I wanted to get the hang of this before I review it. After 50 hours, 2 failed campaigns, and one late game running constant battles between my federation and two large enemy empires, I think it was about time.
My 4X background was Master of Orion 2 for years throughout the 90's and into the 00's with DOSbox running it on my Windows XP machine. Stellaris feels so much like what MoO4 could be. It even uses a lot of the same terminologies, but expands on the economics, technologies, etc.
So for those without that 4X knowledge, this may seem like a large, confusing game. After installing, I stepped away for a long time because I couldn't figure out what most of the terms were or what I was supposed to do. After using the tutorial to hold my hand entirely through a campaign, a lot of it made perfect sense. Although, some minor aspects aren't taught, such as Empire Sprawl, or Influence Gain. However, there's such a large community that can decipher and explain this stuff very easily.
As a 4X player, I was overwhelmed in one of my failed empires. I had expanded beyond my control, made friends with no one, and when some jerk came around to poke holes into my empire's defenses, I almost caved and deleted my save. However, the combat and AI social behaviours are so forgiving. Despite aggressive species, there will be combinations of events and interactions that impact battles, despite the outcome looking bleak. There's a system of claims and negotiating prior to declaring war, and during wars other species will notice what is happening.
I never expected story in a 4X game that wasn't player-created. I have my stories of "so I let this fleet chase me to a star system where I ambushed them," but there's so much scripted in here. There are story-lines based on your exploration and research, then there's choices within the stories that impact the outcome of that and your empire. I had a failed empire because of some creepy horror story in the game that reminded me of a well-written sci-fi psychological thriller movie.
I'm really glad I gave this chance after chance to learn and engage with, because it's really fun and deep. I haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but I'm very excited for getting my Stellaris friends together to continue learning and campaigning together.
My 4X background was Master of Orion 2 for years throughout the 90's and into the 00's with DOSbox running it on my Windows XP machine. Stellaris feels so much like what MoO4 could be. It even uses a lot of the same terminologies, but expands on the economics, technologies, etc.
So for those without that 4X knowledge, this may seem like a large, confusing game. After installing, I stepped away for a long time because I couldn't figure out what most of the terms were or what I was supposed to do. After using the tutorial to hold my hand entirely through a campaign, a lot of it made perfect sense. Although, some minor aspects aren't taught, such as Empire Sprawl, or Influence Gain. However, there's such a large community that can decipher and explain this stuff very easily.
As a 4X player, I was overwhelmed in one of my failed empires. I had expanded beyond my control, made friends with no one, and when some jerk came around to poke holes into my empire's defenses, I almost caved and deleted my save. However, the combat and AI social behaviours are so forgiving. Despite aggressive species, there will be combinations of events and interactions that impact battles, despite the outcome looking bleak. There's a system of claims and negotiating prior to declaring war, and during wars other species will notice what is happening.
I never expected story in a 4X game that wasn't player-created. I have my stories of "so I let this fleet chase me to a star system where I ambushed them," but there's so much scripted in here. There are story-lines based on your exploration and research, then there's choices within the stories that impact the outcome of that and your empire. I had a failed empire because of some creepy horror story in the game that reminded me of a well-written sci-fi psychological thriller movie.
I'm really glad I gave this chance after chance to learn and engage with, because it's really fun and deep. I haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but I'm very excited for getting my Stellaris friends together to continue learning and campaigning together.