First of all, this game is now available on Steam, discounted to $49.79. I know, that doesn't sound like much of a discount, but bear in mind this contains the original game plus all four of its expansions.
If you've never heard of it, Distant Worlds is a pausable real-time 4X grand strategy game set in space. The closest comparison one could make is that it's Master of Orion 3 done right. Its real-time nature might make one think of Sins of a Solar Empire but this is a game of vastly larger scope.
If you are looking for lots of depth, customization, and replayability, this may be the game for you. You can modify most aspects of the game, entering "sandbox mode" and tweaking pretty much anything you want. There are multiple Star Trek mods, including The Picard Era, which transplants the 24th century TNG/DS9 setting into the game. (That one is a lot of fun, by the way.) There are other good mods, too. The game is fully automatable, which sounds like a bizarre way to do things, however it enables you to use it essentially as a space opera simulator. Of course, you can actually play it as a game, and the automation is very flexible: you can choose to automate tasks you don't want to bother with and focus on whatever aspects you do want to manage.
Feature list from the Steam page:
This is not to say the game is without its negatives. The aforementioned tutorial isn't really much help at all. This is a game you have to learn by playing. If you've ever played any of the Paradox grand strategy games (Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, etc.) then that gives you some idea of what you're in for. There is absolutely a learning curve.
In addition, by default the game uses your desktop resolution and does not offer any font scaling. You can get around this by editing the startup.ini file to change the game's resolution on startup to something that makes the text more visible. This is, unfortunately, the only "fix." Likewise, the graphics are more functional than flashy. Don't expect lots of neat 3D effects or anything like that. This is an oldschool-style 2D game.
Here's a video that demonstrates the game for a few minutes:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm8DuzGu_yg[/yt]
You don't really get a sense for the combat there, so here's a combat video:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQgeJML_tMw[/yt]
As you can see, these aren't very sexy graphics. They do the job, but this isn't a game about looking fancy.
I have no idea how many 4X fans we have around here, but in spite of the game's shortcomings I highly recommend it. It has a depth and scope that's hard to match in its genre, the customization possibilities are immense, and if you can get past the slightly clunky and somewhat dated UI, there is a great game in here.
By the way, if you already own the original game (and possibly expansions), you can get a discount on Universe, the latest expansion. More details at the Matrix Games site. You have to jump through a few hoops but you can get Universe for as little as $9.99 if you do it.
Just thought I would pass this along to anyone who might be interested. Enjoy!
If you've never heard of it, Distant Worlds is a pausable real-time 4X grand strategy game set in space. The closest comparison one could make is that it's Master of Orion 3 done right. Its real-time nature might make one think of Sins of a Solar Empire but this is a game of vastly larger scope.
If you are looking for lots of depth, customization, and replayability, this may be the game for you. You can modify most aspects of the game, entering "sandbox mode" and tweaking pretty much anything you want. There are multiple Star Trek mods, including The Picard Era, which transplants the 24th century TNG/DS9 setting into the game. (That one is a lot of fun, by the way.) There are other good mods, too. The game is fully automatable, which sounds like a bizarre way to do things, however it enables you to use it essentially as a space opera simulator. Of course, you can actually play it as a game, and the automation is very flexible: you can choose to automate tasks you don't want to bother with and focus on whatever aspects you do want to manage.
Feature list from the Steam page:
This is not to say the game is without its negatives. The aforementioned tutorial isn't really much help at all. This is a game you have to learn by playing. If you've ever played any of the Paradox grand strategy games (Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, etc.) then that gives you some idea of what you're in for. There is absolutely a learning curve.
In addition, by default the game uses your desktop resolution and does not offer any font scaling. You can get around this by editing the startup.ini file to change the game's resolution on startup to something that makes the text more visible. This is, unfortunately, the only "fix." Likewise, the graphics are more functional than flashy. Don't expect lots of neat 3D effects or anything like that. This is an oldschool-style 2D game.
Here's a video that demonstrates the game for a few minutes:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm8DuzGu_yg[/yt]
You don't really get a sense for the combat there, so here's a combat video:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQgeJML_tMw[/yt]
As you can see, these aren't very sexy graphics. They do the job, but this isn't a game about looking fancy.
I have no idea how many 4X fans we have around here, but in spite of the game's shortcomings I highly recommend it. It has a depth and scope that's hard to match in its genre, the customization possibilities are immense, and if you can get past the slightly clunky and somewhat dated UI, there is a great game in here.
By the way, if you already own the original game (and possibly expansions), you can get a discount on Universe, the latest expansion. More details at the Matrix Games site. You have to jump through a few hoops but you can get Universe for as little as $9.99 if you do it.
Just thought I would pass this along to anyone who might be interested. Enjoy!
