Hybrid affinities are messy. Before you used to look at your starting area resources (Firaxite, Floatstone, Xenomass? Titanium and Oil?) and target specific techs to gain affinity tiers and chase your victory wonder as quickly as possible. Now rather than simply unlocking levels of affinity through researching specific branches and leafs, you unlock affinity experience. Some techs with affinity experience provide enough for an affinity level, some don't. A lot of formerly neutral technologies now offer affinity experience for two or all three affinities. Without trying you'll probably unlock 4 or 5 levels of each affinity in a single playthrough. Even if you're pursuing a single affinity. If you chase a hybrid affinity it's likely you will get multiple hybrid affinity units unlocked.
Even if you go for a Hybrid Affinity, you still have to hit Affinity tier 15 with a specific affinity to be able to build that affinity's victory wonder. Which just doesn't seem practical. I'm interested to see how this plays out in the higher difficulty levels.
Overall it feels like there are A LOT of resource pods, progenitor and colony ruins to find in BERT vs BEV. The chance you'll get free affinity tiers from explorers seems much higher.
Technology research costs felt a little higher at match start but before turn 300 all outer branch techs were taking 10 or less turns to research. Civ BERT, like BEV, has an early game, a mid game and then it's done by turn 300+ a few since you now need Affinity tier 15.
Aliens are more plentiful early but overall feel weaker now. For example Kraken and sea dragons would one shot the lower tier battleships in BEV. in BERT they just severely damage them, giving the unit a chance to get away. Alien hostility is ramped up to ridiculous degrees. Razing a single nest raises them an aggro level. Two nests destroyed and they are globally hostile. The new aliens, Makar and Hydracoral are neat but aren't threats for very long.
Water cities, melee boats and submarines are fun to play around with.
The new trade routes with factions are completely ridiculous. Strategic resources galore.
I don't know what to think of the new diplomatic system yet.
I don't have an opinion formed about the hybrid affinities yet, but I have to say they make a lot more sense in the universe of the game: I mean, it's really hard to go down a single affinity path in a normal civilization, so I quite like that they are based on what you are researching, what you are trying to improve on your civ. Also, I had a huge problem with vanilla BE, as in, sometimes, I would focus on developing my civilization, without aiming for any of the affinity researches, so I would end up with a nice empire, but a weak army, because I didn't choose the leaf affinity branches (that a lot of times didnt give anything interesting besides affinity points). That gets rid of that.
Also, I quite like the new diplomacy system. Sponsors finally have a personality now, they feel like real leaders. Traits are also pretty good, as the best ones will allow some insane bonus to your enemies, adding a strategic layer (also, being an ally or being hostile towards another civilization now truly mean something, unlike in vanilla civ: you'll get huge agreement bonus from being an ally, but will automatically declare war towards someone if your ally decides so).
Another highlight goes to the new art direction: the world feels like an alien world now, and the new artworks give the game a much needed visual identity.
The only thing I didnt like is how much diplomacy they shove in your face: once you meet someone else on the field (thank GOD no more automatic diplomacy screen right after planetfall), you are bombarded every turn with agreements, opinions and everything else. Still trying to adapt.
Overall, I really, really like the expansion. And I hope Civ VI borrows a lot from the new diplomatic system.
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