So, Civilization 7 is still tinkering with those tricky Age transitions, huh? Basically, when you jump from one era to another in Firaxis's strategy game, it's almost like hitting the reset button. You get to pick a new Civilization that fits the time, but your troops? They might get downgraded, deleted, or just shuffled around. Plus, the game likes to rearrange resources on the map.

I get the idea – it's supposed to shake things up. And, as someone who sometimes bails on games early, I can see the point. However, it seems like a lot of long-time Civ players aren't too thrilled with it. Firaxis has been tweaking the system since the game came out, but plenty of Steam reviews still mention it as a major flaw. The latest patch introduces a new, even "harsher" approach to Age transitions. I think it's a bold move, but let's see if it actually works out for them.

If you missed it, Firaxis previously added an Age transition impact setting. This lets you choose whether the game gathers up your units during transitions (like the original design) or keeps them where they are ("continuity").

According to Ed Beach, the creative director, "Continuity Mode" lets players keep their military campaigns going without too much disruption. Personally, I don't use that setting too often. Regardless, I did enjoy it recently, he said, when I played a full campaign with Genghis Khan. Imagine Genghis Khan's quest for world domination getting constantly interrupted! It's kind of funny when you think about it.

While Beach likes the new setting, he thinks Firaxis messed up by making it the default and hiding the old "Regroup" option in the advanced settings. Now, the latest patch on Steam and the Epic Games Store makes your Age transition setting "sticky" between campaigns, along with game speed and difficulty. That way, you can't say you didn't know what setting you were in!

But even as they make things a little easier, Firaxis is working on an even "harsher" version of Regroup, which they're calling "Collapse." They haven't said exactly why it's "harsher," but "Collapse" sounds like it involves even more unit loss and chaos. Maybe it'll be like a "Dark Age" mechanic. The testing stage is early, Beach says. If it turns out to be fun and fits into the game well, they'll think about adding it in a future update.

In addition to all that, update 1.2.4 includes some bug fixes. However, to me, the biggest news is still the ongoing discussion about Age transitions. Are you still playing Civilization 7? Have your feelings about the game changed since it launched?