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Pacing of a 4X Strategy Game

How long do you prefer your 4X?

  • Short (Master of Orion)

    Votes: 3 33.3%
  • Medium (Master of Orion 2)

    Votes: 1 11.1%
  • Long (Civilisation series)

    Votes: 5 55.6%

  • Total voters
    9

Destroid

Arcane
Joined
May 9, 2007
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Location
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This is a topic I don't see much discussion about, and that I think is quite important to the genre. There is a pretty vast variety in game pace out there, from the rather quick MoO to the very slow and expansive Civ series. Generally I would regard the pace as the number of hours of play it takes for an average player to hit the end of the tech tree, while games may finish much sooner, I feel like the typically player likes to explore the full tree, or at least most of it, in most games (I'm aware a game may carry on much longer after the tech tree is complete but most games offer technologies that push towards a conclusion). Of course, all of these titles offer options that will make the game longer or shorter, but I think the general categories work.

What sort of pacing is planned for StarLife?
 

tiagocc0

Arcane
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
2,056
Location
Brazil
I usually like to play civilization with the Epic options.
So I have time to use what I research. Otherwise we end up with tiny advanced civilizations.

The game must not reach a state where it goes nowhere, there must be always something to do but I really want things to take their own time.

Researching all the tech tree should take a long time.
Expanding should be difficult, you have to take care to not to expand too quickly and also you won't be able to make your empire populate all planets.
The main goal of the game also won't be exterminate everything so I guess in the end it play more like a grand strategy game.
Unless you really want to exterminate everything.

It is still a bit early in development so we may change somethings.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
In basically every 4x game (space or otherwise) I find that tech speed is too fast. Frequently in Civ I'm in a situation where building a unit takes as long as researching the technology that replaces it.
 

tiagocc0

Arcane
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
2,056
Location
Brazil
In basically every 4x game (space or otherwise) I find that tech speed is too fast. Frequently in Civ I'm in a situation where building a unit takes as long as researching the technology that replaces it.
Exactly and so players usually just rush to get the techs they want before really producing anything of value.
Research should take a long time, expansion should be fast but problematic, in the end it will be a clash of military powers and culture. Races diplomatically trying to take advantage of others and then someone stupid starts a war and everyone gets dragged into it.
 

Destroid

Arcane
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May 9, 2007
Messages
16,628
Location
Australia
In basically every 4x game (space or otherwise) I find that tech speed is too fast. Frequently in Civ I'm in a situation where building a unit takes as long as researching the technology that replaces it.

This actually reflects real life, especially since electronics and computers. At least in games that feature unit design you can usually retrofit them. For civ specifically if you play the epic settings it slows the tech right down.
 

tiagocc0

Arcane
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
2,056
Location
Brazil
It reflects this last few centuries, but it is hardly what happened at 4000 BC. Even more that because they count years much faster at the start it just means that producing anything is something extremely really slow.
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
It doesn't reflect the last century either. It didn't take as long to build a bi-plane as it did to come up with the next design (WW2 era airplanes), and it didn't take as long to build a spitfire as did to invent the jet engine.
 

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