So this is pretty exciting for fans of Alpha Centauri, the beloved space strategy game released back in 1999. Civilization: Beyond Earth, announced this weekend at PAX East by developers Firaxis, is a spiritual successor to that title, and will take the series’ signature hex-based empire-building into space.
You’ll play as human colonists landing on an alien planet. After securing resources and building your initial bases, you’ll have the familiar Civilization dilemma of how to develop your faction. There’s three ideologies, or “affinities”. Supremacy is all about control through power, Purity is about preserving current notions of humanity, while Harmony seeks further human evolution through the application of alien gene-seed. Each of these paths will change how your buildings, units and wonders look.
Procedurally generated planets will provide various different environments, from lush fungus forests to arid wastelands and aquatic worlds. As always there will be expansive tech trees, this time sprinkled with intriguing sci-fi concepts like transhumanism and genetic alteration.
Civilization: Beyond Earth is expected this fall on PC.
