What are the best 4X strategy games for PC? It seems like an interesting genre, but I've never played any games in it.
Also, considering I'm not familiar with the genre, I would prefer something a little more accessible than something with depth out the ass.
>>318258140
What game is this?
>>318258219
civ 5
>>318258140
Civ 5 is probably the most accessible 4x on PC but Civ 4 is better
>>318258219
Fallen Enchantress.
It's shit.
Right now Civ V, Endless Legend, and Age of Wonders 3 are the best and most accessible on the market.
>>318258140
Civ 5 and Endless Legend
>>318258219
Looks like Halo Wars
>>318258140
>civ 5
>endless legend
>homeworld
>star ruler
How am I supposed to play civ5?
Multiplayer is horrible and singleplayer is easy, AI predictable and boring. Got 60 hours on it and I'm not sure if I should install it again or not. Got all the expansions.
>>318258268
>>318258338
Yall niggaz is blind it's clearly neither of those.
It's obviously C&C: Red Alert
>>318258381
>4X
>Homeworld
u wot m8
>>318258385
op asked for entry level casualized shit. civ5 is entry level casualized shit
Sins of a Solar Empire is pretty fucking great
The newest one is 10$ (75% off) on Steam right now
Why do people hate Fallen Enchantress: LH so much? Is it because Elemental was crap and peopla automatically assume LH isn't any better?
>>318258639
>$10
Woah there high roller, I don't have that kind of money.
>>318258396
C&C is not a strategy game.
>>318258318
I really could not get into Endless Legend or Civ:BE. The races didn't really make that much sense to me, and I was constantly forgetting what my enemies were.
>>318258797
just don't eat for a day
>>318258910
that's not the games fault. Though BE is bad. I think you just have a case of the retards.
>>318258968
I also had a crippling case of "better things to play".
They took my money though, so maybe I should have a doctor check that "retards" thing out.
I see some people are recommending Endless Legend; is Endless Space good? I think space might appeal to me more than fantasy would.
Sword of the Stars.Stay away from the sequel.
>>318259135
Endless Space looks cool but has some of the worst 'combat' of any 4x game ever made. Actually, they made Endless Legend too and that game also has fucking terrible combat.
Thea: The Awakening is honest to god my favorite 4X game ever. Should be noted, though, it's very non-standard compared to most 4X games. It's not about creating cities and trying to dominate everything, it's very much about trying to survive as a single village, gathering materials to survive, crafting shit, going on quests and fights.
It's a lot of fun.
I'm going to bed but I'll be checking this thread on the morning.
>>318258639
OP is asking for 4x games. Sins of a Solar Empire is an RTS with some 4x elements.
>>318258140
Age of Wonders 3 if you want great combat and simple city building. Endless Legend if you want great city building and terrible combat.
>>318259259
It's almost as if combat wasn't the main point. Seriously, how can someone harp on ES/EL and at the same time have no issues with """combat""" in Civ games?
>>318259421
Did I mention civ games? I can't fucking stand Civ. Go play Age of Wonders 3 and you'll see how bad the combat is in LE by comparison.
>>318258140
warcraft 3
>>318259280
Shit, the old image change switcheroo
Wonder where the image I posted is at.
>>318259487
Goes both ways. Play Endless Legend and see how bad the non-combat parts of AoE are.
>>318259562
Hence why >>318259380
Was posted.
>>318259562
You're completely right.
The non-combat parts of Age of Empires are shit.
>>318258381
You misspelled Sins of a Solar Empire brother.
>>318258140
sins of the solar empire : rebellion, it's decent vanilla and has one gazillion mods
>>318259670
>>318259681
It's not a 4x you fucking spergmeisters. Goddamn.
>>318259327
It literally sells as a full-fledged 4X.
You should probably look up what 4X means, it is a much broader definition than one would assume after playing Civ and co.
Dominions 4; Fantasy 4x game about becoming a God. Really awesome combat/army building mechanics and pretender God design with deep strategy and really cool monsters and units you can make. Base/city building aspects are simply nonexistent, the graphics are all very simple 2d stuff. The game has a good following on 4chan, there's even a general of people who play together on /vg/
I still play Civ 4modded
>>318259795
Except it is.
>>318259795
nice headcanon
>>318258396
Clearly Warcraft 2
>>318259795
>calling him a sperglord while being so pedantic
>>318259929
>steam tags
Kek. I guess Binding of Isaac is officially a roguelike then!
>>318259854
You should try actually playing the game you are trying to talk about and you'd figure out its absolutely fucking nothing like a 4x. Torchlight has guns in it, so does Call of Duty. Does that mean that if I want to play an FPS, I should look into Torchlight?
>>318258801
You don't know about the strategy spin-offs to C&C Renegade?
>>318259873
Man, shit gets crazy in it.
>>318258318
>>318259380
Age of Wonders 3 is not that good how people said here.
The campaign/combat is repetitive and the Ai is easily exploited. Heroes of might and magic does everything better.
>>318259991
what about the description blurb, buddy
>>318258318
It's not shit, though, it's about on the level of Endless Legend and Civ 5. It has a lot of content. Looks worse and mechanics feel a bit worse, but a good game nonetheless.
>>318259280
Why is she not wearing any panties?
>>318260035
Sorry you had a bad experience with it but you are wrong. The combat is amazing, deep and offers tons of replayability. And then you can add mods on top of that.
>>318259795
You write it down and do not embarass yourself in the future:
Definition:
4X computer games are a subgenre of strategy games, and include both turn-based and real-time strategy titles. The gameplay involves building an empire, which takes place in a setting such as Earth, a fantasy world, or in space. Each player takes control of a different civilization or race with unique characteristics and strengths. Most 4X games represent these racial differences with a collection of economic and military bonuses.
Meaning of 4X:
-Explore means players send scouts across a map to reveal surrounding territories.
-Expand means players claim new territory by creating new settlements, or sometimes by extending the influence of existing settlements.
-Exploit means players gather and use resources in areas they control, and improve the efficiency of that usage.
-Exterminate means attacking and eliminating rival players. Since in some games all territory is eventually claimed, eliminating a rival's presence may be the only way to achieve further expansion.
>>318260274
So starcraft and age of empires are 4x games now too. See why you are fucking retarded? Now there's no reason for this term to exist because 52374237423723476 other games are thrown into it that play absolutely nothing alike and you have no fucking clue what to get based on what you enjoyed in the first place.
>>318259992
That fucking analogy.
Kill yourself you retard, by definition Civ is even less of a 4X than Sins, because victory is achieved without extermination in some cases. Maybe you should play some more vidya instead of shitposting, newfag.
>>318260274
So every RTS by definition is a 4x now? Because pretty much all of them fit those 4 X's.
>>318260404
You are a fucking idiot with no clue what he's talking about arguing for the sake of arguing. Shut the fuck up and post more 4x recs.
Are there any good 4X games onconsole?
>>318260382
It is probably because you base your separation of the genres only on the scalar difference of "complexity" and the difference between turn-based and real-time. Those are not exactly good points on which you should separate between 4X and usuall RTS or TBS. A 4X follows the 4 main criterea, while also being described as more "complex" than others, based on that of course games like fucking Starcraft and C&C are not 4X, but booting Sins out of that definition just for being lighter in its complexity and real-time is pretty retarded and you honestly do not have any good point for that besides "it doesnt feel/play like other 4X".
>>318260550
Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle.
I've gotten spoiled by playing real-time games. Now turn based just feels sort of, boring.
Are there any decent real time ones out there?
I mean, that isn't made by Paradox.
>>318258140
Why is there no Alpha Centauri here yet?
>>318260698
Sphere of Influence is good too
>>318260827
>Water levels rising a meter per week
Jesus christ how horrifying
I'm a fan of the sword of the stars games if you like cool space battles alongside your 4x
>>318260778
Paradox games are grand strategy and not 4X.
But we are in a crisis right now, real-time is apparently not 4X.
>>318261131
Oh. My bad. Thought they were interchangeable.
>>318261056
Looks interessting.
Why exactly shouldn't one play the sequel?
>>318261131
>apparently
Traditionally 4x has not been real-time. Sins is like the only exception people ever argue about in 4x threads.
>>318260997
>not building water colonies exclusively
idk if it counts as a 4x game but endless space is a little bit older game by the same guys behind endless legend
one of my favorite games on steam, definitely my favorite strategy game, worth a try at least, especially if you're into the whole space thing like I am
>>318259873
I seriously wish Dominions had a proper campaign because AI can't handle half the features game has. Which is why I'm looking forward to That Which Sleeps considering it's basically precisely that.
>>318260698
As well as ROTK series in general.
>>318261220
Begause it is a bugged mess which has not been entirely fixed even years after release. Also much less ocntent because of no epxansions.
>>318261720
>mfw Sisyphus is an ancient hero turned ancient evil and his gameplay approach revolves around actively turning nations against each and getting current heroes to fall
I highly recommend checking out Master of Orion 2. It's still one of if not the best space 4x game out there, and it's really easy to get into.
Are the HoMM games considered 4x?
Just kinda curious.
I like endless legend.
>>318258385
Maybe a bit late, but download the Civ 5 community (balance) patch from civ fanatics. Community Patch makes the AI (A LOT!!!!) harder. Enemy ranged units now fucking finally move n' shoot in one turn. Barbs turn from 'meh free exp' to 'Holy fuck this Barb handaxe is chasing me from the ends of the earth and fucking my shit' Also no stupid embarking in pools and getting creamed,
The community BALANCE patch is the above with IMO much needed civ/building/policy/EVERYTHING balancing + new recources ect.
If you play Civ 5, get this shit - trust me.
Is star ruler 2 good?
>>318259259
I found EL to have okay combat. It is better than just seeing explosions between 2 blobs. Once you understand how it works it is quick be effective combat
Endless Legend has the best art design, the best sound track and best overall style
https://youtu.be/WSSszn4kh44
>>318260997
One of the earlier games I played I once burned down a base because I thought that the people would mellow out after a while about the atrocity.
Then they demanded money to make me repent. So I said fuck it and started building planet busters to destroy their forward bases that constantly bombed me. Then they were more pissed off so I built more planet busters and won the map pretty much by nuking everything. At the end the whole planet was flooded and the AI lost its cities to the rising water
4X games fun in singleplayer? I only played Civ 5 and it feels like playing a board game with no friends.
Alpha Centauri is the correct answer by far, but it's not the most accessible.
I think it's best to play any of the civs first.
>>318263239
Endless Legend has quests and shit so it feels like you're playing vidya instead of a board game solo.
Endless Legend is pretty good but it gets tiring by the time you have to manage 5 cities in different maps.
The early game is fantastic, though.
>>318263256
I barely play 4x games and I found that in a few games I could manage AC. Only problem is that on the easiest settings things were locked which meant I was frustrated because I couldnt be in control of the game.
>>318258140
majesty 2
>>318263370
Thanks. Is the DLC for EL important or should I jsut get the base game?
>>318263529
Get Endless Legend Collection. The DLC actually adds good stuff like a new faction, new units and new quests.
>>318263529
Emperor edition is pretty worthless, but Guardians and Shadows are good. That little faction quest pack is also worth considering.
>>318262828
This interests me also
>>318263683
>Get Endless Legend Collection
Top advice m8.
>>318263239
Some 4x games put more effort than others into having leaders with distinguishable personalities. Civ 5 might be a bit weak in that respect, which would make it feel like a lonely experience. On the other hand, Alpha Centauri for example goes out of its way to make it feel like you're playing against recognizable and distinct characters.
>>318263789
Well, you miss out on a minor faction by not getting emperor and the Echoes does add a quite bit of ambiance. Are you of the Jew Faction, by any chance?
Why nobody posted that? It's good series.
>>318264223
Is three Euro's really a lot? Are you Romanian?
>>318258381
>>homeworld
full retard
>>318258140
SMAC is best but you're too casual for it.
Endless Legend is great.
AoW3 is great.
Civ4/5 are old and busted.
>>318264307
Yes, it is quite a lot for literally nothing.
>>318261720
>never heard of That Which Sleeps before
>look it up
Man, I just hope this doesn't turn out bad, because it sounds so good.
>>318264307
>>318259280
>It's not about creating cities and trying to dominate everything, it's very much about trying to survive as a single village, gathering materials to survive, crafting shit, going on quests and fights.
So it's King of Dragon Pass?
>>318264343
>literally nothing
You get a minor faction and an alt skin for the Vaulters with Emperor. I can agree that maybe Echoes isn't worth it if you don't have good headphones or speakers.
>>318264226
2 is good.
1 is meh.
3 is a death knell.
>>318260035
>Heroes of might and magic does everything better.
>>>/vr/
>>318264449
Lordy, you're denser than a neutron star. 17.47 is the price of everything. The higher bundle cost includes nothing besides Steam jewery.
>>318258385
Play on an actually difficult difficulty then fucking scrub
And don't give me that "b-b-but they're CHEATING" jib
>>318264429
Basically
It's like KoDP meets 4x and dwarf fortress
>>318258318
I had a decent share of fun with FE, city building is neat and endgame armies are fun
>>318261720
>That Which Sleeps
https://youtu.be/AlF3BHbci_Y
You got me hyped.
just got back from aow3 because of this thread, anybody else got problem with how everything seems too big in the newer games (make the whole map feel small and too tightly closed imo, can't believe i got claustrophobic in these games of all things)?
>>318260274
go fuck yourself, sins is a fucking RTS with planets and spaceships
distand worlds is a 4x rts hybrid
>>318264508
Well that makes no sense at all.
Anyone notice how much harder the AI is to deal with since the latest patch/expo?
>>318258140
Civ 4, AoW3, GalCiv2. Pirate that last one though, it has some fucking retarded DRM system on Steam from what I remember.
>>318263239
Thea: The Awakening can only be played single-player and it's great.
>>318264429
I'd say it's a light Civilization game first with heavy King of the Dragon Pass elements second. The main interface is still 4X, but the game definitely took a lot of inspiration from KoDP
>>318264501
That's bullshit and you know it.
Every race has the same unity reskinned.
Units abilities is the same as above.
You don't even use half of the spells.
You can build any unity or structure and research all technologies from the first campaign map.
It's as if all the scenarios of the campaign are skirmish maps.
I find weird how you don't put how easy is to exploit the AI, how the Hero at later levels can beat entire armies alone or diplomacy is almost nonexistent.
Just bought Age of Wonders 3 + All DLC.
Never played AoW, But have Civ 4/5 and Endless legend. What am I in for, any advice?
>>318260698
They are strategy games not 4x.
The exploration aspect is missing.
>>318264429
FUCKING DUCKS, DON'T BELIEVE THEIR LIES!
>>318260450
Yeah they actually are
>>318266956
>What am I in for, any advice?
Start with campaigns.
I got Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes in some bundle. Worth my time?
>>318259421
because the "combat" in civ isn't a shoehorned mess that weighs the rest of the game down?
>>318268820
Man, if only there was some kind of way to autoresolve combat.
Thinking of getting Endless legend but I've only play 4x games a little bit, will I be too casual for it?
>>318269020
>will I be too casual for it?
There's a scrub-mode difficulty, go for it.
What's 4X and what is the point when grand strategy exists
>>318268897
poor excuse when the games are almost always, if not always meant to be played without using auto resolve on any real difficulty.
>game tries to be civ + half assed HoMM
every time.
>>318269142
what's the point of nfl blitz when madden exists?
Civilisation IV with Ashes of Erebus mod.
what does 4x mean
>>318269142
>grand strategy
Is it still a genre with nothing but realistic historical snorefests?
>>318269278
The 4X stands for "eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate".
>>318269278
expand dong
exterminate jews
exploit goyim
explore tumblr
>>318269278
It's Australian for beer.
Are there any other at least interesting modern 4X games that aren't AoW3 (which is actually pretty shitty and more like HoMM than an actual 4X game), Endless Legend and Civ5? I've played all of these games to death already. I also got Sorcerer King which is interesting but also pretty shitty and GalCiv 3 which is flat out horrible in every way.
>>318269706
Warlock.
Eador.
>>318269798
Warlock 1 I got, is Warlock 2 any better?
I got the original Eador but because of russian technology I had to fudge my computer settings so that it would actually work. Otherwise it was an interesting game albeit has a very tedious and grindy beginning. Is the new Eador any better? Does it actually work?
>>318269382
Full flavored AND low carbs?
>>318269928
Lower carb, and notice they don't state what it's lower than making the statement inherently worthless
>>318269706
Try these: master of orion 2 , civ 2 , master of magic with kyrub patch, SMAC.
>>318259259
EL combat gets undermined by the whole custom units feature, like most 4x with it do.
Despite how much it fucks up combat I love being able to use your own designs, Star Ruler did it great where you could designate the ship size and that would scale the capability of every ship module.
>>318270149
I've played all of these to death, which is why I specified modern 4X games. I keep hoping that something comes along and topples these games, or at least manages to be good in its own unique way. It's pretty sad that I'm still playing the same games two decades later because nothing even attempts to approach their ambition and scope. You kinda get tired of them and wish something new would come along.
>>318269382
>beer
You mean piss.
>>318269142
>Implying Paradox games are good
I've put about as much time in paradox games as I did in CivV or IV individually. They're shallow snorefest that put on an air of depth to fool morons.
>>318270875
Yeah, that's why I gave it the file name I did.
>>318270875
that's what I said until I discovered the magic of german wheat beer. Normie beers are literally creature piss, but really god tier beer exists.
>>318270083
Welcome to advertising, anon
civ5+expansions is the best
Alpha Centauri is the single best one.
The older Civs are plenty accessible, I was like six or seven when I first started playing Civ 2.
The Endless Legend super bundle is still on sale until dec 1st for fucking 20 bucks on Steam
Get it or you're a huge idiot
>>318271176
they've been releasing dlc like mad so i'd rather just wait and see if either
a. they release more
b. it gets a better discount
c. humble bundle
>>318271418
They might slow down as they move on to making Endless Space 2 and eventually DLC for that.
>>318270995
tfw its true
the ai is bad also in their games and does retarded shit making them easy to defeat
I mainly played hearts of iron
