Massive Empire building games?

[BoogieManFL]

I've been in the mood lately to play a game where you can build a massive empire, like Distant Worlds or various space games like Master of Orion 2, or Space Empires V. Didn't much care for Supreme Ruler though. Already have Civ V, but it's a bit too simplistic.

I'm not aware of that many.. Mount and Blade: Warband has been good, but I'm in the mood for something bigger.

So, can anyone suggest any? I'm having trouble finding some.

 

[BlazeRaider]

So you mean like managing or conquering? Cause the Total War series seems pretty big on empire building during it's single player campaigns.

 

[Ryotknife]

Europa

Crusader Kings

...err....some other paradox grand strategy games that i cant remember the na....Hearts of iron! there we go.

Be warned though, those three have different difficulty curves/focus. Europa is the "easiest" of the bunch, although it is still a dang hard game. It has a pretty good blend of politics, military, and economics. In europa you choose any country that existed from 1399-1700 something (hundreds if not thousands of nations to choose from)

Crusader king i think focuses on politics

hearts of iron i think focuses on military

 

[The Madman]

Crusader Kings 2 is my strategy game of choice lately, according to steam I've put over 180 hours into that game which is kinda depressing whenever I think about it. Still as far as ways to spend time go I can think of far far worse options.

Other than Crusader Kings 2 you've got Galactic Civilizations 2, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic, Europa Universalis 3, Alpha Centauri, and one of my personal favourite indie titles Solium Infernum. All brilliant grand strategy titles which allow you to build up empires that rival the Romans of old. GalCiv2 is probably my all time favourite 4x title while Age of Wonders is an under appreciated gem that combines Civ with Heroes of Might & Magic style rpg mechanics and gameplay.

 

[shrekfan246]

Sins of a Solar Empire is a real-time 4X space game, you can create custom galaxies that get pretty massive and fight against up to seven other opponents, I believe. It's also got a relatively active modding community and it's not the most difficult game to mod.

Endless Space is very similar, but turn-based much like the old Masters of Orion or Star Trek: Birth of the Federation games.

What sold me on those two games more than most of the other space 4X games I've seen is how clean the UIs are. You don't get lost trying to just navigate the galaxy. Combat is a little... impersonal, though, in both of them, so if you want intense combat you may want to look into something else.

EDIT: They're both also much more about expanding your currently existing empire, rather than conquering and subjugating other empires, if that factors into your choices.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Sins of a Solar Empire is a real-time 4X space game, you can create custom galaxies that get pretty massive and fight against up to seven other opponents, I believe. It's also got a relatively active modding community and it's not the most difficult game to mod.

Endless Space is very similar, but turn-based much like the old Masters of Orion or Star Trek: Birth of the Federation games.

What sold me on those two games more than most of the other space 4X games I've seen is how clean the UIs are. You don't get lost trying to just navigate the galaxy. Combat is a little... impersonal, though, in both of them, so if you want intense combat you may want to look into something else.

EDIT: They're both also much more about expanding your currently existing empire, rather than conquering and subjugating other empires, if that factors into your choices.

The UI in Endless Space is so wonderfully crisp and clean it inspires me to talk about the UI in a 4X game...

I love the sounds it makes when y'close drop-down menus.

and yeah, combat isn't all that involved; although there is some strategy in designing ships, can't vouch for the more complex approach working over brute force, though. Everything else in Endless Space is pretty sweet, I really like the percentages approach to bonuses, plus you can design your own factions.

Plus, Amplitude are adding stuff and tweaking it all the time, it's very much in progress (not saying it's not complete, it is).

 

[Tanis]

If you like MOO2, I'd suggest GalCiv2: Endless Universe.

 

[LongAndShort]

I'll also fall into the Endless Space and Total War camps for their own reasons that by the looks of it have already been explained.

 

[teebeeohh]

gal civ 2 is great if you liked moo2. and i would actually recommend NOT getting endless space in that situation because it felt very much too simple and you already mentioned you didn't like civ 5 for that reason. looks nice though, if the game ever gets a "complex mechanics" mode it may be great.

oh and if you like civ AND scifi do get alpha centauri, the best civ game ever made(which i can't enjoy anymore because i hate unit stacks and love civ 5 because they are not in that game anymore).

 

[Tom_green_day]

Obviously Total War, but Battle for Middle Earth 2 had a mode called War of the Ring which was where you chose a faction and could conquer whatever you liked in Middle Earth which was very fun.

 

[the clockmaker]

Gonna second sins of a solar empire, I have lost many many hours trying to break down defences while colonising a new star.

 

[Mordekaien]

+1 for Total War series- pick one game, one faction (or nation) and bring it to their glory!

I'd recommend starting with Medieval 2 or the newest Shogun.

 

[EKmannen]

Any of the Grand Strategy Games by Paradox, really. (Europa Universalis 3, Victoria 2, Hearts of Iron 3 or Crusader Kings 2, all covering different time periods in history.) Crusader Kings 2 is my favorite at the moment, making you control a dynasty during the middle ages.

 

[Albino Boo]

Age of empires series (haven't tried the online version) and rise of nations. OK both are RTS but they don't rely on clicks per minute and build order to win.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

If you're going for Sins, I'd recommend you either buy Trinity OR Rebellion and not both. Rebellion has all the features of Trinity and more, so it makes Trinity obsolete. However Trinity is half the price so it's probably better value for money.
Saying that though they're endlessly replayable so assuming you like it enough to play more than once you'll get your monies worth anyway.

If you're going for any of the Paradox games, I'd start with either Europa Universalis 3 or Crusader Kings 2.
Both are fantastic games where assuming you like the core gameplay you can replay it over and over as there are hundreds of different countries to play and you can choose from any starting point which really changes things.

EU3 is probably the faster paced of the two, I say that because you can declare war and start conquering on day 1 (although it wont be easy) whereas in CK2 for the most part you're going to need to play the waiting game, have your spies make a claim for war and then slowly expand your territory 1 county at a time.

CK2 probably has the better UI which makes understanding it slightly easier but tbh both games do a terrible job of teaching you how to play. It's probably going to take a couple of hours to learn the basics, so you should watch a couple of videos on youtube and/or just quickly play through a game as a big country like England or France to get to grip with the basics.

The Total War series is pretty good. Your interest in each game may vary with the setting but if you're neutral about them all Shogun 2 is a good way to introduce yourself to the series.

EDIT: Oh and If you're going for EU3 buy the Chronicles edition. NOT the Complete Edition as Complete doesn't contain the two expansions that came out later... Which is really unintuitive.

 

[BoogieManFL]

Many of the ones suggested I already have, but I do not have or have played the Paradox games mentioned. I had the preorder of Endless Space, but got a refund slightly before launch day (only had it a few days) because I really like combat in games and in that one I felt mostly like a spectator.


Thanks for all the advice, and about which combo packs to look for. This community is always good for solid suggestions, it's how I learned about Mount and Blade: Warband and I've really enjoyed that. You guys never fail to deliver. Thanks!