Looking for a nice, relaxing, building type game to spend weeks in

[x Princess Leliana x]

Just want something I can sit down in and have fun making pretty things. Ideally, id play either viva pinata (not on pc), zoo tycoon 2 (not on steam), or sims 3 (way too ♥♥♥♥ing expensive). Either that, or something like cities skylines, but with less of a focus on management (♥♥♥♥ you traffic) and more of a focus on prettying things up (more emphasis on gardeny/park type things for example). Thanks for suggesstions,

NOTE: I have minecraft and all similar games. So don't suggest.

NOTE 2: Not things like ksp, ftd, scrap mechanic, etc.

[DarkCrystalMethod]

You don't seem to have Scrap Mechanic.
It can also be multiplayer. Has Steam Workshop too.
Also in terms of city building how about Detour?

[x Princess Leliana x]

Originally posted by DarkCrystalMethod:

You don't seem to have Scrap Mechanic.
It can also be multiplayer. Has Steam Workshop too.
Also in terms of city building how about Detour?

Should have specified, not games like ksp, from the depths, etc, my bad, will add to main post, thanks though

Looked at detour, doesnt look like what im looking for, thanks though!

[papa nurgle's pizza]

Terraria.
It's also an action game.

[x Princess Leliana x]

Originally posted by Tzeentch, Changer of Ways:

Terraria.
It's also an action game.

I mentioned that i have all these.

[KW17]

Simcity 5 isn't on steam but is a decent city building game that doesn't require as much micromanagement as Cities Skylines.

[x Princess Leliana x]

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

Simcity 5 isn't on steam but is a decent city building game that doesn't require as much micromanagement as Cities Skylines.

I'm boycotting ea. Also it needs to be on steam

[KW17]

Originally posted by x Princess Leliana x:

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

Simcity 5 isn't on steam but is a decent city building game that doesn't require as much micromanagement as Cities Skylines.

I'm boycotting ea. Also it needs to be on steam

If you want to boycott a company for ♥♥♥♥ practices, boycott Steam. After the whole thing with Artifact and Half Life 3 I had seriously considered taking my money elsewhere. But with the large amount of games I had in my library I realized that it simply wasn't feasible.

[Mossy Snake]

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

Originally posted by x Princess Leliana x:

I'm boycotting ea. Also it needs to be on steam

If you want to boycott a company for ♥♥♥♥ practices, boycott Steam. After the whole thing with Artifact and Half Life 3 I had seriously considered taking my money elsewhere. But with the large amount of games I had in my library I realized that it simply wasn't feasible.

Half Life 3 isn't happening because the episodes failed financially and Artifact is happening because DOTA is a massively popular game. Steam and Valve as a company did little wrong. While there should have at least been some closure to HL, they have to follow the money to stay afloat. At least they aren't releasing half-broken games like EA.

To OP, NMS is pretty chill on Creative mode.

[KW17]

Originally posted by MossyRathalos:

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

If you want to boycott a company for ♥♥♥♥ practices, boycott Steam. After the whole thing with Artifact and Half Life 3 I had seriously considered taking my money elsewhere. But with the large amount of games I had in my library I realized that it simply wasn't feasible.

Half Life 3 isn't happening because the episodes failed financially and because DOTA is a massively popular game. Steam and Valve as a company did little wrong. While there should have at least been some closure to HL, they have to follow the money to stay afloat. At least they aren't releasing half-broken games like EA.

To OP, NMS is pretty chill on Creative mode.

In terms of buisness yes, what they did was good for their company and I can't fault them for that. But that doesn't mean I have to like their decision. My problem is that they had promised a closure to the series in one way or another and they failed to deliver.

[x Princess Leliana x]

Can we not divulge this into "oh boo how valve sucks" because your ♥♥♥♥♥♥ game isn't being made. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

Originally posted by MossyRathalos:

Half Life 3 isn't happening because the episodes failed financially and because DOTA is a massively popular game. Steam and Valve as a company did little wrong. While there should have at least been some closure to HL, they have to follow the money to stay afloat. At least they aren't releasing half-broken games like EA.

To OP, NMS is pretty chill on Creative mode.

In terms of buisness yes, what they did was good for their company and I can't fault them for that. But that doesn't mean I have to like their decision. My problem is that they had promised a closure to the series in one way or another and they failed to deliver.

I couldn't get into NMS, even on creative mode, it was just far too buggy. With little to nothing to do.

[Iron Phoenix]

Banished is a nice relaxing building / social management game.
No disasters like tornadoes either, just you and nature getting your civ together.
Its possible to be drawn into the more technical things like individual citizen education, hunger, tax, optimal walking routes to save time but equally you can just knock around in the sandbox mode and not worry about any of that.

Its fairly unique in that there are seasons like summer and winter, and so ideally you should prepare your resources accordingly to provide suitable warmth and food in good time, one of my favorites.


I also like Cities Skylines but as you say it gets quite traffic managment intensive, so I tend to play that in the free form sandbox mode so that I can focus on the building rather than worrying about taxes and poor road management.
Once I have built my utopia (usually a course of weeks and multiple saves) I will destroy it and start again. As I do with other games.


On the more relaxing side, have you tried the Tropico series?
Tropico 4 is decent, and light hearted. Though traffic routes can be optimised to your benefit, it isnt as intense as Cities Skylines can be.

Tropico is one of the more "visual improvement with upgrades" types I can think of and it also has an abundance of "happiness increasing" buildings like improved parks, statues or military barracks like Cities Skylines does.

Also, as with all my favorite city builders, it has a sandbox mode.

Theres also Stronghold "HD".
Its an older game and has its quirks, but in centres on building a castle and related town type buildings and supply / forestry etc.
There is a dual campaign, which can be focused either on battles, or economic victories - ie make enough cheese and wine for the kings birthday.

It also has the sandbox mode to play around in.


I sometimes play The Sims 4, usually only to build something, perfect it and then destroy it.

[x Princess Leliana x]

Originally posted by Iron Phoenix:

Banished is a nice relaxing building / social management game.
No disasters like tornadoes either, just you and nature getting your civ together.
Its possible to be drawn into the more technical things like individual citizen education, hunger, tax, optimal walking routes to save time but equally you can just knock around in the sandbox mode and not worry about any of that.

Its fairly unique in that there are seasons like summer and winter, and so ideally you should prepare your resources accordingly to provide suitable warmth and food in good time, one of my favorites.


I also like Cities Skylines but as you say it gets quite traffic managment intensive.


On the more relaxing side, have you tried the Tropico series?
Tropico 4 is decent, and light hearted. Though traffic routes can be optimised to your benefit, it isnt as intense as Cities Skylines can be.

Also, as with all my favorite city builders, it has a sandbox mode.

Theres also Stronghold "HD".
Its an older game and has its quirks, but in centres on building a castle and related town type buildings and supply / forestry etc.
There is a dual campaign, which can be focused either on battles, or economic victories - ie make enough cheese and wine for the kings birthday.

It also has the sandbox mode to play around in.


I sometimes play The Sims 4, usually only to build something, perfect it and then destroy it.

Got banished, cities skylines, and tropico, played and enjoyed all of them. I wanted to look into stronghold, but was unsure if games were more "longform" like cities skylines and tropico, or shorter like a typical rts match

[Iron Phoenix]

Stronghold HD is suprisingly generous with its game options.
There is a "longform" campaign for dominating enemy territories and also a campaign for economic victories.
Either can be selected by the player at any point.

From what I have played the "domination" style campaign gives you a simplified map of the british isles with various areas divided into territories for several rival ai opponents ranging from cowardly to shrewd. The goal is to take all the territories and this takes the form of several maps (or chapters) with varying objectives for each rival.


For example the first enemy, aptly named "the rat" has about 4 or 5 maps that basically function as a tutorial in building walls, and archers to repel wild wolves or bandits later introducing other building types and game mechanics.

The "economic" style campaign seems to involve resource management, production and protection of said goods until a certain goal is reached for story reasons. There tend not to be any rival armies to fight here.

There is a free form sandbox mode where you can do as you wish and build or practice what does what accordingly, and Im fairly sure that it has skirmish maps too?


The skirmish maps would be well, skirmish maps.



One thing I would say, walls are generally important to stop bad guys coming into your castle and running up the carefully placed steps and murdering your archers.
In the default view, ( isometric 3d like age of empires) there may be times where it looks like there are no gaps in your defence, and yet at the crucial time, you still find the enemy in your base.

Through some tiny missed segment of wall that hadnt been lined up correctly yet can be so easy to miss!

Well there is in fact a view option that removes the "isometric" view of walls etc in game and leaves you with a clear top down view of the wall layout.
Using this alternate view, you can quickly and easily locate and fill in the rogue part of the wall, thus redeeming your defences.

Just so you know ;P

[x Princess Leliana x]

Originally posted by Iron Phoenix:

Stronghold HD is suprisingly generous with its game options.
There is a "longform" campaign for dominating enemy territories and also a campaign for economic victories.
Either can be selected by the player at any point.

From what I have played the "domination" style campaign gives you a simplified map of the british isles with various areas divided into territories for several rival ai opponents ranging from cowardly to shrewd. The goal is to take all the territories and this takes the form of several maps (or chapters) with varying objectives for each rival.


For example the first enemy, aptly named "the rat" has about 4 or 5 maps that basically function as a tutorial in building walls, and archers to repel wild wolves or bandits later introducing other building types and game mechanics.

The "economic" style campaign seems to involve resource management, production and protection of said goods until a certain goal is reached for story reasons. There tend not to be any rival armies to fight here.

There is a free form sandbox mode where you can do as you wish and build or practice what does what accordingly, and Im fairly sure that it has skirmish maps too?


The skirmish maps would be well, skirmish maps.



One thing I would say, walls are generally important to stop bad guys coming into your castle and running up the carefully placed steps and murdering your archers.
In the default view, ( isometric 3d like age of empires) there may be times where it looks like there are no gaps in your defence, and yet at the crucial time, you still find the enemy in your base.

Through some tiny missed segment of wall that hadnt been lined up correctly yet can be so easy to miss!

Well there is in fact a view option that removes the "isometric" view of walls etc in game and leaves you with a clear top down view of the wall layout.
Using this alternate view, you can quickly and easily locate and fill in the rogue part of the wall, thus redeeming your defences.

Just so you know ;P

Ill definitely look into it.

[KW17]

Originally posted by x Princess Leliana x:

Can we not divulge this into "oh boo how valve sucks" because your ♥♥♥♥♥♥ game isn't being made. It has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Originally posted by Keyboard Warrior 17:

In terms of buisness yes, what they did was good for their company and I can't fault them for that. But that doesn't mean I have to like their decision. My problem is that they had promised a closure to the series in one way or another and they failed to deliver.

Who ♥♥♥♥ in your cereal?