Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack

I could play this every day. Forever. Until I die. There would be nothing to regret. Kind of wishing I didn't find this. I feel like an ex-heroin-addict jabbing that sweet sweet needle into my arm after so many years. I missed you, AC. Take me away from this place.

Love the strong theme in this Civ game. It's very well executed, and truly feels like the future of technology. I played this as a kid when it came out back in the nineties, but the interface always overwhelmed me, even when I tried to pick it up a few times over the years. Now that I've played other Civ games with softer learning curves, I've been able to really dive in and see what everyone else loved about this game. Turns out, there really is a lot to love. That said, here are my main gripes. Governors are largely useless in the late game though if you're going for a Scientific or Diplomatic Victory. Discovery should just be about research and projects, but they lump in fighter jets and terraformers, which clog up your queue unnecessarily. Also, many factions will appear to accept trades of technology, only to say they have no interest once you initiate the trade, which just seems like a bug to me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see this get a real makeover, with improved graphics, user interface, and references to current events. I heard Civ Beyond Earth wasn't anything amazing, so I guess not. This will do!

A lot of other reviews focus on gameplay or service but where this game really shines and is the crazy story and experience of the whole journey. This is the best sci-fi experience I ever had. I'd rank the experience above any of the classic books too because this game is inspired by them but gives you an open world to explore it in. The story they crafted is awesome and there are actually multiple futures you can lead mankind to-- some terrifying depressing. No other game I have ever played has had so much thought blended into its story and immersive environment. In addition they blended real life thinkers, philosophy, science and politics into this fictional world so well its almost as if the writers were creating prophecy.

It's a very good game, The factions are somewhat interesting with their own personalities. I don't remember AI misbehaving too bad Exploring the map and finding resources and alien pods always fun. Being able to customize any and all units based on what tech you've learned was really well done and can be pretty fun. It provides default blueprints for those who don't want to bother and spend the time. The best thing about this game compared to other Civilization games is how it handles the aliens. See alien worms appear out of the fungus and attack you. The worms don't have a tech level or att/def to speak of, instead they have experience level. Your own troops can also gain experience and get stronger. But the key thing is, against the alien worms tech level is irrelevant. Experience is the only thing used in battles against the worms. So it doesn't matter much if you've blasted ahead in the tech tree or are lagging behind, the worms can still give you a run for your money. These random danger encounters are pertinent for much of the game till you can terraform away the fungus. But battling the worms can also be a way to train your troops. Also there is alien tech you can learn to get more from fungus, but you can simply replant it then. Troops can even get in helicopters and fly to the enemy from what I recall. This game has lots of big and little details that make it fun. But there are also some drawbacks. At it's base it's a old Civ game and suffers from the problematic Civ mechanics that were especially prevalent back then. I always hated how in Civ food turns into people. SMAC has that issue alot. Furthermore as your city grows, its growth dramatically slows. And there is no attempt at mechanics to punish you for having too many cities. So essentially the winning strategy is to simply spam cities with a few guards and focus on spots with a bit of food. Even if it means cramming them in. And of course lots of cities means lots of stuff to manage.

Это игра от Сида Мейера, который когда-то создал неумирающую Цивилизацию. Альфа Центавра это логическое продолжение серии, в которой Firaxis попытались добавить гибкости построения войск от другой знаменитой серии, Master of Orion. Игра начинается там, где заканчивается любая Цива, а именно на космическом корабле. Мы долетели до ближайшей звезды и пытаемся колонизировать планету Чирон. Но люди не были бы людьми, если бы не пересрались во время полета. Экипаж корабля Единство (Unity) раскололся на 7 фракций (в дополнении добавят еще 7), для которых характерна некая особенность. Есть военизированные фракции, экологи, ученые, плутократы. есть даже фракция ХГМнутых фундаменталистов, которые запрещают научный прогресс, но войска которых сражаются значительно эффективнее (видимо за счет своей отбитости). Однако выбор фракции это не приговор. Кроме гибкой настройки войск, в игре присутствует гибкая настройка политического строя, что довольно сильно отличает игру от Цивилизаций. Мы можем выбрать экологическое разкитие, которое уменьшит прирост населения в наших городах и скомпенсировать падение прироста плановой экономикой. А можем построить полицейское государство, в котором можно будет эффективнее содержать войска, а население будет реже бастовать. В игре существует несколько способов победить своих врагов. Не обязательно всех уничтожать, или порабощать. Можно победить абсолютно мирным способом. И не забывайте, что воевать вам придется не только с оппонентами, рано или поздно, перед вами встанет выбор, поработить ли планету, или слиться с ней, перейдя на новый уровень эволюционного развития. Потому что планета живая, и даже умеет мыслить