Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is a turn-based strategy game created by Sid Meier and Firaxis Games and released on October 24, 2014. Beyond Earth is not an expansion pack for Civilization V; it was released as a standalone game. It is said to be the spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Lead designer David McDonogh has even said "For all the fans out there of Alpha Centauri, this is the game we have made for you."^[1]

An expansion pack called Rising Tide was announced in May 2015, and was released on October 9, 2015.

PlotEdit

The story of the game takes place approximately 600 years from the present, when humans must leave Earth as a result of an event called "the Great Mistake". In the game, humanity travels through space to start a new life by colonising extraterrestrial planets.

GameplayEdit

Beyond Earth is unique to the Civilization series: in contrast to the other Civilization games, apart from certain modes of Civilization II: Test of Time, which take place across the historical periods of human history, it takes place in the distant future. Beyond Earth uses the Civ V engine (which means no stacking units, with the exception of civilian/military and orbital units and hexes).

The game also features a number of significant departures from the Civilization series. In the previous Civilization games, players assumed control of historical empires led by historical figures, each with preset personalities and unique features. In Beyond Earth, players can choose from anything they want at the game startup, from the one who sponsored their expedition to anything they brought to the new world, allowing players to create a customized civilization of their own. Unlike previous games which featured linear tech trees, Beyond Earth has a tech "web" which branches off in several directions. 

Beyond Earth also has several affinities, similar to the Ideology feature in Brave New World. Affinities, as stated in the game, are overarching philosophies on human advancement that shape players' technological advancements. In addition, some of the in-game units are only available to a certain affinity. There are three available affinities to choose from in the game: Harmony, Supremacy, and Purity.

The Harmony affinity tries to co-exist with the planet, utilizes genetic modification, and is able to domesticate the native species. The Supremacy affinity puts its trust in advanced technology, and utilizes highly specialized units that aid each other in the field. The Purity affinity is attempting to make the planet into a new Earth by conquering and "Terra-forming" it.^[2][3]

Fryda Wolff serves as the game's narrator.

SponsorsEdit

	Sponsor	Special Ability	Capital
	American Reclamation Corporation (ARC)	Covert operations are 25% faster and cause 25% more intrigue.	Central
	Pan-Asian Cooperative (PAC)	+10% Production towards Wonders +25% Worker speed	Tiangong
	People's African Union (PAU)	+10% Food in growing cities when Healthy All cities start with an Old Earth Relic	Magan
	Kavithan Protectorate	Cities and Outposts acquire new tiles twice as fast	Mandira
	Brasilia	Units have a +10% Strength in melee combat Units have a +5 Heal when fortified	Cidadela
	Franco-Iberia	Gain a free Virtue for every 10 Virtues earned normally through Culture	Le Coeur
	Polystralia	Plus two trade routes in the capital	Freeland
	Slavic Federation	Orbital units stay in orbit 50% longer +50% Petroleum resources	Khrabrost

AliensEdit

• There are seven different wild alien species.
• Aliens start out relatively docile.
• You might not see some of the more advanced Alien units until later in the game.

Updates and PatchesEdit

• The Beyond Earth winter 2015 update was released on March 11, 2015 and included a number of changes to the game. A comprehensive list of changes is located here.
• New updates have been done since then.

DLCEdit

The Exoplanets Map Pack was originally a preorder bonus DLC for Beyond Earth. It is available to purchase on Steam. It provides six additional maps.

Sid Meier's Starships connectivityEdit

Main article: Unlockables (CivBE and Starships)

Beyond Earth can connect with Starships via a player's My 2K account, allowing for a transfer of assets and bonuses.

GalleryEdit

ScreenshotsEdit

Concept ArtEdit

VideosEdit

Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth Announcement Trailer

Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth - The Combat of Civilization Beyond Earth

Civilization Beyond Earth Gameplay Demo - IGN Live E3 2014

Civilization Beyond Earth Gameplay Demo - IGN Live Gamescom 2014

Civilization Beyond Earth Instant Expert - The Science of Beyond Earth

Let's Play Civilization: Beyond EarthEdit

Let's Play Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth - Official Livestream - Brasilia, Part 1

Let's Play Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth - Official Livestream - Brasilia, Part 2-0

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

• Official homepage
• PC Gamer's in depth interview with the designer duo
• A nice visualization of the virtues screen.
• GameSpot's 5-day coverage
• Civilization V Analyst: Beyond Earth Overview
• AngryJoeShow interview with Anton Strenger the gameplay designer of Beyond Earth

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