Thread 2178592

What’s the /vst/dict on this? Need a good 4X to play and I’m tired of the Endless games

hot take even for a non-reddit forum, but I really don't like it
all the customization it promised is mostly in the domain of the visual, and even that doesn't go very far. I have a feeling they tried to make some aow-fantasy stellaris hybrid without the actual good bits of either, like unit customization, economics, or population modding. and let's not mention the "story". like you can apply bonuses to your race and troops, but with zero granularity, it's all or nothing. cultures are visually distinct, but gameplay remains the same for the most part.
it doubles down on the province system from the first game, and introduces paradox style gameplay limitations (x types of mana, various caps and penalties for exceeding them). took them a year or two to reintroduce item crafting and even that requires a special resource now.
hell even their DLC policy is pretty much paradox tier, with three or four expansion passes so far.
oh, and graphics are clash of clans mobile game tier, but that was the least of its problems in my opinion.
I wouldn't say it's a 'bad' game per se, but after playing planetfall for years I found 4 really disappointing. better pirate it and make sure you actually like it before giving them money.

It's pretty great. I'd go as far as to say it's the best modern 4X game, even if that's mostly by virtue of other modern 4X games being complete ass. The main draw of the game is the ability to create your own faction from scratch, and while I can see why some people don't like the lack of a more classic "this is what all elves are like" race system, this role has mostly shifted to your choice of culture which is far less customizable (plus, the AI always uses preset race traits so it's only the player that can diverge from the standard in that regard). The combat system is easily the best in the genre, essentially being a refinement of Planetfall's combat system with less of a focus on ranged combat.

Contrary to Civlikes it's very much a combat-first game. Not only because the combat is way more fleshed out and tactical than almost any other 4X, but also because your income from cities is intentionally pretty low for most of the game so you have to constantly go and fight stuff to get your resources. At no point is it beneficial to just sit in your city and develop your economy and while the game does have trade and diplomacy options, they're pretty basic compared to more economy-first games.

That isn't to say it's a perfect game. For example, the AI is just shit. While it's pretty decent in tactical battles it's completely incompetent on the strategic layer. It doesn't understand how to build up its own cities at all and it has a bad habit of completely imploding against stuff like the Call of Seasons event or the Regenerating Infestations map setting (both of which spawn hostile stacks of wildlife). You really need to crank up the bonuses the AI gets for it to provide a viable challenge at higher skill levels. The game is also lacking some of the good aspects of Planetfall for no good reason other than the devs didn't like them (like unit modding and the Empire game mode). And while none of the DLC is outright bad, they're overpriced for what you actually get.

>>2178592 (OP)
Preaty good , especialy after all the patches and additions
Not a 4x though. It's a wargame

>>2178592 (OP)
Took me a few campaigns to break the game for myself and I don't intend on playing higher difficulty because it's too repetitive. Only thing you have to do is focus on production and knowledge. The early game is mostly about clearing neutrals to fuel your economy and level up your ruler and army. The game appeals to people that want to roleplay a specific fantasy ruler and race because there are a lot of customization options. The gameplay itself is quite repetitive and you're really not making very many important decisions during a full campaign. You mostly ignore any decision that doesn't fuel your three to six stacks of units. You can just keep clicking the next turn button to win. One of the few games I can play without sleep. The game is well crafted but I would argue it's not well designed. The biggest complaint I have though is the visual design. The older games felt more immersive too me. This game feels like I'm playing the UI.

>>2178592 (OP)
AoW3 is simple better for having actual depth and strategies. 4 is just dress-up your faction game pretending to be "deep"

>>2178623
>>2178658
A for effort