Firaxis took to Twitch to stream 50 minutes or so of Civilization: Beyond Earth , in part focusing on how the indigenous (or, to us, alien) species in the game will react to the presence of us fleshy human meatbags. These creatures will essentially perform a lot of the same functions as the barbarians from Civ, but Firaxis were quick to point out some key differences. We also get to ogle at the game's lovely new Tech Web (it's no longer a tree), which is a thing of interconnected, very purple beauty. The session is now on YouTube, and I've linked all three parts below.
In short: Beyond Earth's aliens come in variety of forms, from sea monsters to bugs that lurk in nests. Unlike Civ's barbarians, they're not simply there to pillage and plunder your hard work; you can either learn to get along with them, or exterminate them from the face of your new home. The following videos show the two approaches in action, which will set your faction down one of two paths (one significantly jerkier than the other). Aliens will grow more aggressive if you decide to keep attacking them, while they'll warm to you if you act all nice like.
Beyond Earth's Virtues system is also detailed in the videos, and it's pretty much the Social Policy system from Civilization V, only tweaked a bit. You can choose to dedicate your society to might, prosperity, knowledge or industry, or a mixture of the four.
Civilization: Beyond Earth is out October 24th, and it's all a bit exciting if you remember Alpha Centauri.
Thanks, NeoGAF !
