Games similar to this but not based on cards?

[Sugarcube Battery]

What I liked about this game

- the magic world
- managing the university
- upgrading rooms
- students graduating into different careers

The card building part is just a bit off to me. I wanted this to be more of a management / base building type of thing. Like you would unlock rooms and items over time.

Thanks in advance.

[Sugarcube Battery]

Originally posted by FastOrange:

The store page has these tags: Strategy, Simulation, Magic, Management, Indie
Puzzle is absent.

I thought it was a Sim/Management game, based on what the other players have said... but I too feel there's way too much RNG to be a successful Sim or Manager game.

If it's a puzzle game, that tag needs to be added...but apparently nobody thinks it's a puzzle game, because that tag is nowhere to be found.

edit- clarifications (tags are user generated)

I don't have the habit of watching trailers or gameplay before buying a game. I tend to go by screens and genre tags. So, it was definitely a lack of proper research on my part. I didn't refund because I do enjoy this game but yeah, I expected and now I yearn for something different.

[Sugarcube Battery]

Originally posted by Senatorium:

I would absolutely love to see a full-on Tycoon game with the wizard university concept. More focus on layout and synergies, stats for students like Dueling and rooms to practice them in, invasions and random events, House competitions, magical research...

Someone I know mentioned Two Points Campus as the possible contender but it won't be released until 2022.

[Phenian]

Originally posted by Stan:

The problem is that the objectives and cards you get can be totally unrelated.

Multiple times I've gotten events and objectives asking me to focus on specific things while I had no chance to make them happen because of RNG.

Like one of my last games, my only choices for the objective of the future of my students were all linked to shadow/alchemy, while so far I had only gotten teaching rooms and houses linked to light/nature/arcane.

Naturally I had to pick one of them, then I also picked Alchemy for the mana generation objective, might as well. I wasn't able to get any teaching room related to shadow/alchemy for like 50% of the game, be it the gold or mana ones.

And at this point I had too much to catch up, making it impossible to fulfill the objectives in time... Not because I didn't focus on it, but only because RNG said no.".

When this happens, you can unlock mana types through graduates, events, and interacting with the other factions on the map. The hamster/gerbil thing is a super important part of managing the game. There are also generic classrooms of a school type that can be unlocked with gold.

School houses are also a great way to manage getting the combo education you need from graduates. When creating a house, you can prioritize and restrict education. Then throw a bunch of students into the house to achieve the goal. New houses can be unlocked through the gold option. Most common way I've done it is by the event that asks about scholarships for new students. One pays 75 for two +5 student cards, another is 75 gold for werewolf cards, and with the correct kingdom relationship you get a single student card and a new house card.

[Stan]

Originally posted by Phenian:

When this happens, you can unlock mana types through graduates, events, and interacting with the other factions on the map. The hamster/gerbil thing is a super important part of managing the game. There are also generic classrooms of a school type that can be unlocked with gold.

School houses are also a great way to manage getting the combo education you need from graduates. When creating a house, you can prioritize and restrict education. Then throw a bunch of students into the house to achieve the goal. New houses can be unlocked through the gold option. Most common way I've done it is by the event that asks about scholarships for new students. One pays 75 for two +5 student cards, another is 75 gold for werewolf cards, and with the correct kingdom relationship you get a single student card and a new house card.

Yeah I already knew about those things, the problem was that I really did get the rooms I needed way too late, I'd get artifacts, utilitarian rooms, pets, but no teaching rooms... and the requirements were quite high for the graduations, I didn't generate enough mana during the game => not enough efficiency in the needed rooms => not teaching fast enough the students for them to reach the requirements.

What I didn't know at the time is that we can roll a guaranteed set of 3 generic teaching rooms from the merchant for a fixed amount of gold, so if you need a generic teaching room in particular to get started, it's probably the best way to get one.

I completed the game at 100% on max difficulty today, but I really don't feel like replaying it in the future. I would've wished for more in-depth focus on successfully managing/optimizing the school, rather than constantly dealing with RNG for even building it in the first place.

[InsaneAction]

Originally posted by Stan:

The problem is that the objectives and cards you get can be totally unrelated.

Multiple times I've gotten events and objectives asking me to focus on specific things while I had no chance to make them happen because of RNG.

Like one of my last games, my only choices for the objective of the future of my students were all linked to shadow/alchemy, while so far I had only gotten teaching rooms and houses linked to light/nature/arcane.

Naturally I had to pick one of them, then I also picked Alchemy for the mana generation objective, might as well. I wasn't able to get any teaching room related to shadow/alchemy for like 50% of the game, be it the gold or mana ones.

And at this point I had too much to catch up, making it impossible to fulfill the objectives in time... Not because I didn't focus on it, but only because RNG said no.

That's just an example, but when RNG is against you, it's like trying to assemble a puzzle with pieces that aren't even supposed to stick together. RNG is a challenge if you got the means to do something about it. Here you can only fight RNG with some more RNG.

That's doesn't sound like strategy/simulation/management to me, and yet these are the first tags of the game. Now I don't hate the game, I played 19 hours in 2 days so I guess I like it, but still that's disappointing to realize that most of the game is all about "click here and hope for the best".

Little tips... You will always get the objective to generate mana. Pick the one you're currently set up to make. Like you may only get 3 or 4 of the 5 types... Don't pick the one you have none of.

When you first start a new school don't place any specialized classes (the basic classes are fine to place and you should always be picking them out of your first draws if given the chance to.) until you're given the choose 1 of 3 "Graduate X amount of Y students" quest. Then only places the ones needed for that quest. Any others that are outside of the quests "type" can be placed for that sweet sweet mana. Again don't pick one that have types of magic you have no way to make. (I get RNG is RNG)

EX. Grad 20 Werewolfs - Beast Magic and Assassination - Only place the Stable and Assassination Classroom. Don't place any other Nature or Shadow room (besides the basic rooms) until the quest is complete. Make sure you have a class that has priority on Shadow and Nature and everything else tuned off. Quest will be done in no time.

When the specialization quest it done drop everything down and do whatever from there.

[Sir Fisher of Slaithwaite]

I mean if the theme is totally different but Prison Architect is kind of what you want. Managing needs, trouble, classes, health, mental health and rehabilitation.

Honestly PA would actually translate really well to a magic school / school system if they made a second game haha!

[Dogberry]

For pure management games, I personally prefer Rimworld. With Spellcaster U., I feel I don't have enough *direct* management of anything to consider it a management related game. I do love it though, but more for what I've seen described as "aquarium" aspects. Trying to herd the cats in certain specific directions, some of which they don't want to go, is a fun challenge I enjoy. The incremental gains from graduated students also gives the game an "idle" feel to it, which is another genre that, while I enjoy it, is certainly not for everyone.

[Stan]

Yeah, I mean I know I've only been complaining in here, but hey I don't hate the game, and I didn't find it that difficult overall. I'd give it a 6.5/10 as of now, going to 7/10 if a few things were more polished. Objectively speaking I think I can say that the UI could be better.

Just got frustrated here and there, because many times I felt like I was punished not because of my own mistakes, but because of bad RNG, and the lack of propers tools for managing the school. I still played ~27 hours in total and completed it 100%.

And I already know and played a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of building games, like RimWorld and Prison Architect as mentioned. So I guess I'm a bit spoiled, and from the start I just had expectations not in line with what the game had to offer.

[exolae]

The game has time to grow, I mean it only recently came out of EA so I'm hoping they will continue working on it and listen to feedback, don't expect the cards and overall mechanics to completely change, but I'm hoping the RNG will be improved and feel more like you are actually in charge. Even little things like house creation is a bit odd to have completely random besides being able to pick the name and design the logo especially as you can't remove them afterwards

Admittedly in the first half an hour, I was also put off at the lack of control, I almost refunded the game completely before deciding I'll give it another try and now I've sunk almost 50 hours into it

It seems to be a common issue that the game isn't what a lot of people expect it to be, I mean the term "management" alone is used a lot, but majority have a different idea of what that means in comparison to what the game presents itself as

[MightyFox]

Originally posted by exolae:

The game has time to grow, I mean it only recently came out of EA so I'm hoping they will continue working on it and listen to feedback, don't expect the cards and overall mechanics to completely change, but I'm hoping the RNG will be improved and feel more like you are actually in charge. Even little things like house creation is a bit odd to have completely random besides being able to pick the name and design the logo especially as you can't remove them afterwards

Admittedly in the first half an hour, I was also put off at the lack of control, I almost refunded the game completely before deciding I'll give it another try and now I've sunk almost 50 hours into it

It seems to be a common issue that the game isn't what a lot of people expect it to be, I mean the term "management" alone is used a lot, but majority have a different idea of what that means in comparison to what the game presents itself as

Might be a good idea for them to create a 'management' mode, since they already have a lot of the scripting and assets to make it work. Could even work with the campaign, though they'd have to switch up the last level a little.

I like the game as is, but there really are a lot of complaints that the game isn't what's advertised at face value.