Following the reveal of Civilization: Beyond Earth at E3 2014 earlier this year, the lead designers of the upcoming turn-based strategy game have given a new interview with Spanish gaming website 3d Juegos to talk about the Franco-Iberia faction in the game.
Speaking to the website, WIll Miller and David McDonough revealed that the faction is lead by a woman named Élodie, a descendent of the nobility and the privileged elite of the old families of France, Spain, and Italy. She inherited the wealth of her ancestors’ businesses in agriculture, food processing, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. She has a strong cultural heritage, and a personality to match.
Élodie also holds sway over the media, and has used her personal popularity to ensure her position as one of the leading minds in the expedition to space. An interesting detail to note is that Élodie personally supervised the creation of ‘The Canon’, the definitive collection of Western art, with works, letters, and music.
According to the developers, the Franco-Iberia faction was formed during the dissolution of the European Union, and it positioned itself as the protector and direct descendent of the best traditions of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, and continues the support the culture of the old continent—even exporting it. Geographically, the territories belonging to the faction include former France, and Spain, parts of Italy, and extends along the Mediterranean to include parts of North Africa. The faction enjoys a high standard of living and has uses a lot of green technology.
The faction is very culture-oriented, to the point where not focusing on culture can be damaging. They are positioned to take advantage in terms of culture and virtue more so than any other faction. They receive a number of bonuses, including free Virtue technology, which gives them a wide range of flexibility and the sense that you won’t have to sacrifice scientific progress if you prioritize culture in the development of your cities. In addition to its depth and its bonuses to Virtues, Franco-Iberia is able to respond to changing situations in the game more comfortably than many of the other factions.
In addition to talking about the Franco-Iberia faction, the developers talked a bit about the aliens that inhabit the planet you land on. Apparently, if you aren’t aggressive with the aliens by attacking them every time you see them or destroying their nests, they too will be less aggressive towards you—at least in the early stages of the game.
For more details about the game, check out our preview of Civilization: Beyond Earth.
