramatically improved mini-map. The mini-map needs more size options and should display more than just territory.Lenses are another missed opportunity, which could be used to highlight terrain types, etc. For context,Civ 6had ten lens options, whileCiv 7only has two, or three if you include the option to toggle of any lenses.
How Civ 7’s UI Could Feel More Finished
Menus Need A Top-To-Bottom Rework
If there’s one thing that will make Civ 7’s UI feel finished, it’s better menus. The most egregious example is the Global Yields Breakdown page, most noticeable in the Modern Age when you have a ton of Settlements.It’s not possible to collapse or even highlight rows on this page, making it an eyesore to figure out any specific yield. Even worse areCiv 7’sCivilopedia menus, which are possibly the least intuitive I’ve ever seen in aCivgame.
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Existing menus aren’t as user-friendly or helpful as they should be, and the updates to UI need to seriously consider how to reorganize these menus, not just switch up fonts or text sizes to make them fit better. IfCiv 7has any chance of becoming the best game it can be,there are bigger priorities than simple visual tweaks.While the UI updates to this point are a sign thatCiv 7is willing to admit to its shortcomings, it needs to drill down a little deeper to fix its biggest problems.
