"Civilization 7" is a strategy game and the latest work in the Civilization series. Influence is a new type of income in Civilization VII and the main currency of the diplomacy system. Influence works similarly to gold, accumulating on a turn-by-turn basis.
How to conduct diplomacy
Influence: Diplomatic Gains
Influence is a new income type in Civilization VII and the main currency of the diplomacy system. Influence works similarly to gold, accumulating on a turn-by-turn basis. During the game, you can use your influence for various diplomatic actions. Diplomatic actions that require influence between empires mainly fall into the following four categories:
Diplomatic Effort: This is a reciprocal action between two empires. For example, you can initiate a "research cooperation" request, allowing both parties to gain technology points every turn.
Sanctions: This is a negative action against another empire. If you choose "hinder military production", you will reduce the opponent's military output (and cause a relationship debuff).
Treaties: Long-term decisions with practical value, such as treaties to "open borders" or "improve trade relations."
Espionage: High-risk, high-reward operations that can give you bonuses or negatively impact other empires, but with the risk of exposure. Getting caught while spying lowers your relationship with the target and reduces the amount of influence you gain over a period of time. For example, "stealing technology."
Each diplomatic action requires a certain amount of influence to initiate, and can be initiated by you on other leaders and vice versa. After taking diplomatic action, as long as it is not espionage, the other party will have the opportunity to respond. There are three types of responses:
Support: Supporting an action will result in its successful execution, benefiting both parties. Supporting an action requires a certain amount of influence.
Accept: Accepting an action will cause it to execute successfully and give the leader who initiated the action more benefits. Accepting an action does not require influence.
Deny: Denying an action prevents it from being carried out, but costs an amount of influence based on the type of action you deny. Influence spent by the leader who initiated the action is refunded.
Influence can also be used to interact with independent factions. You can befriend these forces on the map, gradually deepen your relationship with them, and eventually transform them into a city-state with you as the suzerain. But other leaders can also use their influence to win over these forces, and may become the suzerain before you, causing you to miss out on powerful bonuses!
When an independent force becomes a city-state, you will have more diplomatic options. You can use your influence to promote border expansion and military buildup to exert regional pressure on your neighbors. You can also permanently requisition their units, or even take over entire city-states as settlements in your empire. If you want to play some dirty tricks, you can also incite independent forces to raid your opponents!
The way to obtain influence in "Civilization VII" is similar to other benefits, and can be obtained through buildings, social policies, attributes, leaders, civilization abilities, wonders, etc. Some story events reward influence, and specific actions in the game world may also lead to unexpected influence gains. Triggering certain events, such as building a city too close to another player's capital, can result in relationship debuffs and give your opponent extra leverage that can be used against you.
There are also factors that reduce influence gains. Some negative actions on the world stage, such as conquering or destroying settlements, negatively impact the amount of influence you gain each turn, which adds a new strategic dimension to the game.
