Video Game / Beyond Earth

"In the twilight of Earth's great civilizations, we were chosen..."

The year was 2070. Tensions between two Asian powers, having reached a boiling point, spilled over all too quickly. International powers had no time to react and, before anyone knew it, a new Dark Age engulfed the world. The Golden Days were over.
The brief but deadly Pakistani-Indian War left an incredible footprint across the continent. Millions perished from famine, millions more were displaced. Soon the rest of the world felt the cold grip of ash. Economies collapsed. The satellites fell. The spirit of all nations was shaken.
But the Great Mistake did not end there. The lifestyle of modern societies, the exponential consumption of goods, the inability of people to look beyond tomorrow led to an even worse situation. The oceans swallowed entire cities. Societies enclosed on themselves, fighting wars of survival. The Earth, so close to globalization, fell far. The scars of bygone eons became visible once again.
Hard times led to the development of new currents of thought, philosophies were forged to deal with the Great Mistake, with new technologies, with new problems. But soon this era too will end. Civilizations across the world are awakening, one last time, to finish what they started, to bring balance to the world or to seek a second chance... Beyond Earth.

— Developer FAQ

Beyond Earth is a Hearts of Iron IV Game Mod based on the backstory of Civilization: Beyond Earth. Instead of leading their nation to victory in the Second World War, the player is thrust into the precarious geopolitics of the 23rd century, more than a century after escalating ecological decline and a war between India and Pakistan pushed the world into a new dark age. With Earth's prime long behind it and humanity's future uncertain, the question remains whether the situation can be salvaged, or if it's best for humanity to begin anew on a new planet.

The beta version can be downloaded from Steam Workshop here. News is shared on the mod's subreddit and its dedicated Discord server.

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This game provides examples of:

• Adaptation Expansion: The mod substantially expands on the canon lore of Beyond Earth, while also incorporating elements from Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: The various faction leaders from Alpha Centauri and the original Beyond Earth have had their backstories changed to fit the expanded and combined setting. The changes for the Beyond Earth leaders are fairly minor, whereas many of the Alpha Centauri leaders are actually heading up factions similar to the ones they founded on Planet. A common point of divergence seems to be the leaders choosing more terrestrial postings instead of being assigned to the UNS Unity, as in their original backstories.
  • Much like in Corazon Santiago's backstory in Alpha Centauri, the Spartans exist as a survivalist group in North America. Here, they're called the Spartanists and are initially limited to the flooded, war-torn wasteland of District One (comprising former California).
  • One teaser◊ mentions an ending where the world is controlled by a 'Confucian legalist-controlled hive mind', hinting that Sheng-Ji Yang will seek to establish a society comparable to the Human Hive on Earth. But unlike in Yang's original backstory, China's communist government was never overthrown, so there's no Golden Emperor for him to have been an advisor to.
• Adaptational Badass: Several characters from Alpha Centauri and Beyond Earth get this treatment, becoming successful political and/or military leaders on Earth.
• Adaptational Heroism: Some characters from Alpha Centauri and Beyond Earth are much more heroic compared to their original backstory and potrayals.
• Adaptational Wimp: Some of the factions from Beyond Earth start off considerably weaker than the original game indicated, or exist in the form of precursors that haven't yet reached their full potential.
  • The Slavic Federation is a very loose alliance of Eastern European states. Even its leading nation - the Eurasian Union - lacks control over the entirety of Russia, despite absorbing several of its smaller neighbors.
  • The African Union collapsed long before the events of the mod, meaning it never evolved into the People's African Union. The East African Federation is now the main contender in uniting the continent, despite its initial territory being limited to the southeast portion of the continent. Should it succeed, it's likely it will form the People's African Union or something very similar.
  • The People's Republic of China and its Strategic Cooperation Organization are the dominant power in mainland Asia, not the Pan-Asian Cooperative. Daoming Sochua instead leads the Cooperative wing of the Chinese Workers Party, a possible precursor to the PAC.
  • Brazil lacks the same dominance over South America as it had in the original game. Even the situation in its current territory is much more precarious than before. The country's leadership intends to rectify this, placing the country on the path to war with the Andean Compact.
  • The closest approximates to Polystralia in the mod are Australasia (which covers New Zealand and Australia, excluding a now-independent Western Australia) and the Nusantaran Association (which covers most of Maritime Southeast Asia).
  • The Indian Subcontinent remains shattered and divided, unlike in Beyond Earth where it's dominated by the Kavithan Protectorate. While Raj Thakur has still been a major influence and Thakur-aligned states are among some of the most powerful in former India, their control of the subcontinent is far from total.
  • Downplayed by Franco-Iberia. At the time that the mod begins, it's fairly stable by the setting's standards, but it initially lacks the same influence over North Africa and the Mediterranean that it had in the lore of Civilization: Beyond Earth.
• Adaptational Villainy: Downplayed, but present with a few leaders. Arthur Donaldson (a.k.a. Foreman Domai) once again leads the Free Drones, who are implied to be very willing to resort to violence in their crusade to free the working class and overthrow corporate interests.
• Adaptation Name Change: The starship Unity has the UNS (United Nations Starship) prefix it had in Alpha Centauri changed to ISS (presumably International Star Ship), reflecting the fact that the United Nations no longer exists beyond a small remnant.
• Afrofuturism:
  • The East African Federation◊ is an up-and-coming power with the potential to unify Africa and become a major player in global affairs. Its focus tree even involves establishing orbital infrastructure.
  • Morgan Industries in many respects is a dark mirror: offering a vision of African prosperity only for a select few, built upon exploitation and shady dealings not much different from what the continent previously experienced at the hands of foreigners.
• After the End: Generations have passed since the Great Mistake. While many parts of the world have recovered to one degree or another, others are far less lucky. Worse-off regions are rife with scavengers, warlordism, and general social breakdown.
  • The Indian Subcontinent◊ is particularly noteworthy, being Ground Zero of the Great Mistake. While some functional societies have emerged, the area remains beset by warlords, with entire regions still left as post-nuclear wasteland or in outright anarchy.
• The Alternet: The Datalinks, an evolution of the modern Internet that survived the Great Mistake.
• Apocalypse Anarchy: There remain parts of the world which haven't recovered at all from the Great Mistake, where warlordism and near-total societal collapse are the norm. This is especially glaring in regions like the Urals, where Army Group South is just barely able to maintain order, and District 1 of the North American Union, which has almost no semblance of a functional state. If conditions on Earth keep deteriorating, especially should the Final War break out, this will start becoming the case across the globe, as even the most prosperous nations are pushed to the breaking point, and could potentially implode from within.
• Apocalypse How:
  • The Great Mistake has resulted in a Class 1 disruption of global civilization, causing many countries to collapse, split or otherwise undergo radical changes.
  • A Class 2 global societal collapse is implied to be on the way if the situation deteriorates enough.
• Awesome Personnel Carrier: The armor tech tree◊ shows that armored personnel carriers are still widely utilized to ferry troops into battle. They are heavily armored and capable of traversing rough terrain.
• Balkanize Me: Numerous examples.
  • India and Pakistan - being at the heart of the war that triggered the Great Mistake - have been reduced to a number of smaller states.
  • Some African nations have also split apart. Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and parts of Ethiopia are just some examples.
  • Russia has been divided◊ into several smaller states.
    • The Eurasian Union controls western Russia and several neighboring countries.
    • Following a failed revolution against the Eurasian Union, the Russian Republic - the self-proclaimed successor to the Russian Federation - has had its territory reduced to Karelia◊.
    • The failure of the revolution also cut Karelia off from the bulk of revolutionary forces in the East, who have since formed an independent Siberia◊ shared (begrudgingly) with Chinese immigrants.
    • Finally, in the wake of the failed invasion of Central Asia, the anarchic Urals are now under the de-facto control of Army Group South◊.
  • Smaller examples include Quebec (formerly a province of Canada), Padania (a proposed separatist state in northern Italy), and Westralia (formerly the state of Western Australia).
• Bittersweet Ending: The construction of the Unity and the specter of the Final War breaking out◊ will lead to different flavors of this.
  • If the Unity is successfully constructed via peaceful international effort, it will depart Earth to give humanity a chance to start over. But there's no telling whether or not the descendants of its crew will ever return to Earth.
  • If the Final War breaks out, nations will scramble for control of the Unity while apocalyptic warfare devastates the already teetering environment and brings society closer to collapse. Even if a nation manages to wrangle control of and launch the Unity, Earth and humanity will only suffer further. That said, this ending can still lead to the colonists returning to aid their ancestral homeland, though many will not live to see this.
• Blatant Lies: The North American Union's leadership still likes to espouse its democratic pretentions and hegemony over the Western Hemisphere. By the mod's stating date, however, Mexico and Quebec have already seceded, and the remnants of the old United States are still clinging on. Meanwhile, Central has jettisoned any actual semblance of civil society, with the Emergency Authority in place at the military's beck and call.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: The further down factions go in their chosen path, ideological and cultural differences even among neighbors can become so pronounced as to be nigh-irreconcilable. Much as in the original Beyond Earth, this is a consequence of countries prioritizing differing value systems and having their own ideas for humanity's future.
• Bodyguard Betrayal: Presidents of the North American Union are assassinated quite routinely, raising speculation that they are puppets of the military who have their military-appointed security turn on them if they refuse to cooperate.
• Break Out the Museum Piece: Less well-off factions are described as making do with outdated equipment due to the Great Mistake. This is further highlighted by the mod's armor tech tree◊, with "Dark Days"-era tanks, APCs, and firearms looking more fitting for the Cold War than the future.
• But What About the Astronauts?: The Great Mistake and its subsequent Dark Ages put a hold on many extraterrestrial projects, leading to multiple instances of people being stranded in space without prospect of rescue or resupply.
  • Specific mention is made of the Mars Tragedy, though the specific details are limited.
  • The WCRB-Lua Moon Colony◊ is assumed to have met a similar fate until signs of life are discovered, with Germany mounting an expedition to investigate. However, since it's been more than a century since the Great Mistake, questions are raised in-universe about just how the colony's population has survived so long.
• China Takes Over the World: Downplayed. The People's Republic of China◊ has expanded its influence over its neighbors in mainland Asia, retains a highly-developed industrial base, and is considered the sole remaining superpower. However, it has been hit hard by natural disasters, and faces significant internal turmoil that has only increased with the advent of a succession crisis.
• City on the Water: The North Sea Alliance is known for building floating cities known as Arks. Considering the Alliance consists of several island and coastal nations, the Arks have helped compensate for the loss of low-lying settlements to rising sea levels.
• The City vs. the Country: A major divide in the Argentenian Grand Council, whose focus on Nuevos Aires and other urban centres has led to growing discontent in poorer rural areas.
• Civil War: Wouldn't be a Hearts of Iron 4 mod without them!
  • There's not only been a Second American Civil War in the backstory, but a third one as well. With the North American Union teetering on the brink of collapse and various groups poised to grab for power in their various Districts, yet another civil war looms on the horizon.
  • Russia has recently had one between the Eurasian Union and the Russian Republic. With the Union weakened and the Republic split between Karelia and Siberia, another conflict may only be a matter of time.
  • Argentina is embroiled in a two-sided civil war.
  • A civil war is also brewing in England. Not only can this destabilize the rest of Britain, but it also has wider implications for the North Sea Alliance and mainland European powers.
  • A civil war can possibly break out in China over the brewing succession crisis.
• Character Customization: Though the mod is mechanically much closer to Hearts of Iron 4 than to Civilization: Beyond Earth - by extension placing it in the Grand Strategy genre more than the 4X one - the culture mechanic◊ offers a degree of customization reminiscent of mechanics from the Civilization series (civics, social policies, etc.). The player can spend Cultural Power to develop Virtues, each representing some form of cultural, social or political belief. Each Virtue is diametrically opposed to another, and has up to three levels that can be developed (though the effects of the third level will only apply when the Final War begins.
  • Tradition improves stability, increases mobilization speed and delays societal collapse, while Progress improves starship construction and increases research speed.
  • Body increases the division cap, boosts division defense and improves divisional organization, while Mind increases research speed and boosts war support.
  • Conservation reduces the demand for consumer goods, the consumption of supplies and the effects of division attrition, while Consumption increases the gain of political and industrial power in addition to delaying societal collapse.
  • Amplification provides additional building slots, builds fortifications on the country's capital territory and reduces the demand for consumer goods, while Expansion improves foreign recruitment, increases division speed and delays societal collapse.
  • Hostility boosts the attack strength and organization of divisions, while Benevolence increases compliance growth, reduces resistance growth speed and increases division trickleback.
  • Prosperity increases population growth and construction speed in addition to delaying societal collapse, while Efficiency increases efficiency, efficiency retention and production output.
  • Order increases parliamentary power, boosts free repair speed and delays societal collapse, while Liberty reduces - eventually eliminating - corruption and delays societal collapse.
• Clarke's Third Law: Something has been terrorizing villages in former Pennsylvania. Judging by the description of steel armor and fiery weaponry, it seems to be something technological in nature. But the local villages - who have been reduced to a subsistence-level existence rife with superstition - believe it to be a dragon◊.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: If a country succeeds in launching a colony ship, but the Final War breaks out, the descendants of those colonists will eventually return to relieve their ancestral homeland. These descendants will be equipped with incredibly advanced technology, allowing the player to wipe out the opposition with shocking ease.
• Crossover: While the mod is primarily based on the backstory of Civilization: Beyond Earth, a number of characters and events are also taken from Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, to which Beyond Earth is a Spiritual Successor.
• Darker and Edgier:
  • Compared to Civilization: Beyond Earth, the mod is much darker. It depicts Earth as considerably more chaotic and fragmented at the time of the Seeding than the original game indicated. Many of the factions begin in less well-established positions than their original backstories, with player activity being necessary to bring them to any comparable degree of prominence. And even then, the push for space colonization is depicted as being much more desperate and - depending on how things plays out - violent.
  • Compared to Alpha Centauri, though, this is less clear-cut. On the one hand, Alpha Centauri was very clear about Earth being on a one-way trip to collapse, whereas here there's some ambiguity whether that will be the case. On the other hand, Alpha Centauri depicted the crises on Earth as resulting from fairly well-established issues like environmental decline and resource depletion, only heading into speculative horror territory as humanity explores increasingly esoteric (and dangerous) technologies on Chiron. Instead, the mod depicts some similar technologies existing firmly on Earth.
• Decade Dissonance:
  • Though some parts of the planet enjoy the cutting edge of technology and social developments, others are forced to make do with antiquated equipment left over from the Great Mistake, or are lucky to have even basic infrastructure.
  • The North American Union is especially pronounced. The Capitol, as well as Districts under either loyalist or ARC influence, generally enjoy decent standards of living. In contrast, more chaotic Districts become more impoverished the further away one is from any secured sector, as if still reeling from the Great Mistake. Then, there's District One (former California), which has zero functional authority, and may as well be in the dark ages.
  • While the Eurasian Union (as well as Siberia and Karelia to a degree) isn't too far behind the rest of the developed world, some regions have declined considerably or seen the rise of local warlords. Early events even depict Moscow being retaken from bandit occupation. But this is still an improvement to the Urals under Army Group South, which has regressed even further into post-Soviet style decay.
  • The Indian subcontinent displays quite a lot of this. Some regions remain post-nuclear wasteland or otherwise wracked by anarchy and destitution, while others have managed to create some semblance of organized society. Tamilakam is particularly noted as being the most advanced society in the subcontinent - having copied Chinese insitutions and practices - but it is also noted that this isn't saying much.
• Democracy Is Flawed:
  • The description for the Digital Democracy government notes that while such systems tend to promote transparency and reduce corruption, the combination of increased political participation and mass media results in a highly polarized society where passing even simple bills can be a complicated process.
  • The North American Union is ostensibly a democracy, complete with its own civil institutions. In practice, however, Central is horribly cutthroat and almost wholly beholden to the military. Meanwhile, the regime has abandoned having elections or even the notion of listening to the voters to save itself, in contrast to the US Naval Junta.
• Earth That Used to Be Better: The Great Mistake has wrought untold human suffering and ecological calamity onto the world. While humanity isn't out for the count just yet, it's quite possible that the damage to the planet is terminal, and leaving Earth to start anew has become a mainstream idea. That's not even getting into the technological horrors lurking in the shadows. But with that said, whether it'll devolve into a full-blown Crapsack World will largely depend on the player's action.
• Enemy Mine:
  • The US Naval Junta can potentially find common cause with Pravin Lal's Peacekeepers and the American Reclamation Corporation in their struggle against the North American Union. Should this be successful, however, both the UN and ARC could either be eliminated as traitors, or be all but subsumed into a restored United States in exchange for concessions.
  • Army Group South is formally considered by the Eurasian Union as a band of deserters squabbling in the Urals. That said, it's more than happy to leave them be as a useful buffer against their mutual Siberian foes, though it's hinted that both sides will soon turn on one another the moment Siberia's out of the picture.
• Expanded States of America: With some regional Fallen States of America. The North American Union covers the former United States and Canada, but the level of development varies from post-Mistake wasteland to pre-Mistake prosperity. Mexico and Quebec are mentioned as having been part of the Union at one point, but have since seceded. A Canadian secession movement is also brewing.
• Fictional Political Party: Or, rather, Fictional Political Ideologies. Since the Great Mistake, many new ideologies and attached political movements have sprung up based on what they believed caused the Mistake, as well as what humanity's path forward should be. These ideologies are adapted from the various 'affinities' featured in Civilization: Beyond Earth (including the hybrid affinities from the Rising Tide expansion), which were similarly based upon beliefs for what humanity's future should look like. In terms of gameplay, these ideologies replace those of the base game (Democracy, Fascism, Communism and Non-Aligned), with actual government types (Digital Democracy, Oligarchic Administration, Communal Parity, etc.) tracked separately. The ideologies are also Colour-Coded for Your Convenience, maintaining a distinct color theme in the ideology popularity pie chart and in some focus trees (particularly the generic one).
  • Purity is a conservative ideology, believing that humankind must stay pure to itself both in genetics and culture. They blame the failing of long-held cultural values for the Great Mistake. Purity is represented by red.
  • Harmony is an environmentalist ideology, believing that humanity should live in harmony with nature through modification of tradition or even genetics with the aim of sustainability. They blame overindustrialisation and the unsustainable nature of society for the Great Mistake. Harmony is represented by teal.
  • Supremacy is a materialist ideology, believing in the supremacy of the sciences and that technological progress must be prioritized above all else. They consider anything beyond scientific explanation as inherently useless. They blame religious wars and other perceived failings of 'logic' for the Great Mistake. Supremacy is represented by yellow.
  • Divinity (Harmony-Purity) is a spiritualist ideology, believing in the divinity of the human mind. Unlike Purity, they do not have strong feelings about genetics, since they consider spiritual and physical bodies separate entities. They blame rampant materialism and the rejection of faith and moral values for the Great Mistake. Divinity is represented by purple.
  • Mastery (Purity-Supremacy) is a different type of environmentalist ideology, believing that humanity should have mastery over the environment. They seek to make nature itself more resilient to make their way of life sustainable. They blame the fragility of the environment and humanity's failure to adapt it to their will for the Great Mistake. Mastery is represented by orange.
  • Synergy (Supremacy-Harmony) is an accelerationist ideology, believing that humanity must evolve by any means to adapt to its new world. They blame unnecessarily conservative views of genetics and culture for being unable to do what needed to be done to prevent the Great Mistake. Synergy is represented by green.
  • There's also Neutrality, which signifies leadership that doesn't subscribe to any particular ideology, is otherwise neutral towards them, or generally believes in upholding the old status quo as the best option. Neutrality is represented by grey.
• Fling a Light into the Future: The ISS Unity spaceship project, like both the Seeding in Beyond Earth and the Unity project in Alpha Centauri, is ostensibly an international effort to guarantee the survival of human civilization off-world. However, it's shown to be an expansive, and expensive, enterprise that would inevitably come at the detriment of those left behind. This doesn't stop various countries from contributing, if not seeking to take direct control over it◊. Whether in the name of national prestige, idealism, desperation to leave the planet before things get worse, or all of the above.
• Flooded Future World: By the year 2200, sea levels have risen by about 50 meters, submerging coastal areas. Almost every coastal city is now a Sunken City.
• Foil:
  • John Doe - the warlord leading the Silk Path rebellion in North America - appears to be this to Miriam Godwinson. Doe has a national spirit called 'War on the Past', and seeks to destroy traces of pre-Mistake culture while prolonging human life through science. Meanwhile, Godwinson has a national spirit called 'War on the Future', and holds deep disdain for modern technology alongside nostalgia for the past.
  • The North American Union, or rather, Central, is this to the US Naval Junta. While the Junta is blatantly under martial law, it's also made clear that the leadership sees their emergency measures as temporary, if not a necessary evil, until their homeland is liberated, while still genuinely holding on to old American values. By contrast, though the regime in Central purports to be democratic, it's almost entirely beholden to the military in practice, and has all but abandoned any pretenses to actual democracy.
  • Much as in the original Beyond Earth, the INTEGR-run German Federation stands in contrast to Franco-Iberia, especially as the mod progresses. Whereas Franco-Iberia's leadership is focused in one way or another on preserving and advancing Western European cultures, INTEGR's cliques are all fixated to varying degrees on progressive values and socio-environmentalist policies with little apparent regard for German nationalism or culture.
  • The surviving remnants of the Republican Revolution of 2156, Karelia and Siberia, are this to each other. While the Siberian Republic still seeks to uphold the best of both the old Russian Federation and the spirit of the 1917 February Revolution, the Karelian authorities embody the worse aspects of The New Russia from Yeltsin's time, with its dysfunctional government, corruption and oligarchic leadership.
  • The East African Federation and Morgan Industries reflect contrasting visions of Afrofuturism. While the EAF embodies an Africa rising up as an equal power in its own right, to the common benefit of all, CEO Nwabudike Morgan’s MegaCorp ironically represents the final triumph of colonialism, only with Africans themselves holding the proverbial whip rather than foreigners.
  • The ideologies themselves each have a diametric opposite, even if their motivations and beliefs are vaguely similar.
    • Purity and Synergy both seek to preserve humanity. But while Purity believes that this should include preserving culture and genetics, Synergy believes that both should be modified in order to ensure humanity's survival.
    • Harmony and Mastery are both environmentalist ideologies that seek to protect the environment from human activity. But while Harmony believes that humanity should modify its culture (and potentially genetics) to protect the environment, Mastery seeks to modify the environment itself to protect it from humanity.
    • Supremacy and Divinity are both mainly concerned with the eminence of the human mind. But while Supremacy is a materialist ideology that prioritizes science and blames religious conflict for causing the Great Mistake, Divinity is a spiritual ideology that focuses on the soul while blaming the Great Mistake on materialism.
• From Bad to Worse: A major gameplay element concerns managing (if not arresting) the deteriorating conditions on Earth, at least for long enough to finish the ISS Unity project.
• Future Imperfect: Downplayed. While knowledge of the past, including what transpired leading up to the Great Mistake, has remained intact, some of it has either grown muddled or corrupted amidst the turmoil.
• Global Warming: Already in full swing by the time of the Great Mistake, and worsened by it. The geography of the world has been greatly altered by sea level rise, to the point where Florida has been completely submerged. At the same time, adaptation has proven a lucrative industry, with the American Reclamation Corporation and North Sea Alliance rising to prominence via ecological engineering.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Although Élodie Batteux and Lena Ebner are cousins, there are shades of this in their political, and personal, disputes. This reflects the big ideological schism between Franco-Iberia and the INTEGR-controlled German Federation, respectively.
• Good Old Ways:
  • In general, the preservation of culture is a key component of the Purity ideology. Though described as a conservative ideology, the actual politics and motivations of its followers can vary significantly.
  • Played With in the case of the Neutrality ideology. While the specifics and actual politics vary significantly, there's a general sentiment that the old status quo and building upon it are vital, be it out of pure pragmatism or genuine belief.
  • In both Karelia and the Siberian Republic, there are those who hearken back to Russia's "glory days," in both post-Soviet and Soviet flavors respectively. Regardless of whether it's finishing Lenin's revolution, or rekindling the dreams of the Russian Federation, they believe that the past holds the key to surviving the future wrought by the Great Mistake.
• The Hedonist:
  • This trope seems to apply to quite a lot of ARC's upper management, including its CEO. Many of their higher-ups throughout the Districts are embroiled in petty power squabbles, oblivious or indifferent to the North American Union's rapidly-approaching collapse. The Oversight Board in District Three is a particular standout, explicitly noted to be too busy taking vacations and purchasing the latest augmentations to actually run the District properly. Their neglect has caused raider activity to grow out of control, while various other groups (including the remnants of the United Nations) openly oppose the Board's authority.
  • The ruling clique in the People's Republic of China seems more concerned with pilfering the nation's wealth and coasting on fading glories than actually steering the world's nominal superpower from collapse, if not civil war.
• Hegemonic Empire: A potential victory condition.
  • If the Unity is successfully completed as an international effort, the nation that contributes the most to the project is heavily implied to become the de facto global hegemon.
  • If the Final War breaks out, but the player's country wins, it would not just be the only major power left standing that’s strong enough to lead the rest of humanity, but also be the only one with direct control over the Unity.
• Impoverished Patrician: Downplayed. The nations of the Arab World have suffered considerably in the wake of the Great Mistake. While still wealthy and capable of standing up to their more powerful neighbors, the region's oil is no longer as profitable as it once was, and many of their once glistening cities lie covered in sand.
• Inadequate Inheritor: In the North American Union, fears over this trope are a major factor behind why Central hasn't so much as appointed a new President since the last one was assassinated.
• Iron Lady: Franco-Iberia and Germany are run by these. Elodie in particular is so influential in her nation's politics that even her biggest rival, Al-Hakim, shares many of her same views on Western European culture. Meanwhile, Lena Ebner has managed to almost single-handedly keep INTEGR together.
• Just Before the End:
  • It's not immediately obvious, but Earth is strongly implied to be on borrowed time due to the Great Mistake. Conditions are gradually getting worse, and if left unchecked it'll reach a point where society all but collapses in many parts of the globe. The remaining great powers are then forced to struggle over dwindling resources and living space, sparking a true Final War for humanity's future.
  • The North American Union, despite the wishes of its leaders, is on its last legs. The regime is so unstable that it’s almost a stone’s throw away from either a coup or an outright collapse into warlordism.
• Lost Lenore: Much like in Alpha Centauri, Pravin Lal's wife Pria was killed during a gunfight. Only this time it was at the hands of bandits, instead of mutineers aboard the Unity.
• Ludd Was Right: The English Front are firm believers of this, especially when it comes to human augmentation. Crosses into Evil Luddite with their willingness to inflict violence against the augmented, with Liberal Democrat politician Arthur Burr having once been assaulted by English Front supporters simply for having a prosthetic hand. Which, it's worth noting, he only has because he lost his original hand in an industrial accident.
• Mecha:
  • Walkers are fielded by many national militaries. According to the armor tech tree◊, they are weaker than the average tank, but excel at dislodging enemies from difficult terrain.
  • Japan has a project to construct a Humongous Mecha. The project has received in-universe criticisms about the impractical nature of such a machine, but the motivation seems to be partly based around creating a symbol of Japanese power.
• MegaCorp:
  • Pavlov Energy is a major player in the Eurasian Union economy. Not only does it field its own mercenary forces, but said forces can assist in the Union's mission to retake Moscow from bandit gangs.
  • Morgan Industries, under CEO Nwabudike Morgan of Alpha Centauri fame, is influential enough to not only have considerable financial clout in Africa, but also control sectors of Antarctica, if not potentially claim the continent for itself.
• The Migration: The backstory alludes to a number of mass migrations spawned by the Great Mistake and subsequent ecological crises. Some are still ongoing, such as Chinese migration into Siberia and Mexican migration to District Six of the North American Union. These two examples are represented in-game with national spirits that boost monthly population, but come with some drawbacks.
• Monumental Damage: As a consequence of the Great Mistake, more than a few historic landmarks and cities were either destroyed or abandoned to the elements. Among the artwork done for the mod, for instance, is an almost fully submerged Brandenburg Gate, with the rebuilt, futuristic skyline of Berlin dominating it in the background◊.
• Multinational Team: The ISS Unity spaceship project can be pursued as a genuinely international effort, with various countries doing their part to ensure humanity's survival, even if some have much more of a stake than others. On the other hand, this is subverted if the project is brought fully under the control of a single nation, in which case the Unity is engineered wholly in the service of one country and/or its allies.
• New Work, Recycled Graphics: The city models on the game map are actually from the original Civiliation: Beyond Earth, ported over to the Clausewitz engine. Elements of the UI have also been recycled.
• One Nation Under Copyright:
  • The American Reclamation Corporation hasn't replaced the government of the North American Union, but is highly influential within the Union's politics. ARC outright administers several Districts, while in others its presence creates tensions with the locals or Central's own administrators. Central and ARC representatives are actively vying for influence in Districts Six and Seven, while in District Two only Teeth-Clenched Teamwork keeps the two factions united against the Silk Path. Meanwhile in District Three, ARC's Oversight Board (supported by two of ARC's peacekeeping divisions) is frequently opposed by local interest groups, including the remnants of the United Nations.
  • In Korea, the enigmatic Chungsu is mentioned as having evolved from the Chaebol of yesteryear, and publicly presents itself as such.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: If the Unity is successfully completed as an international effort, it's mentioned that despite the age-old human condition, the peoples of Earth are momentarily united as one species in seeing off their best chance of survival as the colonists venture off into the stars.
• Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions: Averted.
  • The Divinity ideology tends to encompass spiritual and religious beliefs, going as far as blaming materialism and the rejection of faith for causing the Great Mistake.
  • By contrast, the Supremacy ideology blames religious wars and failings of logic for the Great Mistake, making them a straighter example of the trope.
  • Purity also seems to have found some traction among religious people, particularly those who advocate a return to the Good Old Ways. Miriam Godwinson and the Lord's Believers are a prime example, to the point of their influence being classified as Purist instead of Divinist in several Districts where they have a presence.
  • Catholicism is still alive and well, although it is embroiled in a Second Great Schism between the "Old" Papacy in South America (a decentralized branch focusing on humanity and solidarity) and the "New" Papacy in Europe (a centralized branch focusing on tradition and the patronage of political leaders). This New Papacy - while based in the French city of Avignon - is noted as having an especially large amount of influence in Poland, resulting in the Polish branch of the otherwise secular INTEGR party taking on a degree of spirituality in its rhetoric.
  • One of the major political parties in the Central Asian Federation are the Islamists, who make up the country's representatives of the Divinity ideology.
  • Islam is also still a major part of life for the average person in Iran, even though the nation's current leadership is highly technocratic and has little interest in religion.
  • The Bushranger movement in Australasia has a spiritualist undertone to it, emphasizing connection with nature.
• Paper Tiger: The North American Union is, theoretically, the Western Hemisphere's dominant power. In practice, it's not only unable to exercise much power beyond its official borders, but it's also teetering on the edge. With its constituent Districts either on the brink of collapse or being subsumed into ARC and various cliques, while outside players circle around like vultures, all it may take is for one spark to set it all ablaze.
• The Plague: Antibiotic-resistant superbugs ravage the planet, with a mechanic dedicated to developing a cure.
• Privately Owned Society: Minarchist societies often represent this trope in some capacity. They are typically ruled by a minimal 'night watchman' government that collects minor taxes and primarily works by issuing contracts, with most of society dominated by corporations, people's organizations and other special interest groups. In most cases, the corporations hold the lion's share of influence.
• Ragnarök Proofing: It's hinted that at least some of the "Dark Days"-era equipment and weaponry in use really are 21st Century vintage if not older, such as with the US Naval Junta. Thanks in part to careful maintenance and how they still manage to remain reliable enough to keep using.
• The Remnant: A number of former powers have been reduced to shadows of their former selves, often with some option to bring them Back from the Brink.
  • Among the Russian successor states are cliques that still cling to the memory of the Soviet Union, including orthodox and updated strains of Marxism-Leninism. Depending on the decisions made, and who emerges triumphant, it's possible for Communism to see a dramatic resurgence.
  • The militaries of several Indian warlord states - if not the actual states themselves - originate from military units from old India and Pakistan. These include the 4th Republican Army helping to found Bharat, the Great 5th becoming the protectors of Karnataka, and Sindh having absorbed what was left of the Pakistani Military.
• Renegade Splinter Faction: Meanwhile, the North American Union is brimming with groups on the verge of breaking off altogether. One example is Miriam Godwinson in District Four, who could potentially stop paying lip service to the Capitol and break off to forge her own take on a Christian America. Meanwhile, the Naval Junta is still seen as a rogue remnant of the old United States of America.
• Second American Civil War: Exaggerated. Not only does the lore allude to there having been a second and third civil war in America, but a fourth one is brewing as the North American Union buckles under its own weight.
• Shout-Out:
  • Given the Crossover mentioned earlier, several references and allusions are made to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
  • An early teaser for the superevent UI used the song March of the Oysters from Stingray (1964), of all things.
  • The mod's 'Wonders' mechanic◊ is lifted almost wholesale from the Civilization franchise, right down to their unique bonuses. Most of the wonders themselves are ones buildable in Civilization: Beyond Earth and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
  • Similarly, the government types are based on several forms of government featured in Civilization VI, right down to using the same artwork.
    • One of the big differences is that Communism has been replaced by Communal Parity, a type of collectivist government from Stellaris.
  • The North Sea Alliance focus tree refers to the civil war brewing in England as 'A Very British Civil War', in reference to a tabletop game of the same name. Though this may also be because VBCW has its own mod for Hearts of Iron 4.
  • The phrase 'China, long united, must divide' is quoted at several points, based on a similar line from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
  • The North American Union consists of the former United States and Canada divided into numbered districts, ruled from a loathed capitol. The emblem of Central even resembles the Capitol's, all while occupying a similar geographical position.
  • This isn't the first Hearts of Iron 4 mod to depict Western Australia as having seceded to form its own country called Westralia, with Red Flood having done so previously. But where in Red Flood it was an example of Alternate History (with the secession referendum succeeding instead of failing like in real life), here it is a future occurrence.
  • The chaotic situation in Russia is very reminiscent of the Russian Smuta in The New Order Last Days Of Europe. This is most evident in the nigh-anarchic condition of the Urals under the warlords of Army Group South, but even the relatively stable Eurasian Union has to deal with warlords within its territory, such as the Comrade of Komi and the Keeper of Kazan.
    • India and Pakistan's collapse into smaller states also bears some similarities, with one teaser even referring to it as the Indian Anarchy.
    • 25-year-old Brajinath Dras lead a mutiny against the previous regime of Odisha, becoming its leader and leaving him having to balance his idealism against pragmatism. His situation bears great resemblance to TNO's Valery Sablin, who was similarly depicted as an idealistic young mutineer.
    • The North American Union seems like it's also on the brink of its own warlord period with potential reunification. Especially considering that many of the contenders hold wildly varying beliefs and desired governments, much like in the Russian Anarchy.
    • The aspirations of the East African Federation are aptly summed up by the phrase "Dreams of Pan-Africanism", which has echoes of Vasily Shuksin's Novosibirsk path and his "Dreams of Federation."
    • The Naval Junta is mentioned as still having a vestigial "Republican-Democrat Coalition" that can regain relevance should the United States be restored, echoing a similar political bloc in TNO's America.
  • The industrial corporation Global Trust Inc. from Anno 2070 exists as one of the international companies selectable as an industrial advisor. Similarly, World Tension has been renamed Ecobalance Decay, reminiscent of the Ecobalance mechanic from 2070.
  • The military-industrial concern INCOM International is a reference to the Incom Corporation from Star Wars.
  • The military applications◊ for augmentation call to mind the myriad augments seen in the Deus Ex series.
  • An event establishing the state of the Catholic Church◊ utilizes the logo of the Holy See sponsor mod for Civilization: Beyond Earth.
• Space-Filling Empire: While the Great Mistake caused some countries to collapse or split, others have instead banded together or outright merged.
  • The North Sea Alliance encompasses England (which has seemingly absorbed Wales), an independent Scotland, a united Ireland, Norway, Iceland and Greenland.
  • The North American Union comprises most of the former United States and Canada.
  • The People's Republic of China maintains its sphere of influence via the Strategic Cooperation Organization, encompassing multiple neighboring countries in mainland Asia.
  • Much of Maritime Southeast Asia are members of the Nusantaran Association.
  • Australia and New Zealand have joined to form Australasia, although Western Australia has become a separate country called Westralia.
  • The Balkan Federation comprises several Balkan countries under the governance of green-socialist 'communalists'.
• Status Quo Is God: In addition to not subscribing to any particular ideology, Neutrality-aligned states generally uphold the notion that building on the old status quo is the best possible solution. As highlighted by the generic focus tree◊, Neutrality prioritizes mundane focuses that purposefully discourage rocking the boat or even so much as a hint of anything deemed radical.
• Suddenly Significant City: Rising sea levels have submerged most of the world's coastal cities, causing cities further inland to swell with refugees and, in some cases, become new capital cities. For example, the loss of London has seen the English government re-establish itself in Birmingham.
• Tank Goodness:
  • Main Battle Tanks are still the backbone of modern armies. Their primary purpose is for piercing enemy lines and encircling opponents. Many are initially relics from the Dark Days, but newer and more advanced models can be developed.
  • MBTs also have weaker (but cheaper) cousins called Rovers, which have an advantage in speed and navigating difficult terrain. They are based on the Combat Rover unit from Civilization: Beyond Earth.
• Terraform: While the Harmony ideology believes that humanity should live in harmony with nature, the Mastery ideology believes that humanity should have mastery over the environment in order to help it become more resilient to human activity. Essentially, they take an anthrocentric approach to environmentalism in contrast to Harmony's ecocentric one.
• Thirsty Desert: Much of the Sahara Desert is now largely uninhabited, thanks to Global Warming. In the case of some surviving nations still clinging to the coast, borders that once encompassed the desert have actually shrunk away from it.
• Transhuman: Genetic modification and cybernetic augmentation have both become well-established technologies, with various ideologies advocating or opposing them. There are even provisions for military applications◊, ranging from basic enhancements to fully-mechanized soldiers.
• The Unfettered: The Synergy ideology believes that humanity must evolve and adapt to the new world by any means necessary, especially in terms of genetic or cultural modification.
• United Europe: The European Union collapsed in the wake of the Great Mistake, but smaller alliances such as Franco-Iberia, the German Federation and the North Sea Alliance have sprung up in its wake. It is possible to reform the European Union, or establish alternatives such as the Mediterranean Federation or République du Lys.
• Unspecified Apocalypse: Downplayed, compared to the original Beyond Earth. While the specifics of what led up to and sparked the Great Mistake are perfectly understood, what happened during it and afterwards is left vague. All that's certain is that it involved climate change, political instability, and a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan.
  • A key part of the different ideologies that have emerged since the Great Mistake is what they consider to be the main factor that caused it. For example, the environmentalist Harmony ideology blames overindustrialization and the unsustainable nature of society, while the materialist Supremacy ideology blames religious conflict and similar failings of 'logic'.
• The War to End All Wars: If conditions on Earth become severe enough, a chain of events is triggered leading to a Final War as the remaining great powers struggle over dwindling land and resources, which could also bring humanity to the brink of extinction.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: As the United States crumbled into chaos following the Great Mistake, the ringleaders behind what became the North American Union sought to restore order and prosperity by remaking the continent in their image, and redefining what it meant to be "American." By the 23rd Century, this has all but failed outside the Capitol District and its dwindling supporters.
• Wham Episode: In order to signpost major events, the mod includes superevents like in The New Order Last Days Of Europe, albeit used more sparingly. The most consequential of these include the breakout of the Final War or the peaceful launch of the Unity.
• With This Herring: While "Dark Days"-era equipment and weaponry would be decent, if not state of the art for the Cold War or 21st Century, they're horribly outdated by the 23rd Century. Though still capable of dealing damage, they're outclassed by anything fielded by more powerful nations.

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