Still so dry? (ref. to TotalBiscuit WTF)

[Carlos]

So I'm tempted by this game, haven't played a good space 4X since Orion 2. So I checked it out and my favorite game pundit TotalBiscuit praised it a lot but said it's quite dry, it's got this "spreadsheet strategy" quality and quite a few reviews elsewhere basically agree.

So has the game improved since then? Is it still low on the art and heavy on the spreadsheets? Coz dat would be shame :)
Thanks

[Apheirox]

No, it has not. ES is and will be a 'dry' game. Which is fine by me, I enjoy intelligent 'spreadsheet' games - but ES actually falls flat in this department as well since Amplitude really don't have much understanding of balancing.

There will be a paid expansion somewhere in the future that may or may not make the game more 'lively'. Personally, I wouldn't get my hopes up for an expansion to completely change this aspect.

[Takasumu]

Spend your money wiser on StarDrive.

[Undergrowler]

Personally I'm a little tired of flashy 4X games. If it looks too good it usually means that it doesn't display the information I need in a very user friendly way. So I find ES more "spreadsheet" looks relaxing. If I need information about something I can usually get it with a glance.

[Carlos]

Hey Tarm, cheers for the tip, I haven't heard of StarDrive at all and now checking it out, it looks fantastic. Now that's what I'm talking about! For me this sort of game has to be immersive, I play with spreadsheets all day at work, back home I wanna feel I'm an space emperor, not a space accountant.

But I bought ES anyway, eight bucks is dirt cheap and it's good to support devs who make effort to create something else than braindead cinematic action.

[Undergrowler]

Great! I hope you like ES. :)

I think you'll find that it ain't that boring looking either. There aren't much of shiny animations and that sort of things but the graphics are beautiful in their own right.

[Apheirox]

Postat inițial de Tuuhea Takasumu:

Spend your money wiser on StarDrive.

I own StarDrive and I have to say that game is a gamble as well. I recognize that a lot of people enjoy it, even at its beta stage - but with release coming up right around the corner I find it difficult to condone its 30€ price tag. The game does a lot of things well, but there are a number of serious problems with it that I suspect will not be addressed by the [sole] developer. I also think a lot of people are too optimistic about it, writing off any shortcomings with a 'it's still in beta' while forgetting that the game's release is less than a month away.

If you want a solid 4x, play Civilization. While certainly not perfect either, Civilization V with the expansion pack is easily the best turn based strategy game on the modern market. Of course, it also comes at a hefty price tag.

[Carlos]

Postat inițial de Apheirox:

If you want a solid 4x, play Civilization. While certainly not perfect either, Civilization V with the expansion pack is easily the best turn based strategy game on the modern market. Of course, it also comes at a hefty price tag.

Yes, I absolutely agree, Civ V is the best strategy ever. Lot's of people still hate it, even with the addons, and say that Civ IV with Beyond the Sword is much better, but frankly, after playing Gods and Kings for a while I could never go back to Civ IV anymore.

[BladeofSharpness]

dry is not a problem, unimaginative is. The game made me yawn, sorry ES. Everything seems to be a re-hash of another game design.

[Mister Brisby]

The art and graphics of ES are of course a matter of taste and nothing more. It can take a bit getting used to, but I like it. The whole presentation is actually quite relaxing to look at.

ES focuses on the important things that are relevant for gameplay - reduce to the max.

It seems that most other games just want to be Master of Orion 4. ;)

[Losse]

So is stardrive a RTS?

[Parallaxe]

ES is a far better than most people say. It has many good aproaches on game mechanics and is very slick and intelligent in the ui. Of course there are problems but you know this game is further developed as we speak and many players gives there thoughts to the devs and you know what? THEY LISTEN!

Honestly it takes some time getting used to but after some games you will start to see the mechanics and strategies to grow even stronger. Once you done that you woill tackle the high difficulty levels and battle against the strongest ai races to test yourself.
It is a real strategy game, you have to think ahead and plan your next steps in advanced. No "best science development way" or best race. There are many ways you can win a game and many more to fail if you do not take the actions of your enemies into account.
If you have friends to play together it becomes even better. Against or with them you may find many hours gone from your freetime vefore you even realize it.

I never regretted buying this game. For me it is the best spacs x4 game on the market right now.

[Falaris]

Both this and StarDrive is published by the same company, Iceberg. For what it's worth, the two are very different from each other, so I am not so sure it's an either/or thing.

Endless Space is a bit of a numbers game, but the presentation is very good, and while the combats aren't tactical as such, the tactical card choices makes a big difference.

It depends on where your focus is. Is it on tactical ship combat with ship design, then StarDrive or Sword of the Stars(best) is a good choice. If empire building is your thing, Endless Space is better. For shorter, RTS'y games, StarDrive or Sins of a Solar Empire is good choices.

Lastly, for a polished, bug-free experience, Endless Space or Sins of a Solar Empire is good choices (or SOTS I).