RTS Offworld Trading Company - economic RTS from the designer of Civ 4

[DakaSha II]

could have just made a more fun game

 

[LESS T_T]

Expansion is coming:

Core Features:
New location - Io
Explore Jupiter’s volcanic and volatile moon where energy is plentiful, but life support is so difficult that it makes Mars look like a paradise.

New resource system
On Io, production works a little differently. There are plenty of new sources of power, but some of your basic human needs - like water - simply don’t exist. This means that the priorities for what you build and harvest on Io are vastly different from Mars or Ceres. New resources like basalt exist only on Io and will allow you to build new structures and adapt to the lack of other materials.

New Faction -The Penrose Collective
Highly adaptable and influential, the Penrose Collective intends to thrive on the harsh environment of Io. With the ability to found 2 headquarters at the start of the game (and upgrade them simultaneously), they are able to spread their operations across an already depleted environment in order to afford them easier access to more resources. Their claim swapping ability also allows them to trade in useless plots of land at any time during the game in order to claim something else that will help their cause. Because of the versatility, they are also able to use silicon instead of steel for construction.

New Faction - The Diadem Trust
An elite business group with grand visions, the Diadem Trust is ready to crush any other corporation that gets in its way. All of their advanced buildings - Hacker Arrays, Patent Labs, Pleasure Domes, Optimization centers - are top of the line and can push out just a little bit more than their competition. Hacker Arrays can create shortages and surpluses at the same time, Pleasure Domes produce double the revenue, optimization centers grant a bonus claim, and the patent race means absolutely nothing to them - they can purchase a patent at any time, regardless of whether or not another player already controls it. It’s all legal, they assure you - their lawyers challenge you to read the fine print.

New 1000 Map Challenge
Compete against the rest of the community in this unique challenge. Each map evolves, becoming more difficult than the last - can you find your way onto the leaderboards for each one? Push yourself past the competition and see how many maps you can conquer before the harsh environments of space get the better of you.

New Campaign
Show that you have what it takes to build your business on the harsh environment of Io. Snag your resources before your adversaries do and prove to everyone that money talks: you made it on Mars, and you can make it here on Io too.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I dont know what you think, but when a game developer fails this kind whiney rant at the end is always priceless.

Synopsis

We made our game Early Access and released on Steam for 40$. What we found was this:

Early Access sucks
Player reviews suck
Refunds suck
Steam sucks
The players suck
The press sucks

Consequently our game sucked, too.

W-hat would we do different? In the future we would switch to a development process that suits the needs of our development team.

And the key to understanding the hipster developer who wrote this embarassing piece of whining

Developers want Steam to provide a safe place to build a game

We had generally positive reviews, but - as our current percentage is just two point shy of the 80% threshold for the Very Positive status - it is hard not to imagine that we would be in a higher category of we weren't saddled with user reviews written 14 months before release.

negative Steam reviews took a not insignificant toll on my own personal morale, and the same is probably true for the rest of the team.

Grow some balls "Mohawk" games you sound like a whiney pussy who is working in the company of his dad and complaining that collegues judge the quality of your work.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Eh, I can see why they're pissed off. It may not be the best game ever that will pass into the legend, but it's p. fun to play for a while, and at least it tried something new and unique and actually pulled it off, while the entire strategy market is busy rehashing 30 year old gameplay concepts. It deserved better reception especially from the press. I still like to launch it every now and then, perfect game if you need a quick strategy fix but only have 30-60 minutes of time.

 

[Infinitron]

Soren Johnson is a p. cool guy and not a hipster.

 

[Burning Bridges]

The why does he whine like a teenager.

 

[Riso]

He probably thinks people should kiss his ass after designing Civ 4.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Lolwut? For realz or like Al Gore designed the internet?

He designed Civ IV and now he came up with this embarassing shit?

But I think he's absolutely right though. Steam should change their entire store so that he can sell his game only to people who wont judge it's state, and the press should give him extra headlines once a year.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Eh, I can see why they're pissed off. It may not be the best game ever that will pass into the legend, but it's p. fun to play for a while, and at least it tried something new and unique and actually pulled it off, while the entire strategy market is busy rehashing 30 year old gameplay concepts. It deserved better reception especially from the press. I still like to launch it every now and then, perfect game if you need a quick strategy fix but only have 30-60 minutes of time.

What are those 'new and unique things' this game has pulled off?

 

[Riso]

It's a competitive RTS about beating your opponent without actually building units to blow him up in combat.

 

[Burning Bridges]

So the game basically plays itself?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Eh, I can see why they're pissed off. It may not be the best game ever that will pass into the legend, but it's p. fun to play for a while, and at least it tried something new and unique and actually pulled it off, while the entire strategy market is busy rehashing 30 year old gameplay concepts. It deserved better reception especially from the press. I still like to launch it every now and then, perfect game if you need a quick strategy fix but only have 30-60 minutes of time.

What are those 'new and unique things' this game has pulled off?

It's an economic strategy with Starcraft pace and intensity, which has never really been done before. Most of the economic strategies have been slow-burn empire building types, this here is a rapid fire competitive game with short sessions. Obviously you can't have everything, so it lacks depth of slower games and gets boring eventually. But it's still the freshest take on RTS genre in ages. I only played it on launch but definitely gonna try it with the expansion and DLCs at some point.

So the game basically plays itself?

So you're ranting about a game you didn't even playt, but it's the developers that are needlessly whiny?

 

[GarfunkeL]

He does that all the time, it's his "i'm too cynical for this world"-shtick.

Not sure how I managed to miss this gem, definitely putting on the list.

 

[Burning Bridges]

That may correct to say about my character, but I did play this (incredibly simplistic) game.

You basically click on a handful of resources and then frolic when you get a reward, like monkeys in a zoo.

 

[manassassas]

So, this is available in a Humble Bundle at the moment alongside GalCiv3 & 2, plus a few other games I probably won't ever play. Is it worth a punt at £12 for the pair? Or am I just signing up to then have to pay for a stack of DLCs?

www.humblebundle.com/intergalactic-bundle

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

It's an economic strategy with Starcraft pace and intensity, which has never really been done before. Most of the economic strategies have been slow-burn empire building types, this here is a rapid fire competitive game with short sessions. Obviously you can't have everything, so it lacks depth of slower games and gets boring eventually.

I was interested in this game, but this sounds absolutely horrible.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

It's an economic strategy with Starcraft pace and intensity, which has never really been done before. Most of the economic strategies have been slow-burn empire building types, this here is a rapid fire competitive game with short sessions. Obviously you can't have everything, so it lacks depth of slower games and gets boring eventually.

I was interested in this game, but this sounds absolutely horrible.

Which part?

 

[Damned Registrations]

Started playing this a couple days ago. Liking it a lot so far, most of the complaints seem like crap. AI doesn't gang up on the player, it picks high value targets. If you're getting ganged up on you probably made a base that was easy to sabotage for a lot of damage. Gameplay is good, lots of viable strategies. Campaign was cool, the different CEO perks and the strategy of balancing short vs longterm advantages over the campaign was cool, though I should have played on a higher setting. Huge map variety and different settings to keep things interesting even without the DLC, which is admittedly hugely overpriced. Going to start giving the multiplayer matches a try.

 

[LESS T_T]

Multiplayer only free version and a new DLC is coming: https://steamcommunity.com/games/271240/announcements/detail/3275710020767795683

FREE Multiplayer Client and New DLC for Offworld Trading Company arrives February 28

Want to play a game about the free market on Mars while snubbing your nose at capitalism?
Now you can, with the Free Multiplayer Client releasing on February 28th!

New "Market Corrections" DLC also releases on 2/28. Add it to your Steam wishlist.

Stardock and Mohawk Games have announced a new multiplayer client for their critically acclaimed real-time strategy game, Offworld Trading Company, that will allow players to face off against each other for free, even if they don’t already own the game.

Offworld Trading Company is an economic strategy game by Civilization IV’s lead designer, Soren Johnson. Players find themselves trying to build a corporation on Mars, but the competition is fierce - others are standing in the way of success, and victory is hard-earned through mastering and manipulating the Martian stock market.

Players who enjoy the free multiplayer mode can upgrade to the full version of the game to gain access to the campaign, daily challenges, and skirmish mode starting on February 28, 2019.

The Market Corrections DLC tells the story of why Earth needed to colonize Mars through the eyes of the people currently trying to survive there. It features 3 new single-player narrative campaigns that focus on three different CEOs - Reni-6, Ilana Kamat, and Frank Dawson.

Market Corrections also contains 12 new maps modeled after various locations on Mars, including the pointed formations of Two Points Lakebed, the cratered land of Mangala Valles, the deep canyon of Mangala Fossa, and more.

The Market Corrections DLC will also be available for $3.99 on Steam on February 28th, 2019.

To learn more, visit: http://www.offworldgame.com

 

[Hellraiser]

So they are acknowledging that they made a game strictly for multiplayer that has a dead lobby? Singleplayer ain't so good, I could never be arsed to play the campaign past one or two missions. AI handles optimization better beating me every time on the "fair" difficulty. The game is better with live players since they also make mistakes and do not instantly know what is optimal. Also the campaign and game itself doesn't have mechanics that lead nicely to a sandbox or singleplayer scenario experience from other economic strategies, it is essentially a real time competitive board game. A shame in a way since there are no good space economy strategy games, Surviving Mars is close but it is also lacking in areas.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://www.offworldgame.com/articl...-announced-for-soren-johnsons-offworld-tradin

New Expansion "The Europa Wager" Announced for Soren Johnson's Offworld Trading Company!
The smallest of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, Europa, sets the scene for the expansion with new resources, structures, challenges, and more
Posted on Monday, October 14, 2019


Offworld Trading Company Announces Brand New Expansion
"The Europa Wager"
Add it to your Steam wishlist today!

Travel to the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons and carve out a name for yourself against your competition! Head to the frozen moon of Europa, where numerous cracks on the moon's surface and multiple methane geysers will make building and sustaining structures a whole new challenge. Made of silicate rock and possessing a water-ice crust, Europa's atmosphere is thin but comprised mostly of oxygen, which makes it the next natural step for space-bound entrepreneurs.



---- Features ----

• New Location: Europa
  Explore the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons where numerous cracks in the surface and methane geysers make building and sustaining structures more than a little difficult.

• New Resources and Structures
  Methane geysers are abundant on Europa, and the new Methane Extractor will allow you to harness the gas' energy and transform it into power. Additionally, the new Gas and Hydrothermal Plants work hard to process resources in order to make you a profit. The Hydrothermal Plant works similarly to the Geothermal Plant, but produces more power and a small amount of water. Meanwhile, the Gas Plant converts fuel into power, which is particularly helpful when you find yourself with an abundance.

• New Scenarios
  Everyone said you're crazy and that it can't be done, yet here you are: Europa. Fight through the frozen elements and help brave colonists found their colony and establish important resource lines. Survive the exceptionally long days and the freezing cold nights, make critical decisions on what to build and where, and mind the cracked and frozen landscape - in order to make sure your structures don't come tumbling down, extra time will need to be taken to build in those areas.
  Overcome the challenges of Europa and prove to everyone that money talks: you made it on Mars, and you can make it here, too.

Offworld Trading Company: The Europa Wager is coming soon.
Add it to your wishlist on Steam so you don't miss out when it releases!

www.offworldgame.com/europa

Btw the MP-only free version is removed recently.

The free MP client is no longer available via Steam, but we are going to provide an alternate method for players to get access to it. It will take at least a week, so stay posted.

 

[Irata]

Btw the MP-only free version is removed recently.

The free MP client is no longer available via Steam, but we are going to provide an alternate method for players to get access to it. It will take at least a week, so stay posted.

Sounds like Epic threw some cash Stardock's way.

 

[Burning Bridges]

gay

 

[Demo.Graph]

I've tried it. Someone should have explained the developers how financial markets function. Tell them how stocks work, that futures exist, maybe even something about hedging. I really wanted to like this game - turned out I can't despite the soundtrack. And calling it a game about markets and/or modern capitalism is preposterous.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Yes, clearly a game about hedging and how stocks work would have been much more interesting than a game about using holograms to disguise a factory so your opponent wastes his massive EMP bomb on the wrong industry giving you a window to capitalize on a monopoly of a particular resource by funding a worker strike through the black market.