@robc04 I have yet to beat Stellaris, so for me the game is more than just roleplaying. I typically get roflstomped by the endgame crisis. But I tend to play these games as a builder, not a conqueror – not because I’m roleplaying (though I certainly enjoy some of that), but because it’s not in my nature to warmonger. Also, the AI has gotten noticeably better in the past year or so.
My playstyle is rarely optimal for winning in any of these 4X games, which, paradoxically, may be why I enjoy them.
I don’t think the tutorial is bad, just a bit overwhelming. There’s not enough precise feedback to confirm that I’ve actually done what I’m being told to do, though much of it is easy enough to figure out after a bit. I suspect there is simply a ton of stuff here, making a tutorial somewhat challenging.
My problem is I will get a couple games in, and start to get my bearings again and then they declare an update is coming that will completely change a major system, so I take a break waiting for the update. Then the break ends up going longer and by the time I get back to the game I have to refresh my memory or learn a bunch of completely new things. It is still my favorite space 4x at the moment.
I may try it again at some point, but there are so many more games ahead of it either in my backlog or games that deserve - like Old World. I haven’t really given Shadow Empire a fair shake or Distant Worlds 2 any shake. There are soooo many games!
This is me exactly - I have a lot of fun in these games, and I just kinda do what I figure the real rulers would, for fun. I don’t look behind the curtain at all, or try to suss out the best approach due to mechanics.
Mechanics in games are outside what I am looking for - I do just play these for immersion and never try to break anything due to limitations. Probably why I love games like Conan Exiles and such, that I can immerse myself in.
Good tip; I’ve looked at those and they are helpful. Um, once I figure out where all the menus are…this thing looks pretty but man there are more icons than Maya.
More evidence for how wide gaming is. You can have very different experiences of the same game depending on what you’re looking for, whether it’s immersion or mental stimulation or speedrunning etc.
This was free on steam so I finally tried it out. 3 hours of rapid expansion as fast as I could generate the whatever points that are required to expand boundaries and I didn’t encounter any aliens except for a peaceful space whale. Almost all of it was just letting the game run in fast mode and watching my science ships bounce around surveying systems. I like the idea of these little plotlets, but pursuing them seems to be quite tedious.
If you use the default game settings you have plenty of time to expand. I prefer to play around with the settings, put more empires in smaller maps and reduce the number of space lanes. It means the early game is a rush to get “choke points” and grab systems. Then depending on your race and play style, you have to expand through conquer, subjugation or just protect your little empire and grow tall.
Also tried the free weekend to see if it got any better since the previous one, and I don’t… hate it? It still has many, or all, of the issues it had before. But the ride is smooth enough that I want to see what happens in another decade of in-game time, or in the next game with a different set-up. It’s satisfying even though I could write a good few paragraphs about it’s problems and much less about what does work. And the AI works as a challenge, though it doesn’t do much diplomatically.
(I did write those paragraphs before realizing most folks here have been playing for years and don’t need me to explain the game).
It has always suffered from one key issue, the end game. By the mid game process, most games you know whether you have won or not. The end game crisis adds a bit of spice, but once you know how to deal with each crisis, that also looses it’s appeal.
I have played lots of games and quit almost 99% of them at the mid-late game point because either you know it’s a cake-walk or an impossible mission.
The first half of the game is great, the latter half not so great. Unfortunately, once you’ve played the first half of the game numerous times, you’ve seen all the scenarios, and events so many times that they loose their appeal too.
It’s a “good” game (that I keep going back to when a new version comes out) but adding continual DLC is still putting a plaster over a significant wound and doesn’t help. I think the only way forward is to work on a sequel and resolve the root problem with the AI/gameplay.
I’ve got ~200 hours in, but have mostly not played games to the official end year. But one thing I did notice in my last game where I stubbornly played to the very end is that my empire which was generally in pretty good shape for most of the game basically went to hell in the final years. I don’t remember all the details, but I had to reverse everything I had been doing earlier in the game. Most notably, I had to beg everyone to please, please stop having babies.
I admit it’s possible I just had no idea what I was doing. But even with ring worlds, I was running out of space for everyone.
hm, this does sound like a positive. That’s how chess works, too. Usually at some point after midgame, you know if you have lost or won. Most chessgames are not played to the end. (trying to see the positive here).
That’s one reason why chess isn’t considered well designed in modern gameplay terms. Chess’s greatness comes from the massive possibility space, and the fact that it’s completely unintuitive to our brains - a bundle of pieces from both sides sits huddled close together and eventually resolves to one side winning. There’s no intuitive sense of armies and supply lines and it has very little do with war in general. It’s more of a two-player abstract competitive puzzle game.
I read your intent, and I know what you mean. However, chess is a strategy game (long term) with a highly tactical component (short term). There is some “puzzle” aspect, if you want to find the “best” move in a position. But in real, the best move is the one you chose that fits your strategy or tactical needs. You can outplay an weaker opponent just on strategy alone.
It could be an issue in Stellaris where you play for many, many hours in several sittings and than have to kill the game because you know you lost or you will win easy.
