Pandora

[keith.lamothe]

So I just saw this: http://store.steampowered.com/app/287580/


I'd heard people talking last year sometime about this being a real successor to Alpha Centauri, which is one of my all-time-favorites.

So it's now out on steam, and not even early-access but apparently actually done.

Before I permit the enthusiasm engines to engage: did they pull it off?  Is it good?  I hope so

[Draco18s]

Ok, a friend of mine says this:

It's Pandora and it's first expansion Return of the Messari repackaged together.  Which he's played the base and says is not good.
"Ok, it's fine if you want to play a prettier, dumbed down version of Alpha Centauri with an AI that is pants-on-head retarded."

I generally trust his opinion on games; he got me into Dwarf Fortress and AI War.

[topper]

Have not played it, but the consensus does seem to be that it is dumbed down relative to SMAC.

Which makes sense, because it looks like the love-child of SMAC with Civ5.

If you are getting a 4x from Slitherine, get Distant Worlds instead. I did, because of the other thread on this forum (plus my own research), and I am not regretting it.

[Draco18s]

Distant Worlds is in my wishlist for now.  I'm not in a hurry to pick up something new, especially not a 4x space grand strategy, so I'm ok waiting for a sale.

[topper]

Distant Worlds is in my wishlist for now.  I'm not in a hurry to pick up something new, especially not a 4x space grand strategy, so I'm ok waiting for a sale.

I actually went in and got the game now because I am somewhat led to believe that it may never be more on sale than it is now. At least this publisher does not have much of a precedent for putting games on sale. But maybe that will change with them coming over to Steam.

[Draco18s]

Like I said, I'm not in a hurry.  And $10 now isn't that big of a deal for me.

[Billick]

Firaxis is releasing Civilization: Beyond Earth this year (Basically SMAC 2, except EA has the rights to the Alpha Centauri IP so they can't name it that).  That'll be worth a look for sure.

I'm glancing over the Steam reviews for Pandora, and there doesn't seem to be any sort of consensus that the game is a dumbed down AC.  In fact, the only bad reviews are saying it's "too hard".  Hmm... I may have to check that one out.

I can say that Distant Worlds is the real deal though.  I've already sunk 50+ hours into it, and I've only been playing it since the Steam release. 

[Aklyon]

I thought the reason for not explicitly being SMAC2 was avoiding people getting angry at them for not having something or other from the original.

[eRe4s3r]

I thought the reason for not explicitly being SMAC2 was avoiding people getting angry at them for not having something or other from the original.

Instead people are angry because there is barely anything in the game that puts it apart from others... Pandora is not terrible, but it's not good and it's most certainly not memorable. In the end, people wanted SMAC2 and still want SMAC2... Civ Beyond Earth MAY be that.. or maybe not...

[zespri]

I can't see how is this game different to the Civilization series. You have you map you build your cities you allocate your workers you create land improvements you build armies you conquer/apply diplomacy to the neighbours.

You don't have all that culture/religion mechanics that civ series has and the setting is far future and distant planet. The rest looks pretty much the same.

What is so special about?