When Bonuses Break the Game

In a recent playthrough of Civilization 7, a player known as Drongo pushed the game to its limits by stacking numerous bonuses, resulting in unexpected errors.

“Have you tried baking bread with anti-batter?”

With the new mixing of leaders and civilizations, Drongo discovered a ridiculous level of optimization possible in the game. Despite being in a preview build, the limits were clearly tested as the game ceased to function properly due to excessive food production.

The Stacking Strategy Drongo’s strategy involved:

• Using Confucius, which grants a 25% growth rate in cities.
• The Khmer Empire’s unique ability, which retains natural yield from tiles when building.
• The Khmer Baray, which increases food in all floodplains.
• Employing civic improvements that continue growth rates in the capital.
• All towns dedicated to agricultural enhancements.

By turn 76, Drongo was generating an impressive 263.5 food per turn. However, at turn 98, the game oddly began requesting -1112 food to create new citizens, demonstrating the extreme nature of his strategy.

Conclusion It is yet to be seen if Firaxis will resolve this bug before the game’s official release on February 11. Nonetheless, this incident reveals both the potential and pitfalls of pushing game mechanics beyond their intended limits.