Distant Worlds : To be or Not to be

[PanzersEast]

I have most Space 4x games and none of them recently with the exception of Endless Space and SOTS series have kept my attention... but dwindle in the end.  I did not buy into DW at the beginning but went back and watched a LP of DW Legends from DAS and I became very interested.  Is it worth the hefty price tag and the Single player experience and ai worth the buy in?


PE

[Rayfer]

DW has been bantered about quite a bit with those who hate it and those who love it.  I enjoy the game, keep on my hard drive and go back to it often.  To me the appeal is the astonishing level of choice I have in what level of micro-managing I want or don't want.  And it isn't an all or nothing choice, you can micro-manage some elements and let the ai take over others in a very wide variety of areas, i.e. ship design, colonization, exploration, diplomacy, difficulty levels, and many more.  To me, the biggest let down are the ship battles themselves...very hectic and seem to play themselves out.

[republic]

I'm a big fan of Distant Worlds.  It is the space 4x that I continually return to.

[Martok]

Is it worth the hefty price tag and the Single player experience and ai worth the buy in?


PE

Well it's certainly worth it for *me*.  ;)  Obviously, though, YMMV. 



A word about the AI (since you asked):  It's okay.  Not great, not bad.  Okay.  As far as AI in strategy games go, I'd say it's right in the middle of the pack. 

I suspect the problem with it being less than stellar is that the sheer amount of stuff it has to take care of (research, ship design, diplomacy, military operations, which bases to build and where, colony development, etc.) is almost overwhelming.  I don't offer that as an excuse, mind you -- merely an explanation. 

In my view, the AI's main problems are in ship design (it's not great at optimizing equipment & abilities - in other words, "min-maxing"), diplomacy (it doesn't have the best idea of how much something is worth), and aggressiveness.  By "aggressiveness", I mean that in two ways: 

1.) It doesn't seem to be as...active as a human player would be in seeking out and then mining and/or colonizing new worlds (the former honestly being almost more important than the latter). 

2.) Really coming after you in wartime.  The AI will often have a good amount of ships & troops, but it seems almost timid (and/or a little schizo) in how it employs its forces.  It only happens a minority of the time where I feel another empire is a genuine threat. 

Now it's true that work is always being done to improve the AI, and the computer-controlled empires do seem to perform somewhat better with each expansion that's come out so far (crossing my fingers with Shadows!).  Also, you may want to bear in mind my comments are based on the "Normal" difficulty setting; quite a lot of people play on higher difficulty settings. 

All that being said, however, I would be lying if I said DW's AI provides a robust challenge every game.  It doesn't suck, but it definitely won't blow you away either.  I personally find that lack to be balanced out by other things I really like about the game, but if a strong AI challenge is an absolute must for you, then in all honesty Distant Worlds probably isn't the 4x title you're looking for. 

DW has been bantered about quite a bit with those who hate it and those who love it.  I enjoy the game, keep on my hard drive and go back to it often.  To me the appeal is the astonishing level of choice I have in what level of micro-managing I want or don't want.  And it isn't an all or nothing choice, you can micro-manage some elements and let the ai take over others in a very wide variety of areas, i.e. ship design, colonization, exploration, diplomacy, difficulty levels, and many more.  To me, the biggest let down are the ship battles themselves...very hectic and seem to play themselves out.

Good points, Rayfer!  I concur. 


I would just add another comment, which is on the game's whole "living galaxy" aspect... 

There really is so much going in any DW campaign, it never ceases to amaze me; it creates one of the most immersive atmospheres I've ever enjoyed in a PC game.  Between unexplored star systems, space monsters, derelict ships & space stations (many of which also harbor goodies, information, hidden threats, etc.), independent colonies alone in the darkness of space, and gods-only-knows-what-else-I'm-forgetting, there's almost always something new to find and/or discover.  And with the game's civilian economy, there are always ships going to and fro across the galaxy.  I'm still in awe of it, over two years later. 

Also:  Galaxies in this game are huge (especially if you choose one of the larger map sizes).  Absolutely, epically, gorgeously, HUGE.  How many 4x titles can boast maps with literally over a thousand star systems, and planets & moons numbering in the tens of thousands??  And that first time in a new game when you zoom out from your starting planet...and further...and further...and further, you start to have a small appreciation for just how big the maps in this game really are! 

[Yskonyn]

Another big fan of the game here.
But it has its shortfalls (like any game). At the moment the biggest issues are the economy; its far too easy to get loads of money and then trade your way to victory.
And I agree about the combat being less than ideal. There are no formations or such so every fight with a fleet ends in a big blob of pew pew. But all can be forgiven as far as I am concerned. The sense of a living galaxy and the option to automate or micromanage as you see fit make it a joy to play. Especially with the Legends expansion I find the game to be one of the best 4x around.

That said, I would wait with getting it at the moment. The 3rd expansion is around the corner and they are likely to either have a bundle offer or a sale on the previous versions once it gets released.

[Martok]

That said, I would wait with getting it at the moment. The 3rd expansion is around the corner and they are likely to either have a bundle offer or a sale on the previous versions once it gets released.

Thanks Yskonyn.  I meant to point that out as well, but I forgot. 

[PanzersEast]

Thanks for the post guys.  I really would like to slowly build an empire and I hate having to colony rush the map.  I read somewhere that as long as you can supply your empire with needed materials you do not have to colonize the entire map.... I also like the fact that you can colonize planets of the same species, instead of having to invade every one.


PE

[republic]

You can build mining stations and refuel depo's in systems so there is often no requirement to colonize every habitable world.

[Yskonyn]

The beauty of DW is that you can configure it the way you like to play.
Colony rush; possible.
Turtle mode; possible
Passive galaxy; possible
Small sector; possible
Huge sector; possible
Etc.

The game features a ton of starting configuration options which apply to galaxy size, distance between star systems, occurence of habitable worlds, events, victory conditions, you name it.
:)

[Nefaro]

I never did pick up the last expansion which added Heroes/Admirals/Wotnot.  Perhaps I'll have to do that sometime when I can put the total investment into the series out of mind.

[republic]

He characters in the last expansion really provide a Crusader Kings 2 type quality to the game.  I started the game on very hard settings and soon was attacked by a far superior force, I had to surrender and become subjugated  to survive.  When I did that my leader gained the "Weak" trait and my fleet admiral at the time gained the "Drunk" trait.   :)

[Martok]

I read somewhere that as long as you can supply your empire with needed materials you do not have to colonize the entire map....

Happily, yes that is pretty much the case.  I've seen empires with only a handful of colonies still do well because they had a lot of mining bases bringing home the goods.  :)  Colonies are still vital, of course, but they alone won't bring you victory. 

The beauty of DW is that you can configure it the way you like to play.
Colony rush; possible.
Turtle mode; possible
Passive galaxy; possible
Small sector; possible
Huge sector; possible
Etc.

The game features a ton of starting configuration options which apply to galaxy size, distance between star systems, occurence of habitable worlds, events, victory conditions, you name it.
:)

+1

As has been said, one of DW's great strengths is that it allows for multiple play-styles. 

I never did pick up the last expansion which added Heroes/Admirals/Wotnot.  Perhaps I'll have to do that sometime when I can put the total investment into the series out of mind.

Oh dear.  ;) 

You really must pick up Legends.  As with Return of the Shakturi, you'll wonder how you ever played the game without it! 

[Nefaro]

Oh dear.  ;) 

You really must pick up Legends.  As with Return of the Shakturi, you'll wonder how you ever played the game without it!

That's quite an endorsement. 

I'll grab it when my next 4X itch strikes.

[Yskonyn]

I'll put a big old +1 on the endorsement of Martok.
Legends did add a lot to the game and I would not play it anymore without Legends.
The whole Character system is fun and gives personality (pun intended) to your empire. It poses you with all kinds of funny problems where a character has pretty difficult traits to work with (lazy, weak, feeble and drunk come to mind (among many others!)).
Also the expanded techtree and new victory conditions are a very nice addition to the game.

[Martok]

Oh dear.  ;) 

You really must pick up Legends.  As with Return of the Shakturi, you'll wonder how you ever played the game without it!

That's quite an endorsement. 

I'll grab it when my next 4X itch strikes.

Excellent!  :D 

Look for Legends to go on sale when Shadows gets released.  I can't guarantee that'll happen, of course, but the odds are good. 

I'll put a big old +1 on the endorsement of Martok.
Legends did add a lot to the game and I would not play it anymore without Legends.
The whole Character system is fun and gives personality (pun intended) to your empire. It poses you with all kinds of funny problems where a character has pretty difficult traits to work with (lazy, weak, feeble and drunk come to mind (among many others!)).
Also the expanded techtree and new victory conditions are a very nice addition to the game.

Yeah, I love the Characters and the race-specific victory conditions that were added.  I'm also a fan of the new Sphere of Influence (SOI) system -- no more aliens claim-jumping stuff in "my" territory!