8 ms·

I really enjoyed 4X games back in the genre's heyday. Not only Civilization, but also Colonization, Master of Magic and Master of Orion 1&2. Have there been an

by xiaoma 12y ago

I really enjoyed 4X games back in the genre's heyday. Not only Civilization, but also Colonization, Master of Magic and Master of Orion 1&2. Have there been any new turn-based 4X games in recent times? I remember looking for a 4X flash game in 2010 and coming up empty handed. I don't really have time to play that kind of game anyway, but those were good memories.

4k 12y ago
I am really looking forward to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization:_Beyond_Earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization:_Beyond_Earth Its supposedly spiritual sequel to Alpha Centauri.
- luckyno13 12y ago
  You and I both. I have never played a Civ game, but have played other 4X games and this game has be absolutely itching to play it. Its been a while since I have anticipated a game release this much. Oct. 24th isn't too awful far though.
kitsune_ 12y ago
Galactic Civilizations II, released in 2006. Gal Civ III will be released soon-ish. Then not turn-based, and not necessarily 4X, but the Paradox games like Crusader Kings 2 or Europa Universalis IV can be fun too.
- deciplex 12y ago
  I can't recommend Distant Worlds enough, if you are looking for a 'Paradox game' in space (it's not produced by Paradox though). There is also Stardrive which is similar, though also much simpler.
a3089268 12y ago
Have a look at Paradox Development Studio games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Development_Studio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Development_Studio I'd recommend EU4 if you're new. Next to it, Civilization looks like a game for kids.
- tP5n 12y ago
  While I absolutely love EU4 (and CK2 by the same dev), it is not a turn-based strategy game and its scale is different from the Civ-likes (not 4X either). If one is after a modern turn-based game I'd still recommend the new Civ and XCom games by Firaxis.
  - vacri 12y ago
    EUIV is definitely a 4x. There's exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. Almost every game will have the latter three, and depending on which country you play, the first item can be either fundamental or irrelevant.
- angersock 12y ago
  Hearts of Iron II broke my brain.
ekianjo 12y ago
Colonization beats hand down Civilization for me, anytime. It's more realistic and coherent (the tech trees in civ feel completely artificial) and it's great fun to play as different nations. The manual itself was also a great read, teaching you many thing about how the actual colonization took place. One of the best games by Sid Meier.
- whistlerbrk 12y ago
  Largely because Brian Reynolds designed it
  - ekianjo 12y ago
    Good catch, I was not aware that he was involved at that time... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Reynolds_%28game_designer%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Reynolds_%28game_designe...
- pkorzeniewski 12y ago
  If anyone is interested, you can grab Colonization at GOG.com [1] for $5.99 [1] http://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_colonization http://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_colonization
- joeclark77 12y ago
  There was a new version based on the Civ 4 engine (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/ http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/) but it wasn't as good as the original. The main problem was that the game ended too soon. You'd only have three cities or so, and suddenly it would be time to hold your revolution. Realistic, perhaps, but frustrating when you want to build up the whole continent.
  - masklinn 12y ago
    > There was a new version based on the Civ 4 engine (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/ http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/) but it wasn't as good as the original. It was absolutely terrible, I got it and was crushed by how bad it was. It felt like a Colonization-themed Civ IV (which I guess is what it was), rather than a Colonization remake.
SDGT 12y ago
You might like some of the Heroes of Might and Magic games. The last one I played was III, so it's been over 10 years, but they were always fun.
- masklinn 12y ago
  HoMM games are not 4X. They're great[0], but they're not like Civ at all. [0] Though I prefer the King's Bounty remake[1] [1] Although 1C is excessive in its milking, Armored Princess + Crossworlds had a somewhat better balance and interesting new units wrt The Legend, but Warriors of the North got seriously long in the tooth, felt like "well we'll just reskin a few units and change the magic/rage balance and call it a day
drhayes9 12y ago
Might be too simple when measured against those heavies, but check out Neptune's Pride 2: http://triton.ironhelmet.com http://triton.ironhelmet.com Slow, real-time 4x strategy game with no randomness and lots of fun.
xsmasher 12y ago
Sins of a solar empire, Warlock, Endless space; Steam has dozens of them under the "4x" tag. http://store.steampowered.com/tag/en/4X/ http://store.steampowered.com/tag/en/4X/
bane 12y ago
Tons. One of my favorites is Space Empires IV. It's a pretty old game, but can be absolutely epic in scale. You should probably check out http://www.reddit.com/r/4xgaming http://www.reddit.com/r/4xgaming
- xiaoma 12y ago
  Thank you so much for sharing that subreddit! It's a treasure trove.
- dlhavema 12y ago
  i gotta read posts more closely, the Space Empires games are really fun, you gotta play SE5, Malfador (the creator) took it into pretty cool looking 3D and the combat looks greats.
  - bane 12y ago
    I ended up not like SEV for some reason I can't quite put my thumb on. On the flip side SEIV is a lightweight enough game I have it zipped up and stashed in my dropbox so I can download it on whatever and get to playing. It'll even run on pretty old hardware. I used to play it on my netbook quite happily.
swombat 12y ago
The best 4X game I've ever played is called "business". It's incredibly deep and complex, never ceases to surprise me, has unbelievably versatile multi-player options, and requires constant creativity to come up with winning strategies. One of the great features of this game is that the points earned in-game can be spent in any shop in exchange for goods and services. For example, you could earn £5000 points in-game and, after paying tax (one of the more annoying features - who asked for that?) you can spend that at the Apple Store to buy a spanking new computer. How cool is that? There are all sorts of scenarios available, and depending on your starting resources and chosen strategy the game can provide a vastly different feel. It's really good, I recommend it. One big downside compared to traditional 4X games, though, is you're never really in control of anything. So if you really crave that sense of control that you get from having a well-organised empire and steamrolling over your opposition in the controlled environment of Civ-like games then you will want to go back to the traditional computer-based versions from time to time.
- Kurtz79 12y ago
  "£5000 points in-game and, after paying tax (one of the more annoying features - who asked for that?)" If you had spent some time playing Civilization, you would know that taxes allow your country to have things like roads, an army, public education, and many other things that put together create the conditions for you to play "business" :)
  - NickPollard 12y ago
    In Civ IV though, it's possible to get enough great merchants and then run at 0% tax rate in some kind of scientific utopia, which I presume is where silicon valley libertarians got their ideas from.
- xiaoma 12y ago
  I'm on my third now, swombat. It may very well have been the love of 4X games that initially lead me to take an entrepreneurial path.
msh 12y ago
Anyone have 4x recommendations for Android?
- dlhavema 12y ago
  i wish... anybody else play Space Empires? SE5 is really fun and looks great, but the AI is just horrible...
  - wtracy 12y ago
    I have no idea how you'd play a game like that on a phone. Are you thinking about tablets?
    - msh 12y ago
      Yes I was thinking about tablets actually but I think it could also be playable on phablets
crapshoot101 12y ago
Gal Civ (1 and 2) were pretty fun, and the AI is genuinely top notch; way better than typical 4X AI, in that it actually ran the different civilizations as having different interests, rather than all against you. Brad Wardell has garnered a lot of attention (not all of it good), but Stardock's stuff is generally pretty good.
chipsy 12y ago
Although it's not new now, you should definitely try the Frog City Imperialism series(they're on GOG). Very taut, economic-oriented 4X games, they're turn based and spiritually precede the Paradox games in how they move away from the wargame unit-movement and city-management trope in favor of mechanics around province boundaries, transit links, and centralized production sliders. There are occasionally new 4X games that appear on Steam but I haven't found one I like yet. Actually, maybe you shouldn't try Imperialism if you don't have a few days free. It is a dangerously addicting game, especially the second one.

by xiaoma 12y ago

4k 12y ago

I am really looking forward to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization:_Beyond_Earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization:_Beyond_Earth Its supposedly spiritual sequel to Alpha Centauri.

luckyno13 12y ago
You and I both. I have never played a Civ game, but have played other 4X games and this game has be absolutely itching to play it. Its been a while since I have anticipated a game release this much. Oct. 24th isn't too awful far though.

kitsune_ 12y ago

Galactic Civilizations II, released in 2006. Gal Civ III will be released soon-ish. Then not turn-based, and not necessarily 4X, but the Paradox games like Crusader Kings 2 or Europa Universalis IV can be fun too.

deciplex 12y ago
I can't recommend Distant Worlds enough, if you are looking for a 'Paradox game' in space (it's not produced by Paradox though). There is also Stardrive which is similar, though also much simpler.

a3089268 12y ago

Have a look at Paradox Development Studio games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Development_Studio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_Development_Studio I'd recommend EU4 if you're new. Next to it, Civilization looks like a game for kids.

tP5n 12y ago
While I absolutely love EU4 (and CK2 by the same dev), it is not a turn-based strategy game and its scale is different from the Civ-likes (not 4X either). If one is after a modern turn-based game I'd still recommend the new Civ and XCom games by Firaxis.
- vacri 12y ago
  EUIV is definitely a 4x. There's exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. Almost every game will have the latter three, and depending on which country you play, the first item can be either fundamental or irrelevant.
angersock 12y ago
Hearts of Iron II broke my brain.

ekianjo 12y ago

Colonization beats hand down Civilization for me, anytime. It's more realistic and coherent (the tech trees in civ feel completely artificial) and it's great fun to play as different nations. The manual itself was also a great read, teaching you many thing about how the actual colonization took place. One of the best games by Sid Meier.

whistlerbrk 12y ago
Largely because Brian Reynolds designed it
- ekianjo 12y ago
  Good catch, I was not aware that he was involved at that time... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Reynolds_%28game_designer%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Reynolds_%28game_designe...
pkorzeniewski 12y ago
If anyone is interested, you can grab Colonization at GOG.com [1] for $5.99 [1] http://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_colonization http://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_colonization
joeclark77 12y ago
There was a new version based on the Civ 4 engine (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/ http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/) but it wasn't as good as the original. The main problem was that the game ended too soon. You'd only have three cities or so, and suddenly it would be time to hold your revolution. Realistic, perhaps, but frustrating when you want to build up the whole continent.
- masklinn 12y ago
  > There was a new version based on the Civ 4 engine (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/ http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/colonization/) but it wasn't as good as the original. It was absolutely terrible, I got it and was crushed by how bad it was. It felt like a Colonization-themed Civ IV (which I guess is what it was), rather than a Colonization remake.

SDGT 12y ago

You might like some of the Heroes of Might and Magic games. The last one I played was III, so it's been over 10 years, but they were always fun.

masklinn 12y ago
HoMM games are not 4X. They're great[0], but they're not like Civ at all. [0] Though I prefer the King's Bounty remake[1] [1] Although 1C is excessive in its milking, Armored Princess + Crossworlds had a somewhat better balance and interesting new units wrt The Legend, but Warriors of the North got seriously long in the tooth, felt like "well we'll just reskin a few units and change the magic/rage balance and call it a day

drhayes9 12y ago

Might be too simple when measured against those heavies, but check out Neptune's Pride 2: http://triton.ironhelmet.com http://triton.ironhelmet.com Slow, real-time 4x strategy game with no randomness and lots of fun.

xsmasher 12y ago

Sins of a solar empire, Warlock, Endless space; Steam has dozens of them under the "4x" tag. http://store.steampowered.com/tag/en/4X/ http://store.steampowered.com/tag/en/4X/

bane 12y ago

Tons. One of my favorites is Space Empires IV. It's a pretty old game, but can be absolutely epic in scale. You should probably check out http://www.reddit.com/r/4xgaming http://www.reddit.com/r/4xgaming

xiaoma 12y ago
Thank you so much for sharing that subreddit! It's a treasure trove.
dlhavema 12y ago
i gotta read posts more closely, the Space Empires games are really fun, you gotta play SE5, Malfador (the creator) took it into pretty cool looking 3D and the combat looks greats.
- bane 12y ago
  I ended up not like SEV for some reason I can't quite put my thumb on. On the flip side SEIV is a lightweight enough game I have it zipped up and stashed in my dropbox so I can download it on whatever and get to playing. It'll even run on pretty old hardware. I used to play it on my netbook quite happily.

swombat 12y ago

The best 4X game I've ever played is called "business". It's incredibly deep and complex, never ceases to surprise me, has unbelievably versatile multi-player options, and requires constant creativity to come up with winning strategies. One of the great features of this game is that the points earned in-game can be spent in any shop in exchange for goods and services. For example, you could earn £5000 points in-game and, after paying tax (one of the more annoying features - who asked for that?) you can spend that at the Apple Store to buy a spanking new computer. How cool is that? There are all sorts of scenarios available, and depending on your starting resources and chosen strategy the game can provide a vastly different feel. It's really good, I recommend it. One big downside compared to traditional 4X games, though, is you're never really in control of anything. So if you really crave that sense of control that you get from having a well-organised empire and steamrolling over your opposition in the controlled environment of Civ-like games then you will want to go back to the traditional computer-based versions from time to time.

Kurtz79 12y ago
"£5000 points in-game and, after paying tax (one of the more annoying features - who asked for that?)" If you had spent some time playing Civilization, you would know that taxes allow your country to have things like roads, an army, public education, and many other things that put together create the conditions for you to play "business" :)
- NickPollard 12y ago
  In Civ IV though, it's possible to get enough great merchants and then run at 0% tax rate in some kind of scientific utopia, which I presume is where silicon valley libertarians got their ideas from.
xiaoma 12y ago
I'm on my third now, swombat. It may very well have been the love of 4X games that initially lead me to take an entrepreneurial path.

msh 12y ago

Anyone have 4x recommendations for Android?

dlhavema 12y ago
i wish... anybody else play Space Empires? SE5 is really fun and looks great, but the AI is just horrible...
- wtracy 12y ago
  I have no idea how you'd play a game like that on a phone. Are you thinking about tablets?
  - msh 12y ago
    Yes I was thinking about tablets actually but I think it could also be playable on phablets

crapshoot101 12y ago

Gal Civ (1 and 2) were pretty fun, and the AI is genuinely top notch; way better than typical 4X AI, in that it actually ran the different civilizations as having different interests, rather than all against you. Brad Wardell has garnered a lot of attention (not all of it good), but Stardock's stuff is generally pretty good.

chipsy 12y ago

Although it's not new now, you should definitely try the Frog City Imperialism series(they're on GOG). Very taut, economic-oriented 4X games, they're turn based and spiritually precede the Paradox games in how they move away from the wargame unit-movement and city-management trope in favor of mechanics around province boundaries, transit links, and centralized production sliders. There are occasionally new 4X games that appear on Steam but I haven't found one I like yet. Actually, maybe you shouldn't try Imperialism if you don't have a few days free. It is a dangerously addicting game, especially the second one.