Differences between Pandora and Civ V or Warlock?

[FroBodine]

This game is obviously very similar to Civilization V and Warlock: Master of the Arcane. And the obvious nod to SMAC.

What does Pandora bring to the table that makes it different enough from Civ or Warlock? It looks very cool, but I fear that it is just more of the same, in a space setting.

I look forward to hearing about some very cool and unique game features, so I can spend even more money that I don't have!

Thanks!
-=Jeff

[Numdydar]

I would like the same inforation as well [:)]

[balto]

There is no question all of the turn based 4x game are exactly like CIV 5. But they will never be as great as CIV 5 because CIV 5 has big bucks.

But these copycats (such as Pandora, Warlock, etc) are all fun. Just buy it and play it for 80-100 hours until you are sick of it, then move on. That works out to less that $.50/hour for pure fun.

When I get home, BOOM, I am getting this ASAP.

[Numdydar]

But that is not the issue. I have Civ 5 and SMAC. So what compelling reasons are to buy this particular version. I hate to say it it looks pretty much the same so why spend $30 dollars for the same experience?

[SephiRok]

The best overview is available at http://pandora.proxy-studios.com/ in the features section or if you fancy reading one of the press articles.

Explore a new world harboring a variety of eco-regions, from the frozen ice lands of the north, to vast deserts and lush tropical forests in the south.

Survive encounters with the planet's dangerous wild life. Deadly swarms walk the lands and agile predators fly in the skies. There is even talk of a giant creature in the oceans.

Live in harmony with nature or use it to further your cause. The indigenous life will react to your actions and treat you accordingly.

Discover ruins and artifacts, the relics of an ancient alien civilization long forgotten that can give you an edge against the planet life and other rivaling factions.

Found new cities to expand the borders of your empire. Manage cities by adjusting the tax rate, choosing production and assigning colonists to jobs.

Operate a fully globalized and pooled resource and growth system. Specialize one city to harvest minerals while churning out units in another.

Adapt your empire to pressing demand. Your colonists will migrate between cities based on factors such as pollution and living space.

Construct farms, mines, forts, and other improvements to increase the productivity of your colonies or to fortify positions.

Progress through a vast randomized research tree spanning dozens of technologies providing operations, buildings, units, weapons, and more.

Negotiate trade and research pacts with other factions for mutual benefits. Forge alliances to stand united against common foes.

Design your own units by choosing from a range of different classes, armors, weapons, and devices to maximize the strength of your forces.

Command vast armies across the battlefield against enemy factions, making use of the variety of terrain types to gain an advantage.

Unleash hell on your opponents with powerful military operations, ranging from drop pods behind enemy lines to black hole generators eradicating entire landscapes.

Prove yourself in multiplayer with friends or strangers and discover entirely new strategies.

Customize your experience through easily moddable XML data and well-known image and audio formats.

Otherwise perhaps a new player or beta tester is willing to share his thoughts. There's also plenty on the Slitherine forums.

[Numdydar]

Thanks I read that already, but it sounds just like SMAC with a graphical update. I also looked at the other forums (and I cannot wait until you have just got one forum for all the games lol) and did not see anything that gave me the information I was looking for so came here and found someone else asking for the same information [:)]. So I thought I would join in [:)]

[FroBodine]

Other than the ability to design your own units, it sounds like the same old Civilization/SMAC game. I will wait and see how this forum fills out with more comments.

[lparkh]

Since I never got to play SMAC it will be new for me
Also see review I posted in "first day buy" thread. Maybe will give you further idea of how similar/different.

[mikeCK]

It is a less complex SMAC with updated graphics...or Warlock in space. I'm ok with that. It is what it is. If you are happy plaing SMAC And don't mind the dated graphics, then don't bother. For me, I am willing to give up some complexity for updated graphics as SMAC makes my eyes hurt

[Numdydar]

Yes all that redish terrian does make the eyes hurt after a while, lol.

[IainMcNeil]

It has a lot in common with games like CiV and SMAC but it does have a lot of new gameplay mechanics. The ones that stand out for me are
* Randomized tech tree. This makes a huge difference to how you play. each game you have to really think about what to research as there is no preset formula to get to whatever it is you want.
* Worker allocation and resource production. Resources are shared between cities so you can specialize. One city might produce no food at all, another might be entirely for minerals or you might go more balanced. You have to balance efficiency with the danger of losing a key city that produces all of a resource.
* Migration - cities have a morale rating which effects how much people want to live there. Nice places attract people and unpleasant places lose them. Its a really interesting mechanic that adds some interesting decisions. Sometimes founding that new city next to a beautiful hot spring is not the best idea. It will be so appealing the population of your industrial cities will flock to it, depleting your workforce in these key cities, but if you don't expand you'll ultimately be overrun.
* The workshop is great fun. You can design your units with different armour, weapons and devices. These really vary the roles and add lots of interesting strategies.

Obviously there is a lot more going on but these are some of the things that make Pandora feel really unique and new to me and why yesterday I accidentally spent 4 hours "testing" the final release without noticing...

[Pocus]

There is no stacking in either Warlock or Civ5, there is in Pandora. Warlock AI is ... well lacking, Pandora one is much better. Modding is not possible in Warlock, it is XML based in Pandora (or close to that).

[jnpoint]

I haven't played SMAC for a long time, but as far as I remember, SMAC had a lot of small videos in-game, this one has not. SMAC also had a bigger tech tree and more terraforming possibilities. I miss that, but the graphic in this one is so much more beautiful. So all in all I do want some more complexity. Maybe it will come later?

[Ajantaka]

SMAC was, and is, the finest turn based strategy game ever made. Among its many extraordinary features were the Social settings and their interactions with the diplomacy. If you opted to be a democracy the Religious and Hive factions did not like you and would eventually go to war with you. The UN faction, of the other hand, would love you for it. These likes/dislikes weren't absolute but often had great bearing on the game. Each of the factions had very individual 'characters', even to the way their leaders spoke during diplomacy. Why jettison all this?

One person said that Pandora was a simplified SMAC. Why simply? Another said it was only SMAC with better graphics. What could possibly be wrong with SMAC with better graphics? Developers, whatever you left out from SMAC, please put it back in. Don't worry about those who say it is only SMAC with better graphics. The legions of SMAC followers who still have vibrant forums 14 years after release of SMAC want nothing better than SMAC with better graphics. If you also want to add you own concepts, like the 'attractive bases' one, do so. But we don't need a simplified SMAC.

[Numdydar]

+1 to this [:)]

[willgamer]

ORIGINAL: Iain McNeil

It has a lot in common with games like CiV and SMAC but it does have a lot of new gameplay mechanics. The ones that stand out for me are
* Randomized tech tree. This makes a huge difference to how you play. each game you have to really think about what to research as there is no preset formula to get to whatever it is you want.
* Worker allocation and resource production. Resources are shared between cities so you can specialize. One city might produce no food at all, another might be entirely for minerals or you might go more balanced. You have to balance efficiency with the danger of losing a key city that produces all of a resource.
* Migration - cities have a morale rating which effects how much people want to live there. Nice places attract people and unpleasant places lose them. Its a really interesting mechanic that adds some interesting decisions. Sometimes founding that new city next to a beautiful hot spring is not the best idea. It will be so appealing the population of your industrial cities will flock to it, depleting your workforce in these key cities, but if you don't expand you'll ultimately be overrun.
* The workshop is great fun. You can design your units with different armour, weapons and devices. These really vary the roles and add lots of interesting strategies.

Obviously there is a lot more going on but these are some of the things that make Pandora feel really unique and new to me and why yesterday I accidentally spent 4 hours "testing" the final release without noticing...

Iain,

Would you consider making a sticky post out of this that everyone could contribute to along the lines of-

Pandora: Quick reference for CiV players.

Some additions to your list that I think are correct:

* A worked tile with more than one resource will only work one of these resources.

* Related issue, the exact tile worked is determined for you; you can only specify the number of workers by job assignment.

* Borders are the city borders only; however, the cities can expand past two tiles away from the city center.

[Erik Rutins]

A new preview here as well:

http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2013/11 ... pressions/

[SephiRok]

Hey Willgamer,

If you like you can make that thread and I'll sticky it.

Cheers,

[Flaviusx]

This game really doesn't have much in common at all with Warlock. (Which is not a Civ5 clone despite common wisdom.) It's really much closer to a mix of SMAC and Civ5, and probably closer to SMAC than Civ5. Free stacking, not 1 unit per hex, and indeed the hex grid may be the one thing it takes from Civ5 mechanically. In most other respects it feels like SMAC 2.0.

[Tanaka]

ORIGINAL: Pocus

There is no stacking in either Warlock or Civ5, there is in Pandora. Warlock AI is ... well lacking, Pandora one is much better. Modding is not possible in Warlock, it is XML based in Pandora (or close to that).

Agreed Civ5 AI is not that great and Warlock AI is terrible. Ive always wanted a SMAC that was moddable with a better AI. If this is the case then I am in!