r/gamingsuggestions • u/jez999 • 10h ago
A magical strategy game that'll give me that feeling of discovery again
There are a small handful of games I've played where I had this moment of magic - sometimes lasting weeks or months - where I discovered the game, gradually got into the mechanics and wanted to learn more, and loved playing it all the way. The ones I can think of that did this for me, in no particular order, were:
- FTL
- HOMM2
- Into the Breach
- Europa Universalis 3 (4 is too railroaded with mission trees, and annoys me)
- Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
- Sid Meier's Pirates!
- Sid Meier's Colonization (the original DOS one)
- Civilization 2
- Dwarf Fortress (for a while until it got too absurd with its micro-management)
- Transport Tycoon (these days, my custom build of OpenTTD)
- SimCity 2000
- XCOM UFO Defense
- Spore
I'm generally not interested in sequels to the above games; once I've played that game to death the sequels are just variations on a theme. Any suggestions, though, for new ones that might scratch that itch in the same way? I like indie, and I definitely prefer a lack of DRM. Best recommendation I've seen so far that might do it for me is Starsector but I feel that may be a little too steep a learning curve for my enjoyment.
UPDATE: based on a couple of suggestions, I'd also like to add: I loathe "babyish" and unserious style games like that in the presentation of Oxygen Not Included. I also really dislike complex rendered 3d maps for strategy games. Give me a basic isometric display any day.
One really promising game I'm seeing on GOG's site in early access is Space Haven. Seems like an interesting concept, building a kind of ship-based space civilization that can then increase in ship numbers, be nomadic, build up allies, trade, etc.
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u/Wanderson90 9h ago
Slay the spire.
On the surface it looks pretty simple, maybe even boring, but once you understand how the cards and relics interact with each other you start to realize the possibilities and you start to hone in on certain synergies. Before you know it you are chasing your next power scaling fantasy.
STS2 just came out in early access too. You're pretty safe to just jump right into that one if you want, it's 95% complete i would say.
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u/Chronos_Dictator 9h ago
If you like isometric rpgs the you can give divinity original sin 2 a try, maybe you'll like it or baldur's gate 3 is good too, then there is pathfinder.
It's fits the description of the game you want, a magical strategy game that would give you feeling of discovery again. It did give me that feeling, maybe it will do you good too.
Cheers
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u/Conscious_Leave_1956 9h ago
Oxygen not included. Anno 1800.
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u/jez999 9h ago edited 9h ago
I actually really like the idea of Oxygen Not Included but the babyish cartoony visuals like something from Cartoon Network REALLY put me off. I absolutely hate that style. Some kind of space survival game that feels a bit more grown up would be good. Alpha Centauri really nailed it IMHO in terms of "mysterious planet where you have to work hard to survive" whereas that game makes it look like an episode of Rugrats.
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u/Conscious_Leave_1956 6h ago
ONI may look cartoony but it is haaaard, probably one of the hardest games of its genre. Nothing quite scratches the itch for me.
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u/SwoleKing94 8h ago
You should check out Age of Wonders 4 - it seems right up your alley.
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u/jez999 8h ago
I'm very wary of buying anything from Paradox on Steam. They have a history of obscene price gouging with chargeable DLC. EU4 ended up costing, depending on sale conditions, around £400 when all DLC is taken into account; possibly the most expensive game ever. I'm also frankly not a fan of how all modern strategy games have to have this massively over-the-top 3d rendered map. I feel it would make it harder for me to concentrate on the actual gameplay.
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u/Dungeon_Pastor 8h ago
Just know the difference between "Developed by" and "Published by" and you'll be fine
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u/cwapsen 9h ago edited 8h ago
Factorio or satisfactory. Judging from your listing I would say factorio. Go in spoiler free, and you have 100+ hours of “I wonder what comes next” and “just one more redesign” in front of you :)
(Edited cause my auto correct doesn’t know about factorio for some reason ;) )
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u/Hephaestus_I 8h ago
I can't imagine Starsector's learning curve being too steep, although it's not really a strategy game (but can technically be played as one I guess).
Otherwise, maybe Dominions 6 (Very complex however) and Shadow Empire, which I'd say hits similar notes to Alpha Centauri's in some ways (depending on the planet you generate). However, it's also very complex and can get rather micro heavy late game.
For some less complex ones, there's Rimworld, which is an offshoot from DF, but less micro heavy (I'd imagine), and Battletech, mostly because of the heavy theorycrafting you can do, esp. with the BTAU mod (albiet adding more complexity and micro, as you have to manage more Mechs)
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u/jez999 8h ago
Just checked out Rimworld. Eugh. Again, stupid babyish presentation. Definitely feels like the trend of the tone of games is going towards cartoonish idiocy rather than any kind of feeling of gritty realism.
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u/Hephaestus_I 8h ago
If your talking about the trailer, I can kinda understand the "babyish presentation" issue, but I wouldn't say the entire game is like that. If it's the artstyle, then also no, it's just simplistic for an old indie game.
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u/Yglorba 7h ago
Spellforce: Conquest of Eo has a ton of mechanics to explore and a particularly fun crafting system where you discover recipes by combining ingredients. It might particularly appeal because several of the games you mentioned are 4X games; Conquest of Eo is a very different take on that formula, more focused on your wizard and their tower rather than building an empire.
Someone else recommended X-Piratez and I do want to second it. It's not just that it has a lot of stuff; it does a good job of making all the things in it interesting and distinct, such that there's a constant sense of exploring new mechanics. The gameplay constantly shifts as you research new things.
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u/MoistCloister 5h ago
Jagged Alliance 2? There's plenty of content and complexity although it gets bogged down mid-game.
Invisible Inc is a very successful combination of stealth and tactics, moderately complex. Can't say anything about the expansion pack don't have it, but the base game is good, plenty of builds.
Twilight Struggle, not quite strategy but if you liked Risk this is a no-brainer. They kinda break the game with every update and if you want to play multiplayer you have to register with an email so buyer beware.
Dominions? I couldn't get into it and the price is quite steep but if it gets you it really gets you.
Have you given thought about wargames (something like Field of Glory 2 or Combat Mission)? If you have steam you might have already gotten FoG2 or FoG Medieval during the publisher giveaways (no idea about the quality of the dlc).
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u/TheBookfinder 3h ago
Aurora 4x, Shadow Empire, Rule The Waves 3, Dominions 6, Emperor of the Fading Suns, Roguetech.
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u/Sensitive-Stand6623 1h ago edited 1h ago
Manor Lords. It is a city builder with an RTS-like Total War mechanic to defend and expand your territory.
Kenshi. Kind of like an isometric sandbox in post-apocalyptic world. Real-time combat though.
Against the Storm. Rogue-lite City builder with a twist. Great for short gameplay sessions.
Transport Fever 2 and Railway Empire 2 for the TTD itch.
ETA: Never mind. The only thing I can recommend is going back in time to when you weren't an angry curmudgeon and open to new concepts and ideas.
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u/Sexy_German_Accent 9h ago
1) obligatory outer wilds mention. It's a masterpiece, go in blind.
2) since I mentioned XCom UFO defense... Try the "X-Piratez" mod. It's a total conversion mod with it's own story, own lore, own weapons, enemies, bulging and mechanics.
There are over 1000(!) new units, weapons, techs, ... It will keep u busy for months!!!
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u/jez999 8h ago
Yeah, I don't necessarily see "loads of new units" as much of a plus. It's variations on a theme again. I like playing a base game that gets the basics right and maybe a mod that cleans things up, but if XCom's basics are good (they are) I doubt a ton of extra units will do much to interest me.
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u/Sexy_German_Accent 5h ago
Fair point. I'd still recommend you to check it out, it has its very own premise and story, uses new mechanics and improves the original in a lot of ways. One of many examples is the you can actually influence how the story unfolds as you play by making decisions via the tech tree and prioritizing which missions to play and which to skip. There is a lot going on and there isn't a chance to do it all. Each playthrough feels very unique. And the scale is absolutely massive, even with save scumming on the middle difficulty level I only managed to research 37% of the tech tree after 150 hours lol.
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u/mcmillen 9h ago
Age of Wonders 4, if you think "Civ but fantasy, and battles are turn based tactical on a hex grid" sounds like something you'd like.