Even the victory conditions borrow liberally from stories like Contact, requiring that you first tune into an alien signal with the help of a Deep Space Telescope, then build a massive beacon to try and reach out and communicate with them. Clarke, and a million other sci-fi writers. The upshot of all this is that Civilization: Beyond Earth is akin to a Choose Your Own Adventure mash-up of Robert Heinlein, Carl Sagan, Arthur C. And anyway, the seeded starts are the primary means by which Beyond Earth differentiates its civilizations.
It gets the job done though in terms of setting the mood and providing a bit of depth to the early decision-making. The "seeded starts" also remove some of the distinctions between the different civilizations, in the process removing some of the novelty of starting a new game with a civilization like Japan, since the different nationalities lack unique tilesets or unique units. Familiar faces like the stolid George Washington have been replaced by blander figures such as American Reclamation Corporation CEO Suzanna Fielding, which removes some of the novelty of having Gandhi go against all historic precedent and repeatedly try to nuke you. In short order, you are asked to choose from a handful of sponsors and perks, which then determine your strategy going forward. It feels strange and maybe a little disjointed at first, but most of the design decisions eventually pay off or at least, I can get a feeling for what Firaxis is trying to accomplish.īeyond Earth begins with a handful of decisions meant to establish the backstory for your chosen civilization. This feeling is almost assuredly what Firaxis was attempting to capture in returning to a sci-fi setting since 1999's Alpha Centauri-the sense that you're competing with a host of rivals to tame a wild, alien frontier.
When the first siege worm appears-terrifying beasts that can devour units whole while laying waste to improvements-the sense that you are fighting the planet as much as your opponents becomes palpable. But everything is covered in a thick, poisonous fog known as miasma, and hostile aliens are everywhere. The luxury resources are a familiar feature, and the tiles can be rapidly developed as farms and mines. Or in the same solar system, for that matter. From the moment your pod lands on Garrett 396 b, or whichever planet you choose, it's immediately obvious that you're not in Kansas anymore.
0 kommentar(er)
