How is the game?

[tjfox1]

New buyers/users what do you think of the game?

[zakblood]

i'm enjoying my time in space

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now welcome to the void of space, and forum btw

[ichirou989]

Be warned, the game is being rather harshly rated on Steam, unfairly so in several areas. I have yet to rate the game there as I generally do not rate games until I've put at least 8-10 hours of play in, unless the game is obviously broken or unplayable, and such is NOT the case here. A good YouTube vid and discussion on the game can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwb0PYW ... e=youtu.be

Note that he does mention a few bugs that he found in the game, some of which have already been patched. In any case, as he walks through game set-up and plays many turns of a game in the video, it gives a good impression of the gameplay without the subjective negativity that is present on Steam at the moment. Indeed, it was due to his review and my long time enjoyment of other Slitherine games, that I went ahead a bought the game.

Chris

[Tssha]

I had to refund my purchase. I just wasn't having fun with the game.

I love 4X games. I've played so many 4X games. This game can't compete with any of them. It plays very similarly to MoO2, but doesn't really take that formula anywhere. The resources mechanic is interesting, but fundamentally irrelevant. More builders always compensates for lack of resources. The one tech per tier mechanic always drives me up the wall in these games, has for a long time.

Ultimately, I didn't feel it was worth it. Everything this game does is done better somewhere else. Heck, there's better storytelling in Stars in Shadow, and that doesn't even have a campaign.

...I just wish there was more, or that what was there was better. I was so hopeful for this game, it's a shame it let me down.

I'd probably reconsider later on down the road if there's more...game added, or if the price drops substantially. As it was, I never felt any desire to continue playing.

[Teppic]

The resources mechanic is interesting, but fundamentally irrelevant. More builders always compensates for lack of resources.

Yes and no. Early on, ship constructions does not need many ressources and low build cost can be compensated with construction power. Later on construction power (and pollution control) has to be very high to outmatch the lack of ressources.
It is somewhat sad, that there is no galactic market where you could get money for ressources or the other way around.

The one tech per tier mechanic always drives me up the wall in these games, has for a long time.

Well, I suppose this is a design decission and yes indeed it is a rather strict one. Players have to make a choices and lay out a military and economic strategy early on and stick with it. This slows the game in early phase but speeds it up in the mid phase. Handling strict limitations is something players today often don´t cope well (HARD CAP), because their normal day gives them so many possiblities for recreation with easy access. A 90thies inspired game reflects more the limited choices.

These days developers aim more towards soft caps. F.EXE.: In the Endless Games Series the cost of any tier tech increases with the number of techs you already have and so it becomes a matter of player´s choice. Maybe the invested tech points in many tier 1 are worth it, but they come with a downside, as a lot low tier progress means also high tier tech which give more benefit cost far more as if the player had only chosen (and/or traded) the minimum techs to get to the higher tiers.

[WG]

I am currently enjoying it, though I am playing the campaign and haven't tried out the sandbox yet. The interface is similar to Master of Orion 2, making it feel like a kind of "MOO3." I love MOO2, so naturally I would like this as well. It's a bit early for me to review the whole package, but I agree that many of the negative reviews on Steam are unfair.