Recommend a Base Building \ Survival Game

Started by matt3916, March 13, 2023, 10:41:35 PM

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matt3916

This genre never really sounded all that interesting to me.  But a week or so ago I downloaded a demo for Against the Storm.  Played it, loved it.  Next came the demo for Frostpunk.  OMG, I never realized spiraling down into madness and death could be so much fun.

With that as an introduction, I'm soliciting opinions on other "like games" you'd think I'd enjoy.  Specifically interested in Banished, Oxygen Not Included, and Rimworld, but if there's something else out there that you think is worth recommending, by all means let me know.

JasonPratt

Are you only looking at non-1st/3rd person base building survival?

Assuming so, there are some improved versions of the Banished style of gameplay in the works, so I'd hold off on Banished itself and try demos of the newer games. (At work now so I'll have to wait for home to get a list.)

Hard to beat Rimworld, but quite a few games are trying to do so, or are offering different genres (and/or scaled down to something more manageable). Of course the grand-dwarf of that particular mode of survival game is Dwarf Fortress which finally got a gloriously upgraded release on Steam recently.

If you're looking for something a little more chill as a turn-based survival game, I can personally testify to two very different things worth looking into which go on sale on Steam reasonably often but are worth full price.

Settlements isn't really turn based now that I think about it, but it's a very pausable realtime, with deep character customization, which looks like it SHOULD be tbs. It starts out as a low-fantasy sticks and stones recovery game, and ends with your settlements (expanded slowly across the map) going into space-age technology and operations, trying to fight off fantasy trope staples (giant rats are an early problem for those sticks and stones) in order to avoid being destroyed by whatever corrupted force humanity unleashed the last time they went to the space age! (Or however many times they reached it in the past!)

Pre-dynastic Egypt and its sequel (which starts about 2/3 through the first game in a different area) Egypt: Old Kingdom is a settlement survival pure turn-based game, kind of puzzly although with random fluctuations on each run. The mechanics are simple and generally clear, and your resource management is generalized but not easy. I've played this duology to completion a lot, at least once a year each -- you can also get them for iPhone (although saves are not cross-platform). The style is workgroup-placement, a little like a solo-designed boardgame, rather than a character-based semi-RPG. I won't lie, it's hard as rocks, and you can fail a run by bad planning or RNG (much moreso a combination!) even on the easiest settings! The only way to win on anything worse than 'historical' settings (which are a tad harder than 'medium'), is to save scum like a scummy thing, and even on 'medium' (moreso historical) it's a good idea to save often. If you have incipient OCD (I mean OD-C!), this will develop it nicely!  :ThumbsUp:  :HideEyes:
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

ArizonaTank

If you want to try a first person game: I think "7 Days to Die" has few equals.
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

Gusington

If you are even remotely interested in vampires, check out V Rising.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

JasonPratt

Quote from: ArizonaTank on March 14, 2023, 08:05:48 AMIf you want to try a first person game: I think "7 Days to Die" has few equals.

It certainly balances the survival and base-building aspects. Although the base-building is kind of almost optional: it has been entirely possible to play the game as a wanderer without a base, simply scavaging some things and lightly crafting some others, perhaps buying some things with the trader-system implemented some time ago. (Or ignoring the trader posts altogether if you'd rather not have a little functioning civilization in the game.)

Still, if you want to base build, about the only thing you can't really do in the game is set up factory systems. On the other hand, the great factory-system games (starting with the 1st-person Fortresscraft Evolved and the more stable but 2D Factorio, which have similar plots and mechanics), don't have a lot of survival elements per se.

A good solo 1PS base-building and survival game has been Subnautica, although reviews of its sequel have been mixed. Valheim can be added to that list now, which (like 7DtD) can be solo or as much mp as your system/server can handle.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

jamus34

Oxygen not Included has been my go to for years.

Surviving Mars is pretty good.

Rimworld was already mentioned.

Don't Starve is great

Insert witty comment here.

JasonPratt

Oh yeah, I forgot Don't Starve, lots of steady development over the years, too!
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Millipede

Ixion is frequently described as FrostPunk in space. The devs are still bug squashing but I've yet to find any show-stoppers and I'm enjoying the game immensely in spite of my many poor decisions (save frequently!).
Here's a review... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9usJqGFhQw

al_infierno

Valheim is in a league of its own with regards to survival games.  I honestly can't go back to your typical "shovel food down your character's mouth every 10 minutes or die" style of survival games.  The way food gives you buffs, but isn't necessary to keep you alive, is a brilliant design choice.

Also, the building system is much more satisfying than traditional survival games IMO.  In most survival games, the building system is like Legos where as long as one part connects with the next, it'll stand up.  Valheim is more like Lincoln Logs where distribution of weight is key, and you must build supports to keep everything from collapsing.  It takes a little while to learn, but once you get used to it, it's sublime.
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

SirAndrewD

Good options have already been mentioned above.  I echo that 7 Days to Die and Valheim are good. 

I just recently picked up and started playing Sons of the Forest with a buddy of mine and I can also say my initial impressions of it are very good.  It adds a lot of innovative and new ideas and gameplay to the genre.
"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

Gusington

^Sons of the Forest is getting great reviews and is setting Steam on fire right now.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

SirAndrewD

Quote from: Gusington on March 14, 2023, 06:17:00 PM^Sons of the Forest is getting great reviews and is setting Steam on fire right now.

For good reason.  A few things that stood out to me

A realistic inventory system which maybe can be annoying, but yes, you have to lay out your backpack to select what's in your hands and assign hotkeys that are accessible.  So, your inventory is "real" not just a screen. 

A realistic map system that depends on you bringing out your GPS and holding it. 

A morale system for enemies.  The enemies have personalities.  Some will be aggressive and come at you, but others will be afraid and hold back.  Kill the Alpha and the cronies with false courage might melt away.

Enemies that will vary in their aggressiveness based on your interaction with them.  Hunt down and kill every cannibal you see and they'll get over their fear of you and unite to lay siege to your base.

And more.  Check out some lets plays, I have a feeling it might be the next thing in Survival/Building. 
"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

JasonPratt

Allow me to add Empyrion: Galactic Survival for base building and survival. I played it (and bought it) waaaay back during its official alpha stage, and it was pretty decent even then. By now, especially with all the easily imported user-made content (up to and including campaigns spanning multiple star systems), it's stunning.

Now, it's a 1/3PS game, not a top-down/isometric. So it may not be in the line requested. But I'm occasionally reminded of it by the dev teams steadily updating it, so...!
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

matt3916

Jason -- You mentioned "improved versions of the Banished style of gameplay in the works."  Specifics (esp. now there's a sale on)?

JasonPratt

Oh, right, yes the Spring Sale is on!

I was going to drop examples in last night but got distracted. Will try to do so tonight.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!