Favorite "Indie" Games - Page 3

Baalz · #1 June 19th, 2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hEad

Starchamber has caught my interest. Card mechanics in a game work really well - I often muse about a Dominions CCG, I think it could be a winner.

Baalz, you mention a couple of the Dom characters play, any one in particular? I checked it out but couldn't really find out much info on price and what sort of investment you have to make. All the same, I'm tempted.

Iron Hawk, Quantum Mechani and I had a threeway. In Starchamber you perv. I've seen two or three others from this forum on SC, here's a thread with people talking about it specifically: http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showt...t=star+chamber

The community there is pretty nice, they'll give you all the "common" cards you want, so you can get a lot of game out of the $10 minimum purchase. I've spent probably $50 buying cards and have played over a hundred hours, so it's been a good investment for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hEad

Has any one played Armageddon Empires? I really enjoy this one. Took me a bit to get into it, but once I did it hooked me good for a couple of months. Looking forward to the new one, Solium Infernum.

AE is a lot of fun, but it really wants a MP aspect. I found it hard to play it against the AI more than a dozen times. All that potential sneaky strategy and nobody to hamstring but a computer...

hEad · #2 June 20th, 2009, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baalz

AE is a lot of fun, but it really wants a MP aspect. I found it hard to play it against the AI more than a dozen times. All that potential sneaky strategy and nobody to hamstring but a computer...

Yep, my only beef with it now. The new one is MP so there is hope. I find the subject matter a tad dark though. I keep recalling that Nietzsche quote - "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Odd when I have no quibble sacrificing virgins for a devil or two. Its funny though, it did take me a while to be comfortable playing a blood nation in Dom - sensibilities eh? They turn on and turn off!

capnq · #3 June 20th, 2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hEad

I find the subject matter a tad dark though. I keep recalling that Nietzsche quote - "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

The first half of that, while widely quoted, is a rather poor translation.

In the original German:
"Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein."

A better translation to English:
"He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." -- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

hEad · #4 June 20th, 2009, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnq

The first half of that, while widely quoted, is a rather poor translation.

In the original German:
"Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein."

A better translation to English:
"He who fights monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." -- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I don't really see any differences between the two versions of the quote except that one takes 30 words to say it and the other 23?

thejeff · #5 June 19th, 2009, 09:38 AM

Re: Dwarf fortress
You may have already, but check out the Dwarf Fortress wiki. They have some "First fortress" type guides, which can help you figure out how to get started.

The interface does remain clunky, but becomes easier with use.

Agema · #6 June 19th, 2009, 10:16 AM

If you're into really complex hardcore wargames, you could try the Airborne Assault series written by Panther Games (www.panthergames.com). Very detailed simulations of WW2, with one of the best AIs you'll find, especially considering the complexity of the game.

The command system is particularly interesting. You generally need to give orders to HQs, and let the AI control the fine detail. The reason being that when you give units orders it splits them from their organic HQ and adds them to the most superior HQ on the map (which is sort of you). If HQs are trying to control too many units, you get delays as the HQ staff are overburdened (imagine a Brigade HQ bypassing its battalion HQs to directly control every single company). Thus if you overmicromanage, your army grinds to a halt.

Makinus · #7 June 19th, 2009, 01:58 PM

One online strategy title that i like is "Shattered Galaxy" and it can be played for free, the difference from the free and the paid version is just a 10% penalty in XP for the free version and you cant vote in faction elections, but it is a very fun game, with a lot of tactical combat and the XP penalty is very small...

Another fun game that i got recently is "Light of Altair", very fun space colony sim with some combat thrown in... it has a lengthly campaign (i didn´t finish it yet) but there are talks in the developer forums that they will be adding skirmish/sandbox play in a upcoming patch...

Illuminated One · #8 June 19th, 2009, 03:41 PM

Well, I don't think it was an indie game but as it's old and either free or very cheap and someone mentioned it in the other thread I'll recommend Imperialism 2.
It basically encompasses military conquest, diplomacy, industrialization and trade, with the focus on the latter two. But don't worry this doesn't mean some stupid building of things to build more things to build more things - the economy is complex and well designed enough that you'll be constantly struggling to manage all the interlocking elements (cargo fleet, infrastructure, mines, farms, workforce).
Similarily your military and diplomatic strategy will have to be integrated with your eco strategy. If your expecting your workers to demand sugar or strike later you'll have to gain control of sugar - if you do this through military power, diplomacy or trade is up to you. Don't forget to factor in that fjord near your cap when making that decision, though.
Oh, and the AI is very good, it can do naval invasions actually...

The only flaw imo is that the battles are not really the best (and not even playable in MP).

RegnorVex · #9 June 21st, 2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illuminated One

I'll recommend Imperialism 2.
The only flaw imo is that the battles are not really the best (and not even playable in MP).

That, and the instant teleporting of troops. But it's still one of my all-time favorites.

RegnorVex · #10 June 21st, 2009, 09:17 PM

And by the way, I just finished playing a few games of Laser Squad Nemesis with my wife. It's as fun now as it was then. Even more so now, probably, with the introduction of 2 new races since I last played. And they've added a web interface to handle the email component. You just click on the web buttons to process and send files, no fiddling with attachments.