Beyond Earth Thoughts & Potential Expansion Ideas

[Belaam]

I've been enjoying Beyond Earth, but was curious what others were thinking of it.

I generally like it, but feel like the wonders are kind of a mess. Many of the wonder names either make no sense or seem counter-intuitive. Like the Stellar Codex (which sounds like a map of deep space) giving you increase satellite coverage. It also seems like they missed some basic sci-fi concepts when naming techs and wonders. Why in the world is there no Space Elevator? or Singularity? No Arcologies. Nor cryonics, asteroid mining, in vitro meat, or other common sci fi elements that would have fit in quite well with existing techs/wonders.

I also feel like what affinity I should take is largely dependent upon what resources happen to be near me, which is a little odd.

Vanilla Civ games always seem a little lacking, but I'm really feeling the lack of ocean development. Alpha Centauri allowed sea steading cities on the ocean and it seems like either stationary or roaming ocean cities would be a great addition for future expansions.

All these gripes aside, I am really loving the game. The aliens add a lot more stress and planning to the beginning of the game and it's interesting seeing how a nearby alien nest can affect how I play.

 

[Rayce Archer]

Space cities! Call to Power had space cities. And ocean cities. Call to Power was awesome.

It would also be neat to see worlds more overtly hostile to human life that required more strenuous management to live on.

 

[Belaam]

Orbital cities would be pretty cool. I'm also expecting to see some playable alien races at some point.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I also feel like what affinity I should take is largely dependent upon what resources happen to be near me, which is a little odd.

At lower difficulty settings it's pretty much a non-issue... you just go and grab whatever resources you need, even if it means kicking over a nearby faction or two. At higher levels where settling on an Affinity early is critical to shaping your development, it can be a massive pain in the arse.

The real pain is that the introduction of 'favours' into diplomatic trading has made AI factions even harder to get a fair trade with. They'll try and put favours in as any part of a deal but try to call in those favours and quickly find out how worthless they are.

On the other hand, local resources also has a part in shaping the affinity of the AI factions, which can have a pretty big impact on diplomacy (except for trade).

 

[Recusant]

I played a few rounds of it, but on my fourth game, about a hundred fifty turns in, it... ended. There hadn't been enough time for any of the non-conquest victories to fire, and I still had my capital, so that wasn't it. More notably, the game offered no explanation at all- I wasn't even given the 'just one... more... turn...' option, so I couldn't even see why I lost. I assume it was a bug, but there's only one other game that's ever done that to me, and that was Master of Orion 3- and I don't think any more need be said about that. So I'm waiting for a patch.

What I think of the game (bugs aside) is that... well, it's a lot like Alpha Centauri was to Civ 2: take the base game, give it a few minor graphical touchups, add in a few new mechanics, change the characters and setting, and bang, there you go. And this is where it falls flat. Neither Alpha Centauri nor Beyond Earth changed much in terms of gameplay, but AC made up for that with writing. It OOZES with character. A vision of a potential future at once idyllic and horrifying, faction leaders who're all espousing philosophies that're never as simple as they seem at first glance (fun game: when a friend starts playing AC for the first time, after they've read the manual but before they begin playing, ask them which faction they'd be a member of... then ask them again five or ten games in. I have yet to meet a person who gives the same answer both times), a tech tree based off of projected real-world theories, and a world that reacts to what you do and how you do it (want to drop a planet buster on that swarm of mind worms? Okay, but you'll just end up fighting more. Want to run a wealth-valuing police state with a ecologically-sensitive green economy? Okay, but enjoy fighting every other faction since they hate your social engineering choices!) The Secret Project videos, building and tech breakthrough sound files were masterfully done, and helped flesh out the world and the characters. By comparison, Beyond Earth is flat and dull. The faction leaders respond with one stock phrase for each situation (many of them copy-pasted from Civ 5), their personalities don't manifest themselves in social policy or affinity choices (I realize this is a deliberate decision to allow for greater flexibility and I'm not criticizing that; merely pointing out how it affects the game world), and the tech blurbs are all read by the same voice actor, who delivers each one in the same flat, cheerful tone, regardless of content or context, so even the few well-written ones seem lifeless. It's hard to blame 2K for pushing this as the 'spiritual sequel' to Alpha Centauri (though I can't recall if they ever phrased it that way, that was the vibe that was clearly given off), given its expansion pack-sequel relationship to Civ 5, but from a marketing standpoint, it wasn't very bright; try to compare to AC in terms of writing and character, and you have to be flat-out fantastic to even look equal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime game made by a large series of circumstances coming together in just the right ways, all at once.

Another part of the problem is that Civ 2 was a mechanically solid (if sometimes unbalanced) game, and AC just built off that. Now, I've only played vanilla Civ 5 (the changes it made were too negative for my tastes), so I don't know how much the expansions changed or added; I can't compare it on that basis. But the 'one unit per hex' rule radically changed many core elements of the game's pacing, and the AI just couldn't keep up. I'd never pulled off a victory at any level higher than Emperor in any prior Civ game, and those only rarely. In Civ 5, I scored Deity victories without breaking a sweat; the game eventually lost all challenge. Beyond Earth really hasn't fixed this. Bugs and balance issues can (and will) be played around with until they work, but you can't really change core AI without a massive overhaul. If you can appreciate Beyond Earth for what it is, as opposed to what it wants to be, there's fun to be had here- but I'd wait for a stability patch or two before diving too deep.

 

[Belaam]

a tech tree based off of projected real-world theories,

Yeah, this is one of my biggest gripes. The Achievement list reads like a shout out to every major science fiction franchise of the last forty years and a lot of the affinity design is right out of major sci fi tropes, but it doesn't look like they talked to any scientists or even hard science fiction authors. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Douglas Adams, but if you're looking for a more realistic version of the future, you're better off with Gregory Benford.

their personalities don't manifest themselves in social policy or affinity choices (I realize this is a deliberate decision to allow for greater flexibility and I'm not criticizing that; merely pointing out how it affects the game world),

Yeah, other than that Brisilia is likely to be agressive, I'm not really getting a personality from these leaders. On top of which, eight is far to small for a huge world.

If you can appreciate Beyond Earth for what it is, as opposed to what it wants to be, there's fun to be had here- but I'd wait for a stability patch or two before diving too deep.

Hm... stability hasn't really been an issue for me, though I am running a somewhat newer system.

I was unimpressed with vanilla Civ V, but really enjoyed it by the time the expansions were added. Spamming a stack of a dozen units did get a little old in earlier versions, and opened a little more tactics (which as you pointed out, the AI couldn't always handle) I think part of what I do like about the game is trying to see where it will go (which I why I mentioned expansions). There do seem to be a lot of holes, and the affinity focused win conditions are a bit of a problem because they are essentially the same thing in slightly different clothing. So you really only have two ways to win (contact or domination) unless you really focus on one affinity, in which case you pick up a third option. A political system (perhaps modified from Civ V's religion system) would do wonders for getting me more into the mindset of my colonists, and might add a few more options. It's pretty much screaming for a political option of victory through getting factions of other affinities to peacefully coexist.