What makes this game so good?

[Percy Jackson]

I have played city builders/simulations for years and years (the Simcity series, the Cities:Skylines series, Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, Factorio, Mini Metro, Mini Motorways are some I have played and others I would have seen videos of gameplay of).

This game handsdown beats them all in terms of popularity, which I did not see when I first saw the gameplay, etc. (I liked it, wishlisted it, etc, all of that). But I just could not see that explosion.

I am starting to watch gameplay videos now, and I really like the game. It's good. But I am also trying to determine what makes it so good. And that part is a little......undefinable.

Can anyone help explain why this game is so good? (Note: I am not saying popular, that depends on personal taste, networking and blowing up of initial success). What is it that makes this game a classic.........

(Again, it is the early part of Early Access, so there might be bugs, issues, jankiness, gameplay balance, lack of content,etc. So I am not asking what this game is missing. That's to be asked when the game releases, not now).

[morph113]

Have you played survival city builders before? You list city builders (although some games you list aren't city builders, like Factorio or Mini Metro, Mini Motorways etc. aren't city builders).

This game is similar to games like Banished etc. where the focus is on survival. So food etc. are an integral part of the game and your settlement can fail. Which is not the case in games like Cities Skylines where you don't have to worry much about things and your city will just grow no matter what.

So when it comes to survival city builders, this one is the best looking one yet by far. The level of detail and animations are unprecedented. The fact that you can zoom in as close as you want, even walk around in a cosmetic third person mode and that it has combat similar to Total War as part of it's gameplay is also quite new.

The setting of it being a medieval game in a more realistic setting is also what makes it stand out. Like I wouldn't even start drawing comparisons to games like Cities Skylines as modern city builders are a separate category altogether in my book, different from survival city buidlers that are often set in medieval times or pre-historic settings.

The game is still early access, there are still issues with game balance, some bugs, things not working properly, things still not being implemented etc. but it's a very solid foundation already which if worked on properly by the developer, could turn into the best city builder ever.

[Paddy]

This one unlike all the others has a fair amount of focus on combat with battles being more immersive than any other. Only small Total War battles are comparable. If you want plenty of battles turn the raider and bandit settings up. You'll have battles every year

[Dr.Orgazmo]

Game is bad, it needs a lot of time to become on one par with titles like rimworld, banished, etc.

[Aranhawk]

I dont know , 88k current players says its what they want, We will see how long it lasts but for now most are loving it,Myself inc.
This is a small quirky thing but listening to the market traders banter to the locals trying to sell goods gives me a giggle...The developer really like the little things as do i.

[Breepzz]

Originally posted by Percy Jackson:

I have played city builders/simulations for years and years (the Simcity series, the Cities:Skylines series, Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, Factorio, Mini Metro, Mini Motorways are some I have played and others I would have seen videos of gameplay of).

This game handsdown beats them all in terms of popularity, which I did not see when I first saw the gameplay, etc. (I liked it, wishlisted it, etc, all of that). But I just could not see that explosion.

I am starting to watch gameplay videos now, and I really like the game. It's good. But I am also trying to determine what makes it so good. And that part is a little......undefinable.

Can anyone help explain why this game is so good? (Note: I am not saying popular, that depends on personal taste, networking and blowing up of initial success). What is it that makes this game a classic.........

(Again, it is the early part of Early Access, so there might be bugs, issues, jankiness, gameplay balance, lack of content,etc. So I am not asking what this game is missing. That's to be asked when the game releases, not now).

This is why:

Having played very little of the demo and avoided watching 10 hours of YouTube videos, I'm blown away after years of waiting!

* Graphically stunning and believable given the historical research (full ultra, 4k resolution 50%, GTX 1080-> 55 fps dropping to 30 rarely). The scale, the rendering, the atmosphere are perfect.
* The camera movement is top-notch, very free, allowing us to "film" the sky, which is rare in a city builder. It's slow and therefore contemplative (plus you can walk around your city), I only play at x1 speed, I love it.
* The sound ambiance is excellent, both the effects and the music (some medieval enthusiasts will recognize some authentic music from the era).
* Realistic and quite deep mechanics. The construction is organic and very original. You can build everything in curves and fluidity, not like in a dated Anno but more like a mix of modern Tropico and Foundation but much better.
* Customizable difficulty and game settings:
My first game, still ongoing, with realistic and hard settings is challenging (in terms of survival) because I started with direct bandit attacks possible, 1 starting bandit camp, up to 3 bandit camps, they can attack me every two years, a rival lord with two territories who can attack me if there are no more available lands, no starting resources, no weapons delivered at the start, and everything else balanced. I endured an attack, I thought they were going to kill all my villagers and raze the city, but in the end, I can continue despite quite a few destroyed buildings, phew!
* Without real bugs, there's already a lot to do and manage in-game, even in early access, which is amazing! especially for a developer mostly working alone, who is exemplary, talented, passionate, attentive, and approachable.

The game is to be played at x1 speed, contemplative and slow, so what needs to be done seems enormous and really immersive. Must be played in maximum zoom when possible.

* A true blend:
- Age of Empires for its open gameplay on a real-time map without loading while building and having enemies.
- Banished/The Last Frontier for its general construction gameplay.
- Foundation for its ultra-organic aspect.
- Total War for its battles even if on a much smaller scale.
- Tropico for its NPCs/villagers who truly exist with a job, a place to live, routes for various activities, needs, and morale (no NPCs spawning and not existing like in Anno, City Skylines, etc.).
- Anno for the fact that certain elements are necessary to evolve houses.
- Kingdom Come Deliverance for its very "photo" realistic visual rendering.

Can't wait for updates and mods, it's going to be amazing for medieval fans.

WOW!

[Inflated_chair]

Originally posted by Dr.Orgazmo:

Game is bad, it needs a lot of time to become on one par with titles like rimworld, banished, etc.

not bad just early on

[Dr.Orgazmo]

Originally posted by Inflated_chair:

Originally posted by Dr.Orgazmo:

Game is bad, it needs a lot of time to become on one par with titles like rimworld, banished, etc.

not bad just early on

Its is in very bad state ! Combat right now without other lords building is completly out of context, and does not fit. Lord system is a bit off. Building part is worse version of banished, or other city building games. It will take time before this becomes good, and makes sense

[Marleone]

Have you seen other City-builders? The combat is plain boring(if there is any)... Althought it is a bit clunky, this one atleast has a simplefied version of a Total War-like battle where you can atleast control your troops and has a foundation of diplomacy. Which is already more than any other citybuilders.

Its an EA and the basics are almost there. For just one guy, the attention of details and overal feel of this game is already a huge achievement. (also nice soundtrack)

Last game I played letting you enlist soldiers out of your population at a large scale was Black and White which was in the early 2000 and has nearly no follow-ups in that regards sadly enough :(

[Excalibur]

Originally posted by Dr.Orgazmo:

Originally posted by Inflated_chair:

not bad just early on

Its is in very bad state ! Combat right now without other lords building is completly out of context, and does not fit. Lord system is a bit off. Building part is worse version of banished, or other city building games. It will take time before this becomes good, and makes sense

It is not bad, you probably don't fully understand how the game works. There are people complaining that things are buggy or don't work, and to some extend this is true. But people forget this is an ea release. I have had only a few minor bugs and some balancing issues. But other than that the game is already pretty good and thought out.

[Ra'senché]

for me its the way plots work. i want all city builders to go this route. (i just really hate square grids)
but there are other things i just miss in some other city builders, though some do those aswell like being able to see buildings getting constructed.

also i think the game starts in/around the right age i want to start a city, because what i really want is a city builder that takes you through the ages to present day. but if we cant have that atleast give me city builders where i can build like this throughout the ages.

[Marleone]

Originally posted by Butcher:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1162750/Songs_of_Syx/
Songs of Syx allows you to gather huge armies from your population and conquer other settlements on global map

ahh yess, I forgot about that! I have that game as well and its also good! :)

Thank you for bringing it up!

[Dave]

For me it is the way it feels like a boardgame. Although the game itself is in a digital world, it feels like you could be playing this game with some friends, or family, it has way to many details for a boardgame so it made me think about multi-player possibilities, however it takes to long to get a good sized city going so you would need a fix for that, and how would it play out if it was playable in a 2 hour fun sitting? Got me thinking it would take 4 player minimum, a center village to obtain and with the option to set your own desired time limit or any victory condition. But it is not there and do I want or actual need that. No. But in my thoughts it was there for a moment, and it could be a lot of fun.

For a city builder it is promising. What makes it good is the graphics quality and the medieval setting. The attention to detail is awesome. A lot of features still missing. Would love to see some candles burning in the winter. I can make the wax, can import candles, but I can't make em or use. So.. needs more TLC still. I hope the right people get the job of making the assets and animations. It deserves a dedicated team breathing life in this game for years to come. And it should be available as a boardgame too

[IronSquid501]

Purpose.

Every other city builder I've played, with a few exceptions, is basically just a sandbox. The moment you add things like combat, politics, and expansion into a game, you're giving purpose to the construction of your city. It's the same reason strategy games are a "dead genre" but Total War continues to be extremely popular - people don't want every city they build, every battle they fight, and everything they do in a game to be for nothing. It needs to have an overarching purpose.

[Paddy]

Originally posted by IronSquid501:

Purpose.

Every other city builder I've played, with a few exceptions, is basically just a sandbox. The moment you add things like combat, politics, and expansion into a game, you're giving purpose to the construction of your city. It's the same reason strategy games are a "dead genre" but Total War continues to be extremely popular - people don't want every city they build, every battle they fight, and everything they do in a game to be for nothing. It needs to have an overarching purpose.

Absolutely agree with this 100%. Honestly i can't believe every other developer has been ignoring this.