Civilization: Beyond Earth Review - Analysis Paralysis

[Tiamat666]

Interesting review. Like some of the others, I'm surprised by some of your critique points concerning the decision making. In practically every game you start out being clueless, and only later do you start to appreciate the impact behind the choices that you make. Especially in Civ games. So I don't see this as a fault of the game at all, but rather part of the nature of games like this.

The tech web, units and setting sound very exciting, but the diplomatic "favors" do sound very wishy-washy to me. But the AI making ludicrous demands or refusing extremely generous offers is unfortunately a staple of Civ...

Still, I can't wait to play it, because I'm a sucker for Civ games. Especially for one that can be considered a sequel to AC.
But as always, I'll wait for the patches and for a 50% price drop.

 

[Jburton9]

Hmm looks fairly solid so far based on the reviews, I really hope they add more Alpha Centauri stuff with the DLC such as the great faction and observation quotes. Also not having modular units is a bummer as well.

Since there will be fan feed back and room to grow perhaps this will round out into a bigger and more complete CiveBe experience. *keeping fingers crossed* heh

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

I don't understand a lot of the criticism levelled here. This sounds very similar in parts to either Alpha Centauri or Civ 5.

It certainly sounds like a Civ game based on the AI alone. "What's that? You want me to play by the same rules as you when it comes to diplomacy and give you a fair deal? Begone, peasant!"

 

[TKretts3]

Considering that a lot of people (myself included) found Civ 5 to be overly stripped down, the very thing you list as a downside (plethora of choices, decisions and mechanics to manage) will likely be a good thing to quite a few players. Not every game has to be tuned to be "Baby's first strategy game" and it's nice to occasionally see one without all the streamlining and hand-holding.

Yes, but for some reason I have the feeling that Civ5 as it is now with the expansions is a lot more complex than Civ:BE is now, at least from this review.

That's always a big issue with a franchise like Civ. Vanilla Civ 4 wasn't as complex/deep as Civ 3 with all of it's expansions and updates, so it got a lot of hate at first. Vanilla Civ 5 wasn't as complex/deep as Civ 4 with all of it's expansions and updates, so it got a lot of hate at first. Now Civ:BE isn't going to be as complex/deep as Civ 5 with all of it's expansions and updates, I hope we can skip the stupid hate throwing this time around. Either way, I have it pre-loaded on Steam and I am staying up late, lol. JUST ONE MORE TURN, I SWEAR TO GOD, JUST ONE MORE TURN!

 

[Steve Waltz]

I was expecting this, sadly. When Civ 5 came out it was kind of lacking. Civ 5 turned into something fantastic after G&K and BNW. I?m sort of hoping that?s what?s going to happen here.

 

[Abulurd_H]

Like others here I'm going to have to say that i think the critisism of information overload seems a little premature. I usually have to get to the 50+ hour mark before I really start getting a handle on what sort of impacts my early game decisions are going to make on my civ in the mid to late game. Which, to me at least, is kinda the point of these types of games. You are in for the longhaul, the first 30 hours is try shit, see what happens, ragequit when it turns to custard, rinse, repeat.

Having gotten a bit tired of Civ V I have been waiting quite eagerly for this game but then I discovered Endless Legend. It has ( among other things) heroes that you customise for city or army purposes and that can quite dramticaly change the way you play both short term and long term. I keep wondering how much more awesome a Civ game could be with such a feature.

Sucks to hear diplomatic AI is still broken, that has always driven me nuts about the Civ franchise, diplomatic choices become basicaly irrelevant and you are left with a race to conquest,science,culture etc victory. It would be nice to actually be able to forge alliances and build on them throughout the game and be able to know they theyve got your back instead of knowing that Montezuma will eventually say "Ha Ha. I tricked you. Have at you!" or that Washington will turn around and say " It's a shame that after all these years of peaceful and beneficial co existence and smiting of mutual enemies that you wouldn't give us 200 gold. You really should have given peace a chance. My battle ships and nuclear subs are on the way"

I will be holding out for the first expansion and a package deal on Steam

 

[Flankhard]

I was expecting this, sadly. When Civ 5 came out it was kind of lacking. Civ 5 turned into something fantastic after G&K and BNW. I?m sort of hoping that?s what?s going to happen here.

I agree. Same case with Civ IV btw. I did not start clocking serious hours into Civ V before the expansions where out. This time I won't be supporting the game at lauch. I'll just hope there is enough fans out there that make sure the expansions get made.

 

[Powerman88]

Greg I love you buddy but you're funny. This game has "analysis paralysis", but you still gave DA2 a perfect score. Yes I am still bringing that up years later. Yes I am still cranky about how unarguably terrible that game was/is on ALMOST every level. Yes I am still so salty about paying full price for that game based a lot on your review. Yes I still question your ability to review games as a result. I understand taste is subjective, but still you gave BE a considerably lower score than most everyone out there and gave a perfect score to a game where the glaring flaws are so prevalent throughout every level of the experience.

Granted I haven't played the game yet (doesn't unlock for half an hour), but still man. 6/10 for BE and 10/10 for DA2! Man I just want to really go and rip apart every paragraph of that review. I mean I suppose it has nothing to do with you enjoying and being able to recommend BE but still..... I am so unnecessarily salty.

 

[Powerman88]

OMG how can I possibly enjoy this game knowing that Greg though Dragon Age 2 was a better experience?

 

[themilo504]

I get the feeling that this game is probably going to get a lot better after a expansion or two, even so none of the flaws you mentioned look like things that particularly annoy me, so I?m probably going to pick up the game as soon as I have the money.

At the very least the game is almost certainly better than alpha centauri, since the games interface isn?t designed by somebody who hates the player, and the game doesn?t look completely awful even for 1999(most snes games look better).

 

[Kahani]

"An overall solid turn-based strategy game that suffers from information overload resulting in analysis paralysis for the player"

I can't help but feel this criticism only applies to the first few times you play the game. The game is designed to be played repeatedly, as you yourself said you would be doing, so once you've learned the rules information overload should stop being an issue as you get better at the game.

Yep, that's why I said fans will still enjoy it. Heck, I've put in more than 50 hours already and will play a ton more. I still think there's issues with the design though.

This really doesn't make a lot of sense. Information overload the first time you play a game doesn't mean only fans will enjoy it, it means anyone who doesn't quit after the first ten minutes and actually learns how the game works might enjoy it. I haven't played it yet, but the three star score really doesn't make the slightest bit of sense compared to what you actually said in the review - the only criticism you gave is that you don't know every little detail of the game the first time you play, and that's not actually a criticism at all. You don't mention a single other thing that is supposed to be a problem (seriously, every single problem you mention is simply that you don't yet know what effect your choices will have), but still sum things up as "It's kind of shit, but hardcore fans might like it". Summing a whole game up in a single number is never easy, but you could at least pretend to make that number vaguely related to the review.

 

[spartandude]

So ive been playing this game for a bit and im very much liking it. In fact i would say its much better than Civ V on launch, its just not as good as Brave New World however which is to be expected. I'm already anticipation the expansions for this game.

 

[Belaam]

Played for a few (too many) hours last night and this morning before work. What I mainly we with the adjustments are a find tuning of all buildings. In Civ V terms it works out to "Okay, so your granaries produce +2 food, plus your choice of either +1 culture or an additional +1 food". I think eventually, it will work out to me planning ahead, but as is, I find myself using it as damage control (oh no, my energy is getting low, take the energy boost!). Other changes are more about terrain or play style - like the fence that keeps alien lifeforms at bay either having a radius of 3 hexes around the city or two hexes, but also protects caravans.

I find the interface kind of ugly, and the minimap in particular is sometimes hard early on to tell what is a landmass and what is water.

But mainly, I would agree that it is at least as good as vanilla Civ V, but not as rich as Civ V with expansions.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Here's my take from only 5 hours with the game:

Pros:
-The improved spy system is a lot of fun.
-Orbital layer adds a fun new mechanic.
-Aliens are pretty neat.
-Being able to customize your start is awesome. However...

Cons:
-...I have a feeling that some of them are going to end up being clearly over/under-powered. For example, why is the option to start with a soldier in the same area as starting with a worker? Workers cost more hammers once you're in the game so I fail to see how starting with a soldier could give you any kind of better advantage.
-In many ways, it just feels like a lesser version of Civ 5 (with both expansions).
-Affinity seems to be this game's way of telling how technologically advanced your civ is. Yes, you can just rush them, but for the most part, the more affinities, the more advanced. In that sense, it kind of seems like there's only really 3. victory types with the 3 affinity based ones simply being spin-offs of science from Civ 5.
-Trading with other civs seems kind of pointless now that there's no lux resources.
-Kind of ugly compared to Civ 5.

That's just my overall impression so far, but right now, I'm a bit underwhelmed. To be honest, it just made me want to play more Civ 5 than anything... Still, it has a solid foundation for some expansions that could probably help the game out a lot.

 

[Aurion]

Well. It wasn't likely I'd buy this right away after Civ V's initial release made me want to punch bunnies, and the reviews I'm reading are not encouraging the cash-splashing.

Wishlist'd, check again during steam sale.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Beyond Earth always looked to me like a mod of Civ 5, so I didn't bother. The review semi confirms it. Steam Summer Sale (I propose we just have 'SSS' just be a stamp for games we'll get later because we don't think it's worth it now) Other than that, I have nothing of value to say.

Except for the Black guy. With his Arms splayed like that and the Gold Chains? Every time I see that picture, the same thing goes off in my head.

"These Space Bitches can't stop me. Do you Galactically Feel me?"

Yes, Celestial Pimp Ancestor of Sisko, I do happen to feel you.

 

[Weaver]

I agree with pretty much all of your complaints.

The game is far from perfect, and isn't quite the Alpha Centauri successor maybe we were all dreaming of but I don't at all regret buying it launch day and I'm really enjoying it.

 

[Thyunda]

Greg I love you buddy but you're funny. This game has "analysis paralysis", but you still gave DA2 a perfect score. Yes I am still bringing that up years later. Yes I am still cranky about how unarguably terrible that game was/is on ALMOST every level. Yes I am still so salty about paying full price for that game based a lot on your review. Yes I still question your ability to review games as a result. I understand taste is subjective, but still you gave BE a considerably lower score than most everyone out there and gave a perfect score to a game where the glaring flaws are so prevalent throughout every level of the experience.

Granted I haven't played the game yet (doesn't unlock for half an hour), but still man. 6/10 for BE and 10/10 for DA2! Man I just want to really go and rip apart every paragraph of that review. I mean I suppose it has nothing to do with you enjoying and being able to recommend BE but still..... I am so unnecessarily salty.

DA2 wasn't terrible.

And like that, I have stripped your argument of all power.

Beyond Earth isn't amazing, but I think it deserves far more than a 6/10, I agree with you. Its complexity is actually kind of brilliant and my only complaint about the building choices is that I saw the same 'Augment' storyline twice in two games. I really hope that was a fluke and that there's actually far more variety.
My other complaint is that the world leaders are silly. What's the point in them? They are not famous people, they are not historic figures, they are invented characters to fill a gap, and I found this inexplicable. We're dealing with 'sponsors' rather than nations, meaning your 'faction' is the logo you slapped on the side of your spaceship and the nationality of the citizens you took aboard.
Why do I have to listen to the African Union guy tell me "No village was ever ruined by trade," every single time he asks for open borders? Also is the African Union a coalition of small villages and a spaceport? Why is he talking in terms of villages and nobody else shares the concept?
Also where are the Brits? That's slightly puzzling, unless the ARC is an alliance of British and American and Canadian (hence the French every now and then).

Anyway, yeah. This review seemed to detract too many points based on "It's really hard and the planet hates you," when that's the exact kind of thing you want from a 4x strategy.

 

[shintakie10]

Anyway, yeah. This review seemed to detract too many points based on "It's really hard and the planet hates you," when that's the exact kind of thing you want from a 4x strategy.

Its not that its too hard, its that the interface is just really bad. Why is there no way to actually see all your units in a list? Why is it that if you have a city with a queue and you're convertin somethin to energy there is absolutely no way to switch that without deactivatin the queue and then reactivatin it? Why is it literally impossible (unless I totally missed it) to see how civs feel about other civs? There was a nice button in Civ 5 that had a nice web that showed everyone's feelin about everyone at once.

As a long time Civilization player there were things that even I couldn't figure out, let alone my SO who wanted to give it a shot and never played a Civ game before. Aliens are disturbingly unforgiving and you absolutely can get screwed very easily by a siege worm decidin to eat all your units for lunch within the first ten turns. That's not cool.

A huge issue is that the UI is crap. Complete and utter rat feces. They stripped it down to the point that basic things are either hidden or completely gone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sinkin a ton of hours into the game, but that doesn't mean there aren't some serious problems with the game that need addressed.

I will say one thing I really do enjoy is the game doesn't lock up my computer between turns like Civ 5 did when the game gets a lot later. Yes it still takes a second, but I can at least change menus, look at my cities, or go through the tech web. That's a much needed improvement.

 

[Thyunda]

Anyway, yeah. This review seemed to detract too many points based on "It's really hard and the planet hates you," when that's the exact kind of thing you want from a 4x strategy.

Its not that its too hard, its that the interface is just really bad. Why is there no way to actually see all your units in a list? Why is it that if you have a city with a queue and you're convertin somethin to energy there is absolutely no way to switch that without deactivatin the queue and then reactivatin it? Why is it literally impossible (unless I totally missed it) to see how civs feel about other civs? There was a nice button in Civ 5 that had a nice web that showed everyone's feelin about everyone at once.

As a long time Civilization player there were things that even I couldn't figure out, let alone my SO who wanted to give it a shot and never played a Civ game before. Aliens are disturbingly unforgiving and you absolutely can get screwed very easily by a siege worm decidin to eat all your units for lunch within the first ten turns. That's not cool.

A huge issue is that the UI is crap. Complete and utter rat feces. They stripped it down to the point that basic things are either hidden or completely gone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sinkin a ton of hours into the game, but that doesn't mean there aren't some serious problems with the game that need addressed.

I will say one thing I really do enjoy is the game doesn't lock up my computer between turns like Civ 5 did when the game gets a lot later. Yes it still takes a second, but I can at least change menus, look at my cities, or go through the tech web. That's a much needed improvement.

I suppose I didn't really make my military large enough to worry about needing a list for them. I tend to build up my infrastructure and only raise armies when I need them and delete them after - the infrastructure means I can whip up a formidable infantry in a couple of turns and hold the line while I construct the specialised stuff, so I can't really pass comment about the missing lists other than the fact I never noticed it.
I find the aliens' hostility is directly linked to the players' hostility - not just yours but everybody else's. The siege worm lived around my civ for the longest time and then suddenly attacked. A couple of turns later, his repeated assaults killed my soldiers but wounded him and he wandered off to bother someone else for a bit. In another game, my brother kept killing aliens near him and the ones near my base went total batshit in response, so I think there might be a connection.

And....uh...what's a queue in the context you're referring to?