The Stars My Destination – An Armada 2526 Retrospective

[Martok]

So a lot of you know that in addition to Distant Worlds, I'm also a big cheerleader for Armada 2526.  Together, they're far & away my two favorite space 4x titles to have come out in the last few years. 

Well this fellow over on the Explorminate forums wrote up this wonderfully in-depth article/review discussing the game, and I felt compelled to share it.  While it openly acknowledges Armada's flaws, the article is largely positive overall, and in general echoes my own views -- albeit greatly expands on them, and is far more eloquent in expounding the game's virtues than I myself could ever hope to. 

Anyway, for those who've taken a look at Armada and have been unsure whether or not to buy, and/or those who've purchased the game but haven't really gotten into it yet -- and for those of us aficionados who just enjoy reading about a game we love :D -- this is almost certainly an article worth checking out. 

Over the past few years I've played (and replayed) a lot of other space 4X games – both old and new: Starbase Orion (iOS), Star Ruler, Endless Space, Distant Worlds, Gal Civ II, Master of Orion 2, Star Drive, Lost Empires, Sword of the Stars, Sins of a Solar Empire .... the list goes on. With the exception of Starbase Orion, none of them lull be back to playing with the frequency that Armada 2526 does.

Armada 2526 game isn't without its flaws, and there are some core aspects of the design that many 4X gamers just won't be able to get past (lack of race + ship customization, weak tactical combat, unorthodox UI). Yet for those willing (or able) to look beyond its flaws at the good things the game DOES do, it can be a surprising gem. Many of the issues people have with 4X games (e.g. inability to scale up well in the late game, lack of stealth/detection, weak diplomacy), the game addresses rather well, bringing a fresh set of ideas to the table.

Overall however, the game comes together to provide an interesting STRATEGIC experience. The score based victory system gives players a lot of latitude and leeway in how they work towards victory, whether that be eliminating their opponents to keep from the scoring at all or jut masterfully guiding your own civilization to maximize your score. There is an expansive and creative decision space to explore here, and that's what keeps me coming back.

[bbmike]

I like Armada 2526. I'm really wish the developers had continued updating it.  :-\

[Shelldrake]

I like Armada 2526. I'm really with the developers had continued updating it.  :-\

+1 One of my favs as well, even if the multiplayer functionality occasionally crapped out in the middle of a game.

[Rayfer]

And it only got better with the dlc addon (can't remember the name...supernova or something?).

[bbmike]

I like Armada 2526. I'm really wish the developers had continued updating it.  :-\

+1 One of my favs as well, even if the multiplayer functionality occasionally crapped out in the middle of a game.

[Nefaro]

Guess I'm the crazy one when it comes to Armada.   :-[

I thought it dull & lifeless.  Tried playing three times and it just didn't have any personality.  I also say that about FE:LH but at least that one can still be enjoyable in small amounts and has some variety in the gameplay.  Just can't do this one. 

[Martok]

I like Armada 2526. I'm really wish the developers had continued updating it.  :-\

You, me, and and a fair few others. 

The dev has admitted that if he'd had any idea how well the game would do in online sales (via Steam, GamersGate, etc.), he'd have gone straight to work on Armada 2527 instead of what he's working on now (which is an as-yet unnamed historical strategy game).  Hindsight's a bitch... 

And it only got better with the dlc addon (can't remember the name...supernova or something?).

Yep, Supernova is the title.  That expansion added a great deal to both the game's replayability and enjoyment factor.  The new trade system alone made Supernova worth getting IMHO, to say nothing of the additional races, expanded tech tree, and additional star/planetary "specials". 

Guess I'm the crazy one when it comes to Armada.   :-[

I thought it dull & lifeless.  Tried playing three times and it just didn't have any personality.  I also say that about FE:LH but at least that one can still be enjoyable in small amounts and has some variety in the gameplay.  Just can't do this one. 

While I (obviously) don't have this problem myself, I can understand where you're coming from. 

I suspect a major reason why some folks couldn't get into Armada -- and/or simply weren't attracted to it in the first place -- is that it undeniably suffers from a visual/artistic standpoint, which I feel hurts the game's atmosphere and/or the immersion factor.  The dev admitted very little of the budget went into the art (virtually all of it went into design, programming, etc.), and it shows. 

The result is a game that generally plays very well, but looks...well, kinda boring (at least to some folks).  I personally find Armada's visuals and artwork to be serviceable enough to not be an issue, but it's not difficult to see how/why it might be a turn-off to others. 

(A subset of the artwork deficiency is that -- aside from a couple of the lower-level capital ship types -- all the playable factions share pretty much the same ship-set; in other words, everyone's ships look identical.  I think this hurts atmosphere/immersion as well.) 



Not to say that how Armada looks is the sole reason you've not been able to get into it, of course.  However, I'd be willing to bet it's still a not-insignificant factor. 

[Nefaro]

Guess I'm the crazy one when it comes to Armada.   :-[

I thought it dull & lifeless.  Tried playing three times and it just didn't have any personality.  I also say that about FE:LH but at least that one can still be enjoyable in small amounts and has some variety in the gameplay.  Just can't do this one. 

While I (obviously) don't have this problem myself, I can understand where you're coming from. 

I suspect a major reason why some folks couldn't get into Armada -- and/or simply weren't attracted to it in the first place -- is that it undeniably suffers from a visual/artistic standpoint, which I feel hurts the game's atmosphere and/or the immersion factor.  The dev admitted very little of the budget went into the art (virtually all of it went into design, programming, etc.), and it shows. 

The result is a game that generally plays very well, but looks...well, kinda boring (at least to some folks).  I personally find Armada's visuals and artwork to be serviceable enough to not be an issue, but it's not difficult to see how/why it might be a turn-off to others. 

(A subset of the artwork deficiency is that -- aside from a couple of the lower-level capital ship types -- all the playable factions share pretty much the same ship-set; in other words, everyone's ships look identical.  I think this hurts atmosphere/immersion as well.) 



Not to say that how Armada looks is the sole reason you've not been able to get into it, of course.  However, I'd be willing to bet it's still a not-insignificant factor.

Oh, yes.  The look of it definitely hurts.  But that's only a very small portion of the larger gripe I had.  The whole thing seems rather samey and uninspired to me.  The factions aren't terribly different or interesting.  I don't need extensive back story from a writing perspective, but I think all 4X games should have notably different factions regarding their associated techs, strengths & weaknesses, units, and other such things related to game mechanics to lend each one a different feel.  Armada just didn't provide that for me.  :-\   

In contrast, stuff like Endless Legend doesn't have expansive depth of content but each faction is a unique creation with it's own flavor.  So while I normally complain about the lack of depth in it, I've still enjoyed it enough to return because of that. 

[BanzaiCat]

What, no love for Battlecruiser 3000AD?

[Yskonyn]

In all honesty I did like Battlecruiser! Well, at least the idea behind it! ;)


.

[Kool Kat]

Oh, yes.  The look of it definitely hurts.  But that's only a very small portion of the larger gripe I had.  The whole thing seems rather samey and uninspired to me.  The factions aren't terribly different or interesting.  I don't need extensive back story from a writing perspective, but I think all 4X games should have notably different factions regarding their associated techs, strengths & weaknesses, units, and other such things related to game mechanics to lend each one a different feel.  Armada just didn't provide that for me.  :-\   

Gents:  8)

I picked up Armada 2526 a few years ago and than immediately purchased the Super Nova expansion.

I found the 4x game "interesting," but IMO there was too much micro-managing of units and rather boring game play. I did not trust the AI to manage my faction. I agree there was not enough faction diversity and there was a "sameness" among unit types. I played it solo for a while and than tried some PBeM games. The PBeM games were cumbersome and took a LONG time to complete... so this title fell by the wayside. I have not looked at it in months.

[mikeck]

Im debating whether to give it a shot or play MOO 3 with the tropical mod.

[Martok]

Regarding the factions not being that different:  I think we'll just have to disagree on this point, as I find most of them play quite differently. 

Not only do they all have different bonuses, penalties, and other unique characteristics, but they all have different victory conditions.  Every race is aiming for a different goal or goals; every race earns victory points in a different way, and is therefore playing a different game from everyone else.  Some of them earn victory points by going to war, by researching technology, by the size of the population of their own race, by the total population they control, their population's *happiness*, by raiding planets, some earn points via a percentage of money in their treasury...the list goes on. 


To be sure, the factions do suffer from mostly sharing the same units.  And the lack of art assets does indeed make the races feel like they're very much the same.  However, that's mostly on the surface.  Under "the hood", you have factions constantly working to fulfill very different goals from each other, which I find makes for a great deal of variety -- variety that adds both entertainment value, plus replayability. 

Im debating whether to give it a shot or play MOO 3 with the tropical mod.

Well you know which one *I'm* likely to recommend.  ;)