> 4x in space, though, somehow defies the rule that adding 'in space' to anything makes it better. A 4x game on land automatically has to represent terrain. T

> 4x in space, though, somehow defies the rule that adding 'in space' to anything makes it better. A 4x game on land automatically has to represent terrain. That immediately brings our intuitive associations to the fore: mountains are impassable, hills are good for mining and defense, and you need ships to cross water. A 4x game "in space" has to do without native terrain, and certainly without terrain that is automatically intuitive. The Plasma Storm Nebula is a creation (or not) out of whole cloth, with no natural rules beyond what the game designers impart. That's a more complicated design space, and at the same time it's not immediately, emotionally engaging for the player in the same way that playing on Earth is.