![]() ![]() ![]() Elegant puzzle games are all well and good, but there's a wealth of experiences you can only get in real-time. But another issue was also mentioned in the podcast - once turn based, there seems to be an inevitable shift to a puzzle-like gameplay, but that personally does very little for me. Should it really take that length of time to get the full experience in Darkest Dungeon? Or could we manage to deliver it in half or even a quarter as long? If we could, this would have tremendous benefits to both designers and players. In my experience, turn-based games often lead to longer playtimes and repetitive turns. Someone mentioned 400+ hours on the podcast. One of my biggest issue with the current turn based model is the time investment. Imagine a real-time XCOM - if a trooper took a stray bullet because they moved because of another soldier's path-finding, would you care? But when you order the move in XCOM, then you feel the consequences as they happen. I know it was covered a little towards the end, but I think the main issue was missed: once you remove full control from the player, they'll blame the system anytime mistakes happen. I'd love to hear some examples of Real-Time games in this subgenre, if there are any. Either way, when done right, I think terrestrial-based 4X games have the prettiest and most interesting maps in gaming. Or perhaps the map layer is just considered part of the strategy layer. Speaking of which, random map generators are another system that probably gets as many resources thrown at it as the strategy and combat layers of the game. The upcoming Age of Wonders: Planetfall looks to blur the lines even more with it’s XCOM-like combat and I believe it’s campaign mode will use the random map generator as opposed to static maps. I don’t mind as much though as I’m usually just out for blood. While the more combat-focused 4X games have the most fun combat within the genre, the diplomacy aspect of the strategic layer seems to suffer and that’s usually the biggest criticism of those types of games from players who want a more robust diplomacy system. Losing a unit in a 4X game probably isn’t quite as bad as in a game like XCOM, but it really sucks to lose a unit that you’ve leveled up a lot, or if you were to lose a higher tier unit that took a lot of time and resources to build. ![]() The strategy layer in both series is obviously empire management as opposed to something like base management, but you’re still growing your empire in order to make your units more powerful. I feel like the developers in both those series put just as much attention towards combat and units as they do the strategy layer. ![]() Then go out and explore Grand Chien as you meet new people, earn money, grow your team, and ultimately make your own decisions that will decide the country’s fate.One other type of sub-genre that I feel kind falls under the tactical management category (or perhaps it’s just and edge-case?), are the more combat-focused 4X games like the Age of Wonders and Warlock series. In Jagged Alliance 3, select from a huge cast of mercenaries all with their own unique personalities, quirks, and backstories. Now, the President’s family has pulled together all their resources, including an arrangement with the powerful Adonis corporation, to hire a group of skilled mercenaries tasked with finding the President and bringing order back to the country. Grand Chien, a nation of rich natural resources and deep political divides, is thrown into chaos when the elected president goes missing and a paramilitary force known as “The Legion” seizes control of the countryside. ![]()
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