Civilization 7's Auto-Explore: A Blessing or a Curse? (Probably Both, Let's Be Honest)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Civilization 7 is getting an auto-explore feature for scouts, which, like all auto-explore features, will probably be both incredibly useful and infuriatingly stupid. Here's hoping Firaxis has managed to make it more 'useful' than 'stupid'.
Right, so Rock Paper Shotgun (cheers, mates!) dropped a bit of news about the upcoming Civilization 7 update, and it's got me thinking – mainly about how much I simultaneously adore and despise auto-explore functions. I know, I know, riveting stuff, eh?
According to the original report (big ups to Edwin Evans-Thirlwell at Rock Paper Shotgun), Firaxis is tweaking a fair few things in Civ 7, which, let’s be honest, needed a bit of a kick in the pants after its less-than-stellar launch. We're talking age transition reworks – hopefully making them a bit less jarring – and a new commander, Trưng Nhị, joining her sister Trưng Trắc from Vietnam. But the real head-turner? The return of auto-explore for scouts.
Now, on paper, auto-explore is brilliant. Massive maps, fog of war thicker than pea soup – who *wants* to manually scout everything? It's the digital equivalent of yelling 'I volunteer as tribute!' for tedious tasks. I'm all for letting the AI do the legwork (or, you know, wheelwork, if we're talking mechanized units. Which we're not, but just sayin').
But here's the rub. Auto-explore is often about as smart as a bag of hammers. You tell it to scout, and it promptly heads directly into the most obvious bandit camp, or spends three turns wandering a featureless desert while ignoring the lush, resource-rich valley five tiles away. Bloody hell, it's like giving a toddler a map and expecting them to find the nearest ice cream shop. Possible, but not probable (and likely to result in sticky fingers and tears).
And then you're micromanaging the bloody auto-explorer, second-guessing its every move, screaming internally, 'No! Not *that* way, you absolute doughnut!' So much for saving time and attention, eh? It’s a vicious cycle, like trying to herd cats with a laser pointer.
The good news is that Firaxis seems aware of the pitfalls. Apparently, the Civ 7 version of auto-explore will “[prioritize] tile reveals while automatically stopping in range of Discoveries and enemy zones of control”. Which sounds promising, although I'll believe it when I see it. I reckon they've spent ages trying to figure out how to anticipate what players actually *want* – which, let's face it, is probably an impossible task.
The update also includes a 10-turn countdown before age transitions (giving you a chance to actually finish your objectives!), and tweaks to unit positions and leadership relationships. All good stuff.
Look, Civ 7 had a rough start, to put it mildly. But Firaxis seems determined to iron out the kinks and make it the 4X behemoth it’s meant to be. Whether auto-explore will be a help or a hindrance remains to be seen. But I'm cautiously optimistic. After all, even the most disastrous magical experiments can sometimes lead to unexpected discoveries.
Tags: Civilization 7, 4X Strategy, Auto-Explore, Gaming Updates, Firaxis
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun