.png){kind=link}
Sid Meier's Starships is a game created by Sid Meier and Firaxis Games, scheduled for release in March 2015. Starships is not a traditional Civilization game but it borrows art assets and narrative elements from Civilization: Beyond Earth. It centers on space exploration, resource management and allocation, and combat.
Plot
Starships is set in the universe of Civilization: Beyond Earth and follows the events of that game. After humanity has colonized the exoplanets, civilizations begin to seek intergalactic/interplanetary contact and trade with others. The game also features cross-connectivity with Beyond Earth, increasing the replay value and depth of both games.
Gameplay
Sid Meier's Starships is an adventure-driven strategy game where players can travel to new planets and complete missions to protect their civilizations from dangerous Space Pirates and hostile opponents. Players design and lead federation fleets that roam and do battle throughout the galaxy within a series of missions. These missions feature dynamically generated maps, a variety of victory conditions, and a multitude of enemy types.
At the game's outset, players can choose their federations affinity. The affinity chosen affects ship appearance. Players will also choose their leader, which players will recognize from Beyond Earth. Each leader comes with its own associated ability. Similarly to Civilization, players can also adjust the difficulty, map size, and galaxy type.
Players can customize their fleet to match individualized combat tactics. Featuring modular spaceship design, players have a number of options when designing their ships, from the types of weapons on board to shield strength. Players can expand the influence of their Federation by gaining the support of the citizens of new planets. Each planet features unique abilities that can be used to enhance the player's fleet and Federation, offering up a variety of improvements to be used against opponents in battle. Cities on planets give players a steady stream of various resources that allow players to purchase different items and abilities for their ships.
Battle Cards are another new mechanic. These randomized cards augment individual planetary missions and encourage the player to think outside of the box.
As in past Civilization titles, there are multiple paths to victory in Starships. Players can win by conquering the strongest enemies in the galaxy, coordinating diplomacy with other federations, and more. Further information to be added as it becomes available.
Beyond Earth Connectivity
Though little information is available at this time, Starships will connect with Beyond Earth via a player's My 2K account, allowing for a transfer of assets and bonuses. More information will go here as it becomes available.
Videos
