14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Firaxis announces that it is now ready to offer information on the next patch coming to Civilization: Beyond Earth, which is designed to prepare the game for the launch of Sid Meier’s Starships and to introduce a range of new balance-focused changes to the turn-based strategy title.
The connection between the two games will be handled via a my2K account for each player, which will require a separate account and will deliver an exclusive Glacier map to gamers who use it.
Firaxis is also introducing an Incoming Transmission area to the main screen, which will deliver more info about Civilization: Beyond Earth and about Starships when it is launched.
When it comes to balance, gamers have been complaining that Wonders are not very effective, so they have received most of the attention of the team.
The official announcement from Firaxis says that "Players reported that some felt like marginal upgrades over other resource buildings. The Beyond Earth team took a general cost pass on all the Wonders in the game, and changed the effects of most of them."
Gamers can take a look at all the changes of the winter update for Civilization: Beyond Earth by clicking on the button at the end of this article.
The developers are saying that they are also linking trade routes to actual city size, making changes to how Harmony deals with alien units and improving the Artificial Intelligence of the turn-based title.
Civilization: Beyond Earth will not be abandoned when Starships launches
Firaxis says that it is aiming to get more feedback from the player community both before and after the Winter Update is delivered, which will be incorporated in future patches.
It will be interesting to see how the changes to Wonders will affect player strategies and whether the game becomes more exciting and rewarding because of the modifications made by Firaxis.
The main focus of the studio is now on the Sid Meier's Starships experience, which is supposed to be launched before the end of spring and will focus more on fleet building, exploration and on tactical combat.
But it sounds like Civilization: Beyond Earth will still get support during 2015, and judging by the way the company has treated previous titles in the franchise, a big expansion will probably be announced and might even be launched before the year is through.
