Relaxing games with a lot of depth?

[CottonRabbit]

X3 only gets relaxing after you sink ~10hrs into it and learn how to play. I suggest going on to the official forums and looking at some starter guides and maybe looking up the coords of a derelict M3 (heavy fighter) to capture so that you don't feel so weak.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Super meat boy is very relaxing

 

[The Green Bean]

Civ 4

 

[PrayForDeath]

Super meat boy is very relaxing

rofl

Here are some good relaxing indies:

Osmos: Make sure you play it with headphones! It is easily one of the most relaxing games I've ever played. I fall asleep while playing it on my ipad.

Machinarium: Adventure game in a very strange and surreal world, soothing music, though the puzzles can get somewhat frustrating.

Braid: A platformer with awesome awesome soundtrack, cannot die (can always rewind), nice story, though some puzzles are hard if you try to collect all the pieces.

Spacechem: Again, great soundtrack, very creative take on chemistry, no rush/can't die.

If you're picking just one game, go with Osmos.

 

[crownjules]

You probably should look into the city building games like the Tropico or Anno series. Both are fairly relaxing games and complex in the economies you have to establish to support your population. I'd say Tropico is more casual and Anno has more depth.

 

[slugg]

So I keep reading about The Longest Journey failing to work properly under Windows 7, with no apparent fix...

rofl

Here are some good relaxing indies:

Osmos: Make sure you play it with headphones! It is easily one of the most relaxing games I've ever played. I fall asleep while playing it on my ipad.

Machinarium: Adventure game in a very strange and surreal world, soothing music, though the puzzles can get somewhat frustrating.

Braid: A platformer with awesome awesome soundtrack, cannot die (can always rewind), nice story, though some puzzles are hard if you try to collect all the pieces.

Spacechem: Again, great soundtrack, very creative take on chemistry, no rush/can't die.

If you're picking just one game, go with Osmos.

Great list! THANKS!

 

[zinfamous]

Just use the autopilot command (forget what it is), and let the computer do the work. Even though sometimes the game has quirky waypoints leading you to crash, most of the time you are okay.

And if I remember correctly, you have to first use the comm channel to ask the station for permission first. You have to get close to the station first for the "asking permission" option to appear in the comm menu. Once they give you permission, there will be like a line of lights marking the path for your landing. That's if you want to take the manual approach to landing.

fuck autopilot in that game, seriously...

I do use it, but it is never to be trusted. after spending countless hours with trading runs, you learn the simple quick, oft-repeated key commands for docking, exiting, and how to auto dock (after purchasing the software for it--which saves massive amounts of time if you do time-based runs)

It is an awesome game, though. Once you get past the massive learning curve, I've spent some 80 hours creating a trade empire and exploring. I've completed maybe 2 or 3 of the main storyline missions.

Of course, starting as trader, you start off way, way far away from the storyline initiation zone. So it takes several hours of play to actually begin the story if you choose that path.

 

[zinfamous]

I actually picked up X3: Terran Conflict and the new expansion. It looks and sounds cool as hell, and very deep. Reminds me alot of Eve, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what I'm supposed to do so far.

it's weird.

basically, you just go around and figure out whatever it is you want to do. depending on how you start, could be tough to find the main mission.

Either way, you will want to explore and gain massive experience with how the game works before getting involved in the main missions (not that they are particularly difficult early on--just that I think story events will make life difficult later on if you aren't already established)

 

[Malak]

I actually picked up X3: Terran Conflict and the new expansion. It looks and sounds cool as hell, and very deep. Reminds me alot of Eve, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what I'm supposed to do so far.

It is a lot like EVE, except you are by yourself. Alone. Forever.

Which is why I often recommend EVE if you want a casual relaxing space sim. You can pretty much do anything.

 

[mk]

Civ 4 on a fairly low level of difficulty (depending on your skills) so that you don't have to optimize your every move.

 

[biostud]

another vote for heroes of might and magic sereis. My personal favorites are III and VI.

 

[ImpulsE69]

It is a lot like EVE, except you are by yourself. Alone. Forever.

Which is why I often recommend EVE if you want a casual relaxing space sim. You can pretty much do anything.

Been there, done that..for nearly 5 years. No. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as relaxing, because since it's persistant and you're paying for it, you feel you NEED to play constantly and there is no save game to go back to when you lose your empire due to time zone differences

 

[Malak]

Been there, done that..for nearly 5 years. No. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as relaxing, because since it's persistant and you're paying for it, you feel you NEED to play constantly and there is no save game to go back to when you lose your empire due to time zone differences

Actually one of the problems they had was people didn't feel they needed to play, since skills continued to go up while offline. And you can play the whole time without caring 2 shits about empires

 

[Magic Carpet]

Replay Phantasmagoria?

It has a nice setting ;-p