14 DAY TRIAL // Firaxis has released the full video of its Civilization: Beyond Earth panel at PAX for the world to enjoy, delivering close to an hour's worth of discussion revolving around the game, going in depth regarding some of the features in the upcoming turn-based strategy game.
Firaxis' panel featured Lead Co-Designers Will Miller and David McDonough, as well as Lead Producer Lena Brenk and Gameplay Designer Anton Strenger.
Last week, the company revealed a gameplay video explaining some of the core gameplay components of Civilization: Beyond Earth, and also showcasing a battle against one of the deadliest denizens of the alien planet, a Kraken.
Much of the gameplay footage shown at Firaxis' panel is the same as the one in the video, following the Purity Affinity and showing some of the features of the Orbital Layer, but revealing much more information than the trailer.
The panel also delivers a bit of philosophical chit-chat, mostly speculation revolving around the exciting question of what will humanity look like in the distant future.
The turn-based strategy game is the first one in the Civilization series that will follow mankind's steps into space, as all previous installments stopped just shy of interplanetary exploration, revealing man's journey through the ages since the dawn of civilization.
The futuristic setting allowed the team a lot of creative freedom, since the technology, social policies and gameplay don't have to accurately follow known history, and as such the team devised a system where mankind is divided between three different paths, Harmony, Purity and Supremacy.
Each of the three different paths presents a different direction for man to evolve in after establishing a new home on a distant alien planet, ranging from genetic adaptations that alter humans in order for them to fit in their new habitat, to relying on cybernetic enhancements to master the new environment, or radically transforming it in order to recreate Earth's image and ecosystems.
The upcoming game will introduce a lot of new elements to the core Civilization formula, among which an enhanced diplomatic system that includes a sort of new currency/concept called Favors. In the past, figuring out how diplomacy worked used to be an effort in divination, but the new system will allow players to perform tasks for other factions, banking Favors that will allow gamers to manipulate them later.
The company has also revealed that the previously announced launch date of October 24 will be global, and that everyone should be able to get their hands on Civilization: Beyond Earth at the same time.
Pre-ordering the game will net you the chance to explore some new planets, based on the closest potentially life-harboring planets in the known universe.
