Who is this game for? Break down the game a bit for me?

[Tibbers]

It looks like there is quite the money and time investment to get into this game and I was hoping some kind soul might be able to breakdown the game a bit for me so I understand whether this game is for me or not.

I understand this game is a strategy / simulation game where you are managing some space station / fleets and dealing with income and economy and such.

Once you are past the initial hurdles of getting used to the game what is most of your time spent on in game?

[YouTube.com/StoneLegion]

Game not for Westies...

The game is 100% simulated not like half or part like 99% of games. You pick a start you pretty much can do whatever however. Want to take over the galaxy, Start wars, help someone in a war, trade, build an empire, etc. It's Living breathing Galaxy. Almost everytime you start it up it has differences. Sure they start in the same locations but some might get a upper hand on expansion / destruction, etc.

X Games are meant to get lost in as in you play and it's just never ending game. That is the sandbox nature of it is some people will put 1000's of hours into a single save.

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by YouTube.com/StoneLegion:

Game not for Westies...

Huh? What's a "Westy"?

[Kirzan]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by YouTube.com/StoneLegion:

Game not for Westies...

Huh? What's a "Westy"?

NA, I guess? Could be an EU guy who thinks a whole continent thinks the same way, enjoy the same things, hate the same things...?

[Regularity]

In theory it's a space flight sim.

In practice it's more a interstellar business sim (that merely lets you also use it as a space flight sim on the side), because the magnitudes more money and power you can get from playing business tycoon will eclipse anything you can make or do as a single pilot. So you're kind of punished with lack of progression if you try to space it strictly as a flight sim and not a fleet manager or business tycoon.

[Cythal]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by YouTube.com/StoneLegion:

Game not for Westies...

Huh? What's a "Westy"?

I wonder.

Videos of gameplay. Search. Explore. Seek information and be informed in a variety of ways.

The new trailer, first video on the steam store page is a good start, it has 9 things you can do in the game. Before it used to be four. Trade, Fight, Build, Think; now they have elaborated on it.

[eMYNOCK]

The Game is basically a Space Fligh & Combat, Management, Trade and Build Sandbox Simulation.

Wares have to be Shipped from one Station to another for ther Wares to be produced.
Players and AI Factions have to defend them self and their Shipping lines to be able to move their Wares and Resources.
As for the Build and Management aspect...
Players usually want to have a steady income, means you need to setup Traders, Miners, Space Stations that produce, consume, buy and sell Wares to ultimatively feed Shipyards and other Stations.

Thats the quick summary.

[buttawise]

I had a Westy when I was a kid.

[Gellidus]

Originally posted by YouTube.com/StoneLegion:

Game not for Westies...

♥♥♥♥, so i should stop playing it then?

[Nerwesta]

Guys calm down, I think he meant the puppy / dog.
Part of Europe is considered "Western" aswell, so that doesn't work.

[Knightingale]

As others said, it's a dynamic universe simulated in real time. And you play the way you want.
I like to sit in my personal station office and play from the map to give orders to my ships like an RTS. Never have to set foot in a ship after that if I don't want to. Like a very complex RTS that lets you take direct control of any unit.

But it's actually more than that.
You can hire crew and pilots which learn over time if you give them things to do. Even their mood effect their abilities. You can outfit ships the way you want with components from different factions. Gain rep with factions to get access to interesting stuff including upgrades.

And then you have the economy simulation. You can blow up stations or ships with a certain cargo type and create a butterfly effect across the universe. Creating a scarcity of a resource and providing it yourself to make money.
Or make your own stations and become competition for them.

Help factions by becoming the backbone to their economy and let them fight off the xenon threat to everyone. Build an empire yourself to fight them. Or sit back and passively help the xenon when they attack factions to watch the universe burn.

Or just own one ship and do missions, hunt for crystals, mine, and be a solo captain while the main factions deal with the major events in the universe that you decide to not take part in.

It's as close as you can get to simulating life in space. There is no other game that does it like this. But that does come at a cost. AI has to live in this dynamic universe and sometimes doesn't understand what is happening. But that has gotten better in recent updates. But generally once you know their quirks you can work with it.

This game can be a major time sink, or a "fish tank" you feed once in awhile in the background while you leave it run all day and night.


Edit: Also, you need a fairly beefy CPU to simulate the universe after some 150+ hours put in and factions start creating large armies or doing other crazy things to adapt to their life and events. Because everything right down to each crew member and their little feelings of moral is simulated in real time.


Oh yeah and then there are story lines to follow if you are into that.