As I entered a second hour of trying to hammer Distant Worlds Universe into a playable state on Windows 10, two thoughts occurred. The first is that I hope the upcoming Distant Worlds 2 is the 4X I want. The second was more troubling: What do I want from a modern 4X game?
I might as well put this upfront: I don't think I want the same thing most players do. Let me relate both why I admire Distant Worlds, and why I don't think its sequel will do what I want.
]]>Over 12,000 intrepid explorers are signed up for a months-long journey to the edge of the galaxy in Elite: Dangerous, starting today. Across 16 weeks, the player-organised Distant Worlds 2 expedition will pass through the centre of the Milky Way, stopping to build a science station to study a black hole, then carry on through to the far edge of the galaxy. The journey has quite a casual pace, giving players one week to reach each waypoint of the journey, and a number of groups are roleplaying stories and activities to keep things interesting. You can join in yourself, and of course loads of folks plan to livestream their adventures.
]]>Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.
At present, despite the dawn of Stellaris, Distant Worlds: Universe [official site] is still my favourite space strategy game. I wouldn't be surprised if that changes in a couple of years when Paradox work their usual post-release magic. It took Distant Worlds a good while to reach the lofty heights it now occupies - the Universe version of the game contains four expansions - but what lofty heights they are.
]]>In a world where it's increasingly likely that game bundles will soon be given away with Happy Meals, people are often flabbered right down to the gasts when they see the prices over on planet Matrix. The wargaming/strategy publisher doesn't discount its back catalogue as often as some companies discount their front catalogue, so when the annual holiday sale rolls around, it's worth paying attention to. Lots of titles are discounted by 50%, including the excellent Unity of Command and its expansions. The Gary Grigsby titles are also on sale, as are many others, listed here.
]]>Distant Worlds is the best space strategy game ever made, although I'll permit some leeway for the Master of Orion 2 lovers and have a real soft spot for Ascendancy. Hell, if you want to argue a case for Master of Orion 3, I'd love to read it but I'd need a heavy dose of sedatives on hand in case things became a little too weird. If you haven't already acquainted yourself with Distant Worlds, my conversation with Edward James Olmos about its charms and intricacies may be just what you're looking for. If you're already a convert, news of a Star Trek complete conversion mod should be very exciting indeed. It's here.
]]>No tease before the jump here, let’s get straight to it. Distant Worlds: Universe is my favourite space strategy game. Not my favourite space strategy game released this week and not my favourite space strategy game released this year. It’s the definitive version of the best space strategy game I’ve ever played and I want to share the excitement with everyone, starting with an old friend. The transcript below explains all.
]]>An exciting day. Even more exciting than an ordinary Friday. Even more exciting than an extraordinary Friday that marks the beginning of a long weekend (lot of those recently in this part of the world). Today is exciting because Distant Worlds: Universe has arrived, a standalone sequel/collection containing every previous release in the series as well as various improvements, new modding tools and a brand new storyline. If that's not enough, take note of the fact that you can also build planet destroyers. Distant Worlds is one of my favourite space strategy games, mainly because it convincingly simulates conflict and empire on such an enormous scale while allowing for minimal micromanagement thanks to smart automation. Lovely.
]]>‘Tis the season to report that many a thing is on sale. The latest discounts to come to my attention are over at Matrix Games, eminently serious-minded purveyors of complex strategic delicacies It’s not often that these grizzled veterans emerge into the wilds – they hate breaking cover - so the only hope for a discount is usually when Matrix have their own sales and this year, the holiday sale includes everything released before 2011, as well as a few from this year. Head over and take a look.
]]>I conceal my love for Distant Worlds quite well by never actually mentioning the game but I do love it, very much. If I actually owned a physical copy rather than a digital download, I'd probably give it a hug occasionally. Now, the gigantically scaled but manageable space strategy behemoth has received a second expansion pack, following last year's Return of the Shakturi. The core appeal of the game is its representation of a living universe, with the masses of information made vibrant by effective visuals and customisable automation levels. It's easy to build an empire and then sit back and watch it function in meticulous detail. The Legends expansion should add to that appeal. Details below.
]]>The forums have been all over this. While I've yet to play it - it doesn't have a demo - Distant Worlds seems definitely worth a plug. It's from Code Force and is a real-time 4X game, basically. Bar all the scope of the genre, its defining feature is how much can be automated beneath you. As in, the empire's civilians will go about and create their living little empire while you control the high-scale strategy. Reading around threads and AARs - try this ship design one - make me suspect this could be well worth digging into. Footage follows. Anyone played it?
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