4x Fantasy Games

[bbmike]

Okay, there are a lot of 4x fantasy games coming out and a lot already out there. I have several on my hard drive and I'm about to have several more. My question is, what is your favorite 4x turn based fantasy game and why? I went back to Eador: Genesis recently and it seemed to click with me this time. Not sure how long I'll play it though once Age of Wonder III releases.

Here's a list of current and future games I have or will have. Any I'm missing out on?

Master of Magic
Age of Wonders (III coming soon)
Worlds of Magic (coming soon)
Endless Legend (coming soon)
Warlock
HoMM
Eador
FE Legendary Heroes
Kings Bounty
Battle for Wesnoth (still  haven't tried this yet)

[PanzersEast]

I have gone back and played Eador: MoBW and giving it a far chance this time after all the patches.  With that said, I have to say that currently FE Legendary Heroes is at the top of the list for me however I fill it will shape out like this for me of the one I have played and are purchasing...

Age of Wonders III
FE: Legendary Heroes
HoMM
Eador
Warlock
Kings Bounty

Sovereignty - (shows a lot of promise and could be in the upper half of the list)
Worlds of Magic - (Looks to have promise for KS, but we shall see on development value)
Endless Legend - (Skeptical of how this will turn out, lost in translation....  Endless Space 2.0)
Battle for Wesnoth - Have not played


PE

[TacticalWargames]

Dominions 4 is my favourite..nothing can beat it, for me anyway.

[bayonetbrant]

I dig Wesnoth, but I've not played most of what's on this list.

Wesnoth is *not* an empire-builder, it's a scenario/encounter-driven combat game.  It's a big 'campaign' but a lot of fun as long as you manage your promotions well :)

[TacticalWargames]

I see it's being compared to Drums of War..I will check it out. Whats the AI like?

I dig Wesnoth, but I've not played most of what's on this list.

Wesnoth is *not* an empire-builder, it's a scenario/encounter-driven combat game.  It's a big 'campaign' but a lot of fun as long as you manage your promotions well :)

[Nefaro]

Dominions 4 is my favourite..nothing can beat it, for me anyway.

For depth of content, it definitely has the edge.  Although there's little or nothing in the way of economy building and diplomacy.  That goes for some of the other games mentioned in this thread, however, so it's probably a moot point in such light.

[bbmike]

I dig Wesnoth, but I've not played most of what's on this list.

Wesnoth is *not* an empire-builder, it's a scenario/encounter-driven combat game.  It's a big 'campaign' but a lot of fun as long as you manage your promotions well :)

Didn't know that Wesnoth isn't an empire builder. I'm not sure if I would like that or not.

[Boggit]

Dominions 4 is my favourite..nothing can beat it, for me anyway.

For depth of content, it definitely has the edge.  Although there's little or nothing in the way of economy building and diplomacy.  That goes for some of the other games mentioned in this thread, however, so it's probably a moot point in such light.

I recently bought it on GG sale. Graphics look better than 3 but the writing and unit detail is harder to read/see. Jury is out on it, until I spend more time with it. What do you think of 4 in comparison to 3?

[bbmike]

I recently bought it on GG sale. Graphics look better than 3 but the writing and unit detail is harder to read/see. Jury is out on it, until I spend more time with it. What do you think of 4 in comparison to 3?

It's on sale again for 75% off at GG!

[Nefaro]

I dig Wesnoth, but I've not played most of what's on this list.

Wesnoth is *not* an empire-builder, it's a scenario/encounter-driven combat game.  It's a big 'campaign' but a lot of fun as long as you manage your promotions well :)

Didn't know that Wesnoth isn't an empire builder. I'm not sure if I would like that or not.

I've never been able to get into Wesnoth.  It seemed as much a puzzle game as a strategy game.

What do you think of 4 in comparison to 3?

Dom4 is a sizable improvement over 3 in all the little game mechanics adjustments and balancing that was done.  The new UI features were something that had been sorely needed too. 

It caught some hell as just being Dom3 with some minor changes, but if you dig down deep you can see that every facet was adjusted and added to.  There was more work done than often given credit.

[Greybriar]

....what is your favorite 4x turn based fantasy game and why?....

Despite being 20 years old, Master of Magic (MoM) remains my favorite 4X TBS game. Due to its random map generator, numerous races and wizards to play, MoM has a high replay value. Despite its age, MoM has a Wiki and a number of fan sites.

From DOS to GOG.com's version, Master of Magic is a game that has been on my computer's hard drive since I purchased it when it was released in 1994. Although I don't play MoM as often as I once did, I still fire it up occasionally when I tire of the latest and greatest PC games I have bought.

[Sparhawk]

If Eador: Genesis is clicking with you, you'll enjoy the newer one "Masters of the Broken World" it is a good graphics upgrade over the original. I've really enjoyed playing FE: Legendary Heroes. I've spent a similar amount of time with it as the first FE and feel the changes to hero acquisition are a big improvement.

[bayonetbrant]

Whats the AI like?

Tougher than you expect for an open-source game.  In the base game, there are a few levels that kick your butt.  The underground level changes every time you play it, so you've got no "map" to work off of.  One of the later levels has a very mobile enemy that forces you to "phalanx up" and head for the high ground to try to blunt their mobility advantage, but they play the angles very well.

In the "Rise of Wesnoth" campaign, there are a few VERY tough levels.

It seemed as much a puzzle game as a strategy game.

Some people see the levels that way and there are some forum posts that treat it as such with "solutions" to each level, but I've never seen it that way, as I've found different strategies for all the different levels, and the management of the forces (which promotions, when to time them, who to recall for next scenario) are just as story-driven in my mind as if I were playing a tabletop RPG.

Again - fantasy combat with a solid narrative, but not what I'd consider a 4x game.  For instance - you never found a city or pick any production from it.

[Nefaro]

It seemed as much a puzzle game as a strategy game.

Some people see the levels that way and there are some forum posts that treat it as such with "solutions" to each level, but I've never seen it that way, as I've found different strategies for all the different levels, and the management of the forces (which promotions, when to time them, who to recall for next scenario) are just as story-driven in my mind as if I were playing a tabletop RPG.

Again - fantasy combat with a solid narrative, but not what I'd consider a 4x game.  For instance - you never found a city or pick any production from it.

Not having production and all that extra stuff is probably why it seems kinda puzzle-like to me, I suppose, along with what seemed to be relatively simple stats & mechanics. 

[Martok]

(Note:  With apologies to Greybriar and others, I have never gotten around to trying MoM itself.  No particular reason; I simply haven't.) 



Well there's no question that of those fantasy-strategy titles already released, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes sits atop my list.  I can certainly understand how/why it doesn't grab some people, but honestly it's probably the most solid & enjoyable fantasy 4x experience I've had to date.  I've spent a good 200+ hours playing FE:LH thus far, which given my GADD (Gaming Attention Deficit Disorder), is actually quite impressive.  :P 


That being said, I strongly suspect that between Age of Wonders 3, Worlds of Magic, and Sovereignty, I could definitely have a new favorite in the next several months.  My personal bet would be on AoW3 (no surprise there!), but I really like what I've seen with the other two games as well. 


Warlock 2 looks & sounds solid (if not as enthralling for me personally), and certainly the original game has received lots of kudos.  I suspect I'll end up purchasing it eventually, one way or the other. 

Endless Legends still looks really "meh" to me.  I'm just not digging the game's art style and lore.