This or They Are Billions?

[Mr Melon]

Had an eye on this game for a while and I'm now tempted to get in the sale, however I also noticed They Are Billions is on sale, as a new player, I'm wondering which would be better to get. Thankyou :)

[TaBull]

How much do you have time to grind?
They are billions is frustratingly close of being a great game but the amount of time it requires you to spend on it especially on retries is just too great. Like exciting start and finish, but two to three hours of boring but tasking grind at middle, on every attempt the same. If you are willing to do that, its worth the buy.
Otherwise buy this.

[Ralle1998]

Both are worth buying.
But I would say They are Billiions is more punishing. Both games punish you, if you're not prepared enough for waves, but They are Billions has also the infected mechanic, that can ruin your game. One infected just needs to turn one building and it can start a chain reaction, that turns an entire colony. Also expanding is quite more dangerous in They are Billions, since you can anger big hordes sometimes and if you're not prepared enough, they will run straight to your colony.

But like I said. Both games are amazing time wasters and worth buying.

[Hiraga Saito]

Both are great games, but overall I preffer DnO, I like the art style a lot more, and the the combat feels more fun.
But also a big part on why I preffer DnO is that it actually has multiple game speeds, while They are Billions you are stuck on x1 speed, which honestly made the game suck a lot, especially during long grindy parts.

Overall would still recommend both.

[Sin]

Last i checked TAB still doesn't easily allow saving/loading, Complete non starter for me. (bought and refunded)

[Energist]

Originally posted by Mr Melon:

Had an eye on this game for a while and I'm now tempted to get in the sale, however I also noticed They Are Billions is on sale, as a new player, I'm wondering which would be better to get. Thankyou :)

Ok so I asked myself this same question, so I bought both.

After nearly 2 hours of playtime in each here is what I have found.

DNAO plays like Stronghold. I Dare call it a spiritual successor. It puts more emphasis on time pressure it would seem.

They are Billions is harder. I've tried and failed the first campaign mission twice. The first time I wasn't even trying to win, and one single zombie got through, rapidly infecting my city. Game over. The second time, I made it to what I believe was the first and only wave. It was vastly larger than I thought. A handful of rangers wouldn't cut it.

Due to the way TaB saves, there's no reloading to try things a different way. Personally, I like that feature, as I'm a big fan of iron mode/ roguelike mechanics.

From an Art Style perspective, it's tough. I really like DNAO, but after trying TaB, I must say it's hand drawn 2D aesthetic is captivating.

DNAO resources are finite. This gives them more value, and makes the economic side more immersive and intuitive. In TaB, you have unlimited resources. You're limited by your production rate, not your total available and production rate like in DNAO.

Gameplay wise, DNAO seems to move a bit faster. It keeps you busy. TaB feels a bit more methodical. TaB plays a good bit like Warcraft 3, with an emphasis on expanding with smaller groups of more potent hero units into the unknown. DNAO on the other hand is more impersonal and sterile. Exploration and expansion doesn't feel as cozy. Hard to describe.

Settings: TaB has a unique and more serious setting. It's tone is not as cheerful or optimistic. Victorian Era steampunk. DNAO is traditional medieval with a less serious, almost comical tone. I find TaB setting to be more immersive and intriguing.

Development of TaB is finished. It is NOT abandoned. It's simply finished. The experience is considered complete and bug free. DNAO seems to still be under fairly active development. Where that will take it, I don't know, but it has a brighter future in that regard.

To be honest, I am liking them both, but something about TaB feels more unique and interesting. The mechanics are a bit different and more specifically suited to the sub genre that it largely defined. DNAO feels more traditional, familiar, and perhaps a bit more bland.

Odds are good that I will keep both, but I find myself thinking just a bit more about TaB at this point, although DNAO is certainly easier to make a bit of progress into.

[just.dont.do.it]

^ this is a pretty solid writeup.

I only wanted to add that TAB is much more focused around randomized "survival" gameplay (start on a random map, survive all the waves), whereas its campaign is not nearly as great, with some missions being very fun but some being quite a slog; and any nonstandard missions (hero mission or horde cleanups) being mostly a flop - they're nowhere nearly as good or even engaging than normal gameplay.

Whereas in DNAO campaign is quite fun and well-made.

[Mr Melon]

Originally posted by Energist:

Originally posted by Energist:

Ok so I asked myself this same question, so I bought both.

After nearly 2 hours of playtime in each here is what I have found.

DNAO plays like Stronghold. I Dare call it a spiritual successor. It puts more emphasis on time pressure it would seem.

They are Billions is harder. I've tried and failed the first campaign mission twice. The first time I wasn't even trying to win, and one single zombie got through, rapidly infecting my city. Game over. The second time, I made it to what I believe was the first and only wave. It was vastly larger than I thought. A handful of rangers wouldn't cut it.

Due to the way TaB saves, there's no reloading to try things a different way. Personally, I like that feature, as I'm a big fan of iron mode/ roguelike mechanics.

From an Art Style perspective, it's tough. I really like DNAO, but after trying TaB, I must say it's hand drawn 2D aesthetic is captivating.

DNAO resources are finite. This gives them more value, and makes the economic side more immersive and intuitive. In TaB, you have unlimited resources. You're limited by your production rate, not your total available and production rate like in DNAO.

Gameplay wise, DNAO seems to move a bit faster. It keeps you busy. TaB feels a bit more methodical. TaB plays a good bit like Warcraft 3, with an emphasis on expanding with smaller groups of more potent hero units into the unknown. DNAO on the other hand is more impersonal and sterile. Exploration and expansion doesn't feel as cozy. Hard to describe.

Settings: TaB has a unique and more serious setting. It's tone is not as cheerful or optimistic. Victorian Era steampunk. DNAO is traditional medieval with a less serious, almost comical tone. I find TaB setting to be more immersive and intriguing.

Development of TaB is finished. It is NOT abandoned. It's simply finished. The experience is considered complete and bug free. DNAO seems to still be under fairly active development. Where that will take it, I don't know, but it has a brighter future in that regard.

To be honest, I am liking them both, but something about TaB feels more unique and interesting. The mechanics are a bit different and more specifically suited to the sub genre that it largely defined. DNAO feels more traditional, familiar, and perhaps a bit more bland.

Odds are good that I will keep both, but I find myself thinking just a bit more about TaB at this point, although DNAO is certainly easier to make a bit of progress into.

I'd like to give a follow up to this that is a bit more biased, but also more decisive.

IMO, I would choose this over TaB for one reason : balance.

I'm finding that TaB is frustratingly hard. After 5 attempts, I cannot beat the first campaign mission. Maybe I just suck, but I see some glaring problems with the balance. IMO, the first campaign mission is way overtuned to the point it seems like a vindictive middle finger from the Devs. I'm not the only one with that sentiment based upon reviews I have read.

Part of the problem with the first level ( and I have no reason to think future levels would be any better, if I ever get there ) is the train tracks provide an unpreventable hole through which zombies can always travel. No matter what defenses I put up, they just start pouring through the train tracks, eviscerating my military units ( of which the game gives only one type on the first level ) within seconds.

It's pretty frustrating to have a hole in your defenses that you cannot do anything about, especially on the first mission where your options are practically zero.

Within 2 hours on DNAO, I got to explore two or 3 missions, and get a feel for the game. Two hours in TaB, and I haven't even been able to get past the first campaign mission. I have no idea what lies ahead, but without any sense of progress or what to expect, I'm considering returning it.

It's not that I want to return it. I really enjoy the setting, the gameplay loop, the overall presentation etc. But How many hours am I expected to throw myself at what the game deems to be it's introductory tutorial mission? While I like hard games, I don't enjoy being spit on by the first mission because I don't know the most precise and optimal approach. I'd prefer to get a tour of what the game is about, but that's not what TaB gives.

So take that for what you will. TaB reviews are weighed down by a similar sentiment and claims that developer is a bit of a ♥♥♥♥.

If you like to watch videos on games, and learn the optimal way to play before you start, I would still recommend TaB as I am sure there's a cheese strategy that works wonders. If you are like me, and you prefer to "fail forward" on the early game, learning as you go, TaB seems pretty terrible. You will be able to get through a few missions in DNAO, to get your feet wet, before it starts to test your knowledge of mechanics. TaB expects you to know precisely the best way to play right from the first mission.

In TaB, you will die, over and over again, before the game gives you any tools to play with. Even after my last loss, I am not really sure what I could do to prevent it. The amount of enemies is absurdly large, I only have one unit type to fight with, which is absurdly weak, and there's only so much that can be achieved in the time it takes for the wave to arrive. I played as optimally as I could think. I nearly got to 300 population by day 20, and I had two barracks making rangers non stop. It wasn't enough.

I have just beat the first campaign mission on my 3rd attempt. You mentioned the train tracks causing you issues, did you know you can build gates on them? I tried to get as many walls up as quickly as possible and strategically placed them in a manner to slow down the bigger groups as much as possible, and I also built as many rangers as I could, as quick as possible. I hope my experience can help you get through the first mission :)

PS. if you send a small group out into the map, some nooks and crannys (obviously protected by zombies) seem to contain small resource caches, which can give you a nice boost in food and other materials.

[One Man Army]

I recommend both games.
Decent campaigns in both.
They are both hard games, so be prepared for that. This is no simcity.

Diplomacy is Not an option is hard but becomes easier once you snowball at the start with a good build order.

They Are Billions is very hard throughout a run, one tiny mistake and you are gone.
More punishing but just as satisfying.

3rd option if you want more survivals is Age of Darkness: Final Stand, it also has coop with friends.

[Katitoff]

Usually copy cats are worse than game they were based off.

Not really in case of Diplomacy, it is noticeable improvement over TAB in all aspects, but humor and graphics are subjective.

I enjoyed this game very much and I'm enjoying Age of Darkness: Final Stand as well.

They both are different enough with different focus to warrant fun, compelling gameplay if you like the genre.

[Whydmer]

To anyone thinking the train tracks in the TaB campaign mode create an unpreventable hole that zombies can come through... You can use the Gate fortification across the tracks, and there is absolutely no hole.

TaB is my third most played game (if I lump all the XCOM games into one.) I can win sub 200% difficulty, once past that I usually grow to slowly to win. But I love the game anyway. I just started playing DNO this month and so far am enjoying it. Once I get past 100 hours or so I'll be able to tell if I will really stick with it like I did with TaB.

[Energist]

Originally posted by Whydmer:

To anyone thinking the train tracks in the TaB campaign mode create an unpreventable hole that zombies can come through... You can use the Gate fortification across the tracks, and there is absolutely no hole.

TaB is my third most played game (if I lump all the XCOM games into one.) I can win sub 200% difficulty, once past that I usually grow to slowly to win. But I love the game anyway. I just started playing DNO this month and so far am enjoying it. Once I get past 100 hours or so I'll be able to tell if I will really stick with it like I did with TaB.

Yeah, figuring out that gates can go over train tracks was a game changer. Once I did that, I stopped losing lol.

Other tips.

1) You MUST have farms. I don't know why it's an optional research. You won't get anywhere without them.

2) Rangers are useless for defense. They are purely for exploration. Make soldiers as soon as possible.

[lily40k]

Originally posted by TaBull:

How much do you have time to grind?
They are billions is frustratingly close of being a great game but the amount of time it requires you to spend on it especially on retries is just too great. Like exciting start and finish, but two to three hours of boring but tasking grind at middle, on every attempt the same. If you are willing to do that, its worth the buy.
Otherwise buy this.

yeah exact same experience, i didnt finish TAB even though i love the game, but developers doing this permadeath stupidity always annoys me to the point i uninstall it...

[lily40k]

This is far better than TAB, can be more difficult if you choose to go for serious challenge, but at least it will not discard 4 hours of game play because you made a single mistake.