If DLC for the fifth part Civilization were akin to the decoration, then the “tide” is just right to compare with the rescue circle. After all, after a sluggish start Beyond Earth, Coolly accepted by both critics and fans, hope remained only on the famous «second wind» Firaxis. And it, if taken into account Brave New World And XCOM: ENEMY WITHIN, It is worth a lot – the developers have already established themselves with docks in terms of additions. But does it justify Rising Tide assigned to the supplement of hope and is it too late to warm up interest in the strategy that has disappointed many?
Who lives at the bottom of the sea
With the release of DLC, the game has really changed, but familiar with the “vanilla” version is unlikely to get lost in the three pines of the gameplay. As in the original, it is necessary to take a group of refugees from perishing land under guardianship to colonize one of the distant planets, including fresh worlds – volcanic and ice. There are still five ways to victory: in addition to banal conquest and contact with the extraterrestrial mind, one can achieve the goal of any of the perfection – superiority, righteousness or harmony. And being still determines the consciousness: the righteous who are waiting for poor relatives from the Earth prefer anti-grades and titanium, for the triumph of superiority we needigs, and harmony grows claws in the puddles of xenomas. Despite the opportunity to combine perfection for the sake of hybrid troops, the direct course is still more profitable, since
the purebred «units» are stronger, and the opening of «varietal» technologies brings the victory.
Without touching the main missions, Firaxis V Rising Tide Aliven the environment. The ocean now is the same full -fledged habitat as the land. Here you can build cities, fight giant mollusks, ruin their underwater nests, excavation and process resources that are often different from those that are found on the shore. But the difference between floating and conventional colonies is much more open to similarities and is not limited to aesthetics or emphasis on the fleet to the detriment of the ground forces. In fact, DLC offers two development styles that are different from each other, like boxing and karate. The city on the water does not grow on its own, due to cultural glasses, therefore, to expand the borders, it has to be moved or by the old fashioned way to buy cages for energy – a local analogue of coins.
On the one hand, this is convenient: in order to reach a particularly valuable resource, it is not necessary to train a settler and lay out a vvvanpost – it is enough to move closer. If oil does not float to Mohammed, Mohammed floats to oil – everything is logical. On the other hand, naval cities either move or produce something-the third is not given. Therefore, spending precious moves on a cage step is still laid, especially at the beginning of the party. But the abyss is much more suppressed for study than land: while researchers on the shore are enveloping the faults and rocks, pressing the poisonous “miasm”, in the ocean it is enough to maneuver between the hydrocuals – a joke of nature, and not an obstacle. However, here Rising Tide Equalizes the chances, because traveling by water and sending merchant ships ceased to demand a separate technology.
The addition attaches an adventurous excitement not only with the opportunity to settle wherever the soul wishes is now it is doubly useful to open the card. Indeed, in addition to the wreckage from the sky and capsules from the sponsors, burial grounds of prehistoric creatures appeared, as well as the miracles and ruins of the forerunner – intelligent aliens, which the trace caught a cold. The soldiers find artifacts – earthly, remaining from the forerunner or local. As it is easy to guess, these items come in handy on the farm: using one or two, you can get a one -time bonus, and together three – constant. Farm with artifacts diluted the routine of secondary tasks, familiar in the original and still drive into longing for the fact that they are repeated from time to time.
From love to hatred
IN Rising Tide The previous set of eight fractions was complemented by four more. Masters of the urban development of al-Falas, North Sea Alliance with strong colonies at sea, specialists in secret operations to Chungs and Integra are Europeans who are able to save diplomatic capital. This is a new resource of the game (along with energy, science and culture), under which the bonuses of Brazil and the Pan -Asian Association even set up. From now on, to start negotiations with opponents without diplomacy points – how to go to a store without money: services on credit are no longer quoted here. And the principle works, greatly reminiscent of a system of prestige from Endless Legend, where a policy based on intentions alone is impossible.
In any agreement, up to a truce, it is necessary to invest diplomacy points accrued mainly from buildings. Agreements c Beyond Earth Now they look like this: you exchange part of the receipts of diplomatic capital for any bonus. Of course, the more useful it is, the more expensive: you want to increase the zone of action of the satellites – fork out 9 points of diplomacy, and raise the capital’s income by 20% already 25. Each leader has its own proposals, so the assortment of foreign policy acts turned out to be very impressive. It’s a pity, they abolished the exchange of resources – they have to send caravans or army behind them. But even more offensive the ban on setting up the terms of contracts, which always differed the series Sid Meier’s Civilization.
As you can see, Duncan Hughes from the North Sea Alliance intrigues with might and main, and in appearance – a simple man.
But the innovations have revived rivals under the control of AI: everyone has gained character and changes its attitude towards you depending on your actions. The rules are such that everyone cannot please everyone at once. Peaceful builders will delight the developed infrastructure, and having tightened with aggression, you hear the caustic one from the brave: “Pacifist?»International tension in Rising Tide depends on two metrics – respect and fear. The closer cooperation with the leader and the stronger he likes your play style, the sooner he will offer cooperation and the union, and the cost of agreements with him will fall noticeably. Otherwise – an increase in fear, sanctions and war.
Finally, diplomatic capital can be converted into the personal skills of your leader. There are four of them in total: one congenital, and the rest-civil, political and military-is allowed to be harassed as you like and, if necessary, change for an additional fee, as if in some RPG. It is right, because at different stages of the party various things are useful: now it is important to improve the health of the colonists, and then to rush into science or production. Thanks to this, the diploma does not accumulate and does not lie with dead cargo – he constantly in business, all the time benefits.
Colonize it
That is Rising Tide – This is a serious addition in the spirit Firaxis: with a lot of content shoveled by mechanics and a completely special character. Civilization: Beyond Earth Finally, she gained the individuality that she lacked at the time of the release, because of which the strategy was replaced with inferiority and called the expansion of the fifth “civilization”, fanned to the state of the “thing in itself”. Now the product has matured and is ready for use, so most claims to developers can be left in the past.
True, in order to enjoy this completed, full-fledged strategy, gamers will pay twice-the original is also not for nothing. For all the novelty and elegance, Rising Tide – by no means a compliment of the “vanilla” version, which was bored after three parties. This is not an apology to the fans who asked in 2014 the question of where the series is rolling. On the contrary, the addition is supplied as a good additive to a great dish. But what was appropriate during the release Brave New World, It is unlikely that it will work in this case. DLC, of course, sensible – here Firaxis Confirmed her reputation. But if the developers with publishers did not plan to timid his release to the news about the Dyson sphere around KIC 8462852, but still intended to spur interest in the original game, then this event would only affect the fans of the series. Instead of a general holiday, they rolled a club.
Pros: colonization of oceans;logical diplomacy;Thanks to perfection synergy, artifacts, new monsters, “units” and buildings, the strategy has become deeper than the original version.
Cons: You cannot configure the terms of the agreements;previous mini-quests and scenarios of victories.
