Armchair Dragoons Forums
Wargaming => 4X Gaming => Topic started by: Martok on November 10, 2020, 11:51:53 PM
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This one has me simultaneously apprehensive and intrigued. Battlegoat Studios, the developers behind the Supreme Ruler series of strategy/wargames, are now heading into space. The game has just released on Steam into early-access, at a discounted price of $29.99.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138440/Galactic_Ruler/
My impression of the SR titles is that they have a reputation for often being unwieldy, unbalanced, and possessing a learning curve at least as steep as (if not steeper than) what you'd find in a Paradox game. And I cannot imagine the fact that Galactic Ruler is supposed to combine both space *and* land -- while conceptually wonderful -- is likely to make Galactic Ruler any less of a PITA to manage.
On the other hand, the devs mentioned in the walkthrough video (that I posted above) that they're adding and/or changing a number of systems to accommodate the space part of the game, so I allow myself some hope that GR could still be manageable, despite its greater scope. Another point in the game's favor is that Battlegoat also has a reputation of providing long-term support to their products; granted, that will be especially necessary for a game like this one, but it's still a point in their favor.
At least the decision of whether or not to buy right now is an easy one: However much Galactic Ruler appeals to me, $30.00 is simply too much to pay to be a literal beta-tester. ::) I sincerely wish them well, however, and hope to see the game released sometime next year!
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Cartoony graphics....same ol' races.....to me, about as exciting as yesterday's cold oatmeal in a bowl. This one is going to have to make a lot of waves before I break out my wallet. But nice write-up, Martok. You're definitely the man when it comes to sci-fi 4x games.
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"...Battlegoat Studios, the developers behind the Supreme Ruler series..."
That's what stopped me from buying it. I could never figure out/get into Supreme Ruler.
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Cartoony graphics....same ol' races.....to me, about as exciting as yesterday's cold oatmeal in a bowl. This one is going to have to make a lot of waves before I break out my wallet. But nice write-up, Martok. You're definitely the man when it comes to sci-fi 4x games.
Thanks, Steelie. :) Yeah, the game's visuals certainly aren't exciting, but for some reason they don't bother me. (As to *why* that is could probably be a whole topic in and of itself...)
Given everything I've heard about the Supreme Ruler series, I'm more concerned about sprawl, and being able to govern that many planets without devolving into that ever-present bane of the 4x genre, micromanagement hell. What I've seen in the dev diary videos so far doesn't give me a ton of confidence that they've done much to address this yet, but they're going to need to if they don't want Galactic Ruler to be a total hot mess. (Granted, hot messes can still be fun, but that's neither here nor there. :P )
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[Casts Greater Thread Resurrection]
One of the lead developers posted a short gameplay video today. Doesn't look too terrible; however, I'm also not seeing much in the way of tools or functions to help cut down on the micro this game will surely have. Even on smaller maps, there's almost certainly going to be a lot going on.
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It does look interesting.
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Oh, good. Another space-based 4x game. We haven't had too many of those lately.
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Well, we haven't had too many GOOD space-based 4x games lately. :whistle:
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[Casts Greater Thread Resurrection]
One of the lead developers posted a short gameplay video today. Doesn't look too terrible; however, I'm also not seeing much in the way of tools or functions to help cut down on the micro this game will surely have. Even on smaller maps, there's almost certainly going to be a lot going on.
This is a huge concern, as this developer has never addressed the micromanagement issues in the Supreme Ruler games. At least to my knowledge.
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Well, we haven't had too many GOOD space-based 4x games lately. :whistle:
This is...a fair point. ;D
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This is a huge concern, as this developer has never addressed the micromanagement issues in the Supreme Ruler games. At least to my knowledge.
Yeah, it's the one consistent complaint/critique I've seen across the entire Supreme Ruler series. It seems like the games generally have a lot going for them overall, especially in finding a balance between realism and gameplay/fun, but they always seem to devolve into micromanagement slogs.
Well, we haven't had too many GOOD space-based 4x games lately. :whistle:
You have to go through a lot of coal to get that diamond. ;)
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The game is finally exiting Early-Access August 3rd:
https://twitter.com/BattleGoat/status/1547552503839031296
From what I've seen, the devs have made notable progress, but I don't know if it's enough to warrant purchasing the game yet. I can see myself possibly picking up Galactic Ruler after it's patched up some more, but I still think this is a "wait and see" purchase, at least for now.
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So, this Galactic ruler.
Is it metric or Imperial?
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I didn't play Supreme Ruler, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing in the context of Galactic Ruler.
So who's going to take one for the team come August 22?
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So, this Galactic ruler.
Is it metric or Imperial?
Ask her. Go ahead, I dare ya!
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgflip.com%2F3frocl.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
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So who's going to take one for the team come August 22?
If they're smart, no one.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm very much still interested in this one. However, the fact remains that the Supreme Ruler games have long been known for being complex, micromanagement-heavy beasts that aren't always patched up to a decent state before the devs move onto their next project. I don't plan on touching this one with a 10-foot/3-meter pole until well after release, and quite frankly, neither should anyone else. :nope:
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Release on the 3rd say the devs on the you tubes
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The game has officially launched -- training wheels off. It's also 25% off this next week:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1138440/Galactic_Ruler/
Reviews from the Early-Access period are solidly mixed, though I find I'm deep skeptical of pretty much all of them -- they seem to be mostly split between fanboys, and haters/"fanboys" who are upset this isn't a new Supreme Ruler title. Definitely going to wait on this one, even though I like a majority of what I'm seeing.
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That's exactly the impression I got Martok. Most of the reviews on Steam seem to be comparing it to the other games in the series.
I will watch some in depth reviews/walkthroughs on the Youtubes before reaching a decision, but it will be nice to have a new space strategy while I wait for Distant Worlds 2 to be fixed.
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I'd really like to have a crack at this, especially since I need some space 4X hotness in my life to fill the DW2 void, but threads like this one (https://steamcommunity.com/app/1138440/discussions/0/3453716885209176484/) on Steam aren't exactly encouraging. Sounds like Galactic Ruler needs some more time to bake as well. :/
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I see your Galactic Ruler and raise you a Cosmic Ruler (https://www.scalerulers.com/scale-rulers-printed-with-custom-design/)!
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Yeah, I'm seeing lots of bugs and gameplay issues being reported in both the forums and on Discord right now. I suppose that's normal to a fair extent -- it is still a "new" release, after all -- but normal or not, it doesn't make me inclined to pick up the game anytime soon.
I feel like Galactic Ruler will be an "eventually" purchase, but definitely not at the moment.
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Based on my research and the absolute lack of "Let's Plays" within the past week I'm staying away from this game. Even if it drops to 2 dollars I won't buy it.
There are a lot of really intriguing options coming down the pike for space games. Will hold out for them.
Peace
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Progress update from the devs:
Economy is getting rebalanced, modding toolkit will be ported over from the previous SR games (on top of the Steam Workshop support), and more.
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Major update has dropped:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1138440/announcements/detail/3317486166913044019
I really wish Battlegoat did demos, so that I could get a better read on this game: Steam scores stubbornly remain around just 50%, but most reviews appear to be from during the Early-Access period still. Yet at the same time, it doesn't appear that a lot of folks are playing Galactic Ruler -- at least on Steam (can you even the purchase the game elsewhere? it's not clear) -- so even just one good or bad review can really skew the numbers. There are very few LP's on Youtube (other than those put up by the devs), and the ones I've seen aren't helpful -- the Youtuber either doesn't speak much, and/or they clearly already know the game pretty well, so don't bother spending much effort trying to explain features & mechanics.
I suppose the very lack of LP's and new reviews could -- and probably should -- be taken as a sign, but I really want to like this game, dang it. (Also, Rob from Explorminate dislikes Galactic Ruler, which means odds are fairly good I'd enjoy it. ;D )
Ah, well. I suppose I'll simply continue my strategy of holding off and waiting for a steep sale...