4x strategy games: Is MoO 2 still the gold standard?

[TidusZ]

I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, but I hope to start it maybe tonight.

My biggest question is how is the diplomacy in it? The diplomatic options and AI specifically? I've put around 200 hours into civ 5 and the diplomacy options are a joke compared to civ 4. And don't even get me started on how random and nonsensical the other civ AI is. I'm really looking for a grand strategy game where the diplomacy is top notch, and was a little more light hearted than a Paradox grand strategy game.

Diplomacy options and diplomacy victory are sort of weak spots but they're okay. The different factions behave as they should now where as on release the peaceful race was often the most warmongering. The AI has improved a lot too and is quite strong for the most part.

 

[XavierMace]

Yeah, I have GalCiv 2 and 3.

Put a bunch of time into 2, but last played many years ago now. I'd forgotten how solid it was in the diplomatic department.

GalCiv 3 I recently picked up, and...I don't know...I'll have to give it more time, but the game simply feels incomplete. I'm especially peeved at the lackluster number of civs. Glad I got in on sale when I did. Hope the new expansion adds more, but I'm still not quite seeing what exactly it does "better" than GalCiv2 in all honesty.

Yeah, GalCiv 3 feels about like I recall GalCiv 2 feeling at that stage in it's life. People often forget how much the expansions for 2 added to it.

 

[Sulaco]

Yeah, GalCiv 3 feels about like I recall GalCiv 2 feeling at that stage in it's life. People often forget how much the expansions for 2 added to it.

Yeah, I was a late comer to the GalCiv 2 games; I picked up the boxed GalCiv 2 "Ultimate" or "Gold" with everything patched and updated.

I still think there's little excuse though to release a game, a true sequel, that has less content though than the previous game with expansions. But I can see the business rationale behind it, sadly.

 

[TidusZ]

GalCiv 3 was barebones, in desperate need of an expansion or two to make it worth more than 30 hours' playtime... but I don't think I'm going to be willing to pay much for expansions after they already fooled me once. IMO they should release the first expansion for free. It's been nine months without much to report.

 

[Blue_Max]

You wont regret that purchase, easily my favorite 4X of all time and I've played a lot of them (from MOO2 and Civ 2 to current). The AI has come a long way since release and it's pretty solid now. It's not too bad to learn since the UI is really informative yet concise.

my steam review

+ Hands down the best UI in a 4x game to date.
+ Each playable faction is quite unique compared to most 4x where they just have a couple minor traits and a unique unit.
+ Heroes with items and skill tree as either generals or city governors
+ Zooming out changes the graphics and lets you see the important stuff easily
+ Customize units, less tedious than usual and very impactful
+ Tech tree is laid out nicely and every tech is impactful
+ In-game Marketplace for buying/selling heroes, units, resources, etc
+ Music is really good

If you like 4x this game should be at the top of your list. I prefer it over civilization.

This review pushed me over the top. Purchasing! (Thanks!)

I was such a huge MOO2 fan that Moo3 just shattered my faith in the series. I keep a 32-bit machine around for MOO2 to this day... it's great on a netbook to whittle away time!

 

[XavierMace]

GalCiv 3 was barebones, in desperate need of an expansion or two to make it worth more than 30 hours' playtime... but I don't think I'm going to be willing to pay much for expansions after they already fooled me once. IMO they should release the first expansion for free. It's been nine months without much to report.

They've had 1 expansion and 5 DLC already.

 

[XavierMace]

This review pushed me over the top. Purchasing! (Thanks!)

Yeah, Endless Legend is well worth the asking price. I'm looking forward to the upcoming expansion.

 

[TidusZ]

They've had 1 expansion and 5 DLC already.

I only see 4 minor DLCs on steam: Mega Events, Map Pack, Revenge of the Snathi, Precursor Worlds, each $5.49 CDN.

None of those are significant enough to make me want to play again... The game needs a full Civ-sized expansion to actually be worth 40+ hours, and since they're charging $5.49 for such minor things I imagine it'll be $100 deep before you have a full game to play.

I don't see any expansion on steam or google.

 

[Evilviking]

Yeah, Endless Legend is well worth the asking price. I'm looking forward to the upcoming expansion.

After reading about endless legend I decided to pick it up. Only to find out it went from $10 to $30 >.< Guess I'll wait for it to go on sale again

 

[XavierMace]

I only see 4 minor DLCs on steam: Mega Events, Map Pack, Revenge of the Snathi, Precursor Worlds, each $5.49 CDN.

None of those are significant enough to make me want to play again... The game needs a full Civ-sized expansion to actually be worth 40+ hours, and since they're charging $5.49 for such minor things I imagine it'll be $100 deep before you have a full game to play.

I don't see any expansion on steam or google.

I was going off what my library shows.

For the record, I'm not disagreeing that it feels lacking in it's current state. But this IS the normal cycle for Stardock games.

 

[TidusZ]

I googled that mercenaries expansion and read about it, and it doesn't sound too substantial (not enough to get me to play more) but at least they are going to price it at $20. I can definitely see myself spending 30-40 in a year or two when there's enough new stuff to warrant it. The game has potential but it needs more than a couple new races or global events, it needs new game systems and depth that will require a bigger expansion... like religion, culture/tourism in Civ, or espionage and legendary deeds in Endless Legend

 

[thehotsung8701A]

I don't know how people are able to process 4x games, you guys must be really smart.

 

[chimaxi83]

I don't know how people are able to process 4x games, you guys must be really smart.

No, you're just you. That's all.

 

[Blue_Max]

After reading about endless legend I decided to pick it up. Only to find out it went from $10 to $30 >.< Guess I'll wait for it to go on sale again

Same here. It's all about the Steam sales... hey, it beats piracy! :thumbsup:

 

[Sulaco]

Can anybody give any opinions on Distant Worlds-Universe?

It's on sale for half off right now on STEAM for another day.

It looks absolutely massive, and most reviews/talk I see about it is from a couple years ago. And that's also when the complaints come from, namely bugs. I'm wondering if those have been patched?

Anybody have any experience with this one?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I literally just picked this up due to the aforementioned 50% off sale. Gone through some of the tutorials but haven't really gotten a chance to dig my teeth into it. It does seem massive, but what I like about it so far is it seems as though you can micro as much or little as you want. The game has an automation system for almost everything, to the point that you could pretty much just go afk and let it be your AI bot vs the opponent. That kind of flexibility is pretty rare and piqued my interest.

Definitely large-scope though, check out the community screenshots of people's galactic maps after a few hours of gaming. Looks like my 4 yr old cousin's dinner plate if left to his own devices.

 

[Sulaco]

I literally just picked this up due to the aforementioned 50% off sale. Gone through some of the tutorials but haven't really gotten a chance to dig my teeth into it. It does seem massive, but what I like about it so far is it seems as though you can micro as much or little as you want. The game has an automation system for almost everything, to the point that you could pretty much just go afk and let it be your AI bot vs the opponent. That kind of flexibility is pretty rare and piqued my interest.

Definitely large-scope though, check out the community screenshots of people's galactic maps after a few hours of gaming. Looks like my 4 yr old cousin's dinner plate if left to his own devices.

Awesome! Please keep us posted with your thoughts on the game and how it goes for you.
I'm especially curious about the enemy AI and how deep the diplomacy aspect is...

 

[Sulaco]

Well I went ahead and bought it. Figured what the heck with the sale ending in a few hours.
Now I just hope I have time to really dive into it.

 

[sactoking]

I just got an email from GOG that the new MOO is available in their "in development" program. I'm not going to bite but I thought I'd mention it in case someone was interested.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Star drive 2 is worth a look. I've played for quite a few hours. I'm not a fan of the Civ series in general but did like Pirates.

I don't have a wide base of 4x knowledge so take with a huge grain of salt.