Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth officially revealed

SPAAACE, the final frontier! There aren’t too many games these days that have taken to the stars, with new releases cruising in at warp factor nothing. But hold on boys and girls, because Admiral Sid Meir is going to bring some civilisation to the stars.

Over at PAX East, Firaxis Games announced their spiritual successor to the cult classic Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. The original 1999 game was all about turn-based strategy and colonising the cosmos and has a pretty dedicated following that is still around today. Here’s a full list of what the new game will feature, thanks to some screenshots grabbed by NeoGAF of French site JeuxVideoPC being a little too eager to share the news:

Seed the Adventure – Establish your cultural identity by choosing one of eight different expedition sponsors, each with its own leader and unique gameplay benefits. Assemble your spacecraft, cargo & colonists through a series of choices that directly seed the starting conditions when arriving at the new planet.

Colonize an Alien World – Explore the dangers and benefits of a new planet filled with dangerous terrain, mystical resources, and hostile life forms unlike those of Earth. Build outposts, unearth ancient alien relics, tame new forms of life, develop flourishing cities and establish trade routes to create prosperity for your people.

Technology Web – To reflect progress forward into an uncertain future, technology advancement occurs through a series of nonlinear choices that affect the development of mankind. The technology web is organized around three broad themes, each with a distinct victory condition.

Quest System – Quests are injected with fiction about the planet, and help to guide you through a series of side-missions that will aid in resource collection, unit upgrades, and advancement through the game.

Orbital Layer – Build and deploy advanced military, economic and scientific units that provide strategic offensive, defensive and support capabilities from orbit.

Unit Customization – Unlock different upgrades through the tech web and customize your units to reflect your play style.

Multiplayer – Up to 8 players can compete for dominance of a new alien world.

Mod support – Robust mod support allows you to customize and extend your game experience.

And since we’re sharing some info, here’s the official synopsis for the game as well:

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is a new science-fiction-themed entry into the award-winning Civilization series. Set in the future, global events have destabilized the world leading to a collapse of modern society, a new world order and an uncertain future for humanity. As the human race struggles to recover, the re-developed nations focus their resources on deep space travel to chart a new beginning for mankind.

As part of an expedition sent to find a home beyond Earth, you will write the next chapter for humanity as you lead your people into a new frontier and create a new civilization in space. Explore and colonize an alien planet, research new technologies, amass mighty armies, build incredible Wonders and shape the face of your new world. As you embark on your journey you must make critical decisions. From your choice of sponsor and the make-up of your colony, to the ultimate path you choose for your civilization, every decision opens up new possibilities.

If you’ve never played Alpha Centauri, I highly recommend that you do so. It’s still a magnificent game, and can be picked over at GOG for a few bucks. The game is out in the US of A fall season.

Last Updated: April 14, 2014