Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

[Merusk]

Joystiq review makes me glad I waited. This one before the jump really got me:

The experience doesn't feel luxe. Firaxis has been the benchmark in accessible strategy games and it's owned by triple-A publisher Take-Two Interactive, but I've seen stronger production values from independent European competitors.

Ow.

Though the gameplay all sounds pretty much as expected (Civ 5 with few flavor mods) this sounds nice:

Thankfully, not much effort will need to go into understanding the game's military units. As affinity levels increase, so do troops. All at once! No need to spend money (energy) on upgrades over time. The affinity upgrades also bestow particular perks like increased movement of siege bonuses. Units can also earn experience by fighting, which is also quite straightforward, with the option to heal or flatly increase damage if they survive. It's another lovely macromanagement departure from the Civ series.

Ed: goddamnnit, that's what I get for being addicted to caffeine again and posting before coffee.

[Yoru]

Psst. Your image links are broken.

[Malakili]

A lot of people are saying it feels a bit like a Civ 5 mod.  But I'd play a good Civ 5 mod.  I don't think I'd pay 50 bucks for it, but then I don't pay full price for many games anymore to begin with.

[calapine]

Merusk's post, with the invisible quotations fixed:

Joystiq review makes me glad I waited. This one before the jump really got me:

The experience doesn't feel luxe. Firaxis has been the benchmark in accessible strategy games and it's owned by triple-A publisher Take-Two Interactive, but I've seen stronger production values from independent European competitors.

Ow.

Though the gameplay all sounds pretty much as expected (Civ 5 with few flavor mods) this sounds nice:

Thankfully, not much effort will need to go into understanding the game's military units. As affinity levels increase, so do troops. All at once! No need to spend money (energy) on upgrades over time. The affinity upgrades also bestow particular perks like increased movement of siege bonuses. Units can also earn experience by fighting, which is also quite straightforward, with the option to heal or flatly increase damage if they survive. It's another lovely macromanagement departure from the Civ series.

[Merusk]

Thanks, Cal. It's fixed now.

[Trippy]

Joystiq review makes me glad I waited. This one before the jump really got me:

The experience doesn't feel luxe. Firaxis has been the benchmark in accessible strategy games and it's owned by triple-A publisher Take-Two Interactive, but I've seen stronger production values from independent European competitors.

Ow.

Civ games have always had crappy production values with poor UIs, typography, graphics, cinematics, animations, etc., etc.

[Sky]

I buckled for 2 reasons: 1, it's a tradition going back to when half of you were in diapers to buy the new civ at launch. Second, some of the new mechanics look interesting enough that I want to check them out.

But watching a couple gameplay demos, the UI definitely got little love. The rich art deco style of Civ 5 was so nice, it looks like they just stripped it out and put in black rectangles. And for some reason the little things like crossed sword icons kinda bug me in a futuristic setting.

[lamaros]

Civ 5 units earn experience from fighting, what does that reviewer mean its a departure?

[Ingmar]

The difference is they promote into different kinds of units rather than just get small bonuses that upgrade them.

[lamaros]

The difference is they promote into different kinds of units rather than just get small bonuses that upgrade them.

Units can also earn experience by fighting, which is also quite straightforward, with the option to heal or flatly increase damage if they survive. It's another lovely macromanagement departure from the Civ series.

Different thing. Unit types as a whole upgrade, but individual units also get experience upgrades just like in Civ 5. Which is what this quote seems to be referencing.

[schild]

I buckled for 2 reasons: 1, it's a tradition going back to when half of you were in diapers to buy the new civ at launch.

You're not that old and neither is Civ.

[Ingmar]

Sky is clearly counting from the 1981 Avalon Hill release.

[Merusk]

Civ 1 was 1991. We played a floppy pirated version on my college buddy's 386.    some here may have been 3 or so but anyone under 35 would have likely been playing other things.  

[schild]

I find that hard to believe. Boardgames weren't launched back then. They trickled and you were lucky to even find them or know they existed, what without the internet and shit. And two, he's not THAT old.

Edit: I think the youngest person here is NiX. He would've been.... 5, I believe. Maybe 6. He was 17 or 18 when f13 launched.

Edit 2: Strazos is the same age as Nix I think.

[lamaros]

Civ 1 was 1991. We played a floppy pirated version on my college buddy's 386.    some here may have been 3 or so but anyone under 35 would have likely been playing other things.  

Eh? How do you figure? You do realise this is a gaming forum and that quite a few were probably playing games at a young age?

I fall in to that group and while I never played Civ 1, it was because I didn't know about it, age didn't have anything to do with it.

[Shannow]

There are people who didn't play a pirated copy of civ 1 on a 386? 

[Rendakor]

I first played Civ 1 on the SNES which came out in...95? 96?

[Merusk]

Civ 1 was 1991. We played a floppy pirated version on my college buddy's 386.    some here may have been 3 or so but anyone under 35 would have likely been playing other things.  

Eh? How do you figure? You do realise this is a gaming forum and that quite a few were probably playing games at a young age?

I fall in to that group and while I never played Civ 1, it was because I didn't know about it, age didn't have anything to do with it.

Because home computers weren't ubiquitous in 1991 and dropping 2-3 grand for one wasn't common? That it only seems common today because there might have been a home PC surge sometime in 1996ish, lead by strange companies that did mail delivery?

Nah.

[Nija]

There are people who didn't play a pirated copy of civ 1 on a 386? 

That's what I did. It was my first experience with ARJ. Mindblowing - compression!

[Brolan]

I find that hard to believe. Boardgames weren't launched back then. They trickled and you were lucky to even find them or know they existed, what without the internet and shit. And two, he's not THAT old.

Edit: I think the youngest person here is NiX. He would've been.... 5, I believe. Maybe 6. He was 17 or 18 when f13 launched.

Edit 2: Strazos is the same age as Nix I think.

Nope, everyone read Computer Gaming World and the market was so small anything that existed was covered in there.  And if you couldn't afford it you pirated it.

[calapine]

There are people who didn't play a pirated copy of civ 1 on a 386?  

That's what I did. It was my first experience with ARJ. Mindblowing - compression!

I first played Civ in the 'Ars Electronica' (a sort of science-art-museum) which had PC running some games. That and 'Sim Ant'. Memories....

Beyond Earth:

• First crash (lock up) at turn 33.  
• Civ roots are very present. It feels like playing total conversion mod.
• First start I land in what is 2/3 desert. Second start the same with mostly tundra. "Yes, this is clearly Civ!"
• Despite this the different map and colour schemes take somewhat getting used to. "Is this a relic or a resource I am looking at?"
• There used to be a button in the right-hand corner to toggle map options: Show tile-grid, show resource yield, show resource icons. All those would be helpful due to the unfamiliar map, but they are either gone or I am just too blind to find them.
• The UI in general could be a bit more 'pleasant looking'. Doesn't feel they iterated it very much.
  
• The 'Tech Web' seems quite more extensive than the old Tech tree. Each Tech has 3 sub-techs that can researched or skipped. A bit like in Moo2 where one had pick 1 tech out of a general field.
• I like the choices for customising buildings and those from quests. Feels it adds some depth/character to your nation. Definitely something that would fit in Civ 6 as well.

[lamaros]

Civ 1 was 1991. We played a floppy pirated version on my college buddy's 386.    some here may have been 3 or so but anyone under 35 would have likely been playing other things.  

Eh? How do you figure? You do realise this is a gaming forum and that quite a few were probably playing games at a young age?

I fall in to that group and while I never played Civ 1, it was because I didn't know about it, age didn't have anything to do with it.

Because home computers weren't ubiquitous in 1991 and dropping 2-3 grand for one wasn't common? That it only seems common today because there might have been a home PC surge sometime in 1996ish, lead by strange companies that did mail delivery?

Nah.

Sky said it was a tradition to "buy the new civ at launch". This means you just need to have played Civ 1 before Civ 2 came out, not right away asap when Civ 1 came out. It is highly highly unlikely many here were in diapers when Civ 2 came out. Most would have been in their teens.

As to your other point - this is a gaming forum with most of the population here being (I would guess) 30+, chances are we're far far more likely than the average person to have had a computer in the early 90s.

[lamaros]

Being at work I've read a few reviews before playing tonight, most of the poorer rated ones tend to focus on stuff like "the AI players don't have any character" and "there are too many decisions" or "there is too much unfamiliar stuff", mostly with a comparison to the other civ games.

Were they just playing Civ on the easy difficulties? Because I fail to grasp how anyone could intuitively understand the many many mechanics and decision implications of Civ 5 without having to read a lot and make a lot of decisions...

[Ingmar]

I am babysitting a problem with my server room UPS that is going to keep me from playing this at 9.  

[calapine]

Being at work I've read a few reviews before playing tonight, most of the poorer rated ones tend to focus on stuff like "the AI players don't have any character" and "there are too many decisions" or "there is too much unfamiliar stuff", mostly with a comparison to the other civ games.

Were they just playing Civ on the easy difficulties? Because I fail to grasp how anyone could intuitively understand the many many mechanics and decision implications of Civ 5 without having to read a lot and make a lot of decisions...

People are dumb?

It's Civ more or less. Happyness is called health. Instead of Iron and Oil there is Titantium and Petrolium. Barbarians = Aliens.

The decisions are of the sort of: You made your first culture building. Do you want to it to a) produce 1 extra culture b) have no upkeep. It's nothing world shattering

Quick Civ V <> Beyond earth dictionary:

Happiness = Health
Culture = Culture
Gold = Energy
Faith = Doesn't exist anymore.

Settler = Colonist
Worker = Worker
Scout = Explorer
Warrior = Soldier

Mine = Mine
Farm = Farm
Pasture = Paddock
Trade Post = Generator

Fish = Algae
Pearls = Coral
Cows = Little alien insects

Tech Tree = Tech Web
Social Policies = Virtues
Ideologies = Affinities
City States = Stations

Monument = Old Earth Relic
City Wall = Defense Perimeter
Granary = Nanopasture
Library = Neurolab


It's really not rocket science!  

[schild]

This sounds like a reskin. Fuck you, Sid Meier. You lazy asshole.

[Mandella]

This sounds like a reskin. Fuck you, Sid Meier. You lazy asshole.

It really, really does.

Somebody tell me there is *something* that differentiates this from a Civ 5 mod. Something in mid to late game perhaps?

I was all ready with cash in hand, but now I'm waiting for one of those mega Steam sales to come along.

[lamaros]

This sounds like a reskin. Fuck you, Sid Meier. You lazy asshole.

Eh, not really.

It may be a bit of a re-skin, but it's not because there are equivalents. It it a Civ-style game, after all. never pretended it wasn't.

I can play in a few hours and then add a considered opinion! Wheee...

[Ragnoros]

• There used to be a button in the right-hand corner to toggle map options: Show tile-grid, show resource yield, show resource icons. All those would be helpful due to the unfamiliar map, but they are either gone or I am just too blind to find them.

Yeah, I always played with that on. As did most people I suspect. No idea why they thought it would be a good idea to take out. 

Hopefully easy to mod back in by some equally annoyed person.

[Sky]

There is a button on the minimap with those options.

[Ragnoros]

Yeah, it's the tiny eye on the top left (of the minimap). Just found it myself.

[lamaros]

My first impression is that it doesn't feel that much like Civ.

But then I've played about 40 hours of Civ 5 in the last week, so the subtle difference might be coming off stronger than for others.

Edit: Also it is really ugly. Fluro green does not an nice looking game make. I seriously dislike this. Game itself seems ok, but I'm not sure I can tolerate this eyesore. Would rather be playing Civ 5 TBH.

Edit 2: Pretty sure AC still used quotes from human history too. The writing in this is naff. And the quests have no personality at all (and have a lot of opaque game modifiers - it would have been great to know that fences could also make trade ships not die to aliens, I would have built it far earlier). Game actually does feel like a TC and a little bit soulless...

[Bunk]

Just played for um... last 6.5 hours. Time for bed. Engine wise its obviously built on Civ 5. Differences that are actually different? The three ideologies actually have a big impact - quite a few techs have requirements in these, and its obvious there will be some strategies in getting the right balance between more than one ideology. Unit upgrading is pretty slick, not only do your units get tougher, they gain abilities based on the ideology you used to upgrade them. The tech tree is much less linear feeling. Its more cloudish now - in most Civs, by the time you get to say a tier three tech, you've probably only skipped a couple of the tier one techs. Here, you can shoot right out in one direction and ignore everything else if you want to. After six hours playing my units still can't embark, because I just totally ignored most of the "basic" techs.

My first 30 minutes with the game I was feeling kind of "meh". Then 6 more hours passed.

[lamaros]

Eh, that tech 'web' still has the 'things towards the edge are more expensive'. So you do end up with more in the middle (or should) and just not as many on the fringes.

The real difference is the 'leaves' for the main techs, which you can much more easily skip if they don't suit what you're doing, and the don't give you a pre-req for anything else.

I've given up though, I find the UI to be quite bad, ugly and 'cheap', and the world colours are really annoying me. Maybe when I'm less tired it wont be so bad.

[lamaros]

Also trade routes are possibly broken good.