Shadow Empire - planetary conquest from Advanced Tactics/Decisive Campaigns dev

[Doktor Best]

So whats the codex konsensus on the current state of the game? Always interested in good 4X games, but i figure especially a game like this takes a long while to "learn" so i need to know if its worth the effort.

Main points of contention with most 4X games is the lacking AI and lacking automation functions leading to micromanagement hell when you grow too big. How does the game handle these issues?

And is there meaningful lategame stuff that keeps things interesting?

 

[Beowulf]

Well, once you know how the AI plays you'll always be able to win against it (still, you can succumb to hostile planet - AI is even worse at handling tough wildlife). There is some micromanagement hell in the late game on large planets.

But the game is great fun for PBEM's.
I'd still buy it for only SP stuff, but that's not where the game captures your attention.

 

[Galdred]

Does this game run on Windows 7?

The minimum reqs say Windows 8 or 10.

I played most of it on my Windows 10 laptop, but I don't remember running into any problem on my Windows 7 desktop.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

So whats the codex konsensus on the current state of the game? Always interested in good 4X games

it's not a 4x, it's a wargame. with many interesting systems, an insufferably obtuse interface and impossibly long waits between turns.

 

[Joggerino]

So whats the codex konsensus on the current state of the game? Always interested in good 4X games, but i figure especially a game like this takes a long while to "learn" so i need to know if its worth the effort.

Main points of contention with most 4X games is the lacking AI and lacking automation functions leading to micromanagement hell when you grow too big. How does the game handle these issues?

And is there meaningful lategame stuff that keeps things interesting?

It's fantastic but it's not a 4x game at all. I really appreciate their logistics system too, but it takes a bit to understand how it works.

 

[AgentFransis]

Don't be silly. It's a 4X wargame. You explore. You expand, either by founding new cities or conquest. You exploit by building farms, factories, mines, power plants etc. And obviously you exterminate. Along with research and diplomacy these are all the elements of the classic 4X formula only with a sophisticated combat and logistics system on top of it.

 

[Mefi]

Thought this was pretty cool.

A player generated an absolute hell world and the top of the food chain was an 82m tall thing. Images on spoiler:

Spoiler

So Pymous decided he'd like to paint it and came up with this...

Image sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ShadowEmpireGame/comments/o2n810/remember_that_hell_world_with_those_supe

https://ko-fi.com/pymous?viewimage=IJ3J351ZYX#galleryItemView

 

[Old One]

I'm really enjoying this so far. My second game is going surprisingly good. I managed to surround a pesky grey militia stack with all my units and destroy it after a couple of attacks, one at 4.6:1 (which annoyingly failed) and one at 3.4:1. No other opposition discovered yet.

I kept a save from turn zero, so I may start over from the beginning using the same game. I figure that's a pretty good way to learn.

I'm currently trying to figure out the technology and research systems, since my starting models and units are pathetic militia.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

to sum up u start improving from what u have and when new designs start coming up from research u create a new model from zero and then improve upon it. Even if the equipment doesn't change then usually get a bit more attack or similar depending on the unit, but i only recommend doing that until a certain point before it becomes redundant. Research wise u have two types, broad research (discovery) and military research that helps you unlock new weapons/armor. Both needing the correct (perks/profile) member to work with effectivity, but then is up to rng jesus to decide what u find out next with the only possibility being of u being able to select research areas after unlocking 3 techs from the previous branch.

 

[Old One]

Yep. I've been playing this on and off all summer (switching between Shadow Empire and Battle Brothers - whenever I want a break from one I go with the other).

Now that I understand it better I think the mechanics are extremely interesting and innovative. I'm still working on splitting off new cities and stuff like that. There are a lot of variables and complexities.

 

[Old One]

I've mostly figured out how to play it now. It's good stuff.

 

[Malakal]

Figuring out how to play the game was the best part, unfortunately once you know how to play it it gets repetitive and the AI is not really up to challenge you.

 

[passerby]

Figuring out how to play the game was the best part, unfortunately once you know how to play it it gets repetitive and the AI is not really up to challenge you.

So like every single 4X game.

 

[Beowulf]

Figuring out how to play the game was the best part, unfortunately once you know how to play it it gets repetitive and the AI is not really up to challenge you.

That's the point when you start playing MP.

 

[Malakal]

Figuring out how to play the game was the best part, unfortunately once you know how to play it it gets repetitive and the AI is not really up to challenge you.

That's the point when you start playing MP.

Yes, I think that this game would be absolutely spectacular in MP, especially with many players.

At the same time it would probably be a massive, months or years long time investment.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

anyone play his new Ardennes Offensive game? Looks to be a different scale than his previous WW2 titles (Battalion+Company Based) and 1kM hexes with multiple moves per day including night moves. Supply might be more detailed too, not sure. I am sort of sick of ardennes games, but am intrigued by the new scale and like the developer. I did not play his case blue or barbarossa games, but Matrix/slitherine sent me a 50% off coupon for being a 15+ year customer but I have to use it in next month, maybe I would get this since it is expensive and only availible on their website at the moment. There does not seem to be a thread about the game on RPGcodex..



Edit:



Dastactics looks to have a 3-video series introducing the game, have not watched it yet, just found it..but have enjoyed his videos in the past.

 

[warci]

anyone play his new Ardennes Offensive game? Looks to be a different scale than his previous WW2 titles (Battalion+Company Based) and 1kM hexes with multiple moves per day including night moves. Supply might be more detailed too, not sure. I am sort of sick of ardennes games, but am intrigued by the new scale and like the developer. I did not play his case blue or barbarossa games, but Matrix/slitherine sent me a 50% off coupon for being a 15+ year customer but I have to use it in next month, maybe I would get this since it is expensive and only availible on their website at the moment. There does not seem to be a thread about the game on RPGcodex..



Edit:



Dastactics looks to have a 3-video series introducing the game, have not watched it yet, just found it..but have enjoyed his videos in the past.

think you hit a wrong button somewhere, but I agree that this does look interesting. Liked the previous DC games, but I generally dislike these huge scale battles. This Ardennes one would solve that.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

anyone play his new Ardennes Offensive game? Looks to be a different scale than his previous WW2 titles (Battalion+Company Based) and 1kM hexes with multiple moves per day including night moves. Supply might be more detailed too, not sure. I am sort of sick of ardennes games, but am intrigued by the new scale and like the developer. I did not play his case blue or barbarossa games, but Matrix/slitherine sent me a 50% off coupon for being a 15+ year customer but I have to use it in next month, maybe I would get this since it is expensive and only availible on their website at the moment. There does not seem to be a thread about the game on RPGcodex..



Edit:



Dastactics looks to have a 3-video series introducing the game, have not watched it yet, just found it..but have enjoyed his videos in the past.

think you hit a wrong button somewhere, but I agree that this does look interesting. Liked the previous DC games, but I generally dislike these huge scale battles. This Ardennes one would solve that.

there is no other thread for Ardennes Offensive Game , and its the same guy (victor) who made/programed/designed both games (shadow empire and decisive campaigns) so I thought maybe people here would be aware of it more than any other place on RPGcodex.

 

[thesheeep]

So whats the codex konsensus on the current state of the game? Always interested in good 4X games

it's not a 4x, it's a wargame. with many interesting systems, an insufferably obtuse interface and impossibly long waits between turns.

It's definitely 4X, fulfills all of the requirements. But you are right about the downsides.

I really loved the game's intricate systems, but the insanely inadequate interface, the waiting times and in later stages the unnecessary amount of microing required for every little thing (the reinforcement mechanics alone could send me into an hour-long rage rant) pushed me away eventually.
On the bright side, you'll definitely get your money's worth, because it will take weeks to just finish a single game unless you're on holiday or sth...

Truly, I'd love to see a version of this without all those downsides, but the same people insane enough to develop a game like this also tend to be completely ill-suited for tackling exactly those problems.

 

[Beowulf]

anyone play his new Ardennes Offensive game? Looks to be a different scale than his previous WW2 titles (Battalion+Company Based) and 1kM hexes with multiple moves per day including night moves. Supply might be more detailed too, not sure. I am sort of sick of ardennes games, but am intrigued by the new scale and like the developer. I did not play his case blue or barbarossa games, but Matrix/slitherine sent me a 50% off coupon for being a 15+ year customer but I have to use it in next month, maybe I would get this since it is expensive and only availible on their website at the moment. There does not seem to be a thread about the game on RPGcodex..

Yeah, I also bought it because I got a discount coupon from them. I dislike the battle choice, as the Ardennes has been already done countless number of times in many wargames, and I thought that the battle itself would translate poorly to a tactical scale - i.e. as Germans you ride along the roads and assault fortified strongholds, and as the allies you fortify strongholds and try to withstand German attacks.
But, having played a couple of scenarios, it seems that there is more freedom in decisions and the game has a lot of neat little features that make playing interesting. But the AI is rather poor, so I'd advise going for PBEM games as soon as you can.

 

[Catacombs]

I found this game in a separate game, saw it was on sale on Steam and pulled the trigger. I was intrigued by its comparison to Dwarf Fortress and Rimworld. I plan to read the manual when I get some more free time. What am I in for?

 

[luj1]

Looks real fun but cant be arsed to learn all this shit

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

suffering.

 

[Malakal]

I found this game in a separate game, saw it was on sale on Steam and pulled the trigger. I was intrigued by its comparison to Dwarf Fortress and Rimworld. I plan to read the manual when I get some more free time. What am I in for?

Setting up logistics is a pain and you have to use road signs or some of your supplies somehow end in dead ends...

Also reinforcing 20 000 men 100 at a time.

 

[Alpharius]

Its fine after you build railroads. Only gotta make sure that rail roads dont branch and dont intersect at all and block the truck roads between cities with traffic signs after the railroad is up and running. So that there is only one way the stupid drivers can delvier the goods from A to B.