The 2024 Armchair Dragoons Fall Assembly will be held 11-13 October 2024 at The Gamer's Armory in Cary, NC (outside of Raleigh)
Recent Posts
1
Sci-fi & Fantasy Warfare / Re: Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
« Last post by bob48 on Today at 06:33:39 AM »I played the last version on-and-off for a while, but there is just something about the gameplay which is 'meh' which is a pity as its visually very nice. Unfortunately, the 'diplomacy' aspect of it is a farce.
2
4X Gaming / Beyond Astra
« Last post by Martok on Today at 06:24:40 AM »I'd quite forgotten about this one, but it looks like development has come pretty far along now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2669060/Beyond_Astra/
As it's a solo dev, project, one of my major fears is that he may have bitten off way more than he can chew, and that the scope is simply way too big for him. Still, he has been working on the game for several years now, so perhaps he's solved/allowed for everything he's attempting to accomplish. Of all the space 4x titles currently in development, Beyond Astra is probably the one that interests me the most.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2669060/Beyond_Astra/
As it's a solo dev, project, one of my major fears is that he may have bitten off way more than he can chew, and that the scope is simply way too big for him. Still, he has been working on the game for several years now, so perhaps he's solved/allowed for everything he's attempting to accomplish. Of all the space 4x titles currently in development, Beyond Astra is probably the one that interests me the most.
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Sci-fi & Fantasy Warfare / Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
« Last post by Martok on Today at 06:01:13 AM »Well this came as a bit of a surprise...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3105440/Heroes_of_Might__Magic_Olden_Era/
Given the franchise is owned by Ubisoft, it makes this one an automatic no-go for me. Which is a pity, as I've been hearing good things about the developer.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3105440/Heroes_of_Might__Magic_Olden_Era/
Given the franchise is owned by Ubisoft, it makes this one an automatic no-go for me. Which is a pity, as I've been hearing good things about the developer.
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Sci-fi & Fantasy Warfare / STARHOME
« Last post by Martok on Today at 05:51:37 AM »Someone is taking a crack at a Battlestar Galactica-style game. Looks interesting.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1252070/STARHOME/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1252070/STARHOME/
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Intel Dump / Re: Undercovers wishlist and updates
« Last post by bob48 on Today at 05:01:07 AM »......or wait for it to be in sale! Has it been ina sale yet or is it too new?
6
RPGs & Adventure Gaming / Re: Moria – Through the Doors of Durin (expansion for The One Ring RPG)
« Last post by bob48 on Today at 04:57:48 AM »Sounds very encouraging. I shall follow with interest 
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The Modern World / Re: Frank Chadwick's ETO
« Last post by bob48 on Today at 04:55:58 AM »It looks very nice, buts its huge in terms of space required.
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4X Gaming / Atre: Dominance Wars
« Last post by Martok on Today at 02:32:08 AM »I realize the fact that it's real-time will be a turn-off for some, but I'm interested nonetheless. I'm hungry for a fantasy 4x that's not so completely combat-focused (looking at you Age of Wonders 4 
), and the feature set on this one ticks off quite a few boxes for me, at least on paper. Fingers crossed that it pans out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805850/Atre_Dominance_Wars/
), and the feature set on this one ticks off quite a few boxes for me, at least on paper. Fingers crossed that it pans out! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805850/Atre_Dominance_Wars/
Quote
Atre: Dominance Wars is a 4X real-time strategy with a twist of God-Game elements. It offers a fresh experience in the genre: original dynamic world, unique races, and lore-based detective work. Become an almighty Elder, rise to Godhood and conquer the world that’s being torn apart by a dark magic only you can stop… if you can uncover the Truth.
Quote
The way the world is generated depends on the magical attributes you choose when you create your character. So the world responds to your choices from the very beginning. The events you come across also change depending on these magical attributes. Take note: Events are steeped in the lore of this new world and when presented with multiple choices, unexpected consequences may arise if you don’t do some detective work.
With this mechanic, Atre: Dominance Wars promises a fresh experience for every different playthrough.
9
4X Gaming / Re: Emperor of the Fading Suns now available on GOG!
« Last post by Martok on Today at 12:27:43 AM »Emperor of the Fading Suns will now be coming to Steam as well:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2799350/Emperor_of_the_Fading_Suns_Enhanced/
There is also now a demo available.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2799350/Emperor_of_the_Fading_Suns_Enhanced/
There is also now a demo available.
10
4X Gaming / Re: Star Trek: Infinite
« Last post by Martok on Today at 12:08:57 AM »Sigh. What a disappointment this one turned out to be. 
What really gets me is, it wasn't a bad game overall. The basic gameplay was solid, and I appreciated how the devs made an effort to differentiate it from Stellaris by including things like "hero ships" and mission trees for each of the playable empires -- they were all good ideas.
Unfortunately, it also suffered from numerous bugs and balance problems, not to mention a few underlying issues. Having only 4 playable factions on a single fixed map (widely assumed to be due to restrictions by Paramount, though this was never officially confirmed) definitely hurt replayability as well -- why should Star Trek fans bother playing Infinite, when they could simply load up the New Horizons or New Civilizations mods for Stellaris (both of which have multiple maps and over 100 playable factions)?
Paradox deciding to pull the plug all too soon after release (
) before any of these issues could be addressed, and then most/all of the dev team being let go when the Embracer group (somewhat infamously) laid off a bunch of game developers late 2023/early 2024, were simply the final nails in the coffin.
A project like Star Trek: Infinite *could* have worked -- and still could -- but this game was probably doomed from the start. And goodness knows now when, if ever, we'll see another Star Trek 4x/grand-strategy again.
What really gets me is, it wasn't a bad game overall. The basic gameplay was solid, and I appreciated how the devs made an effort to differentiate it from Stellaris by including things like "hero ships" and mission trees for each of the playable empires -- they were all good ideas.
Unfortunately, it also suffered from numerous bugs and balance problems, not to mention a few underlying issues. Having only 4 playable factions on a single fixed map (widely assumed to be due to restrictions by Paramount, though this was never officially confirmed) definitely hurt replayability as well -- why should Star Trek fans bother playing Infinite, when they could simply load up the New Horizons or New Civilizations mods for Stellaris (both of which have multiple maps and over 100 playable factions)?
Paradox deciding to pull the plug all too soon after release (
) before any of these issues could be addressed, and then most/all of the dev team being let go when the Embracer group (somewhat infamously) laid off a bunch of game developers late 2023/early 2024, were simply the final nails in the coffin. A project like Star Trek: Infinite *could* have worked -- and still could -- but this game was probably doomed from the start. And goodness knows now when, if ever, we'll see another Star Trek 4x/grand-strategy again.