Crusader Kings 2, Hearts of Iron 3 and (now) 4, Europa Universalis 4, and Victoria 2... these games take up most of my free time. Be fun to maybe find some people on here for multiplayer matches/just to discuss the games. Cheers
Haha, actually, I just picked it up, a couple of days ago. It's basically what I always wanted from Sins of a Solar Empire. That said, it is most definitely lacking a certain depth relative to, say, Crusader Kings 2 or Victoria 2. Don't get me wrong- I'm still enjoying the game. Leading the Human Imperium- an empire of fanatically xenophobic militarists- to the conquest of the galaxy has been fun, albeit fairly easy. Overall, it looks like Paradox went for a more streamlined game in an attempt to broaden their market... which, hey, that's fine, I guess.
Try out the Star Trek mod for Stellaris. It adds a lot! I agree, though. Stellaris doesn't try to simulate things at a super granular level the way CK and Victoria do. Would probably not be practical to simulate the internal politics of dozens/hundreds planets with any depth, you know?
I've only played Cities: Skylines, but I played it a damn lot. It feels like the perfect successor to Sim City and delivered everything that Sim City 2013 should have been *angry shaking of fists*
In that case, I guess my answer to this thread would be, 'no.' But! I have been wanting to play Stellaris, it looks very pretty. Would you recommend it to a fan of city simulators? I'm not looking for something insanely complex. Honestly, I really just wanna try the Star Trek mods.
I would say if you want to play it for the Star Trek mod, it's perfect for that. In many ways it's less complex than a city builder, but it is more challenging in that you have enemies to contend with.
It (Stellaris) does most definitely have some city-building esque features. For instance, you can manage population groups on your home planet and as well as all of your colonized planets. You can either choose what to build on each planet for said pops to work at/utilize. Or, you can either assign a planetary governor or a sector governor to make those decisions for you- but the AI thinks only short term. It sees you're running out of energy credits (one of the main resources in the game)- then it's going to build additional energy plants. It doesn't assume that you were saving the space to build something else, and that you had a different solution for your energy credits shortage. At a certain point, however, once your interstellar empire/monarchy/republic/etc. grows to a certain size, you *must* hand over planets to AI Sector Governors, or you won't be able to colonize additional planets, essentially. So at that point, the city building part is sort of stripped away. But there's still plenty of other options to keep you engaged. And it all depends on your play style, what you are role-playing, and the race you created. For instance I created a human faction that had split off from Earth centuries ago. Years in space led them to conclude that a highly centralized and powerful government was needed. Thus, the Human Imperium was formed. All the power of the government flows from the Emperor- a leader that you get to create. The humans of the Imperium are highly xenophobic and militaristic. So basically, I get to run around the galaxy, taking over planet after planet, brushing aside any resistance with my massive interstellar Navy. Then you can load up another game, and play as a peace loving-all-inclusive faction. Explore the galaxy, focus on defense, and create a cultural paradise for all races. In terms of complexity, it's night and day compared to, say, Victoria II or Europa Universalis IV. Less complex than the Hearts of Iron series- although HoI IV has been dumbed down somewhat. I'd say it's about on par with Crusader Kings 2- although I think CK2 is the superior game. Either way, you wouldn't regret a Stellaris purchase. Have you ever played Sins of a Solar Empire? Reminds me a lot of that, but on a grander scale.
^ What an interesting sounding game! I don't have any experience with these types of games, I've really only played a few city builders and I actually don't game that much in general. I wish I had more time to play games (any games!) but at the moment I spend most of my time working or (trying) to work on my game art portfolio.
This hardcore Segaphile and JRPG fan just bought Stellaris. I'm loving the h.e.c.k. out of it and am actually enjoying learning its systems.
Glad to hear it. I'm not a fan of JRPGs- although I understand the appeal. Anyways, point is, I think that it's cool that even though we have different gaming tastes, we can both enjoy Paradox Studios games.
I totally agree. I haven't always been very good at broadening my gaming interests, but I'm glad I've taken this particular plunge. It's fascinating having to really learn a game's systems, and Stellaris is designed so well that as one piece unlocks in my mind I can see how it connects to the bigger picture. It's really something great. I just have to remembering that when things get overwhelming I can pause and work my way through issues one at a time. I thinks I'll be sticking with this for quite a long time :-)
I think you'd really enjoy Crusader Kings 2. Incredibly deep, immersive emergent stories... and you can essentially create any alternate history you want. Take the Holy Roman Empire and truly restore the Roman Empire. Dominate the world with one of the medieval super-powers. Or just start out as a baron, perhaps a count. Work your way up to duke, and eventually perhaps usurp your king's throne- and then simply play the rest of the game ruling your little fiefdom. You start a family dynasty- design your character, and design your family's coat of arms. It's an amazing game.
I really enjoy CK2 and Stellaris. I've played most of the Paradox titles since the late 90s and love ganad strategy but the two I mentioned are my favorites. Sci Fi and historical games where playing the games becomes a narrative. The intimacy of the dynasty focused Crusader Kings has me telling stories to myself as I play. The same can be said for Stellaris. The only downside (which is an upside as well) is the continued support and expansion the games grow through over the years. I like an evolving game and some of the added content enriches the game considerably but I have a hard time get back on the horse when games I have invested so many hours in get broken by new versions and mechanics.
EU4 has seen much more dramatic expansion and revision with its various DLCs than I think any other Paradox game. They are still adding complex new mechanics to it after all this time! I should go play with it again sometime--just pick a random country and see how much I can break out of the mold of history. Sadly, my attempts to build Timurid and Chinese empires did not pan out previously.
There's something about EU4... it's a good game, but I have difficulty playing it for more than 30min. Just doesn't suck me in. But I came back here to report that I re-downloaded Victoria 2, and have been playing it a ton. Lol, 7 year old Paradox game. I'm playing as the US. Before the Civil War even started, I had taken half of Mexico. Britain declared war on me each time I went at Mexico, to "control my aggressive expansion." Since they could only bring to bear forces from Colonial Canada, I swept them aside. By the time the CSA seceded,I was able to easily crush them, war was over by 1862. Spurred on by our earlier victories in Mexico, America has become overly jingoistic, allied with Prussians to keep the British in check, and are creating a Pan-American empire. I just need to get the Brits to free Canada, then I can declare war on her... but another British-American war seems inevitable. Oh, and I took the Azores. My ships needed a resupply point, sorry Portugal. heres