I'd like to get more into 4X games, but I don't know which game I should try first.
I've only played a little bit of Civ 6 (which I know is not liked much around here), so I'm kind of a noob. I love sci-fi, and in particular I was looking at Stellaris - but after having read many reviews, I can't understand whether it's good, bad, or just decent.
In the end, every setting is fine for me, be it realistic or fictional; I'm really just looking for a good game to try out.
you can discover the games and have fun but it will never last when you realize how shit it is under the hood. its either multiplayer or nothing
Stellaris is a fun sandbox with a space 4x theme. It's a pretty good introduction to 4x, but don't expect it to really challenge you once you've figured it out. It's more of a space empire roleplay. And mods make it 1000x better.
If you're looking for something crunchy, I recommend Shadow Empires. It's got a UI and engine straight from the 90s, despite being released in 2020, and the logistics is a micro hell of you want to optimize it, but it's overall a pretty good wargame-style 4x with a post apocalypse space theme.
If I were to buy Stellaris, which DLCs should I get?
Being a Paradox game, I'm pretty sure there are at least 2 or 3 dlcs that radically change the way you play the game, but I'd rather not spend 100+ dollars on the ultimate bundle
you pirate them and then you buy only if you need mods from workshop or when keeping up with patches is too much effort. DO NOT GIVE PARADOX MONEY
Yeah, buying the main game and pirating the rest of the content seems like the best course of action.
I just downloaded a repack of the ultimate edition, I plan to try it out leaving the dlcs aside to see if it's actually worth it for me
http://cosmicsupremacy.com/
This is pretty much the best space 4x that has ever been made. It's multiplayer-only and few play it any more, but it's still active enough to get a good game. Each turn takes 4-6 hours, depending on the arena you join. It's also free :). The reason it's so good is that it's not unnecessarily complicated. Every game mechanic is meaningful. Compare that to a mess like Stellaris where shit is just thrown in every 6 months so that they can sell you a new DLC.
If you want something simpler with a board game feel, try Neptune's Pride. It's more active, although it feels more like Risk than an actual 4x computer game.
As for single player titles, Remnants of the precursors is good even though the UI is clunky. It is to MOO1 as Xenonauts is to XCOM: a spiritual successor that is more accessible with minor balance tweaks. You can also try NuMoo with the balance-overhauling 5X mod. I wouldn't try Moo2 because it's too tedious.
Buy the base game and CreamAPI the rest. Stellaris is an alien race creator with a galactic economy, politics, and visual novel simulator attached to it. It tries to be every type of game at once which is why you need to download all the content for it. Since it's way overpriced, just buy the base game and pirate everything.
>You can also try NuMoo with the balance-overhauling 5X mod. I wouldn't try Moo2 because it's too tedious.
New Master of Orion: Conquer the stars is good game after all. Especially with mods like 5X Ultimate Balance Mod by Spud Dastardly that changes many aspects of the game or if you would play more vanilla like game then try 5X Lite also there is another must have mod - Unofficial Code Patch(UCP) by Whatissol that fixes many game bugs. You can find these mods on moddb but not on nexusmods.
New MoO appeal to audience that has never played 4X strategies in their life so it moderately easy to learn how to play and does not have some deep mechanics.
For MoO 2 there is great mod that fixes many game bugs and add some features and other mods. You can find it on moo2mod. It's classical 4X strategy.
New Moo is good, but it feels very generic. It feels like they just took all the common features in every other space 4x, and didn't add anything new. It's definitely not a bad start, but other games do more.
>but it feels very generic.
Yes, primary cause of this is because Wargaming wanted to create overall good and easy to understand game for young generation of gamers who are never played any 4X game in their lifes before.
For sci-fi 4X the obvious answer is Alpha Centauri. The UI is in my opinion a bit archaic in the beginning, but it's a great game.
Space 4X there is Master of Orion 1 and 2. For a more modern version of that I liked Stars in Shadow. Or, if you want fancy graphics, Endless Space series.
start here
https://playclassic.games/games/4x-dos-games-online/play-sid-meiers-civilization-online/play/
I'll try it out, thanks
IMO start with 6 and branch out. Civ 6 covers all of the 4x bases and adds some new urban planning gameplay which has a big skill ceiling. If you don't vibe with 6 go check 4 or 5.
You could always go play SMAC if you want sci-fi
>new urban planning gameplay
>big skill ceiling
Lol. The biggest hurdle would be sorting through the clunky UI to figure out what gives two plus more of a yield or similar shit.
Civ 6 is great. It’s got the most depth and best mechanics out of all the civ games. Boomers on here just think “new thing bad, old thing good.” Don’t let them discourage you.
Art style of Civ6 filters me hard
I must say, I'm not a fan of the graphic style, but the game feels great.
Also yeah, you're probably right on the boomers hating new thing part. Maybe I let others' opinions influence me too much
Graphics are partly fixable via mods, but there isn't anything to cover up the pixar reject leaders, at least yet.
As for depth, I find most mechanic superfluous or done better in other games, but it's fair since you are a newcomer to 4x.
Is Knights of Honor 2 considered a 4x game?
Id say its 4x lite, quite casual but still fun.
Also i finally caved in and im pirating Humankind, im so starved for 4x game bros...
Btw one interesting 4x is on the horizon but it might never release, called "Imperial Ambition"
What are your thoughts about the Galactic Civilization series? I forgot I had managed to get a free copy of GalCiv II with all dlcs.
It looks quite old, but maybe it's good enough?
The newer entries also appear to be hit or miss based on the reviews but idk
2 is a great game. I haven't given 3 enough of a try but it suffered backlash due to stuff going on with the business at the time and also because 4x tend to take several dlc to become good and somehow players forget this for every new game. Likewise, 4 isn't finished yet so it probably shouldn't be judged until the future. I have some negative views about 2 as well but it's only minor things.
Do NOT play the campaign in 2 btw, the game has changed so much that it has become a huge pain to get through.
>and somehow players forget this for every new game.
Or perhaps they hope the cynical and manipulative attitude to be gone someday. Naive, I know.
You might like Endless Space 2.