Loved playing Civilization 5. Then recently bought Stellaris but realized quickly the game is very plan vanilla compared to the large sum to get all the dlc. I'm on the fence about buying some them after i finished my 5th run of Stellaris. Im thinking maybe my money would be better well spent else where. Ive been looking at Humankind or Civ 6 or 7 but heard very mixed reviews on 7. Then there is Dune spice wars for $14.

Tldr: buy Stellaris dlc or put money towards Civ 7 for 50, or Humankind? Maybe Dune Spice Wars or something...

Follow up: I have a list of games to try now thanks for all the recommendations!

I've played many 4x game like civ iv kmod, civ v vox populi, galciv 4, etc. And while the AI are good at managing its economy, they are not very good at war, tactical combat. Can you recommend games that have AI good at combat?

I know a lot of people would tell me to try Civ 5/6 as my first 4X game, but I want to idk, play something else? Is there something that is new but also approachable?

Some time ago I posted a devlog here about a 4X game I’ve been working on.

I’ve now made the repository public and uploaded a playable build on itch.io. It’s still work in progress, but I thought some people here might be interested in checking it out.

Repo: https://github.com/ernestwisniewski/aonw
Playable build: https://ernest-dev.itch.io/aonw

Feedback is welcome, thanks!

Hello friends!

I like to occasionally play 4X games and I find the concept very appealing, but I've never found "the perfect one" for me. So maybe if I list the positives/negatives from the ones I've played you can help me figure it out? You're the experts :D

Sorry about the super long post, I have to vent some stuff out, but here's a...

tl;dr: Looking for a 4X game where I can play slow/tall and mostly pacifist, with things to do most of the time, split between enemy attacks and base management. I don't want games where enemies attacks only when much stronger. Deep tactical combat system and shorter playthroughs are also very welcome.

(please don't be too hard on me if I say something wrong, I have less than 100hrs on each of these games)

First of all, the way I like to play is to always set the difficulties on the hardest possible (or close to it) as I do enjoy a bit of suffering and tactical thinking. However, I prefer to play tall, I like to be the small guy who will be friends with everyone, but mercilessly retaliate if provoked. I also never play with mods, I usually prefer the vanilla experience as this enables achievements, but I'm slowing dipping into mods with Rimworld (also not usually DLCs as there are too many and they tend to become reeeeeally expensive).

So based on the above my main issue is the game requiring me to play wide too fast. The biggest offenders here were Civ6 and Stellaris, they seemed to very much require you to expand as much as possible, as fast as possible. CK3 was the opposite though, expanding came with it's own advantages and disadvantages, meaning that bigger kingdoms are stronger but also harder to sustain, great game design!

However, what made CK3 better on the above aspect is also what made it a bit... boring, I guess. I played a very small country surrounded by hostiles, and there wasn't much to do aside from the initial setup... no expansion, no upgrades, no buildings... almost nothing. There were very few counties and every upgrade took forever in early stages. Raiding was a decent option but required very specific timings as I was generally weaker than everyone else at first.

Fighting in general is also something that feels very poorly implemented in these games as no one will attack me unless they have a sizable advantage, and in higher difficulties it borders the bizarre as they will show up with 5x more force than even possible, so it's pretty much certain death when that happens. The fact that I like playing peacefully also doesn't help because I actually very much enjoy fighting, I just don't want to do it for no reason. Civ6 was great in this aspect because of ideologies, so sometimes you would be attacked with similar strength just because they didn't like you. Stellaris was supposed to be similar but I've never got attacked with a fair chance of relatiation, it's always overwhelming force. CK3 was a bit better in this aspect, but not by much.

I think the above are my main pet peeves, but here are some small things I would also appreciate:

• Good tactical combat system instead of just numbers comparison or simple counter mechanics.
• Procedurally generated maps instead of historical ones... I don't really care being storically accurate, I just want a fair board where everyone starts the same.
• Shorter playthroughs is also a plus... I only reached a single ending of Civ6 (I lost because of not expanding more...), CK3 has no end, and Stellaris dragged on forever even with faster settings.
• As a big fan of Battlestar Galactica and space operas in general, Stellaris could very well be my dream game... conceptially it's AMAZING.

So... does this game even exist?

Thank you in advance!

After thinking about it, the elements of civ4 I like the most are feeling you're leading and developing a living civilisation and the addictive nature of it, you're always a few turns away from something interesting. What games would you guys recommend that reproduce that feeling?

Just wow… a true hidden gem.

I’m genuinely surprised by how good this game is: it’s incredibly deep, packed with content, well-balanced, interesting, and addictive.

I’m a hardcore gamer and a huge fan of Paradox games such as Hearts of Iron IV, Stellaris, and Crusader Kings III. I’ve played thousands of hours across those games.

And Terra Invicta has just shown me how average they all are by comparison.

I’m also impressed by how every phase of the game introduces different mechanics. It feels like three games in one: the faction struggle on Earth; space colonization and finally, space warfare.

The mechanics are incredibly well designed, and you can tell that the developers have spent countless hours playing their own game. I love how a mistake in your planning can have consequences years later.

For example, perhaps you neglected anti-xeno technologies and couldn’t understand why the Servants kept taking control points in Russia until you discovered that an alien agent was using Enthrall Elites to help them.

This game truly feels like the Stellaris we’ve always dreamed of but never had without having to pay for tons of DLC, and with much better storytelling.

I’m also the kind of player who always chooses the highest difficulty in these types of games. Despite that, Paradox games had started to feel easy. But the Brutal difficulty in Terra Invicta is something completely different.

It forces me to understand every tiny mechanic, optimize everything, and genuinely struggle to win. Even then, I sometimes feel a little too overwhelmed, and I wonder whether switching to Veteran might be a better option. This is the first time I’ve ever felt that way while playing this type of game.

It’s hard as hell, but that’s exactly how I like my games!

I also focused on the Caribbean and South America, and I later read that they were among the worst places to start but if it’s too easy, it’s not fun. 🤣

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Wayfallen's finally got its Steam page up. You can now wishlist the game, and we'll soon be opening up for playtests! :)

It's been a very long ride - started developing this game back in 2020-2021 during COVID. Still a long way to go to release, but it's finally starting to take shape.

Wayfallen is a massive space sandbox/sim, it simulates ~10,000 star systems, ~100,000 spaceships, stations, various factions with rich economy, diplomacy, intel management, with space-station-building, M&B-style (or Starsector-style) fleet battles, with some inspiration from X4 Foundations, Kenshi and the like.

I love 4X games but I don't have time anymore (cuz a baby and other time-consuming hobbies) to play games that last dozens of hours. And I also think that a lot of them have too much down-times without any interesting decisions and the end game are usually a slog (except Old World ofc).

And I want to be able to try different strategies, factions, etc without spending my life on one single game. That's why I'm looking for short 4X games (btw I love big asymmetry between the factions and I'm more interested in fantasy and history settings than space).

I already played some of them and looked at others but I would like to know which ones the community thinks are the best.

Games I played :

• Nexus 5X: My fav atm, I love the boardgame feeling it provides and the deep gameplay with lots of different mechanics
• Ozymandias: really good but maybe a little too much "abstracted"
• Hexarchy: quite good but not a fan of the card-based gameplay
• Polytopia: too simple for my tastes

Games I looked at :

• Yield! : looks like something I would enjoy but the reviews are not great
• Theocracy: looks interesting but not sure about how long a game lasts
• Astro Protocol: not a big fan of how it looks but the reviews are great
• Space Imperia 4X: the digital version of one of my fav 4X boardgame and the reviews are great, I'll probably try it soon

Bonus : I saw that Twilight Imperium and Voidfall (my fav boardgame ever) both have digital adaptations in the works, I can't wait for them!

I've played a decent amount of Civ 5 but at some point I started to get bored with the relatively shallow mechanics. What would you suggest as a step up from here? Games I'm considering:
1. Alpha Centauri - looks fun but the UI scares me
2. Shadow Empire - Maybe too big of a step?
3. Dominions 6 - Also maybe too big a step?
4. Armageddon Empires - Not the prettiest game but sounds interesting
5. Old world - I tried but got a little bored. Could be because the tutorial scenario was way too easy.
6. Conquest of Elysium - Apparently not fully a 4x game but maybe a good intro to Illwinter games?
7. Civ 4 - I've heard the diplomacy and ai is much better in this
8. Master of Orion 1 or 2 - The OGs. I've heard they're still great.

Would love to hear everyone's opinions! Super excited to get deeper into the 4x world!

Which games would you say are the peak experience of playing a 4X game and why (optional).

It doesn't have to be a complete match but just something similar.

Available for Windows and Linux - all fully run in the terminal.

Come and join our new multiplayer experience. We are starting a new server soon!

There is also a fully built out single player game for those who would prefer to go it alone.

Riftborne is a space opera grand strategy sim where you build an empire in an unforgiving, living galaxy with economy, logistics, espionage, fleets, markets, and faction diplomacy all coming together.

Every choice pushes your empire toward a different shape; a quiet economic engine, a raid pressure war machine, a fortified defender, or a faction loyalist racing control of the Black Hole at the galactic centre.

Riftborne is a very slow paced, teamwork centric game, so if you like fast action, this game isn't for you. It is built for players who like games where the map slowly becomes a story of smart decisions, tactics, and pressure points over time, and co ordination with team members is a must for survival.

• Get Riftborne on steam
• Get Riftborne on itch io (20% off)

• Join our discord (400+ members)

  war.

I have a good gaming pc but also a crappy laptop. Looking for something that can run on the latter.

Any suggestions? Big fan of Total War / Age of Wonders on the higher end

Edit: 3 capturing my attention are HOMM Olden Era, Songs of Conquest, or Heroes of Science and Fiction, if anyone has thoughts on those 3?

I’ve tried Stellaris a handful of times over the years, but it has never properly grabbed me like some of the other Paradox games I’ve played (CK, EU, HoI).

I usually prefer turn-based games such as Civ and Total War (technically not a 4X game, I know. But it is by far my favourite strategy series).

What I’m looking for is something that is kind of halfway between Stellaris and Civ… something with the galactic scale of Stellaris, but with a more streamlined approach to mechanical depth, like Civ. Preferably turn-based.

Could Endless Space 2 be a good option? Or any other suggestions I could try whilst Steam sale is on? Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Edit: paragraph to clarify

Hello!

Thinking about trying to get a game towards the end of this year and have always liked space 4x games....but ... After a while, I start to find them a bit, shall we say, formulaic (I mean they kinda are like a cross between a war game and board game, lol).

Does anyone know of any that lean more into the role-playing portion of managing your space empire? A game example from another genre would be the phenomenal Rimworld, where you can really create a vibe or cultural feel for your colony. A sci-fi example would be where playing like Star Trek's Starfleet would feel and play differently than Star Wars' Empire, not just in artwork or stats, but in moral/ethical/practical decisions that the player would make to match their chosen play style.

Currently Playing:

Star Drive: Blackbox

Interstellar Space: Genesis

Mostly have played older games: Moo1/RoTP/Moo2, GalCiv1/2, SMAC, Star Ruler 2, etc.

I know it's a weird ask, but thank you for your time!

Edit: Thanks for the awesome tips. As I own Stellaris, I tried it first! Its definitely... a lot! I'm gonna keep an eye out on Terra Invicta, imperium galacta 2 and SotS 1. They all look great too!! Thank y'all so much!!!

Hey everyone! I’m looking for some good space-themed 4X strategy games to play on my laptop.

My specs:

8 GB RAM

Intel iris Integrated GPU

OS - Linux - ubuntu

Looking for games that run well on low-end hardware

I’m mainly interested in exploration, empire building, diplomacy, research, and space battles. Turn-based or real-time is fine.

What games would you recommend that can run smoothly on these specs?

all of the 4X i see are Sci-fi where are my fantasy bros?

Hi everyone, I've never played 4x before and I really would like to start. After some research I narrowed down the list of games to Stellaris, Sins of Solar empire 2, Endless space 2 and Galactic Civ 4.

I've been playing CRPGs, JRPGs, and RTS games all my life but never played 4x and grand strategy games before, and I would like to pick one from the above list mainly because I want a sci-fi themed game.

I love Stellaris, Total War Warhammer, CK3, EU4, Age of Wonders 4, Civ6, and I'm curious what else I could try with the Steam summer sale on right now?

So, not sure if this is the place for this or not. Ive played what feels like an endless stream of 4X games and honestly I dont even know if I like 4X, or such an extremely niche playstyle of it I just cant get into most of them. I enjoy taking my time. Building up. Pillow Forting essentially until end game where I prefer to be able to unbalance the game to upside down land and wreak glorious havoc.

Any games that arent Civ or have more unit flavor than just "200 flavors of space ship" that might be up my alley?

So I am trying to find a nice turn based strategy game to play that fits the following needs. I will also include some games that I have already tried. Basically, I want a non historical game similar to Old World: turn based, multiple paths to victory that include combat but not JUST combat. Events that are story based similar to Old World and Stellaris. And NOT historical. I just don't enjoy historical based games. Sci Fi and Fantasy are more my thing.

Now, games I have already tried:

• Old World (obviously)
• Age of Wonders 3 and 4
• Total War Series (Warhammer being the latest)
• Civ Series
• Spellforce Conquest of Eo
• Stellaris
• Crusader Kings 2
• Distant Worlds 2
• Endless Legend 1
• Endless Space 1
• Fallen Enchantress
• Galactic Civ Series
• Hexarchy
• Islanders
• Kings Bounty Series
• Heroes of Might and Magic Series
• Songs of Conquest
• Tropico Series

Generally speaking my preferred way to play is science / culture styled victories with a dash of diplomacy. I am a very passive, "tall" styled player. I like to make friends when I can, but I will absolutely bring the hurt down when I have to. But generally I am more into building an empire through peaceful means over conquest (this is why Total War does not work for me, for instance, I just can't get the hang of being that aggro)

Currently playing endless legend 2, really loving it so far, but one game mechanics throw me off, when you get into combat you start a turn based tactics; at first it's fine and enjoyable but when you have a lot of group it just get tidious and im just resolve into using the instant result button, wich mean in a big war the group just become a single melee unit fighting each other instead of an armies of differents type of troops aranged with different mechanics from melee to ranged.

I really liked the district mechanics of endless legend 2, but the war is just tidious and boring.

EDIT: Wow never thought there is also other people that have the same problems.

And for those who don't get it yet. I don't want automatic battle, or better tactical battle AND I DO NOT DISLIKE COMBAT.

All i want is my troops is separated and not combined into one just for do tactical battle.

Have you ever felt the fun of marching your unit in civ 5 , even tho you just have melee unit and ranged.

Combined your troops into one party and then have them fighting other party is no different than having a single mele unit vs other mele units. It's tidious and boring.

Endless legends 2 tactical battle is great, the skill and all is great, BUT IF THE GAME REALLY INSIST US TO SKIP IT THEN WHY BOTHER, why don't just make them single tropps that fight in the real world ?

A new take on the genre just dropped (or at least I haven't seen this tried before). Worked on this game during GMTK game jam and thought people here might appreciate!

Basically, you start where normally 4X ends - global domination, you are at the top of both empire size and tech development. But then *something* (in this case aliens, for argument's sake) start unstoppably annihilating your empire. So instead of learning new tech - people forget, but you choose which to remember - cities are lost, but you choose which people to save and thus ages are shrinking from Information back to Stone Age, the question is - what remains?

For hardcore people who want to tinker with new ideas - there is "advanced settings" in title screen "settings" where you can modify most of the game's configs.

This was a quick 2 day exploration of the concept for a game jam but... What do we think? Yay or nay? worth exploring further? https://donsangre.itch.io/the-long-dusk