{"id":3081,"date":"2015-12-20T22:45:45","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T03:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/wordpress\/?p=3081"},"modified":"2019-01-06T20:00:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T01:00:52","slug":"distant-worlds-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/distant-worlds-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Distant Worlds: Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shapes! Things! Sprites stacked in belief-subverting physics faux pas!<\/p><\/div>\n

Game Name<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Distant Worlds: Universe (2014)
\nDeveloper<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Code Force – (no other mentionable titles) http:\/\/www.codeforce.co.nz\/
\nPlatform<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0PC (reviewed on PC)
\nCategories<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Single Player, 4X Space, Empire Sandbox\/Simulator, Real Time Strategy (w\/\u00a0autopause), Grand Strategy<\/p>\n

May Appeal To<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> armchair emperors extraordinaire, cerebral folk, fellow min-maxers, and spreadsheet crunchers; those seeking a versatile and customized approach to 4X
\nMay Repulse<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> the impatient, those requiring\u00a0graphical eye-candy, those\u00a0agoraphobic of open-ended simulators, those afraid of taming the chaos that is\u00a0in-game alert barrages<\/p>\n

Comparable\u00a0To<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>(deeper and more organic than) Galactic Civilizations II, (less tedious than) Space Empires V, (less polish but more complexity than) Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, (more fun than) Masters of Orion 2, (less quirky than) Sword of the Stars, (less defining story\u00a0but more engaging\u00a0than) Crusader Kings, (much greater\u00a0sense of accomplishment and control than) Hearts of Iron III<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Learning Curve<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Steep, maybe 2+ hours to hit a groove in navigation and familiarity
\nMatch\u00a0Length<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>Variable and Epic, I believe 6 hour minimum is a fair estimate (there are speed throttles)
\nDifficulty<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Customizable, though\u00a0it\u00a0leans towards a challenging experience regardless
\nMastery<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>Each race has their own goalposts in order to\u00a0“win” a game and there are so many moving pieces -translating to a broad\u00a0and rewarding stable of skills to practice, encouraging a differing approach to each match. Or you could automate literally everything and just watch the drama unfold with a tub of popcorn.<\/p>\n

Story<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> You’re the author and the cold resistance of space is your blank notebook. Get out there and make\u00a0some adventure.<\/p>\n

Presentation<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> The graphics are barely adequate and the sound FX\u00a0screech\u00a0atrociously. The variations in sprites for different races and starbases are serviceable\u00a0but leave much to the imagination or to be\u00a0desired since colorful graphs and clunky icons do most of the heavy-lifting. Think Windows error message alerts and payphone keypress quality in terms of audio expectations. One particular music track is overtly\u00a0awkward.<\/p>\n

Unique Features<\/strong><\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> You can automate any facet of your empire – the economy, spymasters, combat, starbase and ship design, invasions, research, diplomacy, and even specific individual ships or ship types. This means you can play as little or as much of the empire builder that you want, when you want. Pirates start out with secret bases and take your money through either bribes or smuggling missions – which hints at a lucrative and dynamic side of this space sim you’re forced to crush, comply, or contort to your will. This is also the first game I’ve seen that has a Private vs State sector economy where you create opportunities for corporations to grow and indirectly make your $$$s from them.<\/p>\n

Gameplay<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Navigate the interface and the stars, pay pirates for protection [at first], and discover warp technology that opens up the gateway to new and exciting obstacles. Manipulate friend and foe alike, leverage trade or warfare, fight off gigantic scorpions lurking in asteroids, design your ideal fleet and maintain it like clockwork. Manage your leaders, develop their skills, or mourn their loss through tragic circumstances. Respond to planet shattering natural disasters or discover long lost superweapons to wreak pure havoc. Protect your colonies and manage about 50 unique resources with varying scarcity and demand in a real-time economy shared by you and the xenophobic neighbors alike. Enslave the seasonally-aggressive spider people, coerce the holographic race of ancient computers, or place the cutesy seal people under a proctectorate in your bid to come out on top. Falter in your versatility and…. well, maybe your memory will be etched in the interstellar records of all things temporary.<\/p>\n

Additional Comments<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0For better or worse, this game is built on a graphical class library called Windows Forms and is directly tied into your .NET framework installation\u00a0on your computer, requires Windows Media Player, and even utilizes Internet Explorer of all things…. This is very, very weird in my opinion.<\/p>\n

What I Liked<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> The balance, the adventure, the interesting aliens, the ship design, the research, and the varying approaches to this game. It’s also massive and immersive. The AI is cunning and realistic, and quite capable of thwarting your efforts with individual race bonuses and strategic advancement. I occasionally relied on my advisors’ suggestions, often made personal sacrifices, and soon tweaked the experience to suit my expectations and need. In short, I had to stoop to backstabbing long-standing allies to fill my Victory bar, though it was a unique and painstaking journey to grapple with an ever-shifting universe. The mercenary pirates dynamic is a nice and nefarious touch that meshes with the well-tread familiarity of staving off the advances of other empires. There are a staggering amount of approaches to victory -such as my racial research bonuses coupled with a strong-armed force of ship-crippling ion cannons, boarding parties, and clouds of high tech fighter drones.<\/p>\n

What I Disliked<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> The non-music audio grates on my\u00a0ears and text is blurry and microscopic with awful kearning (only rectified by resizing your Operating System’s fonts). Despite the in-game wiki of topics\/concepts, it was oddly disorganized and disjunct\u00a0for my liking. The controls weren’t specifically intuitive either, though adapting to the game eventually belied a deceptively simple method of sorting information and juggling my empire.<\/p>\n

Glitches Experienced<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>This game wouldn’t start at first and it took me a couple hours to figure it out, even\u00a0after a clean Steam\u00a0download and install. I ended up having to alter a config file to read “videos=0” to even get to the initial splash screen. It was smooth as butter afterwards, even with the massive amount of calculations happening simultaneously for multiple-hour sessions. I was impressed by the speed and fluidity after initial setup.<\/p>\n

Hours I Played<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> 50 – one completed match and about 10 false starts during learning<\/p>\n

My Personal\u00a0Reaction<\/span>:<\/strong> <\/span>I had a blast and welcomed both the challenge and complexity. It is well worth the time, money, and patience in reaching game competency. I wish its features were less obtuse to discover, though it makes me feel like\u00a0a true galactic emperor and less\u00a0of some sort of regional custodian tasked with multiple planets. This is one of my top favorites in this genre and I’ll likely return time and again.<\/p>\n

Noob Tips<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Identify which pirates are a proximity\/power threat to your empire and pay them off prior to them invading to save money. Research colonization early\u00a0(it takes a while) and\u00a0establish new mines and stations on consolidated\u00a0systems you control\u00a0for defense. Micro-manage forces to each patrol individual systems vs an interstellar “uber fleet”. Don’t build more ships than you need. Pick allies and pacts carefully.<\/p>\n

Depth and Replayability<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Extremely High, endlessly customizable matches and unparalleled automation allows you to play how you want. A strength of this game includes creatively approaching the software which can either be an ant farm or a fully controlled sandbox (with a few rules). For example, you could pilot a lone starship charting unknown space while your empire chugs along autonomously or you could be a spymaster whom silently influences the rise and fall of nations from behind the scenes. You could also commandeer a budding pirate army that operates purely on extortion or smuggling to get by, pioneering hidden bases within your “clients’ ” territory prior to hostile takeover.<\/p>\n

Suggested Value<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> I spent $30 on a Steam Sale, would pay $45, and do not believe it’s worth a\u00a0full $60.\u00a0The quirks are too great to throttle this up to full price.<\/p>\n

Where to Buy<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span> Steam, Matrix, and Slitherine online stores<\/p>\n

Subjective Categorical Ranking<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span>
\n(Platform capabilities are considered for Graphics and Sound)<\/b>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0| poor \u00a0|<\/span>| \u00a0bad \u00a0 |<\/span>| average |<\/span>| good |<\/span>|\u00a0great\u00a0|<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Fun Factor |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\nUnique Gameplay |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Controls & UI |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Story & Lore |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 Graphics & Style |<\/strong>\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 Sound & Music |\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588\u2588<\/span><\/strong>
\n—————————————————————————————
\n\"Distant<\/a><\/p>\n

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Indeed, our Yellow will dashed line their Purple before the year is through. Mark my words gentlemen: “Concentric circles, blinky light.” Oh yes.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Game Name: Distant Worlds: Universe (2014) Developer: Code Force – (no other mentionable titles) http:\/\/www.codeforce.co.nz\/ Platform:\u00a0PC (reviewed on PC) Categories: Single Player, 4X Space, Empire Sandbox\/Simulator, Real Time Strategy (w\/\u00a0autopause), Grand Strategy May Appeal To: armchair emperors extraordinaire, cerebral folk, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vg-quick-reference-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3081"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3905,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3081\/revisions\/3905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/skullduggery.us\/rants\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}