4X space games

[Magnate]

Hi all,

I've just picked up an Arthur C Clarke novel from the library, and I have a sudden urge to play a 4X space game. Any recommendations? For some history, I played MoO incessantly when it came out, and was almost equally enthralled by MoO2 (but the endgame micromanagement was worse, and the whole thing a little more unwieldy). MoO3 was of course awful, and the only game of the genre I've tried recently was Sword Of The Stars, which was pretty good.

Anyone got a favourite I haven't tried?

[RogerN]

Simple in-browser 4X that eats way too much of your free time:
Neptune's Pride

For more complexity, I've enjoyed Space Empires V. The in-box game mode is lacking, but with the Balance Mod the game is a blast. Unfortunately the official web site is down. If you can find a copy of the game at Half-Price Books or similar then it can be had for $4. Steam also sells the game but at a higher price.

[Magnate]

Ah, thank you. I have SE5 and didn't like it at all - I can give it another whirl with the recommended mod. Precisely what I was looking for.

I'll also check out the browser game ... especially if it works in the office!

[PowerDiver]

Hi all,

I've just picked up an Arthur C Clarke novel from the library, and I have a sudden urge to play a 4X space game. Any recommendations? For some history, I played MoO incessantly when it came out, and was almost equally enthralled by MoO2 (but the endgame micromanagement was worse, and the whole thing a little more unwieldy). MoO3 was of course awful, and the only game of the genre I've tried recently was Sword Of The Stars, which was pretty good.

Anyone got a favourite I haven't tried?

Ignoring the specifics of your question entirely, are you aware that Civ V is coming out real soon now if it isn't out already?

I thought Civ IV was the game waiting to emerge from Civ I. Truly excellent. I expect the next version to be a step backwards, but that won't stop me from wasting a lot of time on it.

[fizzix]

I thought Civ IV was the game waiting to emerge from Civ I. Truly excellent. I expect the next version to be a step backwards, but that won't stop me from wasting a lot of time on it.

Both my roommates are big into Civ and got it the day it was released here in the U.S. (don't know when it releases in the UK)

Their reviews are mixed. They like a lot of the changes, specifically the move to the hex grid and the no stacking units. The big complaint from them so far is that the AI is pretty awful, especially when it comes to combat.

I myself have enjoyed Civ, but lately I only have 20 minutes or so to play games at a time these days. with Civ that was just enough time to figure out what the hell you were doing when you last stopped.

[Magnate]

Both my roommates are big into Civ and got it the day it was released here in the U.S. (don't know when it releases in the UK)

Their reviews are mixed. They like a lot of the changes, specifically the move to the hex grid and the no stacking units. The big complaint from them so far is that the AI is pretty awful, especially when it comes to combat.

I myself have enjoyed Civ, but lately I only have 20 minutes or so to play games at a time these days. with Civ that was just enough time to figure out what the hell you were doing when you last stopped.

Me too. I sank a ton of time into Civ I in the days before marriage and children. Hence being out of touch with 4X of any sort: I was only dimly aware of Civ 5 and certainly didn't realised it was released.

I agree with Eddie that Civ IV was a superb modernisation of Civ I, with all the same appeal. That said, I didn't give Civ III much of a chance - I didn't get it until shortly before Civ IV was released. Civ III introduced the cultural influence idea, making sense of the arbitrariness around who could farm which square and where units could move without hostile intent, but otherwise doesn't seem to have done much. (I never did understand all the fuss about Civ II - it seemed to me that its fans must have missed Civ I, and/or had a thing about isometric view.)

The thing is, if I want terrestrial 4X nowadays I play Rise of Nations. I only discovered it a couple of years ago after a discussion exactly like this one, where I was lamenting my inability to resist in turn-based games a degree of micromanagement which actually harms my enjoyment. I generally prefer turn-based over real-time, but RoN gets it exactly right IMO. (Then there are the EU games, which are also real-time, but I admit I do a lot of pausing.) Certainly I never cured myself of late-game micomanagement in Civ IV - I think I only ever finished one game.

So I'm really looking for a space 4X with the level of micromanagement along the lines of RoN or MoO1. This should have been MoO3, which for most of its design had the concept of "focus points" - as emperor you could only meddle in a limited number of detailed decisions for individual planets and ships in any given turn - but they ripped it out late in the design and ended up with something worthless.

[PowerDiver]

Certainly I never cured myself of late-game micomanagement in Civ IV - I think I only ever finished one game.

That was one of the advantages of Civ IV. They changed things so that beakers and production carried over to the next item, so micromanagement was far less important. Also, automated workers got much better [after you set a couple of options], and the governor buttons inside the cities worked pretty well. Too much micro means you should play with fewer better cities I would guess.

I read that it was possible to set up MoO 3 and put a weight on the enter key and win the game, but I never tried to do that. Moving in that direction where governors can do the vast majority of the work adequately seems like a mistake.

[cinereaste]

So I'm really looking for a space 4X with the level of micromanagement along the lines of RoN or MoO1. This should have been MoO3, which for most of its design had the concept of "focus points" - as emperor you could only meddle in a limited number of detailed decisions for individual planets and ships in any given turn - but they ripped it out late in the design and ended up with something worthless.

Have you tried Galactic Civilizations II? I never really got into it, but it seems to be very highly regarded.

[Magnate]

Have you tried Galactic Civilizations II? I never really got into it, but it seems to be very highly regarded.

I have, yes. I have GalCiv I as well, and the original GalCiv for OS/2. I'm afraid they've been getting steadily worse IMO - or my preferences have changed over time. I found GC2 hugely unrewarding. It wasn't so much the macro/micro issue, it just totally lacked charisma.

[cinereaste]

I have, yes. I have GalCiv I as well, and the original GalCiv for OS/2. I'm afraid they've been getting steadily worse IMO - or my preferences have changed over time. I found GC2 hugely unrewarding. It wasn't so much the macro/micro issue, it just totally lacked charisma.

Yeah, that was pretty much my take on GC2, too. Have you tried FreeOrion? (I haven't played it, or even know if it is playable yet, but it looked promising.)

[Magnate]

Yeah, that was pretty much my take on GC2, too. Have you tried FreeOrion? (I haven't played it, or even know if it is playable yet, but it looked promising.)

Sadly FreeOrion is a dog's breakfast. The devteam decided on a proprietary graphical SDK or something, and it's been pretty much shunned by other FOSS communities. It's also released nothing playable despite being in development for about seven years. Shame really, because along with a free remake of MoM it's about the most hoped-for gaming project on the net.

[Ashkir]

Have a look at A.I War - Fleet Command by Arcen Games, an indie developer. You can DL a free demo that lets you play the tutorials and the first 3 hours of a campaign. The full game is well worth the money spent though, along with 2 expansions rich with content and another in the pipeline.

It is complex but micro management can be almost non existant, loads of units and tech trees to explore. Allies and enemies to be made. Structures to be destroyed or captured for your cause. Aliens to trade with/ destroy/ avoid. Ancient alien artifacts and starships to discover. There's a huge amount of depth and detail..........

You cannot play against other humans, instead you can play co-op with upto 8 players vs the AI in the title, which is touted as extremely advanced and sneaky.

The community is friendly, very helpful and active as is the developer who regularly updates the game, posts to the boards to answer questions and give advice etc.....

I've had a lot of fun with it since coming across the website a month or so ago.

http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php

Just my tuppence worth.

[Core31]

An alternative I play for almost 15 years every now and then is Stars! (the ! is part of the title... ;-) )
It lacks good graphics but doesn't need it. The interface is easy to use, the handling is simple but the game itself is hard to master.
You can play it against the AI but the real fun comes when you play it PBEM against your friends. The last time I played it took almost 1.5 years to finish (because most of us are working and we made a turn once a week) and a huge map of the galaxy with needles for own, allied and hostile pülanets was wall-mounted in my office...
Unfortunately you can't buy it anymore, but there is a demo out there at http://starsautohost.org/stars.htm
Maybe there are still ways to get a working key, I bought mine over ten years ago.. ;-)

If you want some tipps or need an additional player - just leave a message.

fab

[Magnate]

Well, I gave in and got Civ V in the end. Man, I had forgotten how addictive I found Civ I and Civ IV. Last weekend flew by, and I had one of those Sunday evenings where you're sitting there thinking "How the **** have I failed to DO anything this weekend? And why is my wife so pissed at me??".

It does annoy me that they've reverted to non-carry-over of production though. And they still don't send broadcast messages when wonders are started, which makes getting pipped to a wonder a resign-or-reload problem.

(I was intrigued by AI War though - I have d/l'd the demo to try it out.)

[PowerDiver]

Well, I gave in and got Civ V in the end

How are the patches coming? I hate the way they treat their customers as alpha testers. I've also read some complaints that it is a resource hog. Did you have any trouble running it in the late game?