Review - Not Recommended (From GoG)

[Montiness]

Since I have this from GoG I am unable to write a proper review for Steam, but here is all the reasons this game is not worth a penny at this point in time.

Firstly, major flaws evident since the initial release of the Beta have been ignored in lieu of adding more content.

1 - AI. Pathetic. Pay attention to your settlers going about their tasks and you'll understand. Either that or look for my other post "Why hasn't this been fixed"
2 - UI is horrible. Apart from the camera rotation working like a first person shooter (turning on the spot, not rotating around the focal point) you are unable to change a decision without first deselecting the option you've selected, leading to a wealth of time wasted just trying to find what you want to do. Vanishing menus, limited functionality, etc.
3 - In game help. What passes as help in this game is abysmal. It's set up like the civpedia from that line of games, but contains little to no information on even basic things, like worker needs.
4 - Building. Taken straight from 1992, large square grid (not even hexes) for placements leaving settlements looking disgusting, wasted space, and the most annoying wall building system devised. It's 2019, this mechanic is nearly 30 years behind the times.
5 - Developer incliniation/possibly ability. So many of the faults with this game have been pointed out time and time again for 2 months. Instead of fixing these issues they continued to release a majority of content, to distract from the fact this is essentially a sandbox game, they give you multiple maps to trick you into thinking it's anything more. Some intended "fixes" have actually made the problems worse
6 - In regards to the map - Needlessly large, with no community. Although traders and raiders will continually pop up, these just spawn on the map, not even at the map's edge but reasonably close to your starting point, but not so close as to be noticable unless you look for it. These spawns can be "disabled" (or at least I seem to have been able to disable them as after doing this nothing spawned anymore) by placing work zones at the point once you've found it.
7 - In game Managment - There is none. This is essentially an "RTS/Citybuilder" (loosest possible interpretation) version of a graphic Novel.

In conclusion, don't waste your money on this until the Devs get their act together. It is an intriguing era for a game like this I do admit, but I implore you to hedge your curiousity as it will only lead to disappointment and a sense of loss.

Stand up and show game devs we're not going to be treated like a piggy bank for them, and if they want to earn money they need to be good at their job, just like the rest of us.

If you really want a new ciy builder game, have a look at the currently Early Access Foundation. That is a sandbox and lacking a bit of content at the moment, but everything this game is missing, that game has, and what this game has, that game has done well.

Thank you for your time, I honestly hope this game is improved to a level we deserve.

[Bomoo]

Go review it on gog. Your review doesn't belong here.

[Hooch]

I have Foundation, as well as Factory Town and several others. All these games are different enough and of high enough quality to have a good time playing them.

This game is a lot of fun as well and I didn't find any of your points to be true in my experience w/ perhaps exception of the large map size, which doesn't appear to be necessary, but that's certainly not something to to give a negative rating for IMO.

This game is a good game, and it's 97%+ favorability rating on Steam reviews is nothing to scoff at. Vast majority of players are having a good time with it.

[Bomoo]

https://www.gog.com/forum

Handy link for the OP, in case he wasn't aware that the place he allegedly "bought" the game has its own forums.

[Montiness]

Reviews are valid on all platforms a product is available on, regardless of where the product was initially purchased.

The review contains ONLY information pertinent to the product, and no part of the review relates to the platform on which the product is released.

[Montiness]

Originally posted by Aionion:

I have Foundation, as well as Factory Town and several others. All these games are different enough and of high enough quality to have a good time playing them.

This game is a lot of fun as well and I didn't find any of your points to be true in my experience w/ perhaps exception of the large map size, which doesn't appear to be necessary, but that's certainly not something to to give a negative rating for IMO.

This game is a good game, and it's 97%+ favorability rating on Steam reviews is nothing to scoff at. Vast majority of players are having a good time with it.

I'm sorry you feel that way. This game is terrible by all modern standards as far as development is concerned. It looks nice, has an intriguing premise, as I mentioned, but developmentally wise is fatally flawed. I don't understand how people have fun playing these games that can't even get the base mechanics of the genre correct. I feel your enjoyment stems solely from the era this game has targeted, as after having played foundation how you could think this game is comparable in quality has me beat.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by Montiness:

Reviews are valid on all platforms a product is available on, regardless of where the product was initially purchased.

The review contains ONLY information pertinent to the product, and no part of the review relates to the platform on which the product is released.

You didn't purchase it HERE, so your using Steam features when you "bought" it elsewhere is a waste of everyone's time. If you want to write a review on Steam, I suggest you buy it on Steam. Next you'll be crying that you can't use the Steam workshop.

[Jet City Gambler]

Well, you're definitely in the minority there, Sparky. Run along now.

[Buntkreuz]

Originally posted by Bomoo:

Originally posted by Montiness:

Reviews are valid on all platforms a product is available on, regardless of where the product was initially purchased.

The review contains ONLY information pertinent to the product, and no part of the review relates to the platform on which the product is released.

You didn't purchase it HERE, so your using Steam features when you "bought" it elsewhere is a waste of everyone's time. If you want to write a review on Steam, I suggest you buy it on Steam. Next you'll be crying that you can't use the Steam workshop.

Im sorry, but i dont see valuable information of a user on a product i am interested in as a waste of anyones time, especially not mine.
I recommend getting rid of that fake loyality that is of literally NO use at all for anyone, especially not potential customers.
I absolutely dont care where a review is written and published and i dont see why this is of any importance.

Thanks to the OP for posting your opinion.
Obviously this would be better to stand alongside all the other reviews simply because its fair to not treat the own opinion as more valuable than anyone elses, but since thats not possible i see there was no other way to share it.
My personal recommendation would have been to write the review on gog and share a link instead of posting the review as a thread. Or maybe making a metacritic review (if thats an option).

[Montiness]

I am sharing knowledge of the product on a platform on which it is available. Are you tube reviews irrelevant because nothing is available from purchase on youtube? Are user reviews of products on websites irrelevant because they don't sell products themselves? Are shops not choosing to stock a certain product because of its poor quality irrelevant because they don't have the product?

It sounds like you're trying to censor a poor review grasping at any straw you can.

[Anolis]

I bit harsh . the UI is a bit clunky but it is a 20 dollar game, not a 50 dollar game. Get a grip. Personally I would like a flatter landscape fewer mountains. and easier learner level. More animals.A larger resource gathering circle for auto management. When in the overview the ability to only highlight particular animals and resources would be nice It is a pain looking for baby goats

It is hard and would be more fun with a better streamlines user interface. I am not sure why it identifies animals by sex unless there is some herd population dynamics going on. I do hope the game is more open to modding than Planetbase. It has potential.

[TK421]

Planetbase and Dawn of Man both sit on my favorites list for a reason. This coming from a person who owns all Anno games, all Age of Empires games, Banished and LIF: Forest Village. Your review is crap. Have a nice day.

[꧁꧂꧁꧂]

thanks brother you saved me 20$

[Montiness]

Originally posted by Anolis:

I bit harsh . the UI is a bit clunky but it is a 20 dollar game, not a 50 dollar game. Get a grip. Personally I would like a flatter landscape fewer mountains. and easier learner level. More animals.A larger resource gathering circle for auto management. When in the overview the ability to only highlight particular animals and resources would be nice It is a pain looking for baby goats

It is hard and would be more fun with a better streamlines user interface. I am not sure why it identifies animals by sex unless there is some herd population dynamics going on. I do hope the game is more open to modding than Planetbase. It has potential.

Firstly, in Australia this is closer to $50 than $20.
It identifies animals by gender as later on in the game domestication/(limited)breeding and resource gathering is available from them.
I do agree the game has potential, but the backwards direction of the engine (not graphically, as I've said it looks quite nice)
I am only pointing out flaws in the game which does not come down to bugs, but a lack of quality. It's 2019, and the standard of a number of the key elements relating to the genre are outdated and poorly implemented. That is the point.
In regards to the terrain, it is, essentially, flat. Mountains and sheer faces (excluding the large rocks) do not halt movement, or even slow it, so cornering an animal to hunt does not stop it escaping by running up an 80 degree incline.
The game is not worth $20US, and all the line of thought "it's only" does is pay people for a poor job. If a plumber came around to your place and replaced a working, but leaking tap with a tardy piece from the 70's, that still leaks and looks out of place would you say "it was only $60" or would you demand he fits something correctly?

[Montiness]

I don't know what you're implying, who Tammy is supposed to be or what on earth you're getting at.

[Dr Poocrumbs]

Originally posted by Montiness:

I don't know what you're implying, who Tammy is supposed to be or what on earth you're getting at.

I apologize. My fellow Americans will get it lol.