Of the many major (and minor) changes coming with Civilization 7 when it releases next year, one interesting feature that will impact early civilization development is the addition of Discoveries. Discoveries are essentially the Civ 7 version of "goody huts" from Civilization 6 and previous games in the series, but they've been dramatically improved and will have a much bigger impact on gameplay strategies during the Antiquity age.

Discoveries are a subset of the new "Emergent Narrative" system that drives Civilization 7, which promises to focus on how choices shape an overall story. These new goody huts offer players a better sense of impact on the world as they discover things in Civilization 7's Antiquity Age and serve as part of that shift toward a more narrative-centered historical strategy game, one that integrates choices and narrative more meaningfully. Discoveries will have a big impact on early exploration in Civ 7, and they should ultimately make the game's choices matter more.

How Discoveries In Civ 7 Improve On Civ 6's Goody Huts

Out With Tribal Villages, In With Discoveries

Fans of the Civilization franchise should be familiar with various iterations of goody huts from across the years. In Civilization 6, these come in the form of relatively simple Tribal Villages that civilizations can encounter as they explore the map and reveal new terrain. Entering the village with a unit awards a civilization with one of seven bonuses (i.e., gold, faith, etc.). A limited number of these will spawn on the map, and only the first civilization to find them will reap the rewards. Tribal villages in Civilization 6 are a functional bonus that incentivize early exploration, but little more.

Discoveries, highlighted in an official Sid Meier's Civilization livestream on YouTube and a recent Dev Diary on the 2K website, provide a new angle. While the purpose of Discoveries (Civilization 7's version of goody huts) is still to encourage Antiquity Age exploration, it does so with narrative in mind. When players send a scout to explore early on, the scout will be able to search for Discoveries.

Traversing a Discovery tile will trigger a narrative prompt that gives players a choice of two different rewards, each influencing a narrative aspect of their civilization in different ways. This is a major Civilization 7 improvement over Civilization 6's take on goody huts, adding a reason and meaning behind the specific rewards that don't appear as random.

Why Choices Will Matter More Because Of Discoveries In The Antiquity Age

Influence Early Game Boosts With Discoveries

The intention behind Discoveries is to make exploration more meaningful and seamless, enhancing and complementing strategy as opposed to feeling like an afterthought. Discoveries give players a choice between rewards that are tied to a specific narrative, such as the "Itinerant Mystic" Discovery, which offers up two options: take the mystic's product or listen to his lesson, with unique rewards for each decision. These choices provide "some influence over [players'] early game boosts," and they add to the early experience of exploration and discovery, though it's unclear how much these specific narrative choices will impact future narrative elements.

The evolution of "goody huts" in the Civilization franchise has resulted in Civilization 7's Discoveries, and it's a positive sign to see a greater focus on integrating strategy and narrative more meaningfully in Civilization 7, as shown with the decision to give players a choice between rewards. These choices translate to a more immersive experience while also incentivizing players to explore and expand their civilizations during the Antiquity Age and beyond. Discoveries in Civilization 7 are an indication that the team behind the game has the larger picture in mind.

Source: Sid Meier's Civilization/YouTube, 2K