Poll: Civilization Beyond Earth: Your Favorite Path?

[dragonswarrior]

Hey Escapists! So Civilization Beyond Earth has been out for a couple of weeks now, and for whatever reason I'm dying with curiosity to know what folks think about the various "paths" that the game allows you to take, and which path is your favorite (either for gameplay reasons, aesthetic reasons, ideological reasons, or whatever.)

In general I'd have to say I actually love the system. I can't wait to see the game expand, because I think they have a lot of really cool new(ish) ideas going on.

For me I'd definitely have to say Harmony. It actually jives with me a lot for ideological reasons, and I often have a hard time separating myself and my morals from my gameplay. Aesthetically it's pretty cool too, all glowy and greenish blue. I like Supremacy a lot too, because augmentation is awesome. I can't stand Purity. I think it's abhorrent and disgusting, aesthetically and ideologically. Game play wise it's alright, and I actually had some fun playing as Purity one game and pretending I was a nascent 40k Human Empire just starting off. I kinda felt a little bad the whole game through though. *laughs*

So how about you Civ fans?

 

[Emcee_N]

HAve to say I haven't played all three properly yet. Playing a Harmony game now and liking the benefits with Miasma - but not looking forward to the extended endgame that apparently requires exactly the sort of expansion that the draconian Health penalties discourage. Played Supremacy first time (as Hutama), won with Emancipation, endgame was therefore much more focused on military production than I would normally play. Haven't played a Purity game past getting 2 points in it for Gene Garden in my Supremacy game.

 

[Bernzz]

Having played them all once, Supremacy.

Aesthetically, their units rock.
As do their cities. Unf.

Also, their units are straight badasses. The SABR artillery walker, when you remove the need for it to set up, is a total boss at sieges.

My mind might change if I ever harness a Xeno Titan, though...

 

[Greg White]

Purity/Supremacy.

I like the benefits of Supremacy units, specifically the 20% bonus when adjacent to other friendly units, but at the same time Battlesuits(basically 40k marines, banners and all) as well as LEV tanks and destroyers are just too awesome to pass up.

I do like to get harmony up to 6 so I can troll any unfriendly neighbors with miasma in the mid game, but I can't say I'm too fond of the harmony units.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Harmony is probably my favourite gameplay wise. Xeno titans mean I usually dont have to bother with any piddly little marines to tank cities while I pound them with my artillery. But if its a water map purity is preferred because nothing stops the hovering vehicle army!

Ideologically...I prefer purity. Now I dont say that from a place of flat out rejecting peoples rights to change their bodies, but I just see the rampant changing of peoples bodies as a whole society as a little disturbing.

I mean one of the supremacy bits of fluff talks about how changing standards of health means a newborn baby without any illnesses or deformities will now be born considered unhealthy, and harmony is about changing all of the people with alien DNA, so a child who is born with these dna modifications never gets the chance to consent or not, and anybody who refuses becomes a second class citizen, do you then expect those people to change for your standards?

If we are changing peoples DNA with harmony are we specilising people to tasks? Does that mean when you are born with your changed dna you are basically in a caste system? Fated to do what the government designed you to be good at for the rest of your life?

I dunno, it just seems so messy all this stuff. The endgames of harmony and supremacy seem to essentially have the human race as obsolete. Whilst purity is the only one that seems to want to remember and honor the sacrifice of those left behind on a dieing earth and remembers the history of the human race, and has that spark of hope and optimism that something about humanity is worth preserving.

 

[Emcee_N]

I think Supremacy genuinely believe they are improving things for those left behind - their victory is even called Emancipation. And Harmony are trying to avoid the sorts of mistakes that led to having to make that sacrifice in the first place.

 

[Frankster]

Hum so far I've only ever done Supremacy (it's the path that seems to fit my views best) but from sounds of it I gotta roll Purity and give them 40k style power suits a try.

 

[Steve Waltz]

Purity: All day, every day.

If I can find a decent source of titanium early on, I get some exosuits and go on an alien extermination with some science bonus for each alien killed. All good. Realistically, I choose my ideology depending on which strategic resources nearby my capital. Still, I like The Promised Land ending the best; it?s really the most fun and it makes me feel like a real hero, despite the genocide I committed against all the aliens.