I have been keeping an eye on Terra Invicta for interest in the space development side of the game mostly. But now that it’s released I’ve decided, reluctantly, that it is not for me as it’s basically two different games stapled together, with some deeply questionable design choices.
Thinking about it gave me that spreadsheet game itch and it occurred to me that something that puts a grand strategy spin on kerbal space program would be really cool! Focus on mission planning, management, and R&D for early space flight through near future space industrial development/mining/permanent bases.
Has anyone heard of anything like that? Or should I just cave and give Aurora 4x another go?
Aurora 4X seems closest to what you want, that I know of, at least.
Mars Horizon might get a bit close, but I think it’s a little more simple than you’re looking for. There’s a demo for it on Steam so it’s easy to try, at least.
Mars Horizon looks fun, thanks! Definitely more of a straight up KSP successor than a strategy game, but it might scratch the itch enough to save me a few hundred hours from trying Aurora.
I remember Distant worlds: universe scratching that itch for me a while ago. I know there is a distant worlds 2 but it might be a bit before it reaches the same scale. Nothing quite like a game so immense that by default it does most of it for you and just asks you to sign off on things (that option can be changed ofc).
Unsure how it runs these days, it looks like steam reviews are having some issues running it but i used to play it on windows 10 just fine. Hefty sale too on steam
Thanks for the source. I’m aware that Kovarex has some interesting ideas when it comes to how players are intended to play Factorio, I’d not heard anything like that about him before.
Apparently Dosh Doshington and his team thoroughly annoyed Kovarex with their spaceship “The intended Solution,” during the Space Age close beta tests
Didn’t they do some really “creative” stuff like building the ship longer than the spawn point of the astroids or something? Of course that wasn’t intended but it also meant that it got fixed?
How many players would you like to have help? I’d be down, but I live in PST. I have gotten to Gleba and technically researched Aquilo in my best single player run. Then Gleba broke, and I’m restarting cause I haven’t touched the game in over a year.
It’s based on an older title IIRC, and it’s a game more tuned towards education with relatively few graphical elements. You won’t be flying missions directly, nor do you have sandbox capabilities, but for mission planning / R and D / mission control, there is some fun to be had.
Looks like it’s an updated version of a dos game Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space
I think I would try the original first, there is an open source version for basically all modern OSes
https://github.com/raceintospace/raceintospace
You have to plan out your ship design, like KSP. And you have to exploit weaknesses in enemy ships to take them out. You also have to deal with inertia when flying around.
as a boardgame you can have a look at Leaving Earth or to something more complex like High Frontier 4 All
Computer I played MArs Horizon, but I wasn’t a big fun, mostly because at the end I discover that I enjoy the planning but i also enjoy the handling of the ship
I’ve played around 5h, not much, but as I recall it was exactly what you think if you want to design a space race game, you do something basic, get new technology and then try something more advanced.
As you go progressing you can do more stuff and get farther away, but it was not fun. I only recall the feeling of “this are the type of mechanisms that sounds like fun but when you are doing it, it was not”.
Personally, I found the card game element interesting for a bit and then tedious and ultimately I went back to KSP. But I also wanted more direct control and other KSP elements that Mars Horizon didn’t quite scratch.
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Aurora 4X seems closest to what you want, that I know of, at least.
Mars Horizon might get a bit close, but I think it’s a little more simple than you’re looking for. There’s a demo for it on Steam so it’s easy to try, at least.
Mars Horizon looks fun, thanks! Definitely more of a straight up KSP successor than a strategy game, but it might scratch the itch enough to save me a few hundred hours from trying Aurora.
I remember Distant worlds: universe scratching that itch for me a while ago. I know there is a distant worlds 2 but it might be a bit before it reaches the same scale. Nothing quite like a game so immense that by default it does most of it for you and just asks you to sign off on things (that option can be changed ofc).
Unsure how it runs these days, it looks like steam reviews are having some issues running it but i used to play it on windows 10 just fine. Hefty sale too on steam
Hmm. Different scale for sure, but Distant Worlds 2 is in my backlog so I should probably try it again before Aurora. Thanks for the suggestion!
Factorio: space age?
FYI - the Factorio devs think we should all listen to what the nazis have to say, and give them platforms to say it.
We should probably stop giving them money and attention.
This shit have been disproved. Get your facts straight.
No, I don’t have the source right now. Sorry.
Edit: from the same site even… https://nichegamer.com/attempts-to-cancel-factorio-dev-backfire-players-and-positive-reviews-swell/
Thanks for the source. I’m aware that Kovarex has some interesting ideas when it comes to how players are intended to play Factorio, I’d not heard anything like that about him before.
Apparently Dosh Doshington and his team thoroughly annoyed Kovarex with their spaceship “The intended Solution,” during the Space Age close beta tests
Didn’t they do some really “creative” stuff like building the ship longer than the spawn point of the astroids or something? Of course that wasn’t intended but it also meant that it got fixed?
Yep.
I don’t care
That’s something else entirely IMO. … But I am planning to do a coop Space Exploration run soon!
How many players would you like to have help? I’d be down, but I live in PST. I have gotten to Gleba and technically researched Aquilo in my best single player run. Then Gleba broke, and I’m restarting cause I haven’t touched the game in over a year.
Oh it’s just going to be a little thing with a couple friends. Gleba certainly has a propensity for falling apart…
Maybe too simplistic for what you’re looking for, but Buzz Aldrin’s Space Program Manager allows you to do some of it.
It’s based on an older title IIRC, and it’s a game more tuned towards education with relatively few graphical elements. You won’t be flying missions directly, nor do you have sandbox capabilities, but for mission planning / R and D / mission control, there is some fun to be had.
I go back to it occasionally.
Probably the closest suggestion so far! Thanks
Looks like it’s an updated version of a dos game Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space I think I would try the original first, there is an open source version for basically all modern OSes https://github.com/raceintospace/raceintospace
Starcom: Nexus
It sorta counts if you’re okay with a 2D KSP.
You have to plan out your ship design, like KSP. And you have to exploit weaknesses in enemy ships to take them out. You also have to deal with inertia when flying around.
as a boardgame you can have a look at Leaving Earth or to something more complex like High Frontier 4 All Computer I played MArs Horizon, but I wasn’t a big fun, mostly because at the end I discover that I enjoy the planning but i also enjoy the handling of the ship
Can you elaborate on your critique of Mars Horizon? Someone else recommended it so I have been looking in to it.
I’ve played around 5h, not much, but as I recall it was exactly what you think if you want to design a space race game, you do something basic, get new technology and then try something more advanced. As you go progressing you can do more stuff and get farther away, but it was not fun. I only recall the feeling of “this are the type of mechanisms that sounds like fun but when you are doing it, it was not”.
There is a demo, you should try it.
Personally, I found the card game element interesting for a bit and then tedious and ultimately I went back to KSP. But I also wanted more direct control and other KSP elements that Mars Horizon didn’t quite scratch.
Wow, I am in the same situation as OP, Aurora 4x is a time sink for sure.
There’s Kitten Space Agency. It’s basically the spiritual successor to KSP, just with Kittens instead (and also perhaps a bit more realism than KSP?)
Anyone managed to get it running successfully with wine? I tried a few weeks ago but ran into a bunch of problems.
There’s a Linux build.
Oh nice! Looks like they released it recently.
For anyone looking:
https://ksa-linux.ahwoo.com/