So, 4x games...

[Megrim]

I have spent a fair amount of time with the CIV series. Those games have been good to me, but I'm trying to find something good in the 'futuristic' vein of 4x. The last complete, solid game which I've played, on par with the CIV series, was probably SMAC.

Has there been anything released, over the past few years, which is in the same league? I am not looking for something like Space Empires, which is large-scale and effectively open ended, but something, a game of which, can be completed over a weekend or a few days.

By all accounts Beyond Earth is trash. I have not tried Pandora, but from watching a bit of it on youtube, it look half-decent.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

[Draegan]

Endless legend is good but that's fantasy based.

[Threash]

So is Dominions 4.

[Ruvaldt]

Would space strategy games be included in the futuristic requirement?  Distant Worlds Universe is a space 4x that is supposed to be excellent.  I haven't played it because it never goes on sale through Steam and I have enough games to play as it is, but it looks awesome.

[Lantyssa]

I like Distant Worlds Universe, and they've put out several improvement patches since I last played.  It's a good space-based 4X if that's what you're looking for.

[Ragnoros]

Endless Space is fine, if lacking pizzazz. I have enjoyed a few plays going through the tech tree and nuking hapless civs from orbit.

Galactic Civilizations 2 is also fine, although it has some wonky systems. (Warning Stardock)

Anno 2070 is fun, if mostly just a reskin of Anno 1404. (Warning Ubi AIDS)

[Maledict]

I like Distant Worlds Universe, and they've put out several improvement patches since I last played.  It's a good space-based 4X if that's what you're looking for.

I've bought this but am so intimidated by the game I haven't actually started it - is there anywhere I could go to read up about it from a beginners perspective?

[Khaldun]

I keep waiting for Distant Worlds Universe to have a Steam sale. Kind of puzzling that it doesn't.

[Maledict]

It had one before christmas with 37% off or something, but that's it.

Apparently its because the author has spent so much time and money on it, he refuses to put it up for sale because his work is worth X amount. It's a fallacy I've seen a lot of people take up - just because your work is on sale doesn't denigrate it, and selling lots cheaply and building a base for your game is a lot more useful than selling a few copies at a high price.

I only got it because of that sale and my parents wanting to get me something for christmas, otherwise it would still be on my wish list. Silly.

[Lantyssa]

I've bought this but am so intimidated by the game I haven't actually started it - is there anywhere I could go to read up about it from a beginners perspective?

No idea.  I always jump in to 4X games feet-first.  Going from complete novice to Mistress of the Universe is the best part of these games to me.

I only hit wikis or seek other help if I cannot wrap my head around a game system around the tenth play-through.

[Megrim]

Yea, I looked at Distant Worlds, but the problem is that it falls into the same category as Space Empires and it's ilk. Too long-winded.

[Falconeer]

Wouldn't it be nice if Paradox made Galaxias Universalis?

[KallDrexx]

What is a good beginner 4x?

Every time I try to play a 4x game I end up lost and confused of what I should be doing, going down tech trees where I have no idea what actually matters, etc..  I feel like most of the ones I have tried expect a certain level of familiarity with the genre.

[brellium]

What is a good beginner 4x?

Every time I try to play a 4x game I end up lost and confused of what I should be doing, going down tech trees where I have no idea what actually matters, etc..  I feel like most of the ones I have tried expect a certain level of familiarity with the genre.

Honestly, probably one of the Hearts of Iron games as a country in South America.  It's really hard to fuck that shit up.

[tazelbain]

What is a good beginner 4x?

Every time I try to play a 4x game I end up lost and confused of what I should be doing, going down tech trees where I have no idea what actually matters, etc..  I feel like most of the ones I have tried expect a certain level of familiarity with the genre.

Just Bootleg MoO2 and MoM. All the "advances" since then have been marginally best but most just add snooze. The genera needs to rebooted the way platformers are being now.

[Threash]

There have been no advances since MoM, everything has been a step back.

[Merusk]

I agree with the bulk of that sentiment.  Although Alpha Centauri made some good strides in world management, it was also a step back in combat features.

Lots of attempts, very little progress, very few good, new systems.

[Margalis]

MoO2 is still my favorite 4x space game. Since then they do seem have been treading water.

[Samprimary]

Most 4x games released since MOO2 and MoM obviously were an idea that played a hell of a lot better in someone's head before they started trying to flesh out the mechanics in the game proper. It's a genre of hard brick walls of reality since they are so hard and labor intensive to balance.

[Margalis]

The odd thing to me is that the combat in Moo2 is pretty awkward, it seems like you could just take Moo2 almost exactly as is, make the ship combat better and call it a new awesome 4x.

[Merusk]

Well, I'd make one additional tweak. The thing I disliked most about MOO2 was they took MOO's pretty unique (at the time) focus sliders away. I enjoyed being able to pump thsoe little sliders on the original and was sad they took them out of the sequel.

[Lantyssa]

I was, too.  And you weren't guaranteed every tech in the tree.  I liked the small amount of randomness it added.

[Megrim]

Beyond Erf if free to play over the weekend btw. Giving it a try.

[Maledict]

Beyond Erf if free to play over the weekend btw. Giving it a try.

I enjoyed, and defended, Civ 5 when when it was originally launched, which is practically a capital offense in 4X circles.

Beyond Erf is unmitigated trash and firaxis should be ashamed they released it. Utter garbage.

[Khaldun]

Beyond Earth definitely pissed me off. You can't just explain it as bad decisions--it's a palpably lazy and cynical piece of work.

[Maledict]

Yep, exactly. They honestly seem to have given a bunch of interns a print-out of the Alpha Centauri wiki entry and the Civ 5 Mod editor and then told them to knock something up.

One of the things I found particularly galling was that, after insisting it wasn't a sequel to Alpha centauri, they actually have the Alpha Centauri storyline in the game. Planetary consciousness, the whole thing .However, its done on such a staggering incompetant level a game 10+ years old using writtten text cut-scenes manages to knock it out of the water.


Easily my biggest disappointment of 2014, and I played Destiny!

[Megrim]

Game is shallow, I think. There are some decent ideas in there, but the execution thereof is lacking. The whole thing seems, flat, and I am not a fan of the ui.

[Merusk]

It wasn't terrible for the 2-3 hours I played it on Saturday. That said it sure didn't grab my attention, either.  I made it a goal to play until I had a few cities dropped and I'd puttered around in the systems. Soulless is a good description, because while it had a consistent look it didn't feel like a project someone loved. Sad, because there were some good ideas for a Space/Sci-Fi 4x, like the satellite layer.

I think if the UI wasn't as godawful as it is I'd have been ok with dropping the $30 on it.

[Maledict]

A lot of the flaws aren't really apprent early on - for my first full game I was quite happy with it.

Then I realised the AI doesn't work (literally, it makes Civ 5 look like a genius).

The aliens don't work - they are astonishingly weak, present no threat, and make no sense.

The balance doesn't work - certain picks are so much stronger than others it's silly, and you won't how the designers ever let that get out of the gate.

The tech web doesn't work - you end up going for the same broken tech all the time.

The affinities don't work - not enough difference, and the victory methods for each are DREADFUL. Mind numbingly pointlessly laborious and stupid.

City states don't work - utterly pointless, you are better off destroying them when they land.

Such a catastrophic failure of a game.