Space Tyrant

[tgb]

This came out in Early Access yesterday and has already shot to the top of my GOTY list.

A seemingly-casual/lite 4X, the developers claim you can finish a mission (game played on a small map) in under an hour. That's not exactly true, but I have yet to have one take more than 2.

You play the titular character, wresting control of a number of planets away from the Galactic Empire. Along the way you do most of the typical 4X stuff (3X really - there's no planetary development). Each turn you can move a fleet one stop along the star lanes, and you immediately attack the planet (or sometimes other body, like an asteroid field), first by defeating the defending fleet and then by rolling "conquest dice". Ship to ship combat is real time (but can be lowed to almost a crawl) and not-quite-hands-off. Ships auto-target and fire on their own, but each ship also has a special ability powered by a recharging energy bar, so most of your time is spent firing those off. When you conquer a planet there is usually an "exploration" which is a short cyoa-style event that may yield some rewards (or fuck you over).

There are two kinds of resources that planets can produce - space bucks for purchasing your ships, and crystals. Crystals power spells cards (you get one/turn) that are one-off buffs and de-buffs. There's also a Tyranny Meter that rises and falls depending on your choices and actions in the game - when it hits the top you can fire your "Death Ray" to decimate one of the defending fleets orbiting a visible planet. If it hits bottom it's game over, man.

Some planets have special abilities you can take advantage of once conquered. Also you can perform Space Tyrant-y actions like Oppressing a planet (increases production) or putting down rebellions.

All of this is in service to a larger meta-game. There are three factions that are in danger of being reclaimed by the Galactic Empire. By successfully competing a "mission" for one of those factions you push the Empire back. Missions have two paths to victory, usually something like "conquer x planets or research y techs" or "conquer x planets or have z space bucks in the bank". Eventually there's a final mission to take on the Empire itself, but in the mean time if any of the factions becomes completely dominated, you lose.

Space Tyrant is a game that is much more than the sum of it's parts. It's already well polished and has tons of style. My only complaint is that the camera doesn't zoom out far enough. It's by Blue Wizard Digital, ex-Popcap guys who also made the hilarious puzzle game/slasher movie satire Slayaway Camp.

I'll be looking forward to their next release.

8 out of 8 tentacles

[GreenGoo]

I love that you try lots of games that I've never heard of, let alone played, because it gives me more exposure to what's out there.

Honestly though tgb, it feels like every second game you play is in the running for your "goty".

Thanks for the heads up, I'll take a look.

[coopasonic]

Space Tyrant is a game that is much more than the sum of it's parts. It's already well polished and has tons of style. My only complaint is that the camera doesn't zoom out far enough. It's by Blue Wizard Digital, ex-Popcap guys who also made the hilarious puzzle game/slasher movie satire Slayaway Camp.

Space Tyrant doesn't sound like my thing, but it wasn't all for nothing. Slayaway Camp has been added to my wishlist.

[tgb]

Honestly though tgb, it feels like every second game you play is in the running for your "goty".

Probably because these days I won't devote the time to write about a game in depth unless I really love it.

[GreenGoo]

Space Tyrant doesn't sound like my thing, but it wasn't all for nothing. Slayaway Camp has been added to my wishlist.

I'll admit that caught my attention as well.

[tgb]

If I haven't sold you on it, this might.

[Smoove_B]

Never heard of it, but after checking it out on STEAM the art style is really ginchy.

[tgb]

Never heard of it, but after checking it out on STEAM the art style is really ginchy.

I'm hep, Daddy-O.

[dbt1949]

As a fan of Halcyon 6 this is my style.

[GreenGoo]

Halcyon 6 should have been up my alley but somehow it never clicked.

[tgb]

Halcyon 6 should have been up my alley but somehow it never clicked.

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

[Brian]

Scott Manley plays Space Tyrant.

[wonderpug]

Ok, this totally looks up my alley. Scott Manley's voice pushed me over the edge.

[Nightwish]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

[tgb]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Perhaps, but the fact is I still couldn't get past the graphics, and I'm no graphics whore. I'm hoping the improvements to the campaign will make it possible for me to find the love.

Back on topic - I'm shelving this for now. No that my opinion of it has diminished any, but I had forgotten it's still in early access. I don't want to get burnt out on it by the time 1.0 comes around, so I'm putting it out of my mind and waiting for the official release.

[Freyland]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Who the heck was playing an Atari 400 seventeen years ago?

[tgb]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Who the heck was playing an Atari 400 seventeen years ago?

Nobody. Go back and read what you quoted again.

[MonkeyFinger]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Who the heck was playing an Atari 400 seventeen years ago?

Nobody. Go back and read what you quoted again.

Exaggeration by 'not quite' a factor of two of 35 years equals 17 years, or at least that's what I took away from it.

[tgb]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Who the heck was playing an Atari 400 seventeen years ago?

Nobody. Go back and read what you quoted again.

Exaggeration by 'not quite' a factor of two of 35 years equals 17 years, or at least that's what I took away from it.

I took it to mean he was quoting me as saying I played on an Atari 400 17 years ago, and calling me out as either a liar or an idiot.

[baelthazar]

I'm not even old enough to remember the Atari 400 (I was six months old when it released). Guess what, I am 38... so that makes TGB accurate. I do remember the Atari 2600 (or at least the Sears knockoff version), but it was long in the tooth by the time I was old enough to play it.

That said, I like retro graphics.

[Freyland]

The art direction of Halcyon 6 killed it for me. I just could never get past it. This is just as stylized, but at least it doesn't look like something I played on my Atari 400 35 years ago.

That's an exaggeration by at least a factor of two. Maybe not quite, I'm getting old...
Anyway, I can't help you with the art, but the game is getting tightened and polished on the next patch so there's less waiting, for example. I still haven't gotten around to it.

Who the heck was playing an Atari 400 seventeen years ago?

Nobody. Go back and read what you quoted again.

Exaggeration by 'not quite' a factor of two of 35 years equals 17 years, or at least that's what I took away from it.

I took it to mean he was quoting me as saying I played on an Atari 400 17 years ago, and calling me out as either a liar or an idiot.

MonkeyFinger for the win. Not sure why the easy vitriol, but no particular desire for it from me.

[wonderpug]

If I'm understanding the arguments correctly, you guys are saying almost no people were playing with an Atari 40,017 years ago?

[Brian]

Well yeah, everybody knows that 38,000 BC was Nintendo's year.

[coopasonic]

Can we be sure without asking? Has anyone seen dbt?

[Nightwish]

No need to overthink it, I was thinking it was more like half and then realized it really isn't. I also might have floundered a bit on the date of the console, not being very familiar with it. I would never admit it, though.

[Defiant]

It sounds like it's mostly focused on combat, and that's the least interesting part of 4Xs to me, so while I'll probably pick it up down the line, it'll be once it's pretty cheap.

[tgb]

It sounds like it's mostly focused on combat, and that's the least interesting part of 4Xs to me, so while I'll probably pick it up down the line, it'll be once it's pretty cheap.

It is, and while I would normally agree, battles are over quickly, and the rest of the game is so polished and entertaining it doesn't bother me.

[tgb]

Official release date is 2/27. Yay.

[LordMortis]

And final verdict is?

[LordMortis]

On sale right now on Steam, so I ask again, Final Verdict? Though I guess it matters not to much right now, because, Battletech.

[dbt1949]

I'd pass