Cell to Singularity has spent plenty of time working out how life got here. Its new Future expansion turns the simulation towards what might happen next, with developer Computer Lunch teaming up with futurist Isaac Arthur to explore humanity’s coming century. The update is live on Steam today, 11 November.
The idea is to look beyond the present through several possible paths, including space travel, artificial intelligence and human augmentation. These are speculative futures informed by research, rather than a promise that the neighbours will definitely have a moon base by the time your mortgage is paid off.
Four visions are explored in this release. They cover developments such as reusable rockets, orbital civilisation, lunar infrastructure and changes to medicine, with a fifth vision planned for later. The game’s progression towards the Singularity has been reworked around that expanded journey, moving some familiar concepts into different places along the way.
A new Prediction Matrix gives players another system to manage within the Reality Engine. You choose a prediction to research for simulation boosts, with progress continuing in the background while you focus on other parts of the game. Refining a prediction resets its current boost in exchange for the opportunity to reach a higher ceiling, so even forecasting the future comes with an upgrade decision.
The mission system has also been refreshed, splitting objectives into Life, Civilization and Future categories. New music includes work from Philip Sheppard and Melodysheep, adding a suitably ambitious soundtrack to the business of clicking your way towards the next stage of existence.
Computer Lunch says this is the beginning of a wider Future rollout, with more chapters to follow. The official release notes confirm Steam availability and describe the mobile rollout as following later today, so iOS and Android players should check their own store for the update.
You can find the game on Steam. Whether the future is bright, strange or full of administrative problems, there should at least be plenty of new nodes to unlock.