Distant Worlds 2, the preview of the new 4x sequel to a cult game
Main mechanics
Code Force knows what the weaknesses of Distant Worlds: Universe were. For this reason, it is not surprising that the first information released on Distant Worlds 2 concerns the technical side and boasts a new 64-bit game engine, 3D graphics and a new user interface. It is the step forward that many expected, not so much because it is essential for the gameplay (the strategic 4x are not played to squeeze the video cards), as to not make them gain the distrust of a certain type of audience again. For the rest, the general concept is the same as in the first episode: choosing one of seven races (Humans, Ackdarian, Mortalen, Zenox, Boskara, Teekans and Haakonish) you have to expand as much as possible, colonizing the habitable planets of the more than two thousand solar systems that make up the explorable universe. How to do it will be up to the player, who can choose whether to use force, or whether to focus on another style of play, making economic levers and diplomacy prevail.Note that each of the factions will have their own story arc that will dictate some of the victory conditions, making the campaigns more guided. If you want you can play in the sandbox mode, which instead will leave you completely free.
In space we will obviously not be alone, because we will have to deal with other empires, with independent colonies, with pirates, with merchants and even with space monsters. Furthermore, by exploring we will discover traces of ancient civilizations and various secrets that will help or hinder us in our mission. For example, we will be able to find alien artifacts of great power, or hidden dangers in some ancient ship adrift in space. In short, like any self-respecting 4x, Distant Worlds 2 will give the player the tools to make his choices and conduct the games as he sees fit, but it will also offer him a series of narrative events to make the games themselves more interesting, in particular the exploratory phase.
Distant Worlds 2 Presentation
This afternoon at 6pm the developers will present Distant Worlds 2 live stream on Twitch. If you are interested and want to know more, follow the event on the official channel of the publisher Slitherine.Gameplay
In more direct terms, the gameplay of Distant Worlds 2 will have many aspects online with the scenario and with the subgenre of space 4x. At the beginning of each game the player will have few resources at his disposal, which he will have to direct towards the foundation of his empire. The first thing to do is colonize new planets to expand and get more resources. To do this, the classic colonist unit must be sent to a habitable and available celestial body. If desired, technologies can also be developed to allow life on planets initially inhospitable, but often equipped with resources that normal planets dream of. Naturally, every planet can be enriched with infrastructures, which will improve the lives of citizens and allow for increased productivity. For example, mining stations can be created, or a resort for tourists, which will turn space travel into a source of income.If you come into contact with a new empire, you can take advantage of the diplomatic system, which will offer fourteen types of treaties that can be concluded and will monitor relations between leaders. This is where we will be able to choose which agreements to make, that is, who we want as a friend and who as an enemy.
Where diplomatic ways prove ineffective, or you are determined to go to war, then the time has come to fight, launching the space fleet built in the meantime against the enemy. The fights will be of two types: in space and on the ground. If you want, you can let them manage directly by the CPU, thanks to a rich automation system, aimed at lightening the player's direct workload. However, the first thing to do will be to equip the fleet with a commander to lead it in the field. The usable spaceships will be of different types: from those to transport troops, to small and fast ones, excellent for escorting, to large frigates that will tear apart enemies with their greater firepower. The ground combat, on the other hand, will be fought between the men of the attack fleet and the planetary defenses. In this case we will have to manage more specific units, such as infantry, armored or special forces, forming balanced groups that can overcome any challenge.
The essence is that the aspects to be managed in Distant Worlds 2 they will be really many, for a gameplay that seems to be really rich and multifaceted. The concept of freedom is so felt by the developers that it has pushed them to create a series of systems that give the player the possibility to focus on what he wants to heal directly. We will see how all these will integrate with each other (which for games of the genre is always a legitimate doubt, since they are very complex), or rather if imbalances will emerge in the long run.
Other Notes
Among the features that Distant Worlds 2 boasts are some that are very much felt by PC gamers. For example, the developers have promised full support for mods, with dedicated tools available to everyone. From the images it is then possible to see the work done to improve the graphics. There is nothing miraculous, but the game appears to be far more pleasing to the eye than Distant Worlds: Universe overall, as well as more readable. At the very least, the material we were able to view gave us this impression, between long screens full of text and star routes that intersect. We will then see with the final version if the transition to 3D is worth it.Distant Worlds 2 seems to have all the credentials to do better than its predecessor. It will not be an easy undertaking, given that we are talking about a much loved title, therefore with a particularly combative user base and attentive to news. In the meantime, we are waiting for the final version, the only one to be able to reveal the goodness of the game.
