History Fridge / CivilizationBeyondEarth

** Another reason why Harmony and Supremacy might favor transhumanism and forgetting Earth is that, well...Earth failed. A person who just came from Earth may very well be seriously questioning whether or not humanity and Earth are even things worth saving, almost as a sort of Identity Crisis. Under Harmony and Supremacy, they slowly slide down this path until they feel more native to this planet than any other.
*** As part of the above, this would explain why the Exodus Gate requires such a high Purity affinity ranking. It requires the descendants of Earth questioning -- and coming to value -- their humanity enough to conclude that the humans who caused the Great Mistake ''are'' their long-lost kin, and despite all of their ancestors' failings, they're still absolutely worth saving!

* In the Contact victory, the victorious faction contracts a Contact Beacon at make FirstContact with the [[{{Precursors}} aliens known as the progenitors that once inhabited the planet]]. [[AmbiguousEnding The story then simply ends there]], with the narrator stating that not matter what happens, humanity will be ready for what faces them, with no elaboration on how the first contact with the progenitors goes down. We get no confirmation on whether or not the progenitors are BenevolentPrecursors or ScaryDogmaticAliens. And looking back at the VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri, there was also a Contact victory condition that requires you to build Contact Beacons... Which results in the Progenitor Victory, in which one of the alien factions calls in a fleet of reinforcements so powerful that it is well beyond the combined abilities of all the humans on the Planet to combat, resulting in the [[KillAllHumans total extermination of the human colonists]].

*** As part of the above, this would explain why the Exodus Gate requires such a high affinity ranking. It requires the descendants of people questioning their humanity to come to the conclusion that the people on Terra who caused the great mistake are their long-lost kin, and in fact, worth going to rather extreme lengths to save.

* Han Jae Moon's affinity advancement would look rather dull compared to the others in the expansion, which looks nothing more than changing the colors and adding accessories to his traditional Western styled suit. Until you remember that being in charge of what's basically a secretive spy organization, he can't show off any alterations lest his potential enemies would be able to counteract it. Instead of making the advancements blatantly obvious, he makes it as subtle as a color change of his clothing to both fool potential enemies that he's weaker than them and make it easy to distract them from his hidden advantages.

* Just as there are good and bad ways of viewing the philosophies of each affinity, painting them in separate lights. There's also elements of some serious horror. Even though Beyond Earth might seem [[LighterAndSofter less pessimistic in general]], the elements of not wanting to lose things are there. For Harmony and Supremacy, it's not wanting to lose the environment or technology respectively, but Purity could be colored in a serious light that really shocks. In the centuries-long dark age following the Great Mistake, think about how much human culture - earth culture - that was lost. There are valuable things we've lost in less time in the real world, so add a few centuries to the mix and the Purity philosophy takes on a sad, desperate twinge of regret. To adopt the philosophies of the other two would seem to the Purity another Great Mistake. Hiding behind their guns becomes less isolationist and more quiet (or not so quiet) desperation.
** Also, there is the element that the various countries (and one corporation) of Earth put all their efforts towards the colonisation programme, hoping to secure a new future for humanity. And what do the Harmony and Supremacy do? They completely (from Purity's perspective, at least) abandon their legacy and their implicit promise, and basically turn themselves into aliens and cyborgs - to the point where Harmony is literally no longer human, and Supremacy actually ''invades'' Earth. Purity followers would be ''horrified'' to see the other colonies betray their heritage to this degree. Kind of puts the dickishness of kicking colonies with other affinities off their land to settle Earthlings into perspective.
*** It's stated outright as you leave that Earth is a DyingWorld, for all their other flaws, Purity goes back and brings back everyone they can (maybe everyone left). Supremacy invades, but at least ensures that the surviving Humans are augmented to a stage where their survival is guaranteed. Harmony sheds the last of their humanity and forgets about those who they've left behind, abandoning them to a dying world with only faint memories of the seed they launched into space with their last hope.

* The Seeding colonization programme can be described as what the ''Unity'' project in [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would look like had there been more time and resources allocated. Or alternatively, the ''Unity'' project shows what would have happened if the Seeding programme was attempted during the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great Mistake]] instead of after humanity having recovered from it. As a result, in [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]], you had no opinion to choose your colonists or your cargo load outs due to much more limited time and resources. Also, as a result of having lived through a much harsher period during human history as well as not having multiple sponsor nations (and one corporation) launching their own ships compared to the one nominally UN-mandated ship that was completed, the faction leaders from [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would have developed much more radical and extreme ideological views when compared to those from VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth.

* Alpha-Centauri is based on the premise that Humanity could juuuust barely reach the nearest star and their united effort to do so broke up at the last minute along ideological boundries. Beyond Earth on the other hand gives you a variety of sponsors and planets from the loading screen which have different names and belong to different systems. If there's no pretense of Pan-Human co-operation and a bunch of likely Hospitable planets available, why do all of Earth's divided nations go to one instead of fanning out to increase their odds of survival?

* The Seeding colonization programme can be described as what the ''Unity'' project in [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would look like had there been more time and resources allocated. Or alternatively, the ''Unity'' project shows what would have happened if the Seeding programme was attempted during the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great Mistake]] instead of after humanity having recovered from it. As a result, in [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]], you had no opinion to choose your colonists or your cargo load outs due to much more limited time and resources. Also, as a result of having lived though a much harsher period during human history as well as not having multiple sponsor nations (and one corporation) launching their own ships compared to the one nominally UN-mandated ship that was completed, the faction leaders from [[VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would have developed much more radical and extreme ideological views when compared to those from VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth.

*** As part of the above, this would explain why the Exodus Gate requires such a high affinity ranking. It requires the descendents of people questioning their humanity to come to the conclusion that the people on Terra who caused the great mistake are their long-lost kin, and in fact, worth going to rather extreme lengths to save.

* Han Jae Moon's affinity advancement would look rather dull compared to the others in the expansion, which looks nothing more than changing the colors and adding accessories to his traditional Western styled suit. Until you remember that being in charge of what's basically a secretive spy organization, he can't show off any alterations lest his potential enemies would be able to counter act it. Instead of making the advancements blatantly obvious, he makes it as subtle as a color change of his clothing to both fool potential enemies that he's weaker than them and make it easy to distract them from his hidden advantages.

*** It's stated outright as you leave that Earth is a DyingPlanet, for all their other flaws, Purity goes back and brings back everyone they can (maybe everyone left). Supremacy invades, but at least ensures that the surviving Humans are augmented to a stage where their survival is guaranteed. Harmony sheds the last of their humanity and forgets about those who they've left behind, abandoning them to a dying world with only faint memories of the seed they launched into space with their last hope.

*** The pack also confirms The North Sea Alliance representing the British isles, and INTEGER for Germany.

* Do all the planets actually just represent one hospitable planet? It seems strange that all these ressources would be so prevalent in the galaxy regardless of environment but completely absent from Earth. Is it possible that the Progenitors went on some sort of Terraforming mission so that every hospitable planet looks like their old home with only a few exceptions?

* As described on the WMG page of [[SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]], the "canon" ending of that game is most likely an alliance between Gaia's Stepdaughters, the Peacekeepers and the University of Planet initiating the Transcendence ending. Following from this, it makes sense that, Civilization: Beyond Earth being a SpiritualSuccessor to that game, those three factions map well to the three affinities of it. Harmony maps to Gaia's stepdaughters, Purity maps to the Peacekeepers (with some of the Luddism and "Promised Land" mentality of the Lord's Believers), and Supremacy maps to the University of Planet.

* The Seeding colonization programme can be described as what the ''Unity'' project in [[SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would look like had there been more time and resources allocated. Or alternatively, the ''Unity'' project shows what would have happened if the Seeding programme was attempted during the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great Mistake]] instead of after humanity having recovered from it. As a result, in [[SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]], you had no opinion to choose your colonists or your cargo load outs due to much more limited time and resources. Also, as a result of having lived though a much harsher period during human history as well as not having multiple sponsor nations (and one corporation) launching their own ships compared to the one nominally UN-mandated ship that was completed, the faction leaders from [[SidMeiersAlphaCentauri Alpha Centauri]] would have developed much more radical and extreme ideological views when compared to those from VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth.

*** It's stated outright as you leave that Earth is a DyingPlanet, for all their other flaws, Purity goes back and brings back everyone they can (maybe everyone left). Supremacy invades, but at least ensures that the surviving Humans are augmented to a stage where their survival is guarenteed. Harmony sheds the last of their humanity and forgets about those who they've left behind, abandoning them to a dying world with only faint memories of the seed they launched into space with their last hope.

* Just as there are good and bad ways of viewing the philosophies of each affinity, painting them in separate lights. There's also elements of some serious horror. Even though Beyond Earth might seem [[LighterAndSofter less pessimistic in general]], the elements of not wanting to lose things are there. For Harmony and Supremacy, it's not wanting to lose the environment or technology respectively, but Purity could be colored in a serious light that really shocks. In the centuries-long dark age following the Great Mistake, think about how much human culture - earth culture - that was lost. There are valuable things we've lost in less time in the real world, so add a few centuries to the mix and the Purity philosophy takes on a sad, desperate twinge of regret. To adopt the philosophies of the other two would seem to the Purity another Great Mistake. Hiding behind there guns becomes less isolationist and more quiet (or not so quiet) desperation.

**** However, no matter how peaceful the de-augmentation process is, you're still being forcibly BroughtDownToNormal. Someone who's lifespan just decreased from "indefinite barring accidents" to "a hundred years, tops" will probably have some existential issues, or even see it as nothing more than a roundabout way to kill them while pretending to have the moral high ground.

* The affinity grid in ''Rising Tide'' provides three hybrid affinities that, when you think about it, are diametric opposites to each of the standard affinities. Supremacy, which technologically optimizes humanity, is opposite Harmony/Purity, which biologically optimizes humanity. Harmony, where biological components take the place of technology, is opposite Supremacy/Purity, where robots take the place of organic soldiers. As for Purity, the raw and unadulterated human form as we know it? Opposite Harmony/Supremacy, whose alien-like tech/bio mishmash is the affinity that least resembles humanity on a visual level.

*** It's stated outright as you leave that Earth is a DyingPlanet, for all their other flaws, Purity goes back and brings back everyone they can (maybe everyone left). Supremecy invades, but at least ensures that the surviving Humans are augmented to a stage where their survival is guarenteed. Harmony sheds the last of their humanity and forgets about those who they've left behind, abandoning them to a dying world with only faint memories of the seed they launched into space with their last hope.

**** However, no matter how peaceful the de-augmentation process is, you're still being forcibly BroughtDownToNormal. Someone who's lifespan just decreased from "indefinite barring accidents" to "a hundred years, tops" will probably have some existential issues.

* The worst horror about the Purity affinity might very well be its final goal: To recreate Earth. The Earth which *ahem*, eventually destroyed itself. Even the most well-meaning Purist may be dooming the world to repeating its greatest mistake.

* In the Contact victory, the victorious faction contracts a Contact Beacon at make FirstContact with the [[{{Precursors}} aliens known as the progenitors that once inhabited the planet]]. [[AmbiguousEnding The story then simply ends there]], with the narrator stating that not matter what happens, humanity will be ready for what faces them, with no elaboration on how the first contact with the progenitors goes down. We get no confirmation on whether or not the progenitors are BenevolentPrecursors or ScaryDogmaticAliens. And looking back at the VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri, there was also a Contact victory condition that requires you to build Contact Beacons... Which results in the Progenitor Victory, in which one of the alien factions calls in a fleet of reinforcements so powerful that it is well beyond the combined abilities of all the humans on the Planet to combat, resulting in the [[KillAllHumans total extermination of the human colonists]].

** It's implied that the Seeding ''did'' target multiple planets, with various nations and blocs sending more than one ship out there. A few quests involve dealing with off-world humans from another colony world.

* Alpha-Centauri is based on the premise that Humanity could juuuust barely reach the newest star and their united effort broke up at the last minute. Beyond Earth on the other hand gives you a variety of sponsors and planets from the loading screen which have different names and belong to diffeent systems. If there's no pretense of Pan-Human co-operation and a bunch of likely Hospitable planets available, why do all of Earth's divided nations go to one instead of fanning out to increase their odds of survival?

*** It's likely that if an expansion is brought out the Middle East, Northern Europe and a few other regions will get some more explicit representation. For now, it's possible to imagine that they launched a seeding mission or that they've bought into KP and ARC respectively.

* In the Contact victory, the victorious faction contracts a Contact Beacon at make FirstContact with the [[Precursors aliens known as the progenitors that once inhabited the planet]]. [[AmbiguousEnding The story then simply ends there]], with the narrator stating that not matter what happens, humanity will be ready for what faces them, with no elaboration on how the first contact with the progenitors goes down. We get no confirmation on whether or not the progenitors are BenevolentPrecursors or ScaryDogmaticAliens. And looking back at the VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri, there was also a Contact victory condition that requires you to build Contact Beacons... Which results in the Progenitor Victory, in which one of the alien factions calls in a fleet of reinforcements so powerful that it is well beyond the combined abilities of all the humans on the Planet to combat, resulting in the [[KillAllHumans total extermination of the human colonists]].

*** It's stated outright as you leave that Earth is a DyingPLanet, Purity goes back and brings back everyone they can (maybe everyone left). Supremecy invades, but at least ensures that the surviving Humans are augmented to a stage where their survival is guarenteed. Harmony sheds the last of their humanity and forgets about those who they've left behind, abanodning them to a dying world with only faint memories of the seed they launched into space with their last hope for the survival of humanity.