I'm a huge fan of Slipways, and you articulated why it's such an innovative title very well. Noting how the game removes turn bloat by having each turn involve the same actions, even into the late game, is a good point! I'd extend on that a little by adding that by making planetary projects take no time to complete, the game does give you a way to get more done within the same ''turn", but that this feels desirable to the player, rather than a chore (because it feels like an opportunity; you're not obligated to do something repetitive and stale). This goes hand in hand with the 25 year timer. It seems that the game was very deliberately balanced around this time limit; very strong games tend to hit their stride around year 20, where a normal game might get 1 or 2 years where you have all the technology you need to gain a lot of score quickly. The time limit is a stark contrast to traditional 4x games, which tend to stretch on indefinitely, as the player's objectives are highly arbitrary (control a certain % of the map, research some highly expensive late game project, etc). The game draws to a close right as you gain the most agency, which leaves you feeling positive about what you've accomplished, and eager to give it another shot and do even better. I agree that the empire administrative costs are the least intuitive thing about the game. For an experienced player they do present an interesting challenge. Trying to plan around keeping the right number of planets before crossing a threshold that would cost you income means you do things like building a lab while on 15 planets, or adding a lot of connections and structures to finish out a year instead of just adding a couple more planets that would cost you money. However, learning about them is relatively painful for a new player, and in a game that tends not to spring unpleasant surprises on you, that does stand out. It could really stand to point this mechanic out to the player better, or perhaps smooth out the curve of increasing costs, rather than having them jump up all at once. Either way, really enjoyed this thoughtful video.
Glad you liked it! Yes, building projects feels great because it takes no time; the game really makes you work for it though, since they are so expensive. Plus, you can only have one per planet, so there is a limit on how much you can do that even if you have the money.
Great video! I would add one more reason for Slipways to stand out: Balancing. It's amazing to me that the developers included so many powerful techs and yet there isn't just one or two cookie cuter strategies to repeat over and over. This is really refreshing. I think slipways is the only game so far, where I can press the "random" button at the start of a game and my min-max brain doesn't freak out. The only exception is the campaign, where the parameters can be so specific and unique, that it makes sense to choose certain techs to match it.
I'm a huge fan of Slipways, and you articulated why it's such an innovative title very well. Noting how the game removes turn bloat by having each turn involve the same actions, even into the late game, is a good point! I'd extend on that a little by adding that by making planetary projects take no time to complete, the game does give you a way to get more done within the same ''turn", but that this feels desirable to the player, rather than a chore (because it feels like an opportunity; you're not obligated to do something repetitive and stale).
This goes hand in hand with the 25 year timer. It seems that the game was very deliberately balanced around this time limit; very strong games tend to hit their stride around year 20, where a normal game might get 1 or 2 years where you have all the technology you need to gain a lot of score quickly. The time limit is a stark contrast to traditional 4x games, which tend to stretch on indefinitely, as the player's objectives are highly arbitrary (control a certain % of the map, research some highly expensive late game project, etc). The game draws to a close right as you gain the most agency, which leaves you feeling positive about what you've accomplished, and eager to give it another shot and do even better.
I agree that the empire administrative costs are the least intuitive thing about the game. For an experienced player they do present an interesting challenge. Trying to plan around keeping the right number of planets before crossing a threshold that would cost you income means you do things like building a lab while on 15 planets, or adding a lot of connections and structures to finish out a year instead of just adding a couple more planets that would cost you money. However, learning about them is relatively painful for a new player, and in a game that tends not to spring unpleasant surprises on you, that does stand out. It could really stand to point this mechanic out to the player better, or perhaps smooth out the curve of increasing costs, rather than having them jump up all at once.
Either way, really enjoyed this thoughtful video.
Glad you liked it! Yes, building projects feels great because it takes no time; the game really makes you work for it though, since they are so expensive. Plus, you can only have one per planet, so there is a limit on how much you can do that even if you have the money.
Great video! I would add one more reason for Slipways to stand out: Balancing.
It's amazing to me that the developers included so many powerful techs and yet there isn't just one or two cookie cuter strategies to repeat over and over. This is really refreshing. I think slipways is the only game so far, where I can press the "random" button at the start of a game and my min-max brain doesn't freak out. The only exception is the campaign, where the parameters can be so specific and unique, that it makes sense to choose certain techs to match it.
Definitely agree, they clearly put a lot of thought into all the different techs and perks.
I love your videos, very logical and well thought out . Dopetastic !
Thanks! Glad you are enjoying them.