Title. I like games that require a lot of work to get into. Here are some of my favorites:
- Eve Online
- Dwarf Fortress
- Satisfactory
In it you write JavaScript to hack things to be able to write more JavaScript to hack more things. It’s very fun. Especially if you don’t know how to write any JavaScript.
It’s been pretty close to 30 years for me. Beautiful game, but so hard to get anywhere!
Dwarf Fortress of course. Other good mentions are Factorio and Rimworld, if you understand them and are done with it, install a couple hundred mods and have a whole different game!
I won’t lie the new steam release of Dwarf Fortress has helped alot but there’s still so much that’s possible and tiny little things that affect other things.
Factorio for sure. It just so satisfying to build a well oiled factory.
Can also recommend Dyson Sphere Program, little less polish than Factorio imho but it’s basically building production facilities spanning a universe.
The factory must grow
It’s amazing how much is possible in Factorio. I don’t think any other game has given me half as many “aha!” moments from coming up with (what I think to be) a clever solution for a problem.
I approached it as a puzzle game and think that served me well. I have on the order of 200 hours and I’ve yet to try building a proper megabase.
- X series - most complicated spacesims in existence (nothing realistic though)
- Stellaris
- Imperium Galactica 1 - a super-complicated 4x space DOS game - think Stellaris + SimCity + Command & Conquer
- An obscure unpopular old game - Battle Isle: the Andosia War - or as one reviewer roughly said: “they must have had a board where everyone who came up with an idea got a golden piggie - it would work as 3 games: Battle Isle, Economy Isle, and Energypipe Isle, but this is just too much”. Basically a turn-based but real-time strategy game (unit movement is turn-based, you can end your turn at any time but… resource extraction is real-time and if you run out of energy and water simultaneously you can’t cool your power plant and you can’t power your pumps). Also maintaining a supply-line behind your advancing army.
I started Kerbal Space Program this weekend. It’s pretty complicated.
There’s some book about orbital dynamics that hit the Amazon bestseller list because of Kerbal players.
I know that people to get into it seem to like the realism mods that make it even more complicated and less forgiving.
I watched some one being tutored on it and it completely lost me. The real science in that game is waaaay beyond me. Kudos to the people that get it and enjoy it though.
I’m a massive fan of Paradox Interactive, and play almost all their stuff. Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 3, Hearts of Iron 4 and Stellaris (in that order).
Crusader Kings and EVE Online. I wish I still had the time to play EVE
RimWorld and Cosmoteer.
These games are my goto for a “complex but still fun” mood:
- X series (X3 and X4)
- Endless Space 2, Endless Legend
- Crusader Kings 2
- Stellaris
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Victoria 2. Haven’t gotten around to trying the sequel yet, but will eventually. Been playing a bunch of Dwarf Fortress as of late too.
I played like only one real game, as Spain, and I just repeatedly took took bites out of Portugal, until my ally France turned on me. Lost some ground but was able to stop them. I should play it again.
RimWorld. Easy to play, hard to master. Also Rust
Figured out RimWorld? Great, add 20 mods and learn it all again. Repeat when you get bored.
Hahaha exactly
Loading mod (1/237)
I don’t even remember what vanilla taste like.
Same tbh, can’t live without QOL mods
Factorio
Europa Universalis 4, Crusader Kings and XCOM in harder difficulties in iron man mode. I love brooding over difficult decisions and devising strategies in turn-based (and similar) games.