More Hybrid Affinities

[PatheticWetClown]

Hello, everyone! My first time posting here, though I've had Beyond Earth brainrot for about a year now. Anyway...

https://www.reddit.com/r/civbeyondearth/s/PQJ5cg9w7u

The above comment, by @Galgus, inspired me to come up with my own variations on the Hybrid Affinities, and see what combinations I could make.

@DefiantMars might also like this, as I have followed their work on this forum and liked what I saw.

The ones in colour are the ones already in the game, with the Hybrids using names given to them by the community.

First of all, the Main Affinities have been divided into their two core beliefs, as seen in the above comment:

Purity
-love for an idealisation of humanity
-humanity's ability to tackle new problems by relying on unique human qualities

Harmony
-belief in the integration of biological systems into humans and society
-reverence for the planet

Supremacy
-belief in technology as the balm for society's ills
-drive for ever-forward progress

And from there, I mixed and matched, and came up with the following Hybrids:

Parity
-love for an idealisation of humanity
-belief in the integration of biological systems into humans and society
Pseudohumans with xeno implants that can manipulate life like magic

Divinity
-love for an idealisation of humanity
-reverence for the planet
Genetically-enhanced posthumans who maintain the planet like a garden

Variety
-humanity's ability to tackle new problems by relying on unique human qualities
-belief in the integration of biological systems into humans and society
Hybridised anthropomorphic alien lifeforms that come in various shapes and sizes

Solidarity
-humanity's ability to tackle new problems by relying on unique human qualities
-reverence for the planet
Regular humans living in a solarpunk society in communion with the planet

Syzygy
-love for an idealisation of humanity
-belief in technology as the balm for society's ills
Human-like synthetics who can manipulate any technology like magic

Prosperity
-love for an idealisation of humanity
-drive for ever-forward progress
Peak performance humans connected with each other through light cybernetics

Mastery
-humanity's ability to tackle new problems by relying on unique human qualities
-belief in technology as the balm for society's ills
Regular humans supported by AI who see the world as something to be exploited

Efficacy
-humanity's ability to tackle new problems by relying on unique human qualities
-drive for ever-forward progress
Cybernetic humans directed by greater-than-human AI

Potentiality
-belief in the integration of biological systems into humans and society
-belief in technology as the balm for society's ills
Xenogenetically-enhanced brains in jars piloting encounter suits

Voracity
-belief in the integration of biological systems into humans and society
-drive for ever-forward progress
Biosynths who seek to achieve greater ways of overcoming their limitations

Congruity
-reverence for the planet
-belief in technology as the balm for society's ills
Cyborgs with bio-neural implants that maintain a perfectly run ecosystem

Idolatry
-reverence for the planet
-drive for ever-forward progress
Genetically and cybernetically-enhanced regular humans that wish to assimilate everything

This isn't really something I'd necessarily like to see in a possible sequel, but they were interesting for worldbuilding. I am curious about your thoughts, and whether or not you have any alternate or better ideas in regards to their aesthetics and/or philosophies.

 

[vorlon_mi]

What a creative approach! The RT expansion used the affinities as a whole, meaning that we could only blend three affinities two-at-a-time into three more hybrids. By noting the 2 main sub-beliefs in each affinity, that gives 6 beliefs which may be combined two-at-a-time into 12 new hybrids.

I like the possibilities for world-building and story-telling. Many times the effects of hybrid affinities, e.g., achieving level 5 in Harmony gives you X, achieving level 5 in Supremacy along with that gives you Y, have not particularly impressed me. Although, if I'm honest, those buffs are often the key to helping me *grow* or *tech* my way out of a negative health situation. The main reason I find BERT more fun than Civ5 is exactly that -- I can grow affinity (or to a lesser extent, grow culture for certain virtues) to get my empire overall to be healthy. I could never crack that issue with Civ5's negative happiness.

As I read through your descriptions, I find myself musing about potential changes to victory conditions. Followers of the Solidarity and Prosperity hybrid would certainly want a Promised Land style victory, inviting earthlings to join them; Syzygy and Voracity, not so much. Both Potentiality and Congruity might be interested in conquering old Earth, Emancipation style. If an AI-led faction adopts one of these, might they have more animus towards the followers of another? Mastery "regular humans" would not like Potentiality "brains in jars." Would the destruction of a Potentiality city have ripple effects, where encounter suits that are located far away suddenly stop working?

Which hybrids might be more aggressive or more passive, with their military? Might there be specific terrain improvements that some hybrids could build, but others not, that fits their core beliefs?

Thank you! Welcome to CivFanatics!

 

[PatheticWetClown]

What a creative approach! The RT expansion used the affinities as a whole, meaning that we could only blend three affinities two-at-a-time into three more hybrids. By noting the 2 main sub-beliefs in each affinity, that gives 6 beliefs which may be combined two-at-a-time into 12 new hybrids.

I like the possibilities for world-building and story-telling. Many times the effects of hybrid affinities, e.g., achieving level 5 in Harmony gives you X, achieving level 5 in Supremacy along with that gives you Y, have not particularly impressed me. Although, if I'm honest, those buffs are often the key to helping me *grow* or *tech* my way out of a negative health situation. The main reason I find BERT more fun than Civ5 is exactly that -- I can grow affinity (or to a lesser extent, grow culture for certain virtues) to get my empire overall to be healthy. I could never crack that issue with Civ5's negative happiness.

As I read through your descriptions, I find myself musing about potential changes to victory conditions. Followers of the Solidarity and Prosperity hybrid would certainly want a Promised Land style victory, inviting earthlings to join them; Syzygy and Voracity, not so much. Both Potentiality and Congruity might be interested in conquering old Earth, Emancipation style. If an AI-led faction adopts one of these, might they have more animus towards the followers of another? Mastery "regular humans" would not like Potentiality "brains in jars." Would the destruction of a Potentiality city have ripple effects, where encounter suits that are located far away suddenly stop working?

Which hybrids might be more aggressive or more passive, with their military? Might there be specific terrain improvements that some hybrids could build, but others not, that fits their core beliefs?

Thank you! Welcome to CivFanatics!

Thanks for your welcome, and yeah Affinities would definitely be cooler of they had such specific effects on relations with other civs.

As for Victory Conditions, I had a couple ideas, though do note these account but only for the three main ones and the main Hybrids, not the expanded Affinities.

Promised Land: build an Exodus Gate to Earth and settle 20 Earthling Settlers
Transcendence: build a Mind Flower to create a collective consciousness with the help of Mind Stems
Eternal Voyage: build a Void Fleet to move your society into
Elysium Project: build a Planet Shaper in each of your cities to reshape the planet
Emancipation: build 6 Warships to liberate Earth from the old paradigms
Second Seeding: build 4 of your own Seedships

My idea was that all of these Victories would be available to all Affinities, each one getting tougher the more a player went away from their standard Victory.

Also, each Victory would have alternate names depending on which Affinity took them.

Purity
Promised Land
One Family (Transcendence)
Unbound (Eternal Voyage)
Terra Reborn (Elysium Project)
Reunion (Emancipation)
Ad Astra (Second Seeding)

Harmony
The Meek Cometh (Promised Land)
Transcendence
From The Cradle (Eternal Voyage)
Amity Protocol (Elysium Project)
Salvation (Emancipation)
Garden Worlds (Second Seeding)

Supremacy
Silicon Dream (Promised Land)
Synthesis (Transcendence)
Eternal Voyage
Cyberopolis (Elysium Project)
Assimilation (Emancipation)
Without Limit (Second Seeding)

Divinity
Paradise Found (Promised Land)
Age of Wonder (Transcendence)
Cosmic Path (Eternal Voyage)
Elysium Project
Judgement (Emancipation)
Empire of Life (Second Seeding)

Mastery
Resettlement Program (Promised Land)
Telesphere (Transcendence)
Infinite Horizon (Eternal Voyage)
Worldbuilders (Elysium Project)
Emancipation
Final Frontier (Second Seeding)

Voracity
Alien Nation (Promised Land)
Swarm (Transcendence)
Hive Fleet (Eternal Voyage)
Endless Diversity (Elysium Project)
Forgiveness (Emancipation)
Second Seeding

I am also curious if you have any alternate ideas for the lore of each Affinity I made, as personally I myself am not entirely satisfied with what I came up for in regards to Prosperity and Idolatry, for example.