Everything begins
with the arrival of the cosmic ship from Civilizations 2 to Alpha Centauri.
During the flight, seven factions appear aboard the vessel, each of them
adhering to a doctrine that strongly influences the game (for example: fight
advantage, more efficient research, and rarer mutinies). Many
of the things we knew about the game have changed or diversified:
- Winds are blowing from West to the East, hence the
Western coast of a mountain is fertile while the Eastern is deserted.
- The field is much improved, which is a superb opportunity
especially for the constructive player.
- Additionally, the same field square can be simultaneously
improved in
several
ways (for example: condenser and farm), some of them have a wider range
effect (for example, the condenser increases the fertility of the two
squares nearby).
The indigenous life forms are also very interesting. At
first, they impend (fungus, mind worms) but in time they may become valuables
along with the research on environmental techniques.The pollution's calculation
system has improved and it is something to reckon from the very beginning,
otherwise the planet will create a hostile response by destroying adjustments
or mind worms attacks. The
ground formation affects the field very strongly: for instance, mountains
can be raised to improve the raining of some areas, players can dig until
the water level to obtain rivers or dig a special mine to the magma level
to get a highly resourceful reward. The player can project the units. It
is immensely more varied than Civilizations 2. We can choose: the frame
(water, air, terrestrial and on wheels units), the weapons, the armor, the
propulsion system and other special features. These features are permanently
enriched and they are beautifully conveyed graphically. Technologies are
more difficult to store, as they haven't been invented yet (nothing as simple
as the wheel). Anyway, after a game, two or three it is very clear what
is the order of the building operations to reach a certain goal. Wonders
are also much richer. It's almost impossible to do them all, choice is difficult
and it is part of the strategy. The creators were careful not to introduce
anymore technologies that would give a major advantage to the one discovering
them (e.g. railroads). That's about all, Marinescu. What's the point? I
won't give you the disk for a long time from now.
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