The first expansion for Firaxis’ Civilization: Beyond Earth has been announced. Rising Tide allows you and your hardy civilization to take to the oceans, building floating cities and exploring the depths for precious resources. Other additions and improvements include an expanded diplomacy system, hybrid Affinity upgrades and new biomes.
We’ve got some screenshots of the expansion for you to feat your eyes on below.
“Beyond Earth extended the Civilization franchise from its historical setting into the possible futures of science fiction.” the synopsis reads from the Beyond Earth website. “Rising Tide extends Beyond Earth to new frontiers on the planet’s surface and beneath its seas, adding even more choices and diplomatic options as you continue to build “just one more turn” toward a new vision for the future of humanity.”
Here’s what Firaxis are offering with the expansion:
- Building floating settlements and accessing natural resources hidden beneath the seas of the alien planet, while alien beasts with unique abilities inhabit the water and challenge players in distinctive ways
- Shaping the diplomatic landscape by upgrading traits, changing diplomatic relationships, and leveraging the benefits of your allies, all with political capital
- Unlocking a dynamic set of Diplomatic Traits while activating different combinations in response to the changing world
- Playing as one of four new factions, including the Al Falah, a group of nomad explorers descended from wealthy and resilient Middle Eastern states
- Investing in multiple Affinities to unlock hybrid Affinity units and upgrades for the first time;
- Collecting and combining alien relics via a new Artifact System that unlocks powerful benefits
- Exploring one of two new biomes, Primordial world, an untamed biome rife with volcanic activity and indicative of a chaotic landscape still forming in the new world
And here are some screenshots of some of the new units and biomes:
Rising Tide is due out “Autumn 2015”, whenever that is. Fancy it?