100 Macworld • February 2022MAC GAMING
takes the next logical step. The Earth
is a mess, so a group of colony ships
are launched into space in order to
find a new home for the human race.
Each ship has a ‘sponsor’, which is
the national group that built the ship,
such as the Pan-Asian Cooperative,
Brasilia or the African Union.
These sponsors provide different
advantages, such as super-efficient
Pan-Asian workers, or the military
strength of Brasilia.
The colonists on each ship
can vary too, including different
combinations of scientists, artists,
refugees and wealthy aristocrats,
with each group providing different
benefits for your new colony. And,
of course, your new home world will
present its own challenges. Some
worlds are quite Earth-like, with largeland masses
and continents,
while others
may consist
of endless dry
deserts, or
small groups
of islands
scattered
across a watery
ocean world.
The basic
mechanics
of Beyond Earth will be familiar to
anyone that has played previous Civ
games, but the space colonisation
theme gives the game a different feel
and introduces new elements that
will provide plenty of challenges for
strategy fans.
If you enjoy it, the Rising Tide
expansion pack adds new content
to the game to keep you playing, but
also introduces some new features
that may change the way you play.
You can wave the flag for Great
Britain by playing as the new North
Sea Alliance. As the name implies,
this UK-Scandinavian partnership
has a strong naval tradition, and
its ship-building skills will come in
useful as Rising Tide also allows you
to explore the seas and gather new
resources, and even to build floating49.