SOTS II: Enhanced Edition Impressions

[republic]

SOTS 2 even today does not match SOTS 1.  If only the battle AI were competent I'd spend more time playing.  They have made many choices to make it more 'grognardy' compared to SOTS 1, but it appears that other goals were cut and so your left with strange tendrils of overly complex things.

Creating a fleet is overly complex, ordering a fleet to move, etc.

The game looks beautiful...maybe they can gain enough funds through other games to finally fix it as they intended.

[Jarhead0331]

I rather enjoy it.

[mikeck]

After playing SoTS1 for years (still do) I finally bit the bullet and started playing SoTS2 on my dedicated Steam rig. It is certainly interesting. My biggest impression is that I spend most of my time fighting the UI and trying to find information. SoTS1 had an OK UI and some data summary screens that were well done, if rudimentary. SoTS2 has a long way to go in those areas. I'll keep slogging. It is not a game made to be attractive to new gamers or those not familiar with SoTS1 but I see a twinkling of great rewards at the end of the tunnel.

Give  Star drive a try. Better ship customization, Planetary improvements and Not so cartoony like sword of the stars

[solops]

I have Stardrive. Much simpler game, but it, too, is unfinished. A lot of potential there, but it will need some major work after it gets out of beta. I am looking forward to it. It could be a game with mass appeal.

SoTS2...this could be a great game if they can get the AI right, make the UI friendlier and add some serious information screens... tables of planets, fleets, etc. SoTS1 was barely adequate in that respect. SoTS2 has not gotten to that level yet. But it will never have mass appeal.

[mikeck]

To each their own... But I find Star Drive to be much Deeper and complex then sword of the stars 2. I still play both games however.

[Jarhead0331]

To each their own... But I find Star Drive to be much Deeper and complex then sword of the stars 2. I still play both games however.

Deeper? More complex? Than SOTSII? Are we playing the same two games?

[mikeck]

Well, in Sd, I can pick and choose which types of buildings to put on which planet. In SOTS, I get a developement slider. In SD I can build freighters and actually watch them travel from planet to planet transporting resources and food depending on which planets are importing or exporting. In SOTS, trade is abstracted. In SD I have spies I can send to do various missions. In SD I not only pick what type of weapon or engine i want but select and place every part of the ship: weapons, point defense, bulkheads, armor playing, shields, engines, ordinance bays, missile racks, energy cells, etc. where I place these items has a direct impact on ship performance. So if I don't build a bulkhead around my reactor and a beam cuts through the hull and hits it...whole ship goes boom. I can build a ship that has all thick armor on one side and a broadside full of weapons on the other. Tactically, just like SOTS, I can tell the ship how to fight. I can tell it to point broadsides at an enemy or the armored side. I can tell it to strafe of stay in place. Just like SOTS, I can set fleet formations.

I get to watch my freighters and fleets move around the galaxy...I can create marines or tanks and land them on enemy planets.

So for me, I find Stardrive to Be more complex in many ways. I like SOTS. But outside of combat, I find SOTS2 to be lacking...I feel like I am just grabbing planets to act as bases. In Sd I can develope planets how I wish

It's personal taste. I did not like Endless space but many did. Many will hate Stardrive I'm sure. But for me, next to Distant Worlds, I find Stardrive to be my favorite space 4x. I would also add that as much as I enjoy SOTS2... I feel like I am playing a cartoon.

SOTS2 does have a better research system and even at .5x, combat in SD is too fast. But if I'm not fighting I. SOTS 2, I feel like I'm not doing anything

[panzerde]

I think the big difference between the two games is that SOTS 2 is really oriented toward being a space fleet management game with supporting 4X characteristics, and Stardrive is about screwing your early backers.

But I'm not bitter.

[mikeck]

That's why I don't back any of these guys early. Waited until it went into open beta few weeks ago and bought it on steam. Get an auto update every few days and drive on.

[JasonPratt]

I think the big difference between the two games is that SOTS 2 is really oriented toward being a space fleet management game with supporting 4X characteristics, and Stardrive is about screwing your early backers.

But I'm not bitter.

...bbbbbbbBWAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAahahaa....

Speaking as someone who had enough sense not to buy Sots2 on release, SOTS2 fans have no room to talk about other games screwing their early backers by contrast.

(I realize SotS2 has gotten much better through dedicated hard work by the devs who have been very good about supporting it post-release; and I'm looking at their game eventually. But still.)

(Also, Distant Worlds beats them all.)

[mikeck]

Yes, DW is better by far... It just takes about $115 in expansions to get there unfortunately.

[Rayfer]

Yes, DW is better by far... It just takes about $115 in expansions to get there unfortunately.

But I suspect about 33% cheaper if you wait for the Xmas holiday sale.