The strategic gameplay in Civilization: Beyond Earth is receiving a lot of upgrades as the developers at Firaxis try to make a unique and engaging gameplay experience. And with this more nuanced gameplay comes a new and improved enemy AI system that will help the AI better understand the new game mechanics and hopefully make the computer a better opponent in matches.
Try The Series For Yourself: Civ V Is Free To Play In The Days Leading Up To Beyond Earth's Release
The co-lead designers of Beyond Earth took to the game's subreddit yesterday for an AMA. In the informal interview, the two talked about the enemy AI, which had been a point of contention in Civ V. According to the pair's comments, the AI in Beyond Earth has been upgraded to be able to handle the new game mechanics being introduced in the interstellar installment such as the new radial tech web and the Affinity system, the mechanic so heavily tied to the game's victory conditions.
Because of this, the designers said, the AI in Beyond Earth is much better at thinking in the long term, which is a helpful thing to be able to do in a strategy game.
Beyond Earth Is Coming To Macs And Linux Machines, Mod Support Planned
Another new change to the AI in Beyond Earth is the addition of a new kind of AI for the alien population that inhabits each planet. The alien AI is different from enemy civilizations' AI, meaning that the aliens will pursue different goals and exhibit different behaviors from the other players. The whole system is connected, as well. The human players, computer players and alien populations all interact with each other constantly. How a player treats the alien population will not only affect how the aliens treat that player but how other civs will treat that player.
There was no word on whether the enemy civs will be any more competent at combat, but it's still reassuring that so much time was spent reworking how the AI played the game.
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth will launch for PCs on Friday. Mac and Linux ports are due sometime later this year.
