IGN is playing Rising Tide with devs today at 1pm PT

[Westwall]

I agree that Artillery should start with 3 range

Exactly. It's ridiculous that it doesn't.

 

[DefiantMars]

/u/Dechs224 over at /r/civbeyondearth so kindly recorded the tech web tooltips for some of the hybrid affinity units. I know that @SupremacyKing2 already listed the tooltip for the Drone Cage, but for the sake of completeness I'll leave it here.

Harmony/Purity

Immortal

• Cost: 205 Production
• Movement: 2
• Strength: 30
• 1 Xenomass required
• 3 Harmony / 3 Purity

"A genetically enhanced soldier with enhanced physical strength. Agile, resilient shock unit."

Throne

• Cost: 385 Production
• Movement: 2
• Range: 2
• Ranged Strength: 40
• Strength: 26
• 2 Xenomass, 2 Floatstone Required
• 5 Harmony / 5 Purity Ultimate

"A mobile field command platform with exceptional battlefield control capabilities. Tough, versatile support unit."

Purity/Supremacy

Drone Cage

• Cost: 265 Production
• Movement: 2
• Strength: 22
• 1 Firaxite Required
• 3 Purity / 3 Supremacy

"An elite soldier-medic assisted by multi-purpose servant drones that autonomously heal adjacent wounded units each turn. Versatile support unit."

Autosled

• Cost: 325 Production
• Movement: 3
• Strength: 40
• 1 Firaxite, 1 Floatstone required
• 4 Purity / 4 Supremacy

"A squad of shock troops mounted on a semi-autonomous mobile combat platform. Swift, aggressive raiding and reconnaissance unit.

Supremacy/Harmony

Nanohive

• Cost: 240 Production
• Movement: 2
• Strength: 28
• Has Invisibility
• 1 Titanium Required
• 3 Supremacy / 3 Harmony

"A deployable group of robotic combat micro-drones that automatically damage enemies adjacent to the unit. Slow but powerful support unit."

... Do both the Geliopod and the Nanohive possess invisibility? That's really interesting (and annoying).

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Autosled and Nanohive sound cool.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Autosled
"A squad of shock troops mounted on a semi-autonomous mobile combat platform. Swift, aggressive raiding and reconnaissance unit.

Nanohive
"A deployable group of robotic combat micro-drones that automatically damage enemies adjacent to the unit. Slow but powerful support unit."

I particularly love the descriptions for the Autosled and Nanohive. They just sound super cool. Can't wait to see them in actions.

 

[GenEngineer]

So the ultimate units for hybrid unlock at 5 of each, not 7? That's interesting.

 

[DefiantMars]

I particularly love the descriptions for the Autosled and Nanohive. They just sound super cool. Can't wait to see them in actions.

Of course you are. Your name is SupremacyKing2

But in all seriousness, I agree with you fully. It appears that the S/H units actually go Nanohive > Geliopod > Aquillon.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

Of course you are. Your name is SupremacyKing2

supremacy is my favorite affinity, with purity being second. I never play harmony. But what's interesting with the hybrid affinities is that it will encourage me to try different combos, as long as supremacy is still in there of course. So while I normally don't play harmony, I might try supremacy-harmony and I can't wait to try purity-supremacy. My point being that hybrid affinities may open up new strategies that players normally would not be interested in.

 

[Westwall]

It's like the devs only really want us to try purity-supremacy considering how the rest of the hybrids don't look nearly as interesting or cool.

Blue and white has such a Grey Goo/Star Trek vibe whereas the bronze and purple of harmony-purity is just... eh.

As for purple and red of harmony-supremacy, I guess it just reminds me too much of Magneto. Too villainy.

 

[GenEngineer]

It's like the devs only really want us to try purity-supremacy considering how the rest of them don't look nearly as interesting or cool. Blue and white has such a Grey Goo/Star Trek vibe whereas the bronze and purple of harmony-purity is just... eh. As for purple and red of harmony-supremacy, I guess it reminds me too much of Magneto. Too villainy.

I beg to differ. I'm much more interested in seeing how all the stealth in Harmony-Supremacy plays out than playing with the more defensive Purity-Supremacy. Generally though, I like Harmony best and Purity the least.

 

[Westwall]

Right, I was speaking more generally.

Most of the responses I've read seem more excited about supremacy-purity than the rest, and McDonough himself said that was his favorite aesthetic.

 

[DefiantMars]

supremacy is my favorite affinity, with purity being second. I never play harmony. But what's interesting with the hybrid affinities is that it will encourage me to try different combos, as long as supremacy is still in there of course. So while I normally don't play harmony, I might try supremacy-harmony and I can't wait to try purity-supremacy. My point being that hybrid affinities may open up new strategies that players normally would not be interested in.

I support Harmonic ideals a lot. I don't think humanity is the be-all-end-all of its environment. But the brutality of Harmony is a bit of an offput to me. And I desperately resonate with the Purity ideal of preserving knowledge and history. So Harmony/Purity seems to be the natural choice for me. We'll see as we learn more about their history.

It's like the devs only really want us to try purity-supremacy considering how the rest of the hybrids don't look nearly as interesting or cool.

Blue and white has such a Grey Goo/Star Trek vibe whereas the bronze and purple of harmony-purity is just... eh.

As for purple and red of harmony-supremacy, I guess it just reminds me too much of Magneto. Too villainy.

The curse of subjectivity, lol.

The Grey Goo reference was stuck in the back of my mind and came out when you brought it up. I definitely agree with you that the P/S models are pretty sweet. The statuesque "porcelain doll" aesthetic is neat. Though I have fundamental issues with the current representation of P/S.

I happen to like the bronze, though I will admit that I was not expecting the purple. Like the aesthetic of P/S and S/H, I'm finding that I'm liking it more over time. I just hope that they share in a modified (read hybridized) version of Purity's terraforming focus.

With S/H, I think that's what they were going for. Its not my favorite (and I think their Fury Gunners are vastly overcompensating) but I do appreciate the diversity.

 

[Westwall]

I happen to like the bronze, though I will admit that I was not expecting the purple.

There had to have been a better way to go.

Maybe bronze and yellow or white or black - something that better complements their statuesque, unyielding, almost monkish appearance.

 

[DefiantMars]

There had to have been a better way to go.

Maybe bronze and yellow or white or black - something that better complements their statuesque, unyielding, almost monkish appearance.

Bronze and Yellow are too close in color family. There isn't enough contrast. Black would have been too much contrast. Far too dark and overpowering. White... is a possibility depending on what tone it took.

 

[Westwall]

Black would have been too much contrast. Far too dark and overpowering.

Don't be so sure. I really like how it looks on the Immortal.

What I'm suggesting is extending that scheme to the other units.

Spoiler :

 

[Ryika]

Spoiler :

Whoooow, isn't that racist or something?

 

[DefiantMars]

Oh THAT is what you meant. I thought you were talking about the accent and weapon fire, not the secondary color.

No, I agree. The immortal has a nice balance of the colors and falls along the lines of the 60-30-10 "rule". A design theory that is popular with modern interior decorators, but is applicable to any composition really. Its an off-black (a little brown tinted I think) but it compliments the palette well.

They could really tone down the amount of bronze/gold on the Champion and Kodiak...

 

[Westwall]

Tone down the bronze and purple... add some spatters of black/brown here and there.

 

[Galgus]

@DefiantMars

Aside Purity / Supremacy being pretty much Purity extending automation to the battlefield a little more and thus being bland, what is your problem with it?

 

[DefiantMars]

Tone down the bronze and purple... add some spatters of black/brown here and there.

Yeah. Now that I know what you mean. I can agree very much. I think that's what's turning quite a number of people off from the Harmony/Purity ground troops. I'd go and mock up a photoshop attempt, but I don't have the software on any of my computers right now.

@DefiantMars

Aside Purity / Supremacy being pretty much Purity extending automation to the battlefield a little more and thus being bland, what is your problem with it?

I think because it feels pretty damn close to what we have today. Every other affinity fills a fantasy; the continuation of a sci-fi theme.

• Harmony: Uses genetic modification to become human alien hybrid. Tames aliens.
  
• Purity: Makes superior baseline humans. Builds massive freaking hoverships. Kills aliens.
  
• Supremacy: Absolutely loves robotics and AI, turns humans into cyborgs or neurally uploads them.
  
• Harmony/Purity: Uses genetic engineering to break humanity of its limitations and make super-humans.
  
• Supremacy/Harmony: Combines bionic and biotics to make biomechanical fusions of living machine.

Between that and the, I don't know, lack of proactive pursuit of advancement. This version of Purity/Supremacy really seems lazy (from a lore standpoint not from a game design standpoint. I can imagine how much technical and design effort was actually put into it.) I get the air of stagnancy from this hybrid affinity, where everything else feels like it has potential for the future.

 

[Galgus]

Every time I think of it, I wish it was themed on human-like machines and I think of the Megaman X / Z / ZX series.

I agree that it feels bland as-is, but its only a backstory change away from being interesting IMO.