Anyone else here play Aurora 4x?

[BurnItDwn]

Got bored with Dwarf fortress again, and with all other games, so I started Aurora 4x a couple weeks ago.
I've gotten to the point where I have explored 6 or 7 regions, and have used my size 5 missiles to destroy another civ's ships ... but ... feel like I'm still a LONG way from really learning it.
Also, Im not a fan of all the micromangement of every small mining colony ... wish I could at least automate some of the logistics.

Tried playing Distant Worlds, Stellaris, Endless Space, Galciv 3, etc again and they just are all so boring/unappealing .. Even tried old Alpha Centauri and couldnt motivate myself beyond the first hour or so.

So, after work, I'll play Aurora 4x a bit, and love and hate it.

Anyone else playing it?
What other "hardcore" games are there besides this and DF?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Got bored with Dwarf fortress again, and with all other games, so I started Aurora 4x a couple weeks ago.
I've gotten to the point where I have explored 6 or 7 regions, and have used my size 5 missiles to destroy another civ's ships ... but ... feel like I'm still a LONG way from really learning it.
Also, Im not a fan of all the micromangement of every small mining colony ... wish I could at least automate some of the logistics.

Tried playing Distant Worlds, Stellaris, Endless Space, Galciv 3, etc again and they just are all so boring/unappealing .. Even tried old Alpha Centauri and couldnt motivate myself beyond the first hour or so.

So, after work, I'll play Aurora 4x a bit, and love and hate it.

Anyone else playing it?
What other "hardcore" games are there besides this and DF?

I actually played this a fair amount, a while back (like 3+ years). Still have it installed/sitting on desktop as well. Last time I played I never actually encountered any other npcs which for all I know was me screwing up the universe creation or something, but I was fascinated with the detail. Very similar to DF in that regard (though I think DF still takes the cake).

I loved the mineral surveying, tracking, mining, and the terraforming system.

I'd say that DF and Aurora are probably up there as the top 'hardcore' games I've played. There's a few on steam that might come close, but most are still going to be a bit more accessible than those two.

 

[paperfist]

I was excited to see a 4x game I never heard of, but dang that may be 22 more spreadsheets then I want to enjoy in my gaming experiences.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I was excited to see a 4x game I never heard of, but dang that may be 22 more spreadsheets then I want to enjoy in my gaming experiences.

Exactly my thoughts, I was excited and then whoa that's a bit much

 

[Elcs]

Exactly my thoughts, I was excited and then whoa that's a bit much

Downloaded it, opened it up, immediately felt the same way.

Maybe if it came with an old IBM manual.

 

[paperfist]

Downloaded it, opened it up, immediately felt the same way.

Maybe if it came with an old IBM manual.

So it is as desolate as it looks? Saw some ship building screens, everything else looked like Excel.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

So it is as desolate as it looks? Saw some ship building screens, everything else looked like Excel.

Pretty much, most of the game looks like something that would have been in a US mission control room c1971, and about as complicated. There's some deep tactical stuff in there but you have to dig for it, it might not be worth it depending on what you consider to be a 'game'.

Technically I'd state it's a bit more shallow than DF but it's got less, graphically, to sink your teeth into so there's a lot more mental extrapolation happening.

 

[BurnItDwn]

This game is not a looker, thats for sure.
Its scratched an itch that nothing else seems to scratch, but, I just cant get over the micromaintenance required with hauling all the stuff around, and flipping between 15 different screens to set up freighters to auto-move around raw materials from A to B to C or moving around infrastructure..

That said, I agree with 100% of what Osiris has said

DF does have a bit more depth, especially when you look at dwarven medicine... but I really really like some aspects of Aurora .. for now though I think Distant Worlds or the 1st Star Ruler will get my time, or even good ole moo2

 

[local]

I love it, right up until NPCs start getting involved and I can only pass time 5 seconds at a time.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Why can't DF add proper mouse support & drop down menus
Petty but I just can't get over how much work it is to do stuff in DF

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Why can't DF add proper mouse support & drop down menus
Petty but I just can't get over how much work it is to do stuff in DF

If you stick with it for a while, it becomes second nature. Fairly sure I could notepad-out the command structure to build a multi-leveled climb-proof castle wall with fortifications, towers, and siege weapons at this point.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Why can't DF add proper mouse support & drop down menus
Petty but I just can't get over how much work it is to do stuff in DF

Its not so much "cant" its much more like "haven't" ... Tarn and his bro are still building out major features of the gameplay, likely in the next 20 years or so, they will get to the point where the main game is running how they want, and then the work on the UI can begin.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

If you stick with it for a while, it becomes second nature. Fairly sure I could notepad-out the command structure to build a multi-leveled climb-proof castle wall with fortifications, towers, and siege weapons at this point.

Its not so much "cant" its much more like "haven't" ... Tarn and his bro are still building out major features of the gameplay, likely in the next 20 years or so, they will get to the point where the main game is running how they want, and then the work on the UI can begin.

I know, there was a bunch of sarcasm in my post. I still don't understand why it's such a low priority.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I know, there was a bunch of sarcasm in my post. I still don't understand why it's such a low priority.

Eh, part of the charm I imagine. The bugs, difficulty in both theory and practice, and the inverted learning curve make the game what it is. There's a handful of DF-light games out with fully realized menu systems and stuff but they're all so shallow. Maybe DF would benefit from it, or it might detract from the gameplay. You can actually use the mouse for a lot of stuff in-game, especially with a couple mods that exist... not everything though of course. It does make drawing out walls/mining faster in some cases though.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I know, there was a bunch of sarcasm in my post. I still don't understand why it's such a low priority.

sorry, my sarcasm meter doesnt work as well as it used to. I'm becoming more and more of a curmudgeon with the passage of time.