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[Culise]

If they do it right, there should be multiple ways to interpret each faction. The Hive, for example, is the closest society to a transcended one in Alpha Centauri, albeit with massive human rights violations.

That and it was very intentional. There were no "White hats" in the original because the concept was that the leap to this level of technology wasn't made without a cost and often to hold these philosophies these factions would do anything.

So even races that were rather agreeable at surface value, were almost like monsters if you delved deep enough.

I still don't expect "America" to be anything more then the Angel faction of freedom... As if this game is Red Alert 5 or something.

Oy vey, and I thought my cynicism was bad.  Even in Alpha Centauri, the American members of the crew were Corazon Santiago (assuming Puerto Rico didn't go its own way) and Miriam Godwinson.  Not exactly the most unabashed paeans to America, though the former was highly libertarian (in a gun nut sense) and the latter highly moral.  I'm not surprised you're cynical about it, but I'm surprised you're still taking it to this degree given what we know; we already know that ARC isn't the "Angel faction of freedom," given how Samatar thoroughly rips into them in private discourse, and he's far closer to the "glory of democracy" feel than Fielding.  They're far closer to the "corporate owned death machine" than perfect country if you look at the darker side of their faction, for all that the positive outlook is very much "capitalist American dream." 

Now, if you want "Angel faction of freedom," Franco-Iberia's where you should look.  Cultured, erudite, focused on green technologies, and apparently rooted in social democracy.  Then again, they're also referred to as Romans by their detractors in reference to the Roman Empire, so...

EDIT:
I suppose I should clarify my own cynicism regarding the game.  I actually expect the America analogue to be unabashedly evil, a near-caricature of unabashed corporate greed and malfeasance, as is more typical nowadays outside of action flicks/shooter games.  I expect Russia to be a militant, totalitarian Soviet-era throwback.  I'm already slightly gratified that the PAC isn't yet another Hive, but I expect yet another glorious paean to the wonders of a green future and the rise of a token minority country that's "just this side of Heaven" level of good in Franco-Iberia and the People's African Union (which, admittedly, would be a bit of a subversion given the sort of nation that usually styles itself as a People's Union).  In other words, I expect a lot of actual nuance to be lost beyond the occasional blip in the description that essentially says, "THIS IS A NUANCE!" in flaming letters. 

[Greenbane]

By the way, we know squat about the Slavic Federation beyond its name, its leader's, and their icon. So...

Apparently, Russia in Beyond Earth will be a usual totalitarian and militarist state hell-bent on conquering and oppressing everyone and everything, unlike the technocratic and science-oriented University of Planet from SMAC.

This is completely unfounded.

There's only a single guy over at CivFanatics repeatedly posting propaganda-like (fan-made) posters, chanting for an oppressive, militaristic Orwellian neo-Soviet state. But he's only channelling his personal desires. There was an early official mention of a Gagarin-like faction leader, which may imply Firaxis is drawing upon Russia's contributions to space exploration to craft their Beyond Earth incarnation. But even that ultimately comes down to speculation. Personally, I doubt there will be any "evil" factions. Let alone clichéd ones, if those revealed so far are any indication.

[Neonivek]

I honestly have no real issue with the Slavic Federation. I just understand where they are coming from.

Though I do like that me and Culise are both cynical but in completely opposite ways about America.

I think they will be over-glorified, while Culise from what I can understand you think they will be hamfistingly evil.

[Culise]

I honestly have no real issue with the Slavic Federation. I just understand where they are coming from.

Though I do like that me and Culise are both cynical but in completely opposite ways about America.

I think they will be over-glorified, while Culise from what I can understand you think they will be hamfistingly evil.

Essentially, though it's more a consequence of my fear rather than the root cause of it.  I'm concerned that there'll be "clearly" good and evil factions in the game, rather than the sort of grey-and-grey ambiguity that you can at least understand even if you fundamentally disagree with it (like how Miriam actually becomes a voice of reason and moderation, while the Hive is actually on the path to transcendence).  It would be a consequence of that, one of several, that the American Reclamation Corporation would automatically fall on the evil side by virtue of being the corporate faction, as would the Slavic Federation should it in fact be another militarized, nationalist state like Brasilia.  It might be in part my own pessimism, or it might be because I've already been burned once by Pandora which fell into exactly this mistake (in addition to being somewhat mediocre gameplay-wise). 

But it is amusing that we have the same fear in such a polar opposite way.  On the bright side, if the game comes out and we both come on the forums to complain about how our worst expectations were realized, I suppose everyone else will realize that they actually succeeded in making a faction that can be read both ways. ^_^

[Fikes]

In all fairness... I'd be pretty peeved as a Russian since American videogames STILL treats my country like it was still Cold-War USSR Propagandized Russia.

How do people like you think Germany feels?

Anyways, I have seen very few games that depict Russia or the USSR (or the CCCP) as the actual evil. Maybe games ABOUT the cold war, but even in those, Russia isn't exactly EVIL, with the exception of something like Red Alert.

While I am not saying it is exactly what you guys are doing, I will say that in general by assuming a company or group will act like bigots because they are American, you make yourself the bigot. We know nothing about the game and are already deciding the theme for some of the powers.

Finally I would like to point out that the US didn't survive to see the Alpha Centuri project launch. In one of the videos from the original game they talk about the fall of the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY57ErBkFFE

Although hilariously to this argument it shows a clip from what I believe to be the fall of the Berlin wall.

[Bouchart]

Fikes, I've yet to see a game with MODERN Germany as Nazis

Because it would be nearly impossible to sell in Germany.

[MarcAFK]

No it would be quite literally impossible to import into the country, let alone sell.
But after you change all the swazzis into happy faces and rebrand the baddies as "The nasty boys" Then you've got a best seller.

[Loud Whispers]

Slavic Federation's city listed in one of the game's menus, spotted in the official gameplay video (around 3:06):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's called Khrabrost (Храбрость, English for bravery). Note the stronk red logo.

Slavs stronk
Personally I see it as a test of values, you are likely to see the Slavic Federations as evil or good for very much the same reason; their strength, martial tradition and their purity in the face of change. In other words:
1. Go full purity.
2. Remove hybrid cat people scum with sky fortress.
3. Remove steve jebs people scum with sky fortress.

Alpha Centauri only condensed philosophical ideas already existing at the time. Beyond Earth can't reinvent that, and philosophical currents don't change considerably in just a decade. SMAC was first in exploiting that vein, so that's a massive advantage for it. Aside from that, there was not all that much original content that's particularly revolutionary.

There's something hilarious when talking about originality in a sequel to a long running game franchise. Alpha Centauri didn't just condense political ideas, it condensed them well and gave them personality. The fact that all the leaders knew each other beforehand also added a greater level of intimacy in their vendettas and pacts; here they all arrive at different decades, a neat sounding gimmick but we'll have to see what that actually plays out to in the future.

[10ebbor10]

Something I find rather interesting is that they didn't go with an United Federation Of Europe. You have Franco-Iberia, but Germany, the UK and the rest of Europe presumable want their own way.

[Guardian G.I.]

Anyways, I have seen very few games that depict Russia or the USSR (or the CCCP) as the actual evil. Maybe games ABOUT the cold war, but even in those, Russia isn't exactly EVIL, with the exception of something like Red Alert.

Non-Cold War serious games with evil Russians that I can remember:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1/2/3;
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon;
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier;
Sniper Elite 1/V2;
Company of Heroes 2;
Battlefield Bad Company 2;
Numerous games about the Russian Mafia and nuclear weapons, especially those made during the 1990s like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear.

There are a lot of other such games that I can't recall right now.

[Shadowlord]

Fikes, I've yet to see a game with MODERN Germany as Nazis (since that seems to be what you were getting at) or generally evil. Lots of ones set back when Germany was Nazi, but a fair number of games nowadays make Russia look like complete powermongering warlords who don't declare war and annex the world simply because America (Usually) is there to save the world with its overbloated military budget!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/07/what-to-do-when-russia-invades-your-country.html

[MarcAFK]

To be Fair if it's a game based on Tom Clancy you can't not have Russia as Soviets.

[IronyOwl]

But we are not going to see America represented except by the most honey glazed depictions of them are we?

I don't see why you'd assume this. The only direct reference I recall to America in the original was Lal claiming that "As the Americans so painfully learned in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny." Is there a more contemporary reason to assume Firaxis will go this route?

Non-Cold War serious games with evil Russians that I can remember:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1/2/3;
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon;
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier;
Sniper Elite 1/V2;
Company of Heroes 2;
Battlefield Bad Company 2;
Numerous games about the Russian Mafia and nuclear weapons, especially those made during the 1990s like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear.

There are a lot of other such games that I can't recall right now.

To be Fair if it's a game based on Tom Clancy you can't not have Russia as Soviets.

And then, yeah, this. You could make a point about it because of how popular they are, but that list is mostly just "Call of Duty and Tom Clancy are dicks to Russians."

[Fikes]

My point is not that there are no video games where Russia is the bad guy, my point is that assuming that because a game is made in the US it will portray Russia as bad guys shows that you are prejudice and misguided.

Prejudice in the sense that you are basing your opinion on country of origin.  Misguided in the sense that Americans are more than willing to make ourselves the bad guy. In Fallout we were the aggressors and in Deus Ex our country had devolved into the exact corporate run society you guys are talking about.

[Retropunch]

My point is not that there are no video games where Russia is the bad guy, my point is that assuming that because a game is made in the US it will portray Russia as bad guys shows that you are prejudice and misguided.

Prejudice in the sense that you are basing your opinion on country of origin.  Misguided in the sense that Americans are more than willing to make ourselves the bad guy. In Fallout we were the aggressors and in Deus Ex our country had devolved into the exact corporate run society you guys are talking about.

I'm afraid I disagree strongly. Russians do get a really hard time of it in the western fiction, and I know a lot of Russians who find it really, really annoying. Modern Warfare is the most popular gaming (and one of the top media) franchises ever, and they constantly portray the Russians as really awful (that airport missions!!) so it's not just like it's a small example. Similarly, GTA always portrays them as the mob and Tom Clancy as generic bad guys. Combine that with them being the stock bad guys/mercenaries in most action films, and the women all portrayed as whores, and I can't really say that I blame them for being really pissed off about it. It's not even them being portrayed as 'evil', it's that they're portrayed as somehow lacking in morals compared to Westerners, or that they're easily bought.

As far as Beyond Earth, I do really worry that they'll think that morally grey area factions might be 'too much' for the average gamer and just turn it into 'the good guy, the ok guy and the bad guy'. Really hope not though.


*edited for clarity