RockPaperShotgun has released a new article called “The Rally Point: Why Alpha Centauri kind of helped when I had a breakdown“.
The title implies a very personal story from the author, but at the end it is actually purely about Alpha Centauri. The author praises the factions, the story, and the underlying AI, which made the game so very sympathetic.
An excerpt:
Most unusually, even today, is how helpful allies can be. Truly aligned friends will actively aid you. I’ve had several games where my armies defended allied colonies while their leaders showered me with free technology without prompting, or I bankrolled an industrial power as they bombed our enemies. It encourages less gamey thinking.