Is this fun for a casual player?

[casho333]

I am pretty bad at strategy/tactical games and don't necessarily have the brain power or time to spend learning complex systems. My question is, is the game still fun being played at a more casual level. I see people spending 100 of hours in the game and they still say they feel like novices. Will someone who plays the game more casually (a couple of hours per week) still enjoy the game even if they don't progress as far and are pretty hopeless. Basically, is the game still fun if you pretty much are likely to suck at it? Thanks for your advice.

[Aranador]

Hmm, get the game, play for an hour and a half, decide how you feel while you are still inside the refund window. Profit.

I think this is a great game for learning and improving your brain power, but it all depends if you actually like the game as to if it will be effective. I like the art style, I like the gameplay loop, and I like the engineering problems you wind up having to face, which range from very simple to very complex, and how complex you want to go is up to you.

For example, you need your little mens to have the toilet facilities. You can go really simple, and have the outhouse - it just works, but it requires lots of the duplicants time to clean and keep working. You can go for plumbed toilets, which means setting up the plumbing, the pumps, pipes and places. You can go for the plumbed toilets with a water recycling system. You can go for automated door control and electronic systems to manage queues and schedulings to allow one toilet to service many more duplicants and thus be highly efficient. Or you can just let everyone pee on the floors and mop up later. It is up to you to use the tools to create the solution you want.

[Bokonon]

I suggest watching some YouTube, probably a playthrough would be best, and then decide. No two people play the same or like the same things. It's 100% subjective.

[casho333]

Good advice from both of you. Thanks.

[E Man]

I agree - it is 100% subjective. So here is my 100% subjective and 100% honest opinion: It is 100% *not* a casual game. From its graphics and simple premise, it is alluring to the casual player, and initially it can be entertaining at a casual level. But very soon you will find that you need to invest heavily in forum searching, Youtube videos, etc. and be ready to fail and re-load and learn. Even using a step-by-step guide will challenge you. This is actually the chewy-center awesomeness of the game.

I don't want to discourage anyone from playing the game. This has completely mind-warped me (489 hours, wtf!) in the most positive way. But casual, no. These guys responding here are so totally above my level (I'm not worthy!).

[Xilo The Odd]

i mean, i guess i could qualify as a casual player of the game, i've barely done anything with oil, and have yet to launch a rocket or do much in terms of stuff with space.

[MoKuS]

You can barely touch the depth of the game if you want to play a couple of hours a week. You cannot possibly finish the game. You, however, can enjoy the game if you become happy with initial phase of base building.

[casho333]

I think I will buy it with the current 40% discount. Now that I am 50, I really can tell that my mind is slowing down. These are the types of games that I should be playing to challenge myself and keep my mind active. I really appreciate all the advice. There is a great community around this game - which is another reason to buy it. I am sure I am going to be asking for lots of advice.

[僕の名前 (仮)]

Doesn't feel like casual game to me, it gets quite difficult or overwhelming later in the game.

[Cerebus]

It gets *incredibly* complex, not suited for casual gaming in the least. In the mid and later stages, you will spend hours setting up complicated circuits and loops and rack your brain figuring out how to keep them from failing. You will have to juggle temperature management, material recycling and refinement (requiring increasingly complicated systems) and power production as well as growing food and keeping up morale. It is fun to play even in the early stages, when it doesn't seem too complicated, but at some point, you will realize that the game is very demanding and expects you to think a little bit like an actual physicist and engineer. If that's not your cup of tea, you will probably feel completely overwhelmed and won't be able to enjoy the initial casual base gameplay anymore, because it won't get you very far.

[lalelunatic]

also just recently got the game, after 1k+ hours in factorio and 1k+ hours in rimworld... i thought, well ONI looks like some mind-soothing game with nice silly graphics i like a lot.

oh boy was i wrong... while rimworld features the "sudden death" element of ONI and factorio takes on the part of "logistics overflow" on every edge and corner...

this thing is deceptive as it gets, luring you in with those cute dupes looking silly as hell while doing some of the most disgusting (but cute looking) things (meal lice mushbars, uhgg).

but after a few hours of trying around... you realize... this thing might even be more complex than both mentioned games together... and actually i love that. i just would have never expected it. =)

so, long story short, casual? depending on what you want to achieve. looking at silly dupes do
stupid things, yes casual enough. actually achieving something with your base, NOPE... not casual, by a long shot. but still fun enough to try i guess =P.