Alpha Centauri 2

Other Games => Civilization Beyond Earth General Discussions => Topic started by: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 05:59:53 AM

Title: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 05:59:53 AM

Civilization: Beyond Earth is a planetary landing sim based around quests, that is, leveling up your civilization-class(affinity) by exploring planet.  If that's what you want, get it. 

I posted a review earlier, which I no longer consider fair, because it was a review based on it being a strategy game, comparing it to Alpha Centauri.  But I would now compare it with Spore or Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim.

Is Beyond Earth Alpha Centauri's spiritual succesor?  No, it isn't, and I don't believe Firaxis ever made that claim.  I have to give them some credit for that.  They aren't doing a lot to deny the association, but they aren't doing a lot to feed it either.  People believe what they want to believe.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth?
Post by: Geo on April 16, 2014, 11:32:07 AM

And here I was thinking you were/are a beta tester.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 12:25:35 PM

Quote from: Geo on April 16, 2014, 11:32:07 AM

And here I was thinking you were/are a beta tester.

I can read minds and tell the future, which is even better.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 01:26:45 PM

Now, Beyond Earth will not have a "tech tree", but a "tech web". What does that mean? It means that you will have "a new semi-randomized quest system" which you will pursue to advance along the "tech web" (class skills) which is tied in with your "affinity" (class).

As has been stated, there will be no tech trading. Because this is not Alpha Centauri and this is not a tech tree. This is Pandora RPG/SIM. You will explore planet and "establish your own cultural identity."

"We want to keep you in-character, we want you to play for 200 hours and still feel like you’re stepping into that character and not that you’ve exhausted it or figured it out or whatever."

Being in-character good, figuring things out bad. I understand.

Continuing with this interview here.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/discussing-humanity-s-future-with-the-father-of-civilization/1100-6418922/ (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/discussing-humanity-s-future-with-the-father-of-civilization/1100-6418922/)
What did Sid say here? Nothing. Well, not quite nothing, though it's very airy. He says that "Civilization is certainly a good example of a game that never plays the same way twice", which is true of Alpha Centauri but not the rest of the series, unless you don't know what the [intercourse]you're doing, which is why it's the only one in the series I play.

Alpha Centauri and Beyond Earth will both have "replayability," but the way they do it is very different. Alpha Centauri does it with complexity, Beyond Earth does it with a class system (affinities), "exploring planet", and RPG-like "immersion".

If you were going to have replayability by way of complexities, then we would have talked about that instead of talking about "affinities" and sand-worms and gleaming robots while making philosophical gesticulations.

"I think it's what's unique about video games. That we invite you to take a starring role, that we invite you to be the main character, we invite you to tell your own story."

Not that I would mind more RPG element tacked onto Alpha Centauri, provided that it wasn't done in the increasingly infantile manner of Sid Meir.. And also the emphasizing of the Sci-Fi to the point of cliche. Part of Alpha Centauri's deal was it's tie-in with real-world ideology and concerns, and not just fictional-plausible abstractions.

A trending idea in games is "Sometimes people ask me, "What’s the secret to winning?" and what I say is, "If there’s a best strategy, I’m going to fix it. I don’t want there to be a 'best' strategy."

Of course, in the real world, there are best strategies. Some people find that boring; I simply find them dead. Learning and strategizing is a thing of the past now, we have more immersive things to be doing.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 01:53:16 PM

I want to be clear that I do not think this is a bad game.  I think it would be a good game for a child or a young teen.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 16, 2014, 11:15:56 PM

I want to know more before I get too confident...

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Vishniac on April 17, 2014, 01:47:27 AM

Quote from: BlaneckW on April 16, 2014, 01:53:16 PM

I think it would be a good game for a child or a young teen.

Or a good game for a young at heart.

Tears for Fears - Advice for the Young at Heart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSRBD9N4VUs#)

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 19, 2014, 12:57:25 PM

After your child has played BE, you should get them Alpha Centauri, otherwise you would not be a good parent.  When I was a young boy my father and I recieved a catalog from school selling educational material, and it had Sim City 2000 on it.  And that's why I'm the [jerk, sphincter]I am today.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: DrazharLn on April 20, 2014, 02:25:39 PM

Quote from: BlaneckW on April 19, 2014, 12:57:25 PM

After your child has played BE, you should get them Alpha Centauri, otherwise you would not be a good parent.  When I was a young boy my father and I recieved a catalog from school selling educational material, and it had Sim City 2000 on it.  And that's why I'm the [jerk, sphincter]I am today who independently studies Chinese and Linux as hobbies and gets raged at on message boards for telling people who have problems with Windows 8 that they should switch, and they go on and on about how for a single problem they should not have to change out of a "perfectly good operating system" that even my father complains about.

Being an arse is hardly something to be proud of.

Edit: To be clear, this is a play off "And that's why I'm the [jerk, sphincter]I am today"

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 03:12:54 PM

Manners.  Having them is good.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 04:46:29 PM

You can have all the manners you like, people are still attached to Windows, apparently

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: DrazharLn on April 20, 2014, 04:48:49 PM

I develop on GNU/linux systems and the majority of my computers exclusively run GNU/linux. That's hardly it.

Apologies, BUncle, BlaneckW.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 04:51:07 PM

[Ninja'd.]  No need to apologize to me - just, a little diplomatic phrasing is good.   Go have a look at the demogame thread in Command Nexus, BTW.

Quote from: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 04:46:29 PM

You can have all the manners you like, people are still attached to Windows, apparently

But there is a world of difference between "Wrong." and "That turns out not to be the case."  Honest, there is.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 05:27:31 PM

if manners produced civilization, then you would be living in one, rather than at the end of one.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 05:31:01 PM

That turns out not to be the case, IMAO.  One of the signs we are doomed is the fall-off in civility.  I do tend to agree with the 'end of one' part.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 05:32:11 PM

Most people are pretty civil, they do the criminal things on the side while speaking polite words.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 05:43:59 PM

It was very difficult for me to learn the necessity of tact; it felt so dishonest.  I've only just in the last few years gotten any real handle on it.

In recognizing that "How are you?" isn't usually a question, (more meaning "Hello"), and knowing that social lies aren't really lies ("Just fine" is pro forma, and means nothing, whether literally true or not) - there is the beginning of social wisdom.  People like you more if you save the utter frankness for important matters and friends who already understand you and you know don't mind.  Since, like everyone on the net including me, you'd really like to cure others of being wrong, you'd rather be liked AS WELL AS right.  They listen better if they like you.  Truth.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 06:12:48 PM

I'm not actually trying to convince anyone of anything.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 06:23:42 PM

Tact. ;b;

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 06:27:20 PM

I couldn't be factful if I was overly tactful.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 06:44:06 PM

Okay, I'm asking you to please turn it down a notch as a favor to me.

I'm very grateful for your support, but I perceive you've managed to annoy GeoModder, for example, (something I've rarely achieved in five years of malicious friend-to-friend trolling).  I'm not trying to make a big deal out of nothing; I'm trying to head off a big deal developing.

BE could easily result in 10,000 no-class kids in here, and I don't want to establish a bad precedent early - or have to act like a traditional moderator where it can be avoided.  I respect and appreciate you too much for that.  PLEASE continue hitting us with your big blocks of truth; just sand the corners a little to reduce innocent casualties.  I depend on you. ;)

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 06:59:17 PM

You may be as rude to me as you wanna be, BTW. :D

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 07:02:36 PM

I give you points for humour, anyway.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 07:08:14 PM

I'll take 'em.  I joke around so much I'm not always conscious I'm doing it.

Draz tells me points mean prizes.  I like prizes.

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Geo on April 20, 2014, 10:53:38 PM

Oh boy. ;lol

Title: Re: What is Civilization: Beyond Earth, really?
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 21, 2014, 01:29:33 AM

I like girls.