Civilization 7 player discovers perfect canal start and disappoints the entire community

Civilization 7 introduced navigable rivers for the first time in the series, allowing ships and units to travel deep into continents along major waterways. This new feature opened strategic possibilities, but players currently face a problem – such rivers are scarce and rarely reach significant length.

A player known as SazulPachacutie shared a truly unique start in Civilization 7. His Founder appeared in the center of a continent, allowing him to position first city precisely between two navigable rivers that completely bisect the landmass and stretch from one coast to the other. Such a position should theoretically allow ships and units to quickly move between opposite sides of the continent, but reality delivered a major disappointment to the canal-loving community.

The player published map parameters for anyone wanting to replicate the discovery:

• 6 Players

• Map Type: Continents and Islands

• Size: Small

• Map Seed: 1195144184

• Game Seed: 1195144125

• Version: 1.3.0

All other settings remained default. SazulPachacutie noted using numerous mods, but none affect spawn generation, making the result reproducible.

Another player, TongsOfDestiny, tried the seed and informed the community of a crushing disappointment – the city doesn't function as a true Panama Canal. Ships cannot pass through a settlement located between two rivers, even when both tiles are flat. The player experimented with different city placements but couldn't bypass the restriction. Naval districts can be built on both rivers to produce units from each side, but the inability to use the city as a connection represents a significant oversight by Firaxis.

Overall, the topic of long navigable rivers became central to the discussion. One fan expressed a desire to see massive waterways like the Mississippi in the game – rivers crossing half a continent with branches into lakes. Many agreed this would significantly enhance naval gameplay. However, another fan explained why developers might have limited river length – too many navigable waterways would make some civilizations overpowered and complicate warfare due to the need for troop landings.

Meanwhile, modder dashingsauce reported working on a map generator mod with more control. The mod will include physically accurate simulation with tectonic plates for mountain generation, rain shadow effects behind mountain ranges, and global wind patterns. The developer plans to release the first version soon and is even considering using AI to generate custom plugins for specific player requests – such as creating fjords or isthmuses.