Hey y’all, according to Space Sector, Matrix Games and Slitherine announced a new 4X space game of Q4 this year called Pandora: First Contact
There’s almost no info on the game right now besides its existence, but I’m trying to find out more. Stay tuned!
Nice to see another 4X in development, regardless
Totally!! I’m really falling in love with Distant Worlds - Legends too, so more spacey games from them is a good thing in my book.
I’m glad to see your slip recently was just a fluke and your speed of bringing us the news so hot they burn is still right there. :)
In other words, pity nothing is known yet. (Or I usually don’t watch videos on the net)
Hahahahaha, trying my best. :) And yeah, I totally wanna know more too. Slitherine has been building a fantastic reputation of late, and I’d love to see their talents turned to space.
Some more news:
Pandora will be a 4X strategy game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) in the same vein of Alpha Centauri.
In Pandora: First Contact, players will have maintain resources such as food, minerals, production, monitor pollution, research and colonist morale.
Economic victory can be achieved with high enough credits to buy out other factions on the colony.
Terraforming will have an impact, to improve terrain to increase a territory’s output or grant bonuses to soldiers.
Pandora will have multiple stackable unit types, taking into account for power, movement points, light and heavy and armored units. Unit classes range from troopers to all-terrain vehicles, tanks, watercrafts, aircrafts, and mech units. There are three tiers per unit class, one for each era.
Fog of War has an effect, with players being able to utilize mountains and forests to screen units for surprise attacks. This can only work outside of a city’s influence range to prevent cheap tactics and to facilitate more in-depth strategies.
There are also a variety of weapon classes, from machine to gatling guns, sniper rifles, flame and gas throwers, missile launchers, and like unit classes, has three tiers per weapon class. They can also be effective against certain types of units.
Military Operations are produced in cities, which lead to satellite reconnaissance, drop pods, nano repair bots, nuclear missiles. These can be deployed anywhere on the battlefield.
Single and multiplayer are supported, with simultaneous turns. It will release for Windows, Mac, and Linux in the Q3 2012.
So…wait…no spaceships…?
Hah hah Brian, you have not spaceships here! Go away! :P
It seems more a Alpha Centaury remake?
With all the gaming that’s available I have a hard times getting excited by anything at Matrix. Expensive games, rare and unimpressive sales, and lack of unlimited downloads really puts a damper on things…
Simultaneous turns will mean good chance of PBEM, right? That could be interesting.
FOOEY ON YOU, SIR!
And yeah, it totally seems to be in the AC vein, which could be a great thing.
Hater. :P
I hope so, that’s pretty much one of the only multiplayer types of games I like.
…That’s not a bad thing.
I still play SMAC “PBEM”. (Forum post attachments ^^)
Not a bad thing at all, just won’t be covering it on my blog. :-\
Has anyone heard any updates on this? Matrix just has it listed as “Coming soon”.
Sigh, nothing new that I know of, sadly.
There is a few images and info in slitherine.com section:
- Discover a new world harboring a variety of ecoregions, ranging from the frozen ice lands of the north, to vast deserts and lush tropical forests in the south.
- Encounter and survive the planet’s dangerous wild life. Agile predators in the steppes, deadly insect swarms in the jungle, or gigantic creatures lurking in the abyss of the oceans.
- Ruins and artifacts, the relics of an ancient alien civilization long forgotten, provide you advantages against other rivaling factions.
- Over the centuries, progress through a vast research tree spanning dozens of technologies and providing buildings, units, weapons, and more.
- Negotiate trading or research pacts with other factions for mutual benefits. Forge alliances to stand united against common foes.
- Build new cities to expand the borders of your empire. Manage cities by choosing building or unit production and assigning priorities to your colonists.
- Shape the landscape with terraforming: construct farms, mines, forts, or other improvements to increase the productivity of your colonies or to fortify positions.
- Command vast armies on the battlefield against enemy factions. Utilize the planet’s terrain, for example by fortifying in hills or hiding troops in forests or mountains.
- Design your own units, choosing from a variety of different classes, weapons and armors to maximize the strength of your forces.
- Unleash hell on your opponents with powerful military operations, ranging from drop pods behind enemy lines to black hole generators eradicating entire landscapes.
There’s some more info in this little thread as well: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3087896&mpage=1&key=�
They were taking beta applications a couple of weeks ago. I applied but haven’t gotten word as to when the beta will start, or if I was even accepted.
This is such a stupid name, a real marketing faux pas.
We don’t have an exact date for when the beta will start, but should be soon. So technically no one was accepted yet. You should receive an email when it starts.