Remnants of the Precursors - a free space 4x, new version out on Xmas!

Started by al_infierno, December 25, 2019, 10:21:19 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

al_infierno

In light of the space 4x discussions going on in other threads, I thought i'd post one for this gem I discovered recently. 



I haven't sunk my teeth into it yet, so at this point I don't know if it's "yet another MOO clone" or if it really stands out on its own, but the gameplay showed in the video looks promising, and you can't complain about the price  8)

Download the latest version from here:  https://rayfowler.itch.io/remnants-of-the-precursors  Requires Java...
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

Martok

I've had my eye on this one for quite some time now.  I never played MOO1, so I'm eager to see what Ray has done with this remake.  Looks like he's done some good work. 
"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

"At our ages, they all look like jailbait." - mirth

"If we had lines here that would have crossed all of them. For the 1,077,986th time." - Gusington

"Government is so expensive that it should at least be entertaining." - airboy

"As long as there's bacon, everything will be all right." - Toonces

Anguille

Quote from: Martok on December 26, 2019, 01:23:04 AM
I've had my eye on this one for quite some time now.  I never played MOO1, so I'm eager to see what Ray has done with this remake.  Looks like he's done some good work.

You really should give MOO1 a go. Imho, it's still the best designed 4x ever made. It's worth a look.

Remnants is a full copy of the original MOO with updated graphics etc. It's not meant to be different.

Jarhead0331

It has to be said...

MOO was great. Like almost 30 years ago when it was released. Would I enjoy playing it today? No way. Do I think every 4x developer on the planet should try recreating it's antiquated glory? Not a chance.

The genre has moved so far beyond what MOO was and ever could be...let's move past the nostalgia too and embrace the refinements, advancements and possibilities that are actually possible in the modern gaming age.

Besides that, free always makes me skeptical. LoL
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Anguille

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2019, 07:32:33 AM
MOO was great. Like almost 30 years ago when it was released. Would I enjoy playing it today? No way. Do I think every 4x developer on the planet should try recreating it's antiquated glory? Not a chance.
I agree that there should be an evolution in the genre (which was the case with MOO3). What i don't understand is that i barely see any improvements (only graphics, lore and music). MOO1 is still great to me and i still play it even if it's not nearly as much as i used to. There are Indeed many many games now.

A new MOO should take all the components of the original game and improve them. I wouldn't buy a full copy of it either.

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2019, 07:32:33 AM
The genre has moved so far beyond what MOO was and ever could be...let's move past the nostalgia too and embrace the refinements, advancements and possibilities that are actually possible in the modern gaming age.
MOO is just like chess to me. It's a classic design and offers the full package. What i don't understand is that some design choices have almost never been copied and are still better in the orginal game:

- Multiple building queues: defense (Shields and missiles), Economy (industry and terraforming) and ships.
- Mulitple research done at the same time (six fields)
- Interactive diplomacy
- Interactive spying system (where you can decide where to strike and what to steal)
- Easy to use ship editor
- No starlanes
- etc...

I don't see a single 4x game that does these things better.

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2019, 07:32:33 AM
Besides that, free always makes me skeptical. LoL
It's free because it's a fan project. I have to say that i am not sure i want to play it rather than the original game.

al_infierno

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 26, 2019, 07:32:33 AM
Besides that, free always makes me skeptical. LoL

Not a big fan of the roguelike genre, I imagine?   ;D
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

W8taminute

ai_infierno thanks for sharing this.  I took it for a spin and enjoyed it.  I will need to spend more time with this.

4X games have indeed come a long way and that was just confirmed when I played Remnants.  Still it's nice to see homages like this come up every so often.
"You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

Romulan Commander to Kirk

Anguille

Quote from: W8taminute on December 26, 2019, 07:22:44 PM
4X games have indeed come a long way and that was just confirmed when I played Remnants.
Where do you see the progress in terms of game design?

al_infierno

A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

al_infierno

Quote from: Anguille on December 27, 2019, 04:50:10 AM
Quote from: W8taminute on December 26, 2019, 07:22:44 PM
4X games have indeed come a long way and that was just confirmed when I played Remnants.
Where do you see the progress in terms of game design?

I think W8 is saying that Remnants is basically a UI upgrade to MOO, so playing it reminds him of the olden days of 4X and contrasts against 4X games he's been playing lately.

Spending more time with this, I think it's worthwhile to play over the original game.  I reinstalled MOO again and the UI hasn't aged well at all, even after modifying a config file to make things run smoothly.  Though I do gotta say I wish Remnants would do away with archaic things like the 6-ship design limit -- I was disappointed to see that limit faithfully recreated.

What can I say -- I'm a simple man who enjoys simple, satisfying meat-n-taters turn-based shenanigans.   8)  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  But if it is broke, like in the case of the 6-ship design limit, please absolutely fix it. 
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

W8taminute

Quote from: al_infierno on December 29, 2019, 05:26:29 PM
Quote from: Anguille on December 27, 2019, 04:50:10 AM
Quote from: W8taminute on December 26, 2019, 07:22:44 PM
4X games have indeed come a long way and that was just confirmed when I played Remnants.
Where do you see the progress in terms of game design?

I think W8 is saying that Remnants is basically a UI upgrade to MOO, so playing it reminds him of the olden days of 4X and contrasts against 4X games he's been playing lately.


Yes this is exactly what I felt when I played Remnants.  You hit the nail on the head!   :)
"You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

Romulan Commander to Kirk

Martok

Overall, I've enjoyed Remnants so far.  (Bear in mind I've never really played the original MOO, so I can't say how the two games compare/contrast to each other.)  I agree the limit on the number of ship designs is, well, limiting, but otherwise this feels like classic "old-school" 4x in all its (flawed) glory.  Kudos to Ray for taking on this project; I think it's well done. 
"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

"At our ages, they all look like jailbait." - mirth

"If we had lines here that would have crossed all of them. For the 1,077,986th time." - Gusington

"Government is so expensive that it should at least be entertaining." - airboy

"As long as there's bacon, everything will be all right." - Toonces