Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth

[Barrister]

Well that's a pity.  One of the things that annoyed me about Civ was that it was a bit too easy just build yourself up and win and everybody would just let you win.  Once the other Civs realized you were in the lead and building towards victory they should have been desperately hammering you down.  Silly really.  It is like playing a computer football game where the AI just takes a knee on every possession and lets you beat it 3-0 every time.

Agreed.  All the AI factions begin the game with the mind set of being peaceful alien lovers.  They all get upset if you attack aliens for example.  It would be better if some of the factions started out with a militaristic outlook.

I haven't gotten past 100 turns or so (I keep wanting to restart) but this is my experience.  Everybody wants to be my friend, nobody challenges me in the least.

In my latest game I'm even trying to be deliberately disruptive - I'm going purity, killing aliens with impunity, and I just conquered my first AI faction.  So far the other AIs have done nothing.

[Syt]

In my just finished game, a few rival civs condemned me a few times, but none ever attacked me (my military power was middling). I won a contact victory. They also don't seem to follow up on their complaints if you cull the alien population. In mid game I cleared out the hordes on the subcontinent south of me so I could plunk three cities there, and while some of them complained, their disposition towards me (friendly or neutral) didn't change.

I still think if you aim for a victory the AI should DOW you to take out your mind flower/beacon/gate - at the very least the ones that have a differing affinity than you.

[Josquius]

Have to second the complaints about research. I just don't get it. I'm usually a bit of a wonder whore but in this game I can never uncover techs that lead to one, all I know about wonders is when the ai builds one. My capital is left sitting without much to do a lot of the time.

[Syt]

I suggest using the colorful tech tree mod. It color codes what each tech unlocks (units, wonders, improvements etc.).

Still, the wonders are a bit underwhelming in effect, compared to their CivV counterparts.

[Martinus]

Still, the wonders are a bit underwhelming in effect, compared to their CivV counterparts.

I think this is mainly because there are no great people in Civ: BE, as otherwise wonder effects are pretty similar.

[The Brain]

Still, the wonders are a bit underwhelming in effect, compared to their CivV counterparts.

I think this is mainly because there are no great people in Civ: BE, as otherwise wonder effects are pretty similar.

I'll stick to SP.

[Syt]

http://www.civilization.com/en/news/2014-11-mod-of-the-week-the-iron-pact/

Mod of the Week: The Iron Pact



Welcome to Mod of the Week, where we highlight Civilization: Beyond Earth mods created by the community. This week, a custom Sponsor: The Iron Pact.

After the collapse of the Eurozone and the European Union in the 21st century, Germany stepped in to try and save this fragile European coalition. So Germany started offering financial aid to its neighbors on the continent, but mistrust amongst countries eventually saw these relationships end.

Following The Great Mistake, Germany closed its borders and soon Mother Nature took back much of the northern sections of the country through mass flooding and climate change. Outlying cities along Germany's famous Rhine river were devastated. Industry moved southward to the only inhabitable areas of the country.

Eventually, a new collective rose to power in Germany. The surviving old noble houses of Europe moved to take control and The Iron Pact was born. A Council of Peers was formed to oversee the country and, under The Iron Pact, the German government has effectively become a noble oligarchy.

This new Sponsor is led by Kurt von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is a charming individual who, as Chancellor of the expedition, agreed to say goodbye to Earth forever in order to give his people a new beginning on a strange alien world.

You can download The Iron Pact over on Steam Workshop.

[Queequeg]

 

That's amazing.

[Syt]

Stuff that's being worked on for a patch (from sticky in the Steam forums):

We have more information to share with you regarding the patch. Please find notes from the team below:

[GAMEPLAY]
• Revisiting difficulty level scaling. Increasing difficulty when playing on Apollo.
• Implementing balance pass on Health system (penalties, bonuses).
• Adjusting certain Virtues for balance.
• Implementing overall unit balance pass (strength, production and strategic resource cost, affinity level requirements, location on tech web).
• Implementing leader/sponsor trait balance pass (Kozlov, Barre, Rejinaldo, and Elodie), as well as some seeded start option adjustments.
• Implementing Covert Ops updates and exploit fixes.
• Implementing Trade Route balance and adjustments, including simpler UI.
• Implementing gameplay bug fixes as reported in the community (Quests, etc.).
• Implementing general AI improvements.
• Adjusting Affinity reward ramping when earning Affinity from Quests.
• Adjusting Station distribution, and arrival timing.
• Improving AI, including energy management, tactical management, tech and victory approaches, etc.

[ENGINE]
• Correcting screen resolution problems, particularly related to the 144hz refresh rate full-screen (or lack of full-screen) issue.
• Investigating a start-up problem where the game shuts down with an error immediately following the opening movie.
• Investigating crash issues submitted by users, and through Steam crash reporting.
• Adding an in-game option to disable depth of field effect for players that prefer the game without this.

[UI]
• Ongoing updates to in-game text, tool-tips, etc.
• Correcting an issue where actions could be missing from embarked workers (like repairing a pillaged water improvement)
• Adding "Completed" section to city production menu so players know what they just finished.
• Adding advanced touch controls, gesture support, pen support.
• Adding color icons to the tech web (categorized) with an option to disable.
• Better inform players of approaching AI victory, and updated victory/defeat screen with additional information.

[ACHIEVEMENTS]
• Achievements not firing if Max Turns was set in previous games. Also investigating some other possible causes.

[MODDING]
• Fixing 2D leader fall-back image support for all graphics quality settings

[MULTIPLAYER]
• Correcting multiple desyncs and investigating a crash due to content mismatch.
• Ongoing multiplayer improvements.
• Increasing geographic range of server browser distance filter.

[Syt]

Patch Log:

Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth Fall Update Patch Notes
Balance
Wonders and Buildings:
• Holon Chamber provides 3 Science, 4 Energy (was 5 Science)
• Mind Stems cannot be bought with Energy.
Diplomacy:
• Any diplo item can now be traded in exchange for a peace treaty
• Lump Energy trade requires a Cooperation Agreement.
Trade:
• Water trade routes no longer receive any increased yield.
• Revised trade route formula for city-to-city trade, with reduced yields.
• Trade Depots can no longer be purchased with Energy.
Aliens:
• Clearing a friendly alien nest now removes the Xenomass resource from player stockpile.
• Adjusting passive recovery rate for alien opinion to be slower, to permit easier aggression escalation.
Covert Ops:
• Establish Network now has 0 difficulty and produces 0 intrigue. This prevents players from exploiting it to increase intrigue.
Health effects balancing:
• From -20 to -70, Production is penalized -1% per point (up to -50%).
• From -15 to -65, enemy Covert Ops Intrigue is increased +2% per point (up to +100%).
• From -10 to -60, Science is penalized -1% per point (up to -50%).
• From -5 to -55, Culture is penalized -1% per point (up to -50%).
• From 0 to -50, Outpost Growth is penalized -2% per point (up to -100%).
• From 0 to -50, City Growth is penalized -2% per point (up to -100%).
• From 1 to 5, nothing happens.
• From 5 to 25, Production bonus +1% per point (up to +20%).
• From 10 to 30, enemy Covert Ops Intrigue is decreased -2% per point (up to -40%).
• From 15 to 35, Science bonus +1% per point (up to +20%).
• From 20 to 40, Culture bonus +1 per point (up to +20%).
• From 25 to 45, City Growth bonus +1% per point (up to +20%).
• From 25 to 45, Outpost Growth bonus +2% per point (up to +40%).
Virtues:
• Eudaimonia (Tier III Prosperity virtue) now provides -15% less Unhealth (was -25%)
• Learning Centers now provides +1 Science for Academies (was +2)
Game Setup:
• Sponsors:
o Kozlov Ability: Orbital units last 50% longer, +50% Petroleum resource (was Orbital units last 20% longer and first launch grants free technology)
o Barre Ability: +10% Growth when Healthy, all cities start with an Old Earth Relic (was +10% Growth when Healthy)
o Rejinaldo Ability: Melee units +10% Strength, all units +5 Heal when fortified (was +10% Melee combat strength)
o Elodie Ability: provides 1 free Virtue for every 10 Virtues earned normally through Culture (was 1 free Tech for every 10 Virtues earned in any way)
• Colonists:
o Aristocrats now provide +4 Energy per City (no Health bonus)
o Artists now provide +3 Culture per City (no Health bonus)
Tech Web:
• Clear Miasma now unlocks on Ecology (was Alien Biology)
• Miasmic Repulsor now unlocks on Alien Biology (was Ecology)
• Array Science bonus now unlocks on Astrodynamics (was Orbital Automation)
• Planet Carver now unlocks on Orbital Automation (was Astrodynamics)
• Markov Eclipse now unlocks on Transcendental Math (was Artificial Intelligence)
Stations:
• Station start turn base is now 30 (was 20)
• Station minimum allowed distance to another station is now 2 (was 3)
• Station minimum allowed distance to a city is now 6 (was 5)
• Station minimum allowed distance to an outpost is now 5 (was 3)
Affinity Perks:
• Harmony level 1 grants Miasma Immunity to the Explorer unit (was Alien opinion recovers twice as quickly)
• Purity level 1 adds double combat strength when defending to Explorer unit (was Aliens cannot attack Explorers)
Quests:
• Affinity rewarded as a quest reward now ramps up slowly over the first 100 turns (on standard). This ramp will vary with game speed.
• All players now get affinity quests within 1 turn of each other. If it's not possible for all players to receive a quest at the same time, the game waits until this is possible, then immediately gives all players a new affinity quest.
• Autoplant Building Quest grants bonus Production (was +1 Trade Route)
Units:
• Explorers now have 6 combat strength (was 3).
• Sea units now follow the same rules for ranged combat defense as all other units: they use the highest of their combat values (ranged combat or melee combat) when calculating defense.
• Combat Rover unit can no longer fortify, and no longer receives defense bonuses from the terrain it is on.
• Raising the secondary level requirement for the hybrid upgrades of affinity units:
o First affinity unit (ex. Xeno Swarm) now upgrades at level 10 of main affinity and level 4 of secondary affinity (was 10+2)
o Second affinity unit (ex. Xeno Cavalry) now upgrades at 12+5 (was 12+3)
o Third affinity unit (ex. Rocktopus) now upgrades at level 14+6 (was 14+4)
o Fourth affinity unit (ex. Xeno Titan) now upgrades at level 16+7 (was 16+5)
• Lowering strategic resource costs for many affinity units, to ensure consistency across affinities and make top tier units easier to build. The first affinity units require 1 strategic, the second require 2, the third require 3, and the fourth require 5.
o CARVR now costs 2 Firaxite (was 3)
o Rocktopus now costs 2 Xenomass and 1 Floatstone (was 3 Xenomass and 1 Floatstone)
o LEV Tank now costs 3 Floatstone (was 4)
o SABR now costs 3 Firaxite (was 4)
o Xeno Titan now costs 5 Xenomass (was 7)
o LEV Destroyer now costs 5 Floatstone (was 7)
o ANGEL now costs 5 Firaxite (was 6)
• Increased production costs of upgraded Combat Rovers and Missile Rovers:
o Combat Rovers now cost 80, 160, 260, 370 (was 80, 140, 220, 320)
o Missile Rovers now cost 100, 190, 290, 400 (was 100, 180, 270, 370)
• Lowering combat strength progression of Combat Rover:
o Combat Rover combat strength progression is now 12, 18, 28, 52 (was 12, 18, 32, 52)
• Changes to the combat strength of affinity units, to make non-upgraded ones more weak in general:
o Xeno Swarm now has 22 combat strength at start, 54 when upgraded (was 34, 54)
o Xeno Cavalry now has 36, 72 (was 48, 72)
o Rocktopus now has 60, 92 (was 60, 82)
o Xeno Titan now has 86, 114 (was 96, 114)
o Battlesuit now has 24, 66 (was 40, 66)
o Aegis now has 34, 34 double strike (was 40, 40 double strike)
o LEV Tank now has 44, 77 (was 52, 77)
o LEV Destroyer now has 74, 104 (was 84, 104)
o CNDR now has 24, 63 (was 38, 63)
o CARVR now has 38, 76 (was 50, 76)
o SABR now has 52, 86 (was 58, 86)
o ANGEL now has 78 with 78 melee, 102 with 88 melee (was 88 with 88 melee, 102 with 102 melee)
AI:
• Once the game is in Extended mode (after the player clicks the One More Turn button) the AI will now only pursue Domination.
• Warmonger threat per city acquisition is now capped.
• Warmonger calculation now scaled down when cities are taken by Sponsors that are reacting to a war that was declared upon them (that is, when that civ is not the aggressor).
• Adjusted AI bonuses on higher difficulty levels.
• Additional AI tuning, improvements, and tweaks.
Gameplay Feedback:
• Implemented anonymous gameplay telemetry for design feedback.
UI
Settings and Game Setup:
• The menu now displays EQAA modes instead of MSAA modes if in Mantle version and the GPU supports EQAA.
• Added option to disable UI/Map blur.
• The player is now informed that enabling max turns disables victory achievements.
Trade:
• Previous trade routes appear in their own category at top of trade route chooser
City/Production UI:
• Adding Health tooltip help in City View to explain health sources and population cap
• City production pop-up now shows the last item completed.
• Increased city renaming from 15 character max to 23 character max.
Misc:
• Allow "One More Turn" after the default win conditions (Contact, Promised Land, Emancipation, Transcendence, Domination, Time), added text to defeat screen explaining how you were defeated.
• Option to make minimap opaque
• ESC leaves orbital mode instead of raising in game shell menu
• Added a badge to covert ops button in the action corner which will show up, and a warning to the covert ops panel when a player has any cities with high intrigue.
• Tech web - adding color underlays to building and wonder types.
• Added additional Advisors for trade convoy and trade vessel.
• Added support for third party wars in diplo overview.
• Full touch/gesture and pen support added (Ultrabook, Surface Pro, etc.).
Multiplayer
• Setting the internet server browser list distance filtering to worldwide.
• All players are notified when anyone completes a victory wonder.
• Multiple improvements to stability.
Modding
• 2D fallback image now supported for leaders on all video quality settings, not just the lowest.
• Added the ability to mod Quests.
Bugs
• Embarked workers can now correctly repair pillaged improvements.
• Fixed an issue where Max turns was getting set on "Reload", causing achievements to not fire.
• Fixed bug where victory achievements would only unlock for the first player on a team.
• Fixed empty trade requests that could occur during the AI turn.
• Fixed multiple Quest issues (quest tracking, information, and reward bugs).
• Fixed multiple issues with screen resolution on specific displays (like the 144Hz full-screen issue), and a Mantle issue causing the game to not display on the correct screen.
• Setting MaxTurns only affects timed victory conditions. For a timed victory, you must either not set MaxTurns (of which, there will be a default for the game speed), or set it to 100+ turns. All other victory conditions can be achieved regardless of max turns.
• Friendly aliens no longer blockade cities.
• Fixed some specific issues with resources not appearing properly in the player stockpile.
• Many additional bugs and crashes addressed based on community feedback. Thank you!

[Zanza]

Is it fun?

[Viking]

Is it fun?

Not really.

[Syt]

Is it fun?

It's solid IMHO pre-patch, though not great. I played three full games and enjoyed them a fair but, but YMMV. A full game is quicker than in CivV. It's something I'll fire up every now and then, I think.

[crazy canuck]

Is it fun?

It's solid IMHO pre-patch, though not great. I played three full games and enjoyed them a fair but, but YMMV. A full game is quicker than in CivV. It's something I'll fire up every now and then, I think.

I only made it through two games.  As we discussed before it is a game that will likely get much better with added content.

[Zanza]

So I'll wait until they release the first DLC for it or it is 75% off on Steam.