A couple of majorCivilization 7 updates this year have transformed the 4X game, mostly for the better, and reignited my hope for its future. Firaxis launched the hefty Test of Time update in late May with dramatic changes to how the game plays. At the end of June, it pushed a smaller update with tweaks to the happiness system and how governments work. It’s not quite reaching its full potential yet. Some elements, like diplomacy, still feel like shadows of what they’re meant to be. But for the first time in a long time, it looks like Firaxis has a strong vision forCiv 7 and a way to translate that into gameplay.