Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack includes the original Alpha Centauri and the expansion, Alien Crossfire.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack is a strategy, 4x and multiplayer game
developed by Firaxis Games
and published by Electronic Arts.
Released on March 07th 2024 is available in English only on Windows.
It has received 442 reviews of which 407 were positive and 35 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
- Processor: 1.8 GHz
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Graphics: 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 9.0c
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 600 MB available space
- Additional Notes: Requires a monitor that supports a minimum resolution of 800x600
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
It's an old 4x game, it's the follow up to Civ 2, it's fantastic. It is the best 4x game ever made, to this day(2024). No other game matches it, it might not have the best graphics or the smoothest gameplay, not even the best units or progression but it is so much more than the sum of it's parts. It perfects the formula and combines it with a story to tell and my god is this story still relevant today. Play this game, if it seems to harsh, fight through it - it is THE BEST 4x game
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DISCLAIMER: For those who are unsure if this version works, download the PRACX mod which fixes the game and adds quality of life improvements. It's just an easy installer where files are installed in the main game directory. It works like a charm, quick install and you're good to go. (The updated resolution, added overlays and zoom function are a godsend!) (here is the link: https://github.com/DrazharLn/pracx/releases - download the file " PRACX.v1.11.exe ") Alpha Centauri takes place on a hostile alien planet where the player needs to establish a colony and survive the harsh natural conditions and against opposing factions . My review is solely based on the base game as I never bothered much with the expansion (base game is excellent). You play as one of the 7 competing factions which differentiate themselves by ideological beliefs and philosophies. You drop on Chiron which is simply named "Planet" and establish a colony, eventually an sprawling empire in a typical 4X fashion. Explore, expand, exploit and exterminate are the key elements of the gameplay progression. In the vein of Civilization, you do this in a turn-based fashion where you build outposts, researching technologies, bolster your military and finally use the resources to bring prosperity to your faction with the ultimate goal of achieving dominance via different victory conditions. Let's be frank here, this does not really sound very unique compared to dozens of other 4X games that have sprung up over the years. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Till this day, no other game managed to replicate the excellent sci-fi setting and narrative that is cleverly interwoven with the gameplay. The Good [*]The game starts out with an enticing premise, explore and colonize a completely hostile alien planet with creepy indigenous life forms. The planet reacts to your actions and is actually a character itself. [*]The game has unique factions with their own ideologies which are characterized by charismatic leaders with unique personalities. [*]The writing is something else, the game is filled to the brim with memorable quotes and dialogues which are narrated by excellent voice actors. This cannot be understated. [*]Interacting with other factions on a diplomatic level feels more dynamic and memorable due to the fantastic writing and the way that leaders react to your behavior and society. [*]Alpha Centauri has an actual story narrative which can easily be neglected but provides excellent world-building. There are changes to the planet and map when reaching certain milestones which turns the game into a more involved experience. [*]The game oozes atmosphere due the afore-mentioned voice acting and somewhat cold sci-fi setting. The soundtrack is very a bit limited but the existing ambient tracks add a lot to enhance the atmosphere. [*]Factions play very differently due to their strengths and weaknesses, your playstyle actually influences the way other factions treat you. This is also true for the planet itself which will send more indigenous lifeforms to take you out. [*]The game has a social engineering mechanic which allows you to shape your society around different values or fundamental philosophies. These range from absolute police state to eco friendly hippies. It is very customizable and has severe implications on your environment. [*]The technologies and setting is actually based on real scientific advancements and concepts, there is a real hard sci-fi edge to it that isn't simply "space magic". [*]The game has a design workshop for units which allows you to customize your own units for your needs. Want to have glass cannons that vaporize everything but can barely take a hit? No issue! You can pretty much install and modify units as you like. [*]Alpha Centauri has an extensive terraforming system which will really change the look of the map, terrain types can be modified and also elevated. There are some serious infrastructure buildings such as bore holes which will create large mining holes. Also the terraforming affects the planet interacts with you! If you're industrious without any care for the environment, you will have to face increased alien activity and factions which have ecological values. [*]The core "one more turn" civilization addiction is real in this game. Managing and growing an empire is rewarding. The Bad [*]Game has not a very intuitive interface or controls. It can almost feel like a spreadsheet with its menus and functions. It is not beginner friendly and can suffocate you with the sheer amount of menus and hotkeys. [*]The game is not very transparent about its mechanics and how things interact with each other. [*]Due to its age, some quality of life improvements are really missing such as streamlining the movement of units, terraforming the planet or managing multiple cities or units. [*]The AI can feel overly powerful and will spam tons of units.Stacks of doom are a real thing here and somewhat cumbersome to control (but opinions differ on this) [*]The combat is pretty weak and simply not very engaging because it ends up in stacks duking it. [*]Endgame can feel very tedious which is a core issue that pertains to a lot of 4X games. The Ugly [*]Let's be frank here, the game is not very pretty and has very sparse animations (if at all). It all feels very static and there isn't much to look at. Personally, I do not mind that much because it all suits the atmosphere but some more animations would have been nice. However, you really have to get used to it and be engrossed in the gameplay. This game won't charm you with its aesthetics, it is clear that this game is outdated in a lot of ways but even during release, it wasn't a looker. [*]The sound effects are repetitive and also limited. You will hear the same sounds all the time. [*]The interface can feel like a sci-fi version of an perating system (this can be positive depending on your preferences). Conclusion Alpha Centauri is a game that I fire up from time to time because one single screenshot or quote gets me instantly in the mood to play and revel in the atmosphere of this mysterious alien world. Despite lacking a strong graphical fidelity, AC easily draws you in with its voice acting, world-building which borders on being sci-fi horror due to the alien atmosphere, let's not forget some of the actual cutscenes that exist which are extremely unsettling. The interface enhances this even more with its somewhat clinical style. Honestly, I really fail to recall a strategy game which was managed to incorporate such an alien and mysterious setting that borders on being esoteric in terms of delivery. My first few playthroughs were a struggle but every advancement was rewarding due to the excellent writing. This is actually a smart game full that was ahead of its time. The gameplay itself is very solid once you get a grasp on the controls. What I really like is that this game is so engaging even if you don't conduct warfare. A lot of 4X games have a strong focus on military but AC has plenty to offer outside of warfare such as terraforming or the plot. The social engineering mechanic and strong political ideologies which oppose each other are very unique and allows the player to really experiment with the respective playstyles. Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone who really enjoys 4X games and can deal with some clunky interfaces and outdated visuals. There is a lot under the hood in this game, not everything requires intricate knowledge of the gameplay systems but you can really dive into it, thus reading the manual is recommended. It even includes a short story which details how the faction leaders landed on Alpha Centauri due to the mutiny on the colony ship. Watching Let's plays helps a lot as well, there are plenty!
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One of the best 4X games of all time, I have played this for decades at this point. Its mechanics were revolutionary at the time and still hold up very well today, with many features even modern civilization games truly fail to replicate like design workshop for units, social engineering and a rich science fiction narrative with ideological factions that all grip the player;s consciousness with concepts extreme in many ways, but also cleverly and maturely handled. A story where humanity escapes a dying world, and the desperation of colonists from the UN Unity starship try to figure out their futures as they crash land onto Planet, just immediately after various members of the crew shepherded people to safety aboard their pods, only to be joining in humanity's greatest social divergence and sense of societal engineering and preferences. Beyond Earth in my opinion doesn't hold a candle to the narrative weight of the setting and its characters. Books were written about Alpha Centauri, I do not recall such expansive literature for that game. And as far as gameplay goes? It plays like your typical 4X citybuilder that holds up pretty well. I highly recommend getting Thinker Mod and other community patches like Scient's and others... Alpha Centauri is reasonably easy to mod. I've made several custom factions throughout the years. The sheer diversity of techs and what one can do with it is what also sets this game apart. The Sci Fi concepts are really well executed. Graphically the game is dated but that is part of its charm and I honestly always liked its visual style. Its unique. Its easily one of my all time favourite games. If I were stranded with only the most basic of machines and I could only really play one game, this would be a reasonable contender.
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Ignore the playtime. This is probably the 5th or 6th time I've bought this game over the years. Simply the best 4X ever made. Nothing else even comes close.
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The year is 1999. IID, Freemium, and the 20 DLC model are still mercifully in the future. Games start with the vision of a single developer or a small team. Games are still created by the 'waterfall method': "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop." as Lewis Carroll put it. Here are just some of the results: FFVIII, 11 February SMAC, 12 February HOMM3, 3 March RollerCoaster Tycoon, 22 March DK2, 7 July Homeworld, 28 September AOEII 30 September AOW2 November These games are rightfully recognised as classics, and SMAC is a good example of the reasons for that. Its basic architecture draws from the early Civ games, but that is overlain by the strikingly distinctive ideologies of the AI players, and the unique technologies, which do not merely have 'sci-fi' names, but whose functionalities are described, and in some cases illustrated, by fascinating and occasionally disturbing video clips. A yet further layer is the increasingly tense relationship with the Planet being colonised itself. The process of colonisation has observable physical effects on the planetary surface; land can be terraformed up and down, rivers can be created, and even the sea level can change. SMAC is not merely a 4X adventure, but offers the opportunity (should the player wish to take it) to consider surprisingly profound questions of philosophy, ideology, and ethics. But - the year is 1999. SMAC has adequate graphics given its era, but they were nothing special, even then. Its basic architecture draws from the early Civ games, which means that spamming bases is still a 'thing', which may deter those who prefer the lower base-count of later Civ games. Forward settlement is very much also a 'thing', particularly if you leave gaps between your bases for the AI to exploit. SMAC's mechanics are all explained in the voluminous "Datalinks', but it is a complex game and there is a lot of text to read. Watch out in particular for corruption and eco-damage whose bite is much worse than their bark. Combat AI is about average for a Civ game (i.e. nothing special); diplomacy is surprisingly good. Units can be customised - man your bases with police, and better still, clean police; and make sure all your planes have air superiority. Some units are OP: air (as in all Civ games), missiles, probe teams, and copters being notable examples; however, these can be edited in the .txt files, if overwhelmimg. Recommendation: start on an easier level and work up; the hard levels are VERY hard for inexperienced players. Replayability warning: SMAC is highly and even addictively replayable.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 14 April 2025 23:20 |
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| Steam price | 15 April 2025 04:35 |
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Online players
48
Developer
Firaxis Games
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Release
07 Mar 2024
Platforms