Do you ever find yourself explaining how best to approach a game, but still failing to take that approach yourself, and getting frustrated with it?
After spending far, far too long trying to obsessively control every detail of Distant Worlds 2, I've accepted that I need to take my own advice and work with its macromanagement systems instead. They are, after all, the reason its ludicrous scale is workable at all beyond the opening hours, and a major reason its predecessor was so interesting and forward-thinking to begin with. But they are also a source of great friction and confusion, especially if you don't take the time to learn how they actually work.
Distant Worlds 2 is, ultimately, a game that you need to meet in the middle. Consequently, it's one that I can only partially recommend. But I really do recommend it for that part.
]]>I still don't know where to start.
Distant Worlds 2 is enormous. Even when familiar with the original, even after our preview last month, there's way too much going on to review it comprehensively within a mere few days. But in the spirit of the ancient ones, I can share a review-in-progress of what I've seen so far.
Alright, alright. Partly it's because it's a long game. But it's also because I really want to keep playing.
]]>Following Code Force's recent demonstration, I was optimistic about the upcoming space 4X/simulation/strategy/forward slash game Distant Worlds 2. The original was a game I very nearly adored, but playing it always meant being a little too frustrated to talk about it without complaining a lot (which, granted, I do about everything, but still).
Code Force have since sent us a preview build, and I've been consumed with it for the better part of a week. I'm struggling to gauge exactly how much to reserve, because it's had me positively cackling at my minor successes and howling in enjoyable despair at my setbacks. If they can do, ooh, two thirds of what I'm hoping in the six weeks before its release on March 10th, this could be every bit as brilliant as its predecessor, with fewer flaws.
]]>Strategy games set in space are almost innately ambitious. The very concept of doing anything meaningful in an infinite void, let alone making it playable and entertaining, is a challenging one, and for every game that reaches for the stars there are countless kinds of... spiraling chaos orbitals.
Between its design flaws and unique ideas with semi-brilliant execution, the 2010 4X/wargame/economic/management simulation Distant Worlds: Universe has straddled those two experiences for a decade. It's needed a sequel for a long time. Distant Worlds 2 is that sequel, and it's almost upon us. Last week I attended a live demo and Q&A session with its producer and co-designer Erik Rutins. With only a hands-off demo to go on I obviously can't say for sure how it plays yet, but it's already looking very promising.
]]>2022 is finally here and that can only mean one thing. We've got another year of hip new video games to look forward to, and we've been busy rustling up the ones we're most excited about. In truth, there are tons of games on the horizon that could easily sit on this list, and some of them are so close to release we can practically already see the pixels on our screens morphing into their lush, polygonal landscapes. Games like Monster Hunter Rise, God Of War and Rainbow Six Extraction. You won't find them here, but trust us, you'll be seeing a lot of them over the coming weeks.
There are always more games coming out than we have fingers to write about them, but the 2022 games we've listed below are the ones the RPS team are personally most looking forward to playing. We've got games big and small here, and they're all listed in alphabetical order. After all, release dates are increasingly slippery beasts these days. Think we've missed something? Why not take to the comments below and tell us all about it. You might just convince us to put it on our radars. But enough from me. Here are our 43 most anticipated games of 2022.
]]>It's been a busy, kind of mixed year for strategy games. Ever a broad church, 2021's seen enough releases to keep ten of me busy, from the easy-going Legion War to the month-consuming Shadow Empire. I don't know about you, but my personal "to play" list is out of control.
And yet, while we've had plenty to enjoy this year, it's felt like a period of build-up to something bigger. I'm not one for looking forward. If a game's not out yet it tends to disappear from my mind, making room for a hundred other recent releases in this age of plenty. That I've less interest in looking back over this year than I do pondering the next suggests that maybe we're in for something special in the coming twelve months. Or perhaps it's just been a rough one and I'm very sleep deprived and don't want to think about 2021. Either way, let's have a look at what's in store for strategy fans in 2022, yeah?
]]>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.
]]>My fuel tank might be full, but I can’t say the same for myself. Since leaving the galactic core with such high spirits, my energy levels have plummeted. The journey to the far edge of the Milky Way has become an isolated and grueling gauntlet of star jumps. Jumping from star to star, again and again and again - the repetitiveness is exhausting. I'm no longer even slowing for a cursory scan of a system. Now, I find myself in the Abyss. My galactic map is full of stars, but they are all too distant to reach. I'm so near the end, but with no clear path in sight, wondering if I have come so far only to fall at the final hurdle.
The Distant Worlds 2 expedition came to an end on the 13th June. It was a journey that took thousands of Elite Dangerous players five months to complete as they crossed the galaxy to the remote star system Beagle Point. Over 65,000 lightyears away from Sol, it’s one of the most well-known destinations for any commander looking to earn their exploration stripes. Commanders like me.
]]>Whoa. I was too distracted during the disgusting month of E3 to pay attention to what really matters: the space news. The Elite Dangerous expedition which saw 13,000 players set out to cross the galaxy in a long trip has finally ended after six months. Just over one quarter of those explorers touched down at Beagle Point last month, which is practically the furthest you can get from our own blazing sunball without leaving the known galaxy. A total of 3747 pilots made it, according to the organisers of the giganto-journey. However, this is a bittersweet moment, because thousands of other players bit the spacedust along the way.
]]>Two weeks ago, a fleet of over 13,000 players of Elite Dangerous set out on a long journey to cross the galaxy. Our flyboy Corey Milne was among them.
Asteroid bases always make me feel uneasy. We’re sitting inside a hollowed-out rock, with a single entry gate separating our fragile, oxygen-dependent bodies from the cold vacuum of space. It just doesn’t sit well with me. Yet for myself and thousands of other commanders, the Omega Mining Operation is one of the last safe harbours we may see for a very long time. Two weeks ago, on the 13th January 3305, nearly 9700 commanders took off from the Pallaeni system as part of the Distant Worlds 2 expedition, according to traffic logs. They were all headed to the edge of galaxy. But that’s 65,000 light years away from Earth, and I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now I’m cradling a lukewarm mug of synti-caf in an asteroid’s makeshift cafeteria (a cup of bland Tesco Gold in my living room) equal parts excited and terrified at the journey ahead.
]]>Space is big, we’re often told. But it’s also a bit of a dick. Over 30 ships are reported to have perished in one star system, known as The View, just days into a months-long expedition organised by Elite Dangerous players. This star system is called 'The View' because you can get some stunning galactic photos from one of its planets. But that planet also harbours a hidden danger for those seeking space selfies: a gravity three times that of earth. As a result, unprepared space instagrammers have been crashing onto the surface and perishing in a ball of flames.
What a tragedy. But hey, at least there’s a lot of people there to catch it on film.
]]>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.
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