Beyond Earth E3 Demo Videos

[3of5]

Actually a Working reactor should give me a permanent 1 or 2 energy pt boost. (maybe for the next X turns until it breaks down)

On the other hand reactor Parts could save me production energy because its easier to refurbish than to build new.. so that amounts to an excess of energy I have available.

Not when it runs out of fuel. Fusion reactors are huge and produce al lot more energy than those thorium reactors you get to build later. 60 energy is plausible. Alternatively the message could also say "You found a supply drop of helium 3 able to fuel the old seeding ships reactor for 60 energy". Its storagable energy you can use, whenever you want. like currency...

I just thought the original text is unneccesarily convoluted

But enough of this nitpicking already, its a moot point anyway.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

The problem is the Should have just called it Trade. (or maybe something like Rare Products)

That is the point of having something like Gold... it is rare... so "60 gold" is a lot smaller amount of "stuff" than 60 food, and its use is primarily in trade.

They brought out the problem when they named currency "energy" (instead of naming production "energy" or something like that)

 

[Krajzen]

I don't really find the reactor find any more bizarre than earning gold coins before you have the technology to mine gold or mint coins or continuing to use those coins when you reach the point where money has become fully post-metallic; it is simpler for the game to use one name rather than change the name at realistic points.

Abstraction is a part of Civ.

To be honest I have never realized this.

The problem is the Should have just called it Trade. (or maybe something like Rare Products)

Even stupider

 

[KrikkitTwo]

To be honest I have never realized this.



Even stupider

As opposed to energy that
1. is not Required for production (or for food or keeping the population alive).. instead it is only needed for buildings and units
2. is stockpiled and traded with no cost
3. is produced in copper rich areas, rivers and coasts
4. could be increased by either, neither, or both by such techs as "fusion power" or "network marketing"
5. can be used in a massive surge to produce something

(although I admit rare products isn't the best name .. Trade actually makes sense for what it Does... this "energy" has no sensible relationship to energy)

[even "stockpile" or "surplus" or "supplies" would be better... since that would reflect what it actually does.. build up and then get spent on something]

Or

they change it so that your primary source for energy is actual sources of energy and require maintenance for everything (ie each population requires 1 energy otherwise they can't produce... or All tile improvements require energy.. except those that collect energy)


The problem is they have mismatched the name and what it does.. so issues like this come up.
Actual energy would be a Great resource
as would "stockpiles"
as would "trade"

 

[NukeAJS]

I've only seent the first vid, but the frist big news comes for me at 2:50 when he says you pick your civ "and in addition to that you pick your leader, your cargo...".
That's the first non-ambiguous official statement that factions and leaders aren't tied to one another.

That's true, but I think it was a safe assumption that, with only 8 civs, there would be some leader swapping.

Eight civs with eight different leaders gives 64 possibilities. I just wish we knew what some of the characteristics of the civs and leaders were ...

Although, without having played the game, it wouldn't really be useful to know that ...

EDIT: I should have looked three threads down =p

 

[KrikkitTwo]

That's true, but I think it was a safe assumption that, with only 8 civs, there would be some leader swapping.

Eight civs with eight different leaders gives 64 possibilities. I just wish we knew what some of the characteristics of the civs and leaders were ...

Although, without having played the game, it wouldn't really be useful to know that ...

However 8 faction+leader with
3 ship bonuses
5 types of colonist

Gives 120 possibilities

 

[Karl0413]

I got a feeling the reason they went with energy is because Alpha Centauri used energy as its currency. Ah, good old Morgan conquering the global energy market; those were the days.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

However 8 faction+leader with
3 ship bonuses
5 types of colonist

Gives 120 possibilities

The way I see it the cargo and colonist bonuses influence your early game but don't really define your style in the grand scheme of things.
Until definitely proven otherwise (and I hope that we'll get proof in the next 30 minutes) I prefer to assume there will at least be an option like in Civ 4 BtS to combine leaders and factions and every faction will have a Civ 5 like unique ability and the leaders wll have SMAC like bonuses.

 

[Aeson]

Having Siege Worms as random goodie pops seems wildly imbalanced ... I hope it's just something they did for publicity rather than something that will actually be in the game.

 

[3of5]

Having Siege Worms as random goodie pops seems wildly imbalanced ... I hope it's just something they did for publicity rather than something that will actually be in the game.

I think the quality of the random pops will be linked with game era or affinity progression. thats in line with getting the weakest of the alien units in Turn 9 (gt) and the game producer with a work history in game testing (where triggering every event is paramount and is achieveed through careful planning). Her triggering a siege worm to cntrol is not an accident, but may be result of a carefully guarded skeleton (in own cultural borders), excavated very late in the game.

 

[Mustakrakish]

"Wolfbeetle is now under your control after excavating a skeleton"?

...and how did population of Mandira gone up to 3 (tripled? if not civ style exponential growth) in 9 years?

Edit: That's why I hoped there wouldn't be any year counter...

 

[GoodSarmatian]

...and how did population of Mandira gone up to 3 (tripled? if not civ style exponential growth) in 9 years?

Off-screen transport ships bringing new colonists from Earth.

 

[3of5]

Off-screen transport ships bringing new colonists from Earth.

but beware, if you don't have enough surplus nutrients to fill the granary 2 times over they turn around and head back to earth ;-)

But kidding aside, the only way i can think of it is that not all colonists get defrosted on landing and remain frozen in orbit or on the surface until the pioneers have expanded the initial living quarters and established a food supply big enough to support them with a minimal safety supply (the granary cap).

You supposedly can get population through goody huts too, which are said to be frozen colonists (maybe with almost depleted power supply, so they have to be rushed to base fast).

 

[Aeson]

I think the quality of the random pops will be linked with game era or affinity progression. thats in line with getting the weakest of the alien units in Turn 9 (gt) and the game producer with a work history in game testing (where triggering every event is paramount and is achieveed through careful planning). Her triggering a siege worm to cntrol is not an accident, but may be result of a carefully guarded skeleton (in own cultural borders), excavated very late in the game.

Could be, but she seemed to be talking about a moment in the game where it was very powerful ... When that is doesn't really matter, I just think it's a bad idea to have a pop give a unit capable of:

"I was just playing the other day and one of those expeditions gave me a Siege Worm ... and that's just an amazing moment when you walk around with that thing just smashing everything ..."

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Could be, but she seemed to be talking about a moment in the game where it was very powerful ... When that is doesn't really matter, I just think it's a bad idea to have a pop give a unit capable of:

"I was just playing the other day and one of those expeditions gave me a Siege Worm ... and that's just an amazing moment when you walk around with that thing just smashing everything ..."

Even if it 'smashes everything' it only has a move of 1.

So it might still be balanced at a later point in the game (ie level 4 soldiers are probably ~40 in strength (+60% each level))

 

[Mustakrakish]

Off-screen transport ships bringing new colonists from Earth.

but beware, if you don't have enough surplus nutrients to fill the granary 2 times over they turn around and head back to earth ;-)

Maybe first 5 or so pop should be added by collecting the pods and actual growth starting after?

Just thinking out loud.

 

[Aeson]

I'd say "smashing everything" is mutually exclusive with balanced. It could be she was just using hyperbole and she had waited until the later part of the game to pop it when it's not really a big deal ... but it sure didn't sound like it wasn't a big deal.

 

[3of5]

Maybe first 5 or so pop should be added by collecting the pods and actual growth starting after?

Just thinking out loud.

Or explaining it in a sensible way (like i tried) or some kind of accellerated start, where the first base starts with 4 pop and a full granary. If you fail to terraform fast enough population would starve and die (like mass transit system bases in AC that were founded with 3 pop and could deteriorate to 2 when badly prepared, oh the guilt!). That would be great storywise, and regarding game pacing, but sadly impossible from a balance point of view ina game that thrives on exponential power growth (that was already a problem of AC). Is it socialist of me to demand that in Civ games there should be mechanisms of power redistribution (like shorter research times for tech the more factions already know it, or the big a lead the tech leader has) to keep the late game interesting?

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Or explaining it in a sensible way (like i tried) or some kind of accellerated start, where the first base starts with 4 pop and a full granary. If you fail to terraform fast enough population would starve and die. That would be great storywise, and regarding game pacing, but sadly impossible from a balance point of view ina game that thrives on exponential power growth (that was already a problem of AC). Is it socialist of me to demand that in Civ games there should be mechanisms of power redistribution (like shorter research times for tech the more factions already know it, or the big a lead the tech leader has) to keep the late game interesting?

Those are present in civ, maybe not strong enough




As for the Siege worm... it is definitely possible that it was OP (however that is assuming they are in the process of balancing it)..its also possible she was playing on a low level or on a scripted system.
Just saying, that if you imagined a CivV unit with ~250 strength that moved 1... It would smash everything.. assuming the enemy military was kept away from it.

 

[shaglio]

As opposed to energy that
1. is not Required for production (or for food or keeping the population alive).. instead it is only needed for buildings and units
2. is stockpiled and traded with no cost
3. is produced in copper rich areas, rivers and coasts
4. could be increased by either, neither, or both by such techs as "fusion power" or "network marketing"
5. can be used in a massive surge to produce something

(although I admit rare products isn't the best name .. Trade actually makes sense for what it Does... this "energy" has no sensible relationship to energy)

[even "stockpile" or "surplus" or "supplies" would be better... since that would reflect what it actually does.. build up and then get spent on something]

Or

they change it so that your primary source for energy is actual sources of energy and require maintenance for everything (ie each population requires 1 energy otherwise they can't produce... or All tile improvements require energy.. except those that collect energy)


The problem is they have mismatched the name and what it does.. so issues like this come up.
Actual energy would be a Great resource
as would "stockpiles"
as would "trade"

They could go with a generic "currency" or the oft used "credits." But, personally, I'd prefer they used something tangible rather than "energy." I don't know why they couldn't use "gold." It would make sense that the colonists would bring earth's currency with them to, at the very least, trade/purchase amongst themselves (I'm not sure if the expedition is supposed to be aware from the start of the game that other expeditions will be launching ships too, or if they think they'll be the only earthlings on the planet - until the others show up).