Editorial: We Have Lift Off

Space, the final frontier. In Sid Meier’s Civilization V, space was (one of) the end goals to win a match. To create the Alpha Centuri rocket is no small task, requiring the ultimate in scientific advances and production before any other nation. But now, Alpha Centuri has launched, and Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is coming this Fall. While we have dreadfully few bits of information so far (though I doubt we will continue to suffer such a drought), there is little that needs to be known other than it being Civilization V in space.

I certainly am ecstatic for this new release, even if the space exploration prospect is not as interesting to me as domination of Earth. Civilization, in near all of its incarnations, has proved each time to be not just an incredibly addictive game, but an incredibly fun one as well. There are few games I have seen that bewitches its players so easily, making the day go by in the blink of an eye. While other games, such as World of Warcraft might accomplish something similar, most MMOs involve a lot of idle time just sitting about with very little engagement between PvP matches or group raids. Civilization, on the other hand manages to grip its players throughout. From humble origins of surviving along some river or ocean to world war or a space race, players in Civilization always have something to do, some objective and challenge to meet.

So how will this translate into the space-fearing expeditions in Civilization: Beyond Earth? Well, very similar to Civilization V, if its spiritual successor Alpha Centuri is any indication. Alpha Centuri was in essence a spin-off of Civilization II. It used the same engines, most of the same features, and only tweaked the gameplay to accommodate the setting. Still though, Alpha Centuri became a cult hit, enough to recognize that a spiritual successor (EA holds the trademark to Alpha Centuri, so there will never be an Alpha Centuri II worth playing) is certainly craved for.

But will fans of Civilization V find the same enjoyable and immersive gameplay in Civilization: Beyond Earth? The answer, with so little information we have gotten so far, is a simple “Maybe.” As an adept Civilization V player myself, part of the fun is the technology development. Becoming Space Age Caesar fighting a World War 2-era Genghis Khan is a joy in and of itself, not to mention Gods and Kings and Brave New World, Civilization V‘s expansions, additions of religion and tourism. With Beyond Earth, I simply do not know how they will manage to have as much as immersive progression. I mean certainly, you can go from small rovers and lightly-armed infantry to giant tanks and flying star-cruisers, but the vast difference between say, a group of turn 1 warriors and a turn 400 Giant Death Robot, both units in Civilization V, is a path of upgrades that Beyond Earth will struggle to accomplish.

There is also the matter of Civilization‘s in-jokes, most famous of all being Gandhi’s warmongering ways. Spawned from a coding error in the first of the series, India and its leader has been known as the most violent, backstabbing nation to grace any of the Civilization games. Alpha Centuri had traditionally broken away from these anachronistic world leaders, instead opting for seven new, fictitious factions. It is my hope that Firaxis keeps with tradition and leaves in our lovable leaders like Washington, Elizabeth I, and Augustus so that they may war upon a new planet, but I expect to see a return to Alpha Centuri‘s factions.

How this might play into the future of Civilization‘s fandom and sales I have no clue. As an on and off player of Civilization V I can say that frankly, the news of a futuristic spin-off seemed surprising, even if I was no less excited by the prospect. Civilization VI seemed the obvious choice, especially with what seemed a booming surge in popularity (no small thanks to the rise of Steam, and Civilization V‘s near constant presence during Steam’s Summer/Winter sales). Will this huge deviation in setting hinder the series’ growth, or will it instead bring about a surge of excitement, sending fans to shelves (or more likely, Steam) in order to get a copy?

Regardless, it looks to be that Civilization: Beyond Earth will hold a large amount of gameplay elements that will appease to fans of the series’ last installment, seeing as the (minimal) gameplay images floating about the web show the game to look almost like a re-skinned version of Civilization V. Of course, the prospect of losing the ability to play as our favorite nations (and their immortal rulers) is a drab one, but today’s modding community will soon have Bismark in a spacesuit, or Gandhi in a mech, leading German and Indian exploration teams to conquer a new world.

As Beyond Earth launches this Fall, we will have more information detailing just what we will be playing, and whether or not we will have to fight Space Mongols or space-faring corporations. Hopefully the former, because God only knows how much I want Augustus Caesar to duke it out on planet Mars with Napoleon and Elizabeth I.

In either capacity, I am certain that Civilization: Beyond Earth, will prove itself to be a worthy addition to any gamer’s library, and look forward to putting in a hundred hours or more in my pursuit of conquering a new world. What about you? Do you think that Beyond Earth can hold a candle to Civilization V or will it be remembered as some unsuccessful spin-off? Go ahead and leave a comment on your thoughts!