I was just on Impulse and that game Distant Worlds doesn't show up...  Where do you get it? .....  (...oh ^.^  looks up..lol.. got it)

Also, how does DW compare to GalCiv II?

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How do you get those icons to show underneath your posts?

I want some.

I also want to be important.

So much of this game looks interesting.  But i despise RTS games as they become a test of hand and eye coordination.  Perhaps its time to go back to Space Empires IV and V?

Oh .....  it's an RTS?

That's too bad.  It did look quite good.  Oh well.

-.-

It hardly plays like an RTS though.  It is much closer to Sins of a Solar Empire than "normal" rts games.  You can pause and issue orders at any time, and the Advisor AI (friendly ai to help you) is really good.    You can customize it as much as you want to make it the type of game experience you want.   They really have done a good job.  I'd recommend trying it out if you like space 4x.

It is an RTS more in a simulation sense, not in a true RTS sense.  This is NOT Starcraft -- no twitch necessary.  You can slow down the game and pause it whenever you want.  And your ships tend to adhere to their AI design profiles for how to engage and when to run, so while you can tweak some of what they do, sometimes the AI will over-ride you.  (A damaged ship will disengage even if you want it to keep attacking.)  You just choose where to attack and give fleet level orders such as if you decide to run sooner.

The game is kind of a 4X / RTS / Sim.

I've been playing around with it for a couple weeks and just got the new expansion -- it is an interesting game.  You kind of have to stack the AI a bit to get a challenge, but this can still make for interesting games where you play a small faction that has to cooperate in its rise to power against larger and older empires.  The storyline also provides options that let you leapfrog the AI, but you can turn that off in the expansion.

Too bad it isn't multiplayer.

Well that's encouraging.

Yeah, when I saw "RTS" my first thought was "damn, another starcraft?"  I dislike Starcraft SOO much.

Space is my fav and the TBS, 4x, sim -combo is perfect for me.

Thanks.  I will give this some serious consideration but it does seem to want to get on my HDD sooner than I anticipated.

-.-

Don't be put off by the 'RTS' aspect. I'm very much a TBS player and I really like to consider each turn when playing games. Distant Worlds is not a click-fest at all and with the pausing you never feel rushed.

This game is so far ahead of the rest of the 4X genre games now. You can customise any and all aspects so that much of your empire can run on auto. Personally, I just set the game up so that fleets are controlled by me but individual ships are controlled by the AI. The AI will then look after empire defence while the fleets do the main work. I tend to over-ride some research - but not much. And I let the AI handle most of the espionage and diplomacy. I'll design a few ships when I need something specific but generally the AI will also do a good job of this as well.

The 20-odd unique races also play differently and each game is always interesting as you meet each neighbour. Some races like each other and others don't. Some are aggressive, some are back-stabbers.

The biggest suggestion if you get it is don't feel constrained to play as the Humans (I think most people start here). Depending on what race you play will have a big bearing on what strategy you need to use when playing the game.

This is by far the best game I've played in 2010.

--- EDIT ----

I should also point out that the game doesn't really play like one massive game but rather a series of smaller objectives.

For example, in my current game I've taken an important planet in a distant sector and it is a long way from my main planets (and so is a distance away from supplies). I have no fuel in this system so I have needed to build a special resupply ship to deploy in a neighbouring system. To do this I need to have a fleet of ships that can protect the resupply ship. These need to be designed specially with extra fuel-tanks so they can fight at a distance once they are there. Once this fleet is refuelled I can pack-up and send them all back to the important planet to protect it while it builds its own starbase and defences. Once these are in place I can use the fleet to start taking other systems in the sector. And so on and so on.

wow, this does sound like a 'rts' that isn't a clickfest, so much as a game where the plater can 'automate' many specific units, ships, etc., sort of like giving high level commands to the local commanders, and then the commanders, (friendly AI) attempts to implement the commands?

I may go to one of the player discussion boards and see what else.  Perhaps there is hope....

(thanks!)

It is so much more than that as far as the automation is concerned.

You can actually set the game to run completely on automatic mode if you want and just step in when you want to. Each ship design can be set basic guidelines on what it will do when it comes across enemy ships. You don't need to tell ships what or where to explore if you don't want to - Exploration class ships will automatically explore the galaxy. It will colonise viable planets without you telling it to if you wish. If you build a ship in one system but the AI decides it is needed on the other side of the cluster, it will send it there. The AI will also allocate ships to escort duty if required.

I've never played a game like it where the micromanagement is so easily handled but also where you can delve right down into the core workings if you really want to.

Ok, where can I buy this game? Preferably with the holiday discount

I wish the military automation was much better. It is the least enjoyable part of the game, imho, as ships literally have a mind and life of their own. Send an armada to attack that system - expect half to turn around because they ran out of fuel, and the other half to forget to bring troops for ground invasion.

The game is exclusively through Matrix Games.

These are two of the strategic aspects I enjoy the most from Distant Worlds.

To invade at any distance you really need to consider your logistic needs and construct a fleet to make use of target resources. Early ships use Caslon fuel so you must secure a source near the target first and then refuel before the actual attack. I either try to colonise a planet with a Caslon-rich gas giant in the same system, or just build a resupply ship and deploy it directly on the gas giant.

Similarly with troop transports. I build a fleet of transports at the home bases, make sure they are loaded then send them off to be refuelled again at the forward base. Then I park them in deep space but close to the target system - that way they don't get distracted and start hunting ships in their system. The original attack fleet then gets sent in and destroys the defences and the waiting troop transports swoop in for the ground attack.

I love the fact that fuel supply is such a limiting factor to both military and civilian ships. To develop a network or to launch an attack you need to get the fuel supply nailed otherwise nothing happens. Took me a while to figure this out (it isn't really explained in any depth in the game).

Just to chime in here. Yes it's an RTS but the custom settings help you play any way you want. Advisers will keep you informed and pause the game. You can then click on the advice or event and zoom right to it.

i like to let the game play out and then zoom in on the events that interest me. I might just follow one ship or fleet around as they do their thing for a while, knowing the empire is taking care of itself. You mostly control the military. The civilian sector takes care of itself. No need to micromanage every detail at all.

Well, I just ran a video of this game at matrix/code and I was left not desiring the game.

I guess that's just me?

Onwards then to GalCiv II... I've been wanting that game for quite some time now.

It's coming to me...

To my HDD...

It has willed itself onto me...

I can sense it...

-.-

I played the demo a while ago. I wasn't impressed either. It reminded me of Master of Orion III, only whereas MOOIII required you to hit the turn button (and not much else), Distant Stars didn't even require that.

Ok, I've checked the boards, and looked into the patches they have made for DWs...  I t may be my one present to my self this new years.  I've done a search and not found any 'coupon's for it, although the ordering screen at matrix has a place to enter in a discount code.  Does anyone who is already into Distant worlds know where we would find a discount code?

Appreciate it...  (either way).  -e

downloaded dw's will pay for a few days, and give you my comparison with galciv2....

Distant worlds has some MAJOR BUGS.  I can't even play it.  I downloaded dist worlds fine. Install OK, net, c++ all seem OK. Open start button. Box comes up, "play game, update, etc. Hit play game, new box, with yellow messages at bottom,"feeding giant K..., refueling pirates, nebulae, etc. Then game CTD, with window about 

c++ module failed to load during appdomain yadayada

I have Uninstall 2x (via add remove programs) and re d-l, install, with check for net, etc., on. All OK. error message same as above. Tried install to different directory, as per this site, same error message as above. What gives? is this game so buggy you cant get it to start???? C++ IS installed.

I even went to MS site, and installed NET 4, sliverlight, and even with that Distant worlds won't go past "play"  /  window on desktop.  i advse people to stay away from this game until matrix games creates a more robust install program.

Decided to get DW and the expansion while still on holiday sale.  Under $50 for both, pretty good deal.

It installed with no issues and runs fine.  Hopefully I'll have some time soon to at least run thru a tutorial.

Just started playing DW.  Been thru the tutorials twice, and studied the boards.  Played a couple of short games.  Still getting the hang of it - but it is really a good game - when you customize it the way you like.

Glad to see that you got your DW game going.

What caused your problems?  Was it a patch that didn't patch well?  Or something else?

-.-

Would be nice to see this title on Impulse. Until then I will wait... I've heard nothing but good things about this game.

Man, I remember seeing this thread a LONG time ago and someone suggested to buy it once the expansion came out. I thought it look... O.K.

Anyways, I recently decided to buy it and was, initially, totally overwhelmed. However, I took the time to learn it, found some AWESOME mods, and LOVE THIS GAME.

It plays slowly, like a TBS, but it is an RTS. Each game interesting stuff happening as my last game someone built a superweapon and went on a MASSIVE killing spree because they were losing a war while my current game the Cylons just sneak attacked me much like in the show... but then left. I've got a mixture of Star Trek, Star Wars, and BSG mods which is awesome... except when the USS Enterprise was destroyed. But, god, you should have seen the Defiant take out a space station (much like in the show).

Anyways, I'm loving this game and you guys convinced me to buy it.

Is the option to adjust the game speed in the original or just the expansion (and I do not mean the ability to pause)? With out the it is not worth playing and I will not get the expansion unless the orignal justifies getting it.

Yes it's in the original.