**The Peace Symbol Confucius Wreaks Havoc in Civ 7**
Oh, Confucius, what have you done?! The individual emblematic of tranquility, wisdom, and equilibrium has somehow caused turmoil in *Civilization 7*. Indeed, you read it correctly—Confucius, the peace ideal, has dramatically disrupted the game. And this is not some strange alternate reality; it’s an actual occurrence in-game that has left fans both bewildered and entertained.
So how did this come to be? How did the calm sage from ancient China transform into the unexpected source of chaos in one of the most cherished strategy games ever? Let’s explore this unforeseen debacle.
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### **Civ 7’s Innovative Feature: Leader-Civilization Combinations**
*Civilization 7* rolls out a revolutionary new feature: the capability to blend leaders, civilizations, and wonders, along with their distinct bonuses. This element empowers players to try out infinite combinations, generating synergies that can lead to groundbreaking strategies—or, as demonstrated, game-altering exploits.
One notable experiment was executed by professional gamer Drongo, who showcased the possibilities (and drawbacks) of this new system on his YouTube channel, *One More Turn*, sponsored by publisher 2K. In his most recent video, Drongo pairs Confucius with the Khmer civilization, and the aftermath is nothing less than disastrous.
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### **The Confucius-Khmer Pairing: A Recipe for Calamity**
Drongo’s tactic focuses on leveraging the growth and food production enhancements of both Confucius and the Khmer civilization. Here’s a summary of the pivotal components that led to the game-altering predicament:
1. **Confucius’s Growth Enhancement**: As a leader, Confucius provides a +25% growth rate in all cities, making him a force for population growth.
2. **Khmer’s Distinct Abilities**:
– Khmer districts maintain the natural yield of tiles, permitting cities to enlarge without sacrificing food production.
– The Khmer Baray Improvement amplifies food output in districts next to rivers.
– The Khmer Chakravarti Civic further boosts growth rates in the capital.
3. **Bonus Stacking**: Drongo selects additional leader traits for Confucius that enhance growth and food production while specializing all cities in agriculture.
By round 76, Drongo’s empire generates an impressive 263.5 food per turn. However, by round 98, the game’s logic begins to falter.
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### **The Emergence of “Anti-Food”**
As Drongo’s empire expands, the game’s mechanics reach a breaking point. The food requirements for new population growth soar to ludicrous heights, culminating in a bizarre glitch: the game starts demanding *negative food*—a phenomenon referred to as “anti-food.”
For instance, instead of requiring 1,112 food for a new citizen, the game computes a negative figure, effectively nullifying all progress. This glitch makes further growth unfeasible and disrupts the fundamental mechanics of the game.
Dieticians might joke about “anti-food” being the ultimate weight-loss secret, but for Civ fans, it’s an unmistakable indication that something has gone drastically awry.
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### **Community Reactions: Humor and Hopefulness**
You might expect players to be furious over such an obvious bug, but the response has been notably favorable. Many players view this as a testament to the complexity and depth of *Civilization 7*, as well as a chance to pinpoint and rectify issues ahead of the official launch.
Here’s what some players shared:
– **User gunnergoz**:
*“In a way, I’m pleased when players disrupt a game before release because it signifies they’ve played it thoroughly, identified something amiss, and relayed their findings to the production team. Kudos!”*
– **User xlr20ice**:
*“These combinations truly highlight the strength of separating leader from civilization. There are so many various avenues with the leaders, cultures, governments, etc.”*
The general sentiment within the community is that this bug, while amusing, is a normal aspect of the development process. Given that the video was made with the consent of publisher 2K, it’s likely that developer Firaxis is already aware of the issue and addressing it.
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### **What Lies Ahead for Confucius?**
Although Confucius’s unanticipated plunge into chaos has been entertaining, it’s evident that some modifications are required prior to the game’s official debut. Whether it’s refining the growth mechanics, capping bonuses, or implementing new balancing strategies, Firaxis will need to guarantee that no single leader-civilization pairing can disrupt the game.
As for Confucius, we hope he can reclaim his rightful position.