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Digital Gaming => Computer Gaming => Topic started by: Jarhead0331 on July 17, 2014, 09:34:44 PM

Title: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 17, 2014, 09:34:44 PM
Didn't even know this one was in serious development.  I know the developers abandoned the first game a long time ago to move on to a new project.  The first game had some good ideas, byt ultimately, I thought it failed because it lacked soul and purpose.  This one "looks" like they are trying to address those short-comings.

Anyway, early access tomorrow.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 17, 2014, 10:24:28 PM
I'm in...I liked the first one and felt I got my money's worth
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Tpek on July 18, 2014, 04:27:30 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 17, 2014, 09:34:44 PM
Didn't even know this one was in serious development.  I know the developers abandoned the first game a long time ago to move on to a new project.  The first game had some good ideas, byt ultimately, I thought it failed because it lacked soul and purpose.  This one "looks" like they are trying to address those short-comings.

Anyway, early access tomorrow.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/)

Isn't Saturday a weird day for a release?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 18, 2014, 04:48:58 AM
Quote from: Tpek on July 18, 2014, 04:27:30 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 17, 2014, 09:34:44 PM
Didn't even know this one was in serious development.  I know the developers abandoned the first game a long time ago to move on to a new project.  The first game had some good ideas, byt ultimately, I thought it failed because it lacked soul and purpose.  This one "looks" like they are trying to address those short-comings.

Anyway, early access tomorrow.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/)

Isn't Saturday a weird day for a release?

It's being released today, which is Friday. Today was tomorrow yesterday.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Shelldrake on July 18, 2014, 05:23:52 AM
I could never get my head around the ship design mechanics in SR but it looks like a more conventional approach for SR2, at least from the screenshot.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Tpek on July 18, 2014, 06:41:00 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 18, 2014, 04:48:58 AM
Quote from: Tpek on July 18, 2014, 04:27:30 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 17, 2014, 09:34:44 PM
Didn't even know this one was in serious development.  I know the developers abandoned the first game a long time ago to move on to a new project.  The first game had some good ideas, byt ultimately, I thought it failed because it lacked soul and purpose.  This one "looks" like they are trying to address those short-comings.

Anyway, early access tomorrow.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/ (http://store.steampowered.com/app/282590/)

Isn't Saturday a weird day for a release?

It's being released today, which is Friday. Today was tomorrow yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hH_K2Z0NO0
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 18, 2014, 09:38:32 AM
Looking at the YouTube videos...the UI graphics look like something from 1999. Odd. But i buy any space game so I will by this and contribute to those who push out half-assed games and then stop supporting them.

I will then provide a brief review that no one should listen to because I like every game pretty much...but if I say it blows...it's bad
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 18, 2014, 04:49:56 PM
Quote from: mikeck on July 18, 2014, 09:38:32 AM
Looking at the YouTube videos...the UI graphics look like something from 1999. Odd. But i buy any space game so I will by this and contribute to those who push out half-assed games and then stop supporting them.

I will then provide a brief review that no one should listen to because I like every game pretty much...but if I say it blows...it's bad

How soon can we have your opinion?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 18, 2014, 05:56:22 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 18, 2014, 04:49:56 PM
Quote from: mikeck on July 18, 2014, 09:38:32 AM
Looking at the YouTube videos...the UI graphics look like something from 1999. Odd. But i buy any space game so I will by this and contribute to those who push out half-assed games and then stop supporting them.

I will then provide a brief review that no one should listen to because I like every game pretty much...but if I say it blows...it's bad

How soon can we have your opinion?

Lol...not for awile it appears. I can't break loose from Divinity
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Grim.Reaper on July 18, 2014, 07:31:39 PM
Someone posted as small let's play video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk0HUdrVMOs#t=51
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 18, 2014, 07:39:27 PM
Whatever...I got it. Big surprise.

I'm enjoying it so far. It feels a bit "bland" but it is early access and has a way to go. There are things I don't like, but there are also some pretty neat concepts in there. SR1 ultimately failed as a game, but it did innovate and I already see innovation in SR2. The economy system and galaxy market system of imports and exports is pretty unique.  I haven't really gotten into ship design yet, but I definitely prefer definable vessel shapes to the circle of SR1. I could just never get the hang of that. Graphically, I like some of the effects so far, like entering hyperspace, explosions, etc.  Not a huge fan of the ship models and so far all races seem to use the same models, but hopefully this will diversify. Anyway, it has that "just one more turn" feeling, and it isn't even turn-based. lol. What I mean is, I want to keep playing and learning...so I remain uncertain but hopeful at this time.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Gusington on July 18, 2014, 07:46:09 PM
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nofrackingway.us%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F05%2Fgomer.jpg&hash=de93911960241026ae9bc90b0d915e3a9dbad396)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Staggerwing on July 18, 2014, 07:50:51 PM
Gawwwwww-lee!




Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on July 18, 2014, 08:20:15 PM
Shazam!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 19, 2014, 09:20:45 AM
Research and diplomacy both have interesting concepts and mechanics too. Research has you focusing theoretical fields, and as you level up your tech in each field, you gain access to projects and insights. Projects are more traditional research items, like new weapons, shields, engines, etc. while insights can be used to upgrade various fields providing bonuses across the board. For instance, using thermodynamics insight may provide an energy bonus to all of your vessels, etc.

Diplomacy, meanwhile is sort of a mini game. You buy cards with influence to accomplish various tasks, such as spying, negotiating proposals, annexing planets or whole systems. Some actions require a senate vote which works on a timer. If I am proposing to annex a system, I have to earn positive support for 3 minutes. The opponent oft he action, meanwhile, can expend influence to gain opposition to the vote. If he can run down the timer, the vote fails. If I can continue to play negotiation cards keeping positive support up for 3 minutes, he vote succeeds and the system is mine.

They are interesting and innovative concepts. They undoubtedly need more work though and the UI is pretty atrocious.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: tgb on July 19, 2014, 10:11:29 AM
Sounds interesting.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on July 19, 2014, 03:27:53 PM
I'm always looking for better diplomacy in these types of games. It's nice to see a new approach. Research also sound interesting. Damn, there goes $19.99.  :P
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 19, 2014, 06:27:17 PM
One thing I am reminded of, however, is I do not like the developers. I recall them being rather arrogant and rude in their official forums in the SR1 days, I see the attitude has carried on over to the steam forums. Pitty.  Very Derek Smart-ish.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Yskonyn on July 20, 2014, 06:19:42 AM
I noticed the even spacing of the planets in the 'shape' of the galaxy (spiral). That looks odd.

The game does look interesting, but I'll definately wait to see how this is going to pan out. Dropping support of SR1 didn't really sit well with me and these guys need to prove it just isn't a money grab again this time.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 20, 2014, 10:58:52 AM
This whole time I was confusing Star Ruler with "star drive". Never cared for star ruler so good thing I didn't buy. I did pick up Lords of the Black Sun though
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 20, 2014, 11:33:46 AM
Quote from: mikeck on July 20, 2014, 10:58:52 AM
This whole time I was confusing Star Ruler with "star drive". Never cared for star ruler so good thing I didn't buy. I did pick up Lords of the Black Sun though

I had the same problem with Lords of the Black Son that I had with Horizon.  Couldn't get into the style.  Additionally, the ship building options were terribly limited. Maybe start a new thread to post your thoughts? Its been awhile since I played...
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 20, 2014, 01:15:22 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 20, 2014, 11:33:46 AM
Quote from: mikeck on July 20, 2014, 10:58:52 AM
This whole time I was confusing Star Ruler with "star drive". Never cared for star ruler so good thing I didn't buy. I did pick up Lords of the Black Sun though

I had the same problem with Lords of the Black Son that I had with Horizon.  Couldn't get into the style.  Additionally, the ship building options were terribly limited. Maybe start a new thread to post your thoughts? Its been awhile since I played...

Will do. Only review is on "Space Sector" and that was luke warm at best. I think Distant Worlds and Moo3 are still my "go-to's"
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on July 23, 2014, 08:24:04 AM
Space Sector has posted a first impressions article on the beta.  The author sounds pretty upbeat overall. 

http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2014/07/star-ruler-2-hits-steam-early-access-beta-first-impressions/

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on July 23, 2014, 08:58:33 AM
I found the original game interesting. The one thing I didn't like about it was that in order to stay alive you had to build fleets of like 300 ships... so they look like swarms of flies moving around. I didn't like the vast number of ships you could build basically just churn them out. Wonder if that has changed
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Cougar_DK on July 26, 2014, 04:49:41 AM
With update 2 out any updated opinions?  :)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on November 19, 2014, 02:21:53 PM
I have to say, I'm really enjoying this. The trading/economic model is not only original but really cool. Each planet has either water, various food types or various resources it can export.  In order to raise the population and industrial capacity of planets, you have to continually increase the amount of food, water and resources. Resources come in 4 levels and each new planetary level increase requires an additional resource of the previous level and one for the new.

So if you have a level one planet that you want to get to level two, it already is importing food, water and a level 1 resource (there are various types). Level 2 requires 2 more food, another level 1 resource and a level 2 resource.

Now here is the trick. Let's say you find a planet that has a level 2 resource. You have to first get that planet up to level 2 before you can begin exporting that level 2 resource. That means importing food and resources an then finally exporting the home resource.

In the end. It REALLY eliminates the 4x ability late game of building everything on every planet. You really have to think about trade routes, which planets to level up and which enemy planets to take.

Combat is pretty when slowed down. Ship design is great with more freedom than most games. Finally, diplomacy is based on a type or card system. Using influence points, you purchase certain cards that can be used to influence the galactic senate to pass resolutions.

You have various buildings you can construct on planets but here is another interesting aspect. "Pressure" builds depending on what the planet produces. This pressure causes the population to automatically construct things. For example, if your planet is producing or importing a ton of resources, the pop will contruct factories. If you are producing energy, they might build research centers. So you can control what your planet builds also by controlling what it is making and importing.

I play at .5x speed. There are NO combat tactics...you line up and fire. Your input comes in at the ship design phase and your industrial capacity to build ships and defenses.

This is one of the better space  4x I have played and it seems to be overlooked.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: tgb on November 19, 2014, 03:13:38 PM
Is it done?  I  bought it several months back, but the developer was making changes so quickly I decided to just shelve it until it was finished.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on November 19, 2014, 03:34:28 PM
You tempt me, mikeck

However, I've long been turned off by the card-based diplomacy system.  When you throw in the lack of tactical options in combat, plus the game being in real-time (my love of Distant Worlds notwithstanding), it really makes me hesitate.  You find it to be fun despite (or perhaps because) of these things? 

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on November 19, 2014, 03:44:55 PM
Quote from: Martok on November 19, 2014, 03:34:28 PM
You tempt me, mikeck

However, I've long been turned off by the card-based diplomacy system.  When you throw in the lack of tactical options in combat, plus the game being in real-time (my love of Distant Worlds notwithstanding), it really makes me hesitate.  You find it to be fun despite (or perhaps because) of these things?

Yep. Here's the thing. In games where you do have control over ships in tactical space combat. How many options do you really have with them? Move to this hex move to that Hex, shoot. So I really don't mind as long as the combat is pretty. The tactics on full based on your ship designs really.

I don't mind the real time because you can slow it down to the point where it's a crawl you can actually get to .2 times normal speed. You can also posit so no it really doesn't bother me at all

I haven't messed around with diplomacy enough to decide whether I like it or not. it's not entirely card based...a lot of it is using influence points, but I don't know... I don't care much about diplomacy these games anyway I'm all about the violence

I think I like it just because of the original trading system. In most games you set up a trade route and you just get money from it. Inbthis game which planet you trade with and what you trade for really matters and have appointment about.

Also like to ship design

It is still not done but the updates of come a lot slower; maybe once a month or so so I think it's pretty much there
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on November 19, 2014, 03:46:36 PM
How long until release?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on November 19, 2014, 03:48:35 PM
mikeck -- did you like the original Star Ruler?  just curious.  (I didn't.)

More importantly -- are the ship hulls designable -- or is it like original SR, with preset hull shapes where you essentially just add components to an abstract ship blueprint?  (SR's Ship hulls were pretty blocky and hideous -- screenies of SR2 look much more promising).
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on November 19, 2014, 04:29:18 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 19, 2014, 03:48:35 PM
mikeck -- did you like the original Star Ruler?  just curious.  (I didn't.)

More importantly -- are the ship hulls designable -- or is it like original SR, with preset hull shapes where you essentially just add components to an abstract ship blueprint?  (SR's Ship hulls were pretty blocky and hideous -- screenies of SR2 look much more promising).

I hated the first one. I felt it was gimmicky with the whole planet-sized ship crap. As for the ships, there are pre-made hulls but there seem to be a bunch of types. That said where you put engines guns armor and everything else matters in the actual battles. So by the time you're done designing even though you couldn't create the hull, you feel like you've made your own ship.

For example if you put a laser on the right side of the ship you can only fire in an arc to the right side they can't fire across the hull.. so little things like that matter.

Truthfully, I've played the game very little so I don't want to get anyone too excited, but I would just keep this one on your radar if you're in the mood for a space 4x and the ones that are out arent doing it for you

Check out a few pewpewchewchew "let's play" videos and you will get a great idea.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on November 19, 2014, 07:31:14 PM
Thanks for the clarification.  You've put Star Ruler 2 back on my radar. I had completely forgotten about it, and to be honest, on the strength of Star Ruler (or lack thereof), I wasn't really all that interested.  But I'm definitely curious now -- and at $20, seems hard to go too wrong.  Will keep an eye on this one.
 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on November 20, 2014, 03:06:53 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on November 19, 2014, 07:31:14 PM
Thanks for the clarification.  You've put Star Ruler 2 back on my radar. I had completely forgotten about it, and to be honest, on the strength of Star Ruler (or lack thereof), I wasn't really all that interested.  But I'm definitely curious now -- and at $20, seems hard to go too wrong.  Will keep an eye on this one.

Same here... O0
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on November 20, 2014, 11:36:34 AM
Had an opportunity to play a little bit more. My opinion hasn't really changed except to say there's still a few things that need to be added or tightened up. So unless you've got the urge to play right now, go ahead and hold off a few months it'll still be there
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on November 20, 2014, 12:35:04 PM
This is a pretty good synopsis of the "pressure" concept where your minions on the planet build things independent of your specific direction

Pressure :
Resources produce varying amounts of pressure or otherwise have their own special effect. Now, what does pressure do, exactly? Pressure means that the planet receiving the resource will attempt to build civilian structures until all of the pressure is used up. For example, titanium gives 5 labor pressure so whichever planet you export the titanium to will build industry structures (those little 1x1 factories on the planet grid) until all 5 pressure is used up. Each basic civilian factory will use 1 pressure and produce 1 labor, excluding any effects. Though those will also upgrade into another factory-type structure that uses 2 labor pressure and gives 1.5 labor which is, unfortunately, less efficient. As of right now I am uncertain what causes the buildings to upgrade into their "level 2" variants.
There are currently 6 pressure types in the game and all have their own structures for the planet's surface : Money, Labor, Influence, Research, Energy, and Defense.

All structures follow a 1 pressure : 1 production for their first building and 2 pressure : 1.5 production for the second.

Money Pressure - Causes Markets and Bazaars to be constructed. Gives you a nice influx of money to your budget. Very useful if you can find an Electronics or Textiles world early on to boost your colonization budget, as debt causes a population growth penalty. (production measured in 75k money)

Labor Pressure - Causes Industry and Enterprises to be constructed. Both produce labor/min. You can also use 9 planet slots to build a factory but civilian structures are free and, until later game, give more production for the same space.

Influence - Causes Broadcast Towers and Media Centers to be constructed. Both produce influence/min. You always want to have at least one planet that is giving you some kind of influence, as there is no influence structure the government can construct and without it you can be extremely vulnerable to diplomatic actions.

Research - Causes Universities and Tech Centers to be constructed. Research labs actually give 1 research pressure, so you get a little more for your buck. Both produce research/min. As far as startups go I really like going Capitalist and using the extra starting 300k to build a research lab: gets my research going really early on. Whether or not it is actually a net gain I have no idea.

Energy - Solar panels, there's two tiers for them as well but I cannot recall the names. They produce energy/min though possibly in higher densities than 1 : 1 for the other pressures.

Defense - Launch pads, again there's two levels though these are special. They produce support ships for free and put them in orbit around the planet or other planets in the system. You can have a planet export this production to build defenses elsewhere. (Using the usual select -> right click destination).
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on November 20, 2014, 03:43:32 PM
Dammit mikeck, you're kinda making me want this now.  As if I didn't have enough 4x titles on my plate (both current and pending) already...  ::) 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on November 20, 2014, 04:05:10 PM
Yeah, I'm definitely intrigued by mikeck's assessments.

Lots of great Space 4x titles to choose from these days, but to my mind, no 'perfect' game that is completely satisfying. (There's no such thing anyway, but one always holds out hope.) Anyway, it's great to hear that there is another promising space 4x-er on the way -- especially since Star Ruler, while it had some novelty and promise, ultimately felt soulless to me.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 09, 2015, 06:02:44 PM
Star Ruler 2 has gone gold!  The full release is March 27.  New trailer:

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on March 09, 2015, 06:15:20 PM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on March 09, 2015, 06:02:44 PM
Star Ruler 2 has gone gold!  The full release is March 27.  New trailer:


Argh...too many games coming out at the same time.....Stardrive 2 is also about to be released.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on March 09, 2015, 07:13:29 PM
Huw, have you been playing early access?  If so, thoughts?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 10, 2015, 01:41:11 AM
I haven't, sorry.  It's pretty much at the top of my wishlist though; there aren't many games like this available for Linux yet.  I've watched some videos and it looks bloody good.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Yskonyn on March 10, 2015, 04:01:04 AM
What are the main differences between SR and SD? I have one of them but cannot remember which. Lol!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on March 10, 2015, 04:12:42 AM
Quote from: Yskonyn on March 10, 2015, 04:01:04 AM
What are the main differences between SR and SD? I have one of them but cannot remember which. Lol!

Stardrive was all real-time (like Star Ruler). Everything happens on the same galactic map. Stardrive 2 however has a turn-based strategy map and looks to be fairly close to a Master of Orion game (very classic). Star Ruler 1 & 2 are full real-time games with some interesting concepts (ships creation, research, planet management etc.). I would say that Stardrive 2 will be much easier to get into as it's more familiar. Star Ruler 1 & 2 require more time imho to get into because you have more to learn.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on March 29, 2015, 06:53:17 PM
Officially released...   anyone playing?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: tgb on March 30, 2015, 07:08:07 AM
Quote from: sandman2575 on March 29, 2015, 06:53:17 PM
Officially released...   anyone playing?

I am, and I like it so far.  There's a bit of a learning curve.  It reminds me a bit of Endless Legend in that while it plays like a standard 4X game, the mechanics of some of the elements (colonization and diplomacy) are unique enough to make it feel fresh.

The biggest problem is horrible documentation. I haven't even been able to find out what the victory conditions are.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 30, 2015, 02:08:49 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on March 29, 2015, 06:53:17 PM
Officially released...   anyone playing?

It's right at the top of my wishlist but I probably can't justify it after just buying a whole new PC.  It looks fantastic though, I can't wait to get it.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on March 30, 2015, 02:24:48 PM
Easily justified!  What's $25 after blowing a few grand on a new pc?  A rounding error. Sales tax. Shipping costs.  :)

Anyway, I caved and bought (along with Pillars of Eternity, sigh) last night, but haven't had a chance to play. Looking forward to spending some time with it tonight...
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Yskonyn on March 30, 2015, 02:37:37 PM
Very interested to read more about this.
If it actually is a good game then I'll jump in and if enough people here like it maybe we can throw together a MP game as well?  O0
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 30, 2015, 03:40:06 PM
Quote from: sandman2575 on March 30, 2015, 02:24:48 PM
Easily justified!  What's $25 after blowing a few grand on a new pc?  A rounding error. Sales tax. Shipping costs.  :)

Haha!  You've done this before! ;)

QuoteAnyway, I caved and bought (along with Pillars of Eternity, sigh) last night, but haven't had a chance to play. Looking forward to spending some time with it tonight...

Splendid!  Looking forward to reading some impressions!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on March 30, 2015, 03:41:46 PM
I like it and it has a lot of interesting concepts. As with the star ruler 1, my only problem is that eventually I can build tens of thousands of chips or I can build a ship the size of a star just a bit ridiculous.... I mean come on. Now I choose not to do so myself, but my AI opponent comes attacking me with like 800 ships I have to do the same thing
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Sparhawk on March 30, 2015, 08:02:43 PM
My biggest complaint with the first Star Ruler was controlling territory. It might only be efficient to colonize 1 planet in a given star system and the AI would come in and colonize the others, so I would end up having to colonize every rock out there just to exclude an opponent I may not desire to battle with yet. Is Star Ruler 2 the same way, where you must colonize everything to keep opponents at bay?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on March 31, 2015, 07:47:55 AM
Only played through the tutorial last night, but my impressions are definitely positive. My recollection of Star Ruler the original is hazy, but SR2 seems like a completely new game to me, and that's all to the good.

Graphics seem very much upgraded (sorry to start with the superficial, but guess I'm superficial  8)).  Hated the low-poly-count, blocky shipsets in SR1. These look a lot more polished, and I'm intrigued by the ship design mechanics, which seem reasonably deep.

Sounds like you do have to expand pretty relentlessly in order to keep up with the AI. Not thrilled by that, but I'll have to play more to see what it means in practice.  Here's a pretty thorough (and very positive) review of the game --

http://www.explorminate.com/#!Star-Ruler-2/c15kj/551447ff0cf215f35a1c3507 (http://www.explorminate.com/#!Star-Ruler-2/c15kj/551447ff0cf215f35a1c3507)

Man, my dream space 4x would be to merge the mechanics and UI of Distant Worlds with the 3D universe of a game like this...



Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on March 31, 2015, 04:51:31 PM
Well, I didn't want to read this in the review:

Diplomacy
As I noted, Star Ruler 2 is a combat-driven title, and the diplomacy system is no exception.


Why, why can't we have more 4x games where there is actual, meaningful diplomacy?  :-\
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 31, 2015, 05:27:04 PM
I bought Star Ruler 2 this evening and will have to echo Sandman's comments; I too have only played the tutorial thus far (which was pretty good) and I'm feeling fairly positive about the game.  A built-in wiki helps, and I'm really pleased to see that in-game IRC is back.  I hope the devs hang around in there a lot like they did with the first game.

Some completely random initial thoughts:

The interface scales really well; planets and fleets are replaced by icons as you zoom out, and rearrange themselves intelligently in the display.  All the most important information about a particular entity is easily obtained with a single click, and at no point did I feel like there was any clutter (except from the tutorial box itself which obviously won't be there in a proper game and can be moved around at will).

Graphically this game wouldn't have been state of the art ten years ago.  It matters to some extent so I thought I'd mention it.  Certainly not a deal-breaker to me, and to be fair there is the occasional nice effect, like the FTL jump.

Sound...I can't remember much of this at all, suggesting there was very little, unfortunately.  However the soundtrack is pretty nice and there's even a choir piece in the mix.

Controls...everything we've come to expect.  Zoom in/out to cursor, edge or middle-mouse-button scrolling.  Left click things to select, right-click things to do.  As in the first game, you can right-click an entity to get a context-sensitive menu.  One splendid use of this is colonisation; instead of struggling to remember where you built that damn colony ship, just right-click your target planet and choose "colonise this".  Presto - the nearest colony ship will make its way, or the nearest planet capable of building one will kick into gear.  I really appreciate this feature.

Anyway, just got time for a bit more before I go to bed.  I'll post more impressions in the coming days.

Thumbs up for now!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on March 31, 2015, 05:40:07 PM
Quote from: bbmike on March 31, 2015, 04:51:31 PM
Well, I didn't want to read this in the review:

Diplomacy
As I noted, Star Ruler 2 is a combat-driven title, and the diplomacy system is no exception.


Why, why can't we have more 4x games where there is actual, meaningful diplomacy?  :-\

Yeah...my problem as well.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 31, 2015, 06:32:56 PM
Pfft.  Read the rest of the review.  Diplomacy is a hell of a lot deeper than, say, the card-based combat you get in Endless Space - and what's more, it makes more sense.  How many 4X games have you played in which diplomacy consists of "propose treaty X with player Y and sweeten the deal with just enough gold to get the slider to reach the tipping point"?  Oh, and how many of them have AI players which then go on to renege on the treaty five minutes later anyway?  Diplomacy is, historically, spectacularly weak in player vs AI 4X.

In Star Ruler 2, diplomacy (from what little I've seen of it so far) is much more involved.  You get your usual "offer treaty X to player Y" options, but on top of that is a whole different layer.  An empire begins by making a proposition, such as "host galactic senate building" which would confer certain influence bonuses to that empire if the proposition is passed.  All empires are alerted to the event and a timer begins.  Empires can vote yes or no by playing cards which are more or less effective with differing costs (in influence).  They can also play cards that have other effects on negotiations.  They can offer rewards to empires voting in certain ways.  They can add "riders" to the proposition to piggyback on its success should it pass.  Each card played adds a little to the timer to give empires a chance to react, so there's no sneaking in a winning vote at the last second.  It's actually quite thrilling.  The diplomacy screen even has its own separate chat box (for multiplayer games obviously) for players to discuss the voting.

"Combat mini-game" is a gross mischaracterisation of Star Ruler 2's diplomacy, and I would argue that it's a far superior system to that offered by 99% of 4X games.

Here is the wiki article. (http://wiki.starruler2.com/Diplomacy_and_Influence)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on March 31, 2015, 06:48:53 PM
Okay, I have hope again.  8)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on March 31, 2015, 07:01:46 PM
Quote from: Sparhawk on March 30, 2015, 08:02:43 PM
My biggest complaint with the first Star Ruler was controlling territory. It might only be efficient to colonize 1 planet in a given star system and the AI would come in and colonize the others, so I would end up having to colonize every rock out there just to exclude an opponent I may not desire to battle with yet. Is Star Ruler 2 the same way, where you must colonize everything to keep opponents at bay?

Kind of.  You'll want to colonise them all, since every (colonisable) planet produces some kind of resource which the rest of your empire can use.  Some of these planets can also be levelled up which results in higher-tier resources which can, in turn, be used to level up your core worlds.  Also, I don't remember how it was inefficient to colonise every planet in Star Ruler, but in Star Ruler 2 the only cost is in population.  You don't explicitly build colony ships so there's no production cost of any kind.  Also it couldn't be easier to do - just right-click the planet and select colonise; you'll automatically start sending colony ships from the nearest suitable planet.

(Disclaimer: I only just got the game so it's possible I've missed something, but in the short time I've played a proper game I've been able to colonise every world I encounter with ease)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Sparhawk on March 31, 2015, 07:47:33 PM
Thanks Huw, maybe my expectations were off playing Star Ruler. I am used to other games like Distant Worlds where territory is established when colonizing a single planet in a system. I enjoyed Star Ruler otherwise and am interested in this one.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 01, 2015, 12:14:10 AM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on March 31, 2015, 06:32:56 PM
Pfft.  Read the rest of the review.  Diplomacy is a hell of a lot deeper than, say, the card-based combat you get in Endless Space - and what's more, it makes more sense.  How many 4X games have you played in which diplomacy consists of "propose treaty X with player Y and sweeten the deal with just enough gold to get the slider to reach the tipping point"?  Oh, and how many of them have AI players which then go on to renege on the treaty five minutes later anyway?  Diplomacy is, historically, spectacularly weak in player vs AI 4x.

Here is the wiki article. (http://wiki.starruler2.com/Diplomacy_and_Influence)
I've always been happy with diplomacy in Master of Orion. What you say about Star Ruler 2 sounds good....now, if only i had the time to play the first one who's been on my computer for years ::)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 01, 2015, 08:59:42 AM
Ok...it's been released on GOG...one more reason for me to get it.... O0
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on April 01, 2015, 02:20:16 PM
Quote from: Anguille on April 01, 2015, 08:59:42 AM
Ok...it's been released on GOG...one more reason for me to get it.... O0
If you do, please let me know your thoughts.  I've managed to resist picking this one up so far, but I know your taste in 4x games run very similar to mine, so if you like it, odds are good I will too.  (And the fact it's available on GOG made my resistance go down just a little bit further...)  :crazy2: 

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 01, 2015, 03:36:45 PM
Quote from: Martok on April 01, 2015, 02:20:16 PM
Quote from: Anguille on April 01, 2015, 08:59:42 AM
Ok...it's been released on GOG...one more reason for me to get it.... O0
If you do, please let me know your thoughts.  I've managed to resist picking this one up so far, but I know your taste in 4x games run very similar to mine, so if you like it, odds are good I will too.  (And the fact it's available on GOG made my resistance go down just a little bit further...)  :crazy2:
I will. Truth is i still have to learn Star Rulers 1....i found the learning curve fairly high and didn't found the time to get into it yet.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 01, 2015, 05:55:55 PM
Quote from: Sparhawk on March 31, 2015, 07:47:33 PM
Thanks Huw, maybe my expectations were off playing Star Ruler. I am used to other games like Distant Worlds where territory is established when colonizing a single planet in a system. I enjoyed Star Ruler otherwise and am interested in this one.

I can add a bit more now, after another evening's play.  When you colonise a single planet in a system, your territorial boundary automatically envelops that system and it's "yours" for the purpose of resupply etc.  However other empires can do the same thing...they will own the system too.  So if you want to completely lock an empire out of a system you will have to colonise every world...but as I said earlier, you'll want to do that anyway in order to exploit those precious resources.

It's the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned, but I thought I'd tell you just to inform your buying decision a bit more.

Edited to add:  The diplomacy system is crazy (in a good way).  Propositions are made all the time, and they're usually accompanied by a flurry of voting.  You spend accrued influence points to play cards and influence the outcome.  Influence is generated by your empire, but certain resources, buildings and events can increase the generation rate.  Oh, and here's another thing.  How do you get those cards in the first place?  By spending influence!  There's a relatively fast-moving "market" of influence cards, with cards getting cheaper to buy the longer they're available.  Do you spend 10 influence on a must-have card but leave yourself without enough to play it until you've generated more, or do you wait for the price to come down and hope you can nab it before someone else does or it disappears from the market?

And here's another thing!  Want to sway a vote but don't have the influence or cards?  Simply offer something in return for someone else to use their influence!  For example, say you need three more "yes" votes to see a proposition you like pass, but you can't vote.  But you have money, or research points, or fleets or even worlds you aren't using...you can offer them up in exchange for x number of votes. :)

It really is quite something.  I'm normally one to kick arse first and ask questions later in 4X games, but I'm getting quite hooked by the diplomacy of Star Ruler 2. :)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 01:41:17 AM
I haven't been able to play this much so far but I did manage another hour last night - and it certainly helps being able to chat with the developers and other players in real time in-game!  Some more observations, then.

Money.  This is generated by your worlds, as you'd expect, and higher population means more cash.  In Star Ruler 2 money is available in the form of a budget which refreshes every three minutes.  So as a cycle begins you might find you have, say, a million quid to spend on things such as ships, buildings etc.  Now here's where it gets different.  Any money left unspent at the end of a cycle goes into one of several pools - research generation, influence generation etc.  Basically, the less you spend, the more goes into this resource production.  It's something you have to get used to, but once you do, it's pretty simple and quite fun too.  The budget panel also shows you how much money you'll have at the beginning of the next cycle, depending on current forecasts.  You can even borrow money from the next cycle, although if you put yourself in the red it will affect population growth.

Ships.  I haven't even touched the designer yet, but here's what I know about ships in general.  When you order the construction of a ship, you generally order a flagship.  When it's built you then assign its support ships.  Think the core/escort/screen mechanic we see in naval warfare games.  When you fill the support slots, the flagship will then build its fleet as long as it's in the vicinity of a planet with available labour to build the ships.  You can also set fleets to auto-build as necessary (to refill slots after battles) or even auto-refill from planets that have their own support ships.  Building a flagship is not undertaken lightly, at least in early game.  A flagship costs a lot of money, takes a not insignificant time to build, and has hefty ongoing support costs.  However they add the most firepower to any fleet and are usually the last ship to go down fighting too.

Research.  I haven't looked at this much yet because research is expensive early game (or, more likely, I'm just not managing my empire efficiently yet). What I can say is that the tree is fairly large and has all sorts of tech.  As far as I know, any tech can be unlocked by investing accumulated research points into it, but all or nearly all of them have alternative unlocks such as cash payment.

I will add more as time goes on, and I'm very much still in the early stages of learning the game.  There's an in-game wiki available along with the aforementioned IRC chat, and also an excellent tool to allow you to import ship designs from other players without having to leave your game, which is excellent for people like me who want to skip designing stuff and get on with playing.

My opinion remains that Star Ruler 2 is very good.  The only thing I can think of that is potentially off-putting to some people so far is the early land-grab.  It's irritating to scout a good planet, only to return later to colonise it and discovering someone else has claimed it (although I've been playing in pretty cramped games thus far, something I could easily change).  There are the usual conquest options to claim the planets you want, and there's even an "annex planet" diplomacy action which I understand does not lead to war if successfully played.

Edit: I'm going to start a game with only one opponent and a large galaxy in the hope of having a lot of time and room to learn how to manage my empire.

Oh and one last thing about colonisation.  I was correct, before, to say that I might have been missing something.  Colonisation costs both money and population.  You can select which planet leads a colonisation effort or let the game decide for you, but whatever you choose, it costs money as well.  Not a great deal, but enough to put you in the red if your finances are dire.  Colonisation tends to take around three minutes, depending on how far you are from the target, and shows as its own expense in the budget panel until it's complete.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 04:39:46 AM
Managed another couple of hours this morning, starting, as I'd planned, a new game with two other empires and 100 systems to give plenty of leg room.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.  So without further ado...

Quote from: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 01:41:17 AM
Research.  I haven't looked at this much yet because research is expensive early game (or, more likely, I'm just not managing my empire efficiently yet).

Yep, I wasn't managing my empire efficiently.  This time I kept a close eye on my budget at all times, never putting myself in the red, and spacing my construction projects far enough apart that I always had money going into research generation.  As a result I've been researching plenty.  Techs seem to fall into three broad categories: immediate bonuses, ongoing bonuses, and "other".  Using economics as an example, I could unlock a tech that gives an immediate 500K cash boost or one that gives a permanent 150K income.  "Other" techs are those more commonly seen in other games, like +10% weapons effectiveness, stuff like that.

Something I haven't mentioned yet is artifacts.  In this latest game I built a couple of scouts and set them to auto-explore.  On their journeys they found a lot of "Remnant artifacts".  I gather the Remnant are some long-dead alien master race who left behind autonomous defenses, same old bollocks you get in every space 4X.  Anyway, the Remnant fleets are always guarding artifacts.  When you blow up the silly fleet you can investigate the artifact.  These things do all sorts of things, like enabling you to spy on distant systems or opening rifts to other parts of the galaxy.

Along with Remnant artifacts you'll find other miscellaneous stuff throughout the galaxy.  One of the more interesting is a proto-world which can be kickstarted into a fully-formed world.  All of these things cost energy, which is one of those resource pools you can allocate budget to.

Oh yeah, more points about economy.  While it's true that you can focus unspent money toward one of the major resources, they can also be improved independently, albeit at a reduced rate if not the object of focus.  Your worlds will autonomously construct buildings, initially cities to accommodate people, but eventually things like generators which will add to your energy production.  Thus, over time, you'll start generating these resources even if you aren't focusing them.  You can indirectly influence what kind of buildings are produced by employing "pressures".  I haven't quite figured out how these work yet, but I understand that one way of generating a pressure is to import something.  If you import plastics for example, a tier 1 resource (meaning you need a planet that produces them levelled to level 1 or higher), you will generate a Labour pressure, making the world favour buildings such as factories (produce labour) and warehouses (store unused labour).

Additionally, you can directly order the construction of specialised buildings (and other things) on your worlds.  Such construction requires the aforementioned labour resource.  An example of this would be a hydroponics thing which confers a natural (but unexportable) food resource.  You see, in order for a planet to level up it needs various resources depending on its level, as explained on this wiki page (http://wiki.starruler2.com/Planets_and_Resources#Creating_a_Resource_Network) (this is the same wiki you can access in-game).  So all planets begin at level 0, at which point they can export their starting natural resource, be it food, water or something else.  To get to level 1 the planet will need a water resource and a food resource.  Level 2 requires additional food and water along with a tier 1 resource, which will mean importing such a resource from a developed world.

There's a hell of a lot to this game and I could write pages and pages.  That wiki is under development currently but will give a fairly decent overview.  Later posts from me will concentrate on what it's like to actually play rather than going over the mechanics.  Feel free to ask questions!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: undercovergeek on April 06, 2015, 04:41:11 AM
aar? with like explanations of why what and where

ah go on, go on, go on, go on
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 04:47:03 AM
Quote from: undercovergeek on April 06, 2015, 04:41:11 AM
aar? with like explanations of why what and where

ah go on, go on, go on, go on

OK Mrs Doyle!  Not a full-fledged AAR, but later I will post what happened in the first couple of hours of my latest game. :)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: undercovergeek on April 06, 2015, 05:13:13 AM
wooo hooo - im wavering
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 06:36:26 AM
OK so here's how my latest game has played out so far.

You always begin with a level 1 world so you can colonise straight away (level 1 worlds have a base population cap of 3bn and it costs 1bn to colonise).  I immediately set my budget focus to research and built a couple of scouts and set them to auto-explore.  There were two unclaimed worlds in my system with a food and water resource between them.  I could have immediately colonised them and queued their resources for my homeworld; however my homeworld also needed a tier 1 resource to get to level 2, so instead I found a world which has such a resource and queued the food/water for it instead.  Before long it was colonised, at level 1, and exporting its tier 1 resource to my homeworld.  It was then a simple matter of finding two more worlds with a food and water between them, and my homeworld was level 2 and starting to make me good money.

The game makes it pretty easy to accomplish these kinds of goals by the way.  When you right-click a planet to colonise it you can also select "auto import to level 1".  As soon as it's colonised, any surplus resources you have are immediately exported there.  The interface even has a section showing where your surplus resources are, and whether any of your worlds have any queued up to be imported.

Then I turned my attention to the research screen as I was slowly accumulating those lovely research points.  I picked a tech that granted an ongoing cash boost - invaluable in the early game.  60s later it was done and the money was rolling in.  I built my first orbital station - a commerce centre.  I was hoping it would boost trade or something, but in fact it does something different.  It operates like a kind of black market.  I can use it to buy influence, labour, or a couple of other resources instantly, with a cooldown of three minutes.  You can also use them to import/export goods between systems that aren't in the same contiguous territory.

This actually came in handy straight away, because meanwhile my scouts had found a proto-planet.  It cost 500 energy to "activate" but I wasn't producing any energy at this early stage, so I used my orbital to buy what I needed.  Presto - the proto-planet became a colonisable world complete with native resource.

At this point I was caught with my trousers down.  I'd been using my flagship, a heavy carrier, and its fleet of support ships to supplement the scouting using its FTL engines, and a Dread Pirate chose that moment to invade my home system.  The pirate concentrates on civilian vessels so it started plugging away at all my little merchant ships.  Oh, and it also blockaded my homeworld, affecting production.  In an earlier game I encountered this guy and he was really powerful, but luckily he wasn't in this one.  I swiftly ordered my fleet back home and they made quick work of the rotter.

I decided I wasn't going to be caught out like that again, so I built my next orbital - a defense station. Your planets can have their own support fleets but I don't know how powerful they are so I thought a nice big gun in space would surely help.

I'd discovered the other two empires by now so the diplomatic games began.  I've found that sometimes diplomatic actions just happen spontaneously ("event x was started by 'the galaxy'").  These are slightly different in that a yes or a no vote results in two different effects, usually with the largest contributor to the winning outcome reaping the benefit.  But of course the other empires were playing their own cards as well, trying to get various bonuses for themselves.  At one point one of them proposed "investigating" the other.  The vote passed and we had full sight of his empire for ten minutes. :)

And that's more or less where things have been left for now.  I'll update later when I play more.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 06, 2015, 04:39:53 PM
By the way, for this latest test game I'd set the AI to passive, meaning they'd never declare war on me, to allow me to get to grips with the game.  I've just quit after colonising as much of the map as I could without expanding into the AIs' territories.  In that time I managed to get two worlds to level 4 with the attendant enormous network of level 0, 1, 2, and 3 worlds in support.  I'd also researched maybe a quarter of the tech tree.  I think I've got at least a solid understanding of the basic mechanics now.

However one thing I still haven't really looked at is ship design, something I always loathe in these games.  Fortunately being able to import player-made designs makes things easy (not that I've done it myself).  Also you can do all the usual copying and upgrading of existing designs.  I did experiment in one way - I copied a battlecruiser design and played with the size setting.  The stats (hull strength, DPS etc) all increased with size even though I didn't touch a single component.  I believe that there are three basic elements to ship design: placement of core modules, zoning, and placement of additional items.  I think that you place a core module - let's use a FTL drive as an example - to enable that functionality on the ship.  Then you draw out a zone (this is all done in hexes) to determine the relative power of that module - in this example, how fast the ship travels at FTL speeds.  Last, you place additional modules to suit your needs, like extra armour plating and so on.

Anyway.  Gameplay is always going to consist of probably at least 50% building your empire through colonisation and expansion.  Scout the surrounding systems...locate the resources you need...colonise the planets...import those goods...place specialised buildings on planets to boost things like production (with limited landmass available on each planet, these choices are meaningful)...build orbital stations of different types to confer defensive advantages, build mining outposts etc...plan system defense (which you can do in some detail as there is a wealth of options available for this, from designing the composition of support fleets through to placement of orbital cannons and land-based defense networks).

A good 10-15% of the game will be spent on the diplomacy panel, either responding to various propositions and treaties or starting your own.  And the rest of the game will be spent waging war with your neighbours.  You can set the size and shape of the galaxy you play in as well as decide against whom you will be playing and various other options.  I'm not sure whether there are any victory conditions other than conquest, but you can form alliances so I assume team victories will count.

The one aspect of the game I haven't seen at all yet is megaconstructions.  I gather that ringworlds are serious resource-producers, and titans are presumably ungodly beasts; the megaconstruction options are all at the edges of the tech tree.  I'm looking forward to seeing them in action!

There are still some gameplay elements I haven't mentioned either, like FTL energy which must be generated and stored, which has an impact on reckless fleet movements (sub-light travel between systems is perfectly viable, it's just slower).  There's moon colonisation, terraforming, mining, and undoubtedly other things I've forgotten about.  If you've looked at screenshots, that UI is deceptively simple.  Some effort has gone into making it unobtrusive where possible, and it belies the depth of the game.  There's a lot to learn.

I've written a lot about Star Ruler 2 (and I hope I've informed some buying decisions), and played more of it in a couple of days than I expected to.  That's because I think it's rather good.  Certainly easier to get into than its predecessor but retaining the same spirit.  I think a lot of love has gone into its development.  Also I think it speaks volumes that the Steam forum for the game, instead of the usual endless whining about how x is broken and "clearly this game was released too early", is instead filled with people discussing its various mechanics, asking for help with problematic situations in their games, and sharing tips.  The small amount of criticism is nit-picking, for example "if one of my worlds is about to be annexed I'd like a warning" (people then go on to explain the various different ways the original poster should have known it was happening).

Literally my only complaints are that the tech tree is slightly underwhelming (although large) and the documentation is a bit lacking.  I really like Star Ruler 2 and I think it'll be my go-to space 4X for quite a while. O0
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Dread Rlyeh on April 07, 2015, 06:49:52 AM
Another game I've had since early access but was waiting to play.  It has some very interesting ideas (detailed in previous posts) and I like the balance between automation (auto built support ships, pressure producing structures on planets) and micro.  The Flagship/support ship distinction and implementation helps to provide an epic feel.  I'm looking forward to the massive battles involving hundreds of ships vs most 4x early game sparring involving like 5.  I love what they have done with ship and planet naming, ie, it is an event using cards that provide bonuses. 

Lots of potential in this one, the pieces are there I think.  The question will be how this all plays out with the AI, progression of technology, etc.  It is possible you might have a little too much too soon wrt the ship chassis.  Right off the bat you can build a Battleship if you so desire, though that is going to impede your economic expansion.   In the majority of games you have to unlock new technologies and generally will progress through being able to build larger and larger ships.  Here, is it only the titan you are initially denied? 

All in all, at this stage, I have to say I'm more excited about this game than any 4x in recent memory.  I do wish they had some veterancy/officer system though.  That idea has been around forever and with good reason:  even if the actual effect on gameplay, strategy, and depth is minimal, I find it increases immersion and helps keep a player interested in their troops.  The naming/quality system does fill this void to an extent.       

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 07, 2015, 01:04:11 PM
Quote from: Dread Rlyeh on April 07, 2015, 06:49:52 AM
Another game I've had since early access but was waiting to play.

No need to wait any longer. ;)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Dread Rlyeh on April 07, 2015, 02:56:23 PM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on April 07, 2015, 01:04:11 PM
Quote from: Dread Rlyeh on April 07, 2015, 06:49:52 AM
Another game I've had since early access but was waiting to play.

No need to wait any longer. ;)
Yeah, I've been digging in a bit and am liking the feel of the game so far.  Thanks for the detailed posts, they helped bring this back to my attention. 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 07, 2015, 04:11:07 PM
You're welcome, and I'm glad to hear it. :) I'm going to start my first proper game tonight - wish me luck!
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: PanzersEast on April 07, 2015, 04:45:52 PM
I've read there are balancing issues, so I am wondering your guys feedback.


PE
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Dread Rlyeh on April 07, 2015, 05:43:48 PM
Good luck Huw!

Quote from: PanzersEast on April 07, 2015, 04:45:52 PM
I've read there are balancing issues, so I am wondering your guys feedback.
PE
I've just experimented with trying to get a reasonably efficient start and have only fought a few remnant fleets which I whipped no problem with my borg carrier.  After I get a feel for the early game, I usually go with the penultimate difficulty level and see how things shake out.  Not sure when I will have the time for that, but I will share what I find out. 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 07, 2015, 05:49:15 PM
Quote from: PanzersEast on April 07, 2015, 04:45:52 PM
I've read there are balancing issues, so I am wondering your guys feedback.

Hmmm...can you be more specific?  Games like these are always accused of having balance issues, the key is determining how much merit there is to those claims.

I only started my first proper game this evening so I can't personally comment just yet (except to say that the AI empires are racing ahead of me, heh).  However I can say, at the very least, that the game probably doesn't cheat - the hardest difficulty level ("savage") specifically says that cheats are enabled for the AIs, so it's reasonable to assume it doesn't cheat at all other levels.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: PanzersEast on April 08, 2015, 11:23:53 AM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on April 07, 2015, 05:49:15 PM
Quote from: PanzersEast on April 07, 2015, 04:45:52 PM
I've read there are balancing issues, so I am wondering your guys feedback.

Hmmm...can you be more specific?  Games like these are always accused of having balance issues, the key is determining how much merit there is to those claims.

I only started my first proper game this evening so I can't personally comment just yet (except to say that the AI empires are racing ahead of me, heh).  However I can say, at the very least, that the game probably doesn't cheat - the hardest difficulty level ("savage") specifically says that cheats are enabled for the AIs, so it's reasonable to assume it doesn't cheat at all other levels.

I'll go back and see if I can find it, but if I remember correctly it was the factions that needed balanced out and maybe some of the mid-game.

PE
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 08, 2015, 06:13:41 PM
Well I just finished a three hour session; "one more turn" doesn't come close!  This is one of those games in which you always have multiple projects on the go.  Can't quit now, I need to see the battle when my battleship fleet completes its FTL journey deep inside enemy lines!  I only need 150 more research points before I can start constructing planetoids!  No I can't stop, this planet is finally just about to get to level 2 which will mean my homeworld will get to level 4 and I can build these awesome things!  Etc.

I'm playing a 2v2 game with locked teams and an empire in the opposing team was starting to colonise worlds inside my borders, so I had enough and declared war.  I had three fleets by this point (including a mk2 battleship which was double the size of the base battleship and packed quite a punch) and I took them on a grand tour of the enemy systems, conquering planet after planet.  However their defense forces eventually turned up and gave me a run for my money.  We won the initial clash but my fleets were down to less than half strength.  I foolishly decided to press on regardless, and the next system they entered happened to have lots of planetary defense systems which made short work of them even without the aid of ships.

We limped back home to resupply and replace lost support ships, and that's when I brought out my ace - a diplomatic event called "annex system"! O0  It does exactly that.  I played it and targeted the system that had just kicked my arse.....hoooooooly shit the enemy team threw everything they had at this proposition....I've never seen such frantic voting.  Happily, my teammate joined the voting in support, and I'd also been saving some very good influence cards for just such an occasion.  Eventually I walloped them with a +12 victory and the system immediately became mine. :)

(It was not without some cost...realising they were going to lose the vote, one of the enemy empires attached a rider to the vote, meaning the next time he decided to oppose me in the senate he'd have "leverage" on me, essentially giving him free votes as long as his stand opposes mine)

God damn, there's a lot to this game.  I just can't stop playing - it has me well and truly by the balls.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on April 08, 2015, 06:28:37 PM
Huw, how's the real-time? I love turn based games but can tolerate real-time games like EU4. Is this a click-fest?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 08, 2015, 06:45:37 PM
No, definitely not a click fest.  It's as slow as Sins of a Solar Empire; if you can manage that, you can certainly manage Star Ruler 2.  Combat is fleet-based, and the fleets are ponderous things, taking some time to turn and move.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on April 08, 2015, 07:26:36 PM
Like EU 4....it has speed settings and you can slow it way down and pause
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 11, 2015, 06:03:49 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/EAFHkYZ.jpg?1)

As epic as this battle looks, this is only a small 1v1 fleet engagement (around 1,800 ships in all).  I'm conquering a world of the Hoonan empire.  They're very Borg-like and gain strength when fighting near Mainframes (orbital constructions).  Unfortunately for them, there was no mainframe nearby and my fleet was commanded by my flagship, the Battlecruiser Mk2 After Forever, which made mincemeat of the enemy with its massive lasers and railguns.

(Naming a flagship is an influence event you can purchase, and confers decent bonuses when used - you can do the same for your homeworld)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Rayfer on April 11, 2015, 07:19:24 AM
1800 ships is a small battle? Holy crap. Do you need one of those government super-computers to run a large battle?  ;)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 11, 2015, 08:15:14 AM
Heh.  It doesn't seem to tax the CPU (or GPU) very much at all, in fact I think the requirements are rather low for a modern game.

Yeah, 1,800 ships for a single battle is a small amount.  Initially your flagships will command nearly 800 support ships in a fleet.  Eventually as you tech up that number will grow and grow, plus of course there's nothing stopping you bringing multiple fleets to the same fight.  So you can have thousands and thousands of ships in a single battle eventually.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on April 16, 2015, 02:31:01 PM
Uh-oh.  Apparently the game isn't selling too well: 

http://steamcommunity.com/app/282590/discussions/1/611703898451859330/


The devs are saying they'll need to close down the studio by the end of the year unless sales pick up.  :-\ 

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 16, 2015, 02:33:50 PM
Quote from: Martok on April 16, 2015, 02:31:01 PM
Uh-oh.  Apparently the game isn't selling too well: 

http://steamcommunity.com/app/282590/discussions/1/611703898451859330/


The devs are saying they'll need to close down the studio by the end of the year unless sales pick up.  :-\
Not good....going to purchase it earlier than intended to support them...
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on April 16, 2015, 02:51:58 PM
Honestly...I don't buy it. I've never been a fan of these developers. They are really poor at taking constructive criticism and come off as abrasive and dismissive to anyone who doesn't openly state how awesome their games are.

I think they openly abandoned Star Ruler 1 leaving it a hollow soulless title and then moved on to the second title in the series. Daniel DiCicco of Stardrive fame is taking a lot of flak for doing this where the Star Ruler guys seem to be getting a free pass. I bought SR2 pretty early on in development and think it is a good game with some unique ideas, but I don't appreciate a developer hiding a thinly veiled threat to not release future updates behind a sad tale of financial trouble.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but what goes around comes around. 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Nefaro on April 17, 2015, 05:01:12 PM
Quote from: Anguille on April 16, 2015, 02:33:50 PM
Quote from: Martok on April 16, 2015, 02:31:01 PM
Uh-oh.  Apparently the game isn't selling too well: 

http://steamcommunity.com/app/282590/discussions/1/611703898451859330/


The devs are saying they'll need to close down the studio by the end of the year unless sales pick up.  :-\
Not good....going to purchase it earlier than intended to support them...

Maybe that was the aim of their post.  Push a few off the fence.

Frankly, I'd consider buying it but:
1) I'd need to be in the mood for a Space 4X at the moment and not be burnt out on them from the recent flood

and

2) The original Star Ruler didn't seem very complete and the developers decision to cut it off so abruptly injures my consideration of their future titles.

I suspect these are common reasons for other 4X players who haven't picked it up.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 17, 2015, 05:27:14 PM
The reason why i didn't get it yet is because the Star Ruler games are too abstrated for me. Especially the first one.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Martok on April 18, 2015, 02:16:05 PM
Quote from: Anguille on April 17, 2015, 05:27:14 PM
The reason why i didn't get it yet is because the Star Ruler games are too abstrated for me. Especially the first one.
That's part of it for me too. 

In addition, I'm (oddly/ironically enough) somewhat turned off by the games' scale.  Space 4x titles where you have battles comprising dozens of ships I find to be fun.  Space 4x titles where battles involving hundreds/thousands of ships is the norm (even if I'm not personally directing said battles) and can have super-projects where you turn entire planets into ships I find to be overwhelming. 

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on April 18, 2015, 02:19:24 PM
Quote from: Martok on April 18, 2015, 02:16:05 PM
Quote from: Anguille on April 17, 2015, 05:27:14 PM
The reason why i didn't get it yet is because the Star Ruler games are too abstrated for me. Especially the first one.
That's part of it for me too. 

In addition, I'm (oddly/ironically enough) somewhat turned off by the games' scale.  Space 4x titles where you have battles comprising dozens of ships I find to be fun.  Space 4x titles where battles involving hundreds/thousands of ships is the norm (even if I'm not personally directing said battles) and can have super-projects where you turn entire planets into ships I find to be overwhelming.

This is my problem with the game too. You have to spam, nice as fast as possible and build thousands of ships in order to even have a chance at winning which is just ridiculous.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on April 18, 2015, 02:41:27 PM
Quote from: mikeck on April 18, 2015, 02:19:24 PM
...and build thousands of ships in order to even have a chance at winning which is just ridiculous.

That's an unfair complaint.  You only design/build flagships.  The hundreds/thousands of support ships are built entirely automatically according to the fleets you assign to each flagship.  You can even tell flagships whether to refill their complement from other entities' support fleets (planets, outposts etc) or whether to just buy new ones.

(Note: You can design support ships if you like, but it isn't necessary)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: RedArgo on April 18, 2015, 06:14:23 PM
Quote from: Martok on April 18, 2015, 02:16:05 PM
In addition, I'm (oddly/ironically enough) somewhat turned off by the games' scale.  Space 4x titles where you have battles comprising dozens of ships I find to be fun.  Space 4x titles where battles involving hundreds/thousands of ships is the norm (even if I'm not personally directing said battles) and can have super-projects where you turn entire planets into ships I find to be overwhelming.

This is one of my favorite things about MOO2, the relatively small numbers of ships.  One battleship or one titan at a certain point of the game can make all the difference and I can get connected to those ships.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Sparhawk on May 10, 2015, 09:09:45 PM
Has anyone got a handle on this game yet? I've dedicated a couple of days playing it and must admit that I am challenged. This is the first space 4x I've played that compels me toward diplomacy, and my traditional gaming style has always been isolationist. The game play is so unique that it is refreshing: a multithreaded tech tree that will leave you scratching your head (I love it), a planet leveling system that will leave you with hard choices, flagships with supports that augment your fleet strength, and an in your face diplomacy system that you can't afford to ignore.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on May 11, 2015, 12:44:50 AM
Quote from: Sparhawk on May 10, 2015, 09:09:45 PM
Has anyone got a handle on this game yet?

Yeah I think I know what I'm doing!  I've played a couple of proper games but at the moment I'm suffering with the too-many-games-to-choose-between problem.

It's pretty good isn't it?  It's a shame it hasn't sold well enough to keep the dev studio afloat.  They're still going to release a free DLC for it before they close, though.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: W8taminute on May 11, 2015, 08:24:10 AM
I think I got how this game works and on my second attempt I survived for quite a long while before giving up.  The AI does not appear to suffer any fleet command penalties and thus comes at you with wave after wave of stacks of doom.  There must be some trickery the human player can do in order to keep up with the ai in terms of ship count but I haven't figured that out yet.

My best advice is to strike early and strike often to keep the ai off balance.  Otherwise prepare for a war of attrition that the human player cannot easily win.

Even with this issue I find the game enjoyable if you play it with the intention of just trying to survive.  Been too distracted by other games at the moment to continue my analysis of Star Drive 2 but I will revisit the game at some point.  It's not going to be deleted from my hard drive.


EDIT!!!  Hey guys I'm so sorry.  I thought this was the Star Drive 2 thread.  I don't own Star Ruler 2 but I'm not planning on getting it after I watched a couple of Let's Play/Let's Try videos.  The game looks like it came from a Commodore 64 or a TRS 80.  It also looks quite boring as well.  It seems like you are constantly clicking on colonize planet then send fleet here and there and everywhere.  I could be wrong but based on observations of other people's videos this looks like not the game for me.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: JasonPratt on May 11, 2015, 11:37:06 AM
Speaking as someone who still remembers playing on a C64, and on a TI99-4a (which was somewhat like a TRS80, maybe a bit better) -- I don't recall the giant 3D fleet battles on those systems looking quite that sharp.

Or having giant 3D fleet battles at all.

Or having giant fleet battles at all.

(What I saw on the promotional video at the Steam page didn't look at all bad to me; looked very nice for a small indie game.)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: JasonPratt on May 11, 2015, 11:44:59 AM


Prerelease partlcle graphics test on two fleets totaling 14,587 ships and +75K weapons, run on a Commodore 64 or a TRS 80 I can't quite tell which... ;)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on May 11, 2015, 12:01:42 PM
The stumbling block for me has been way SR2 trivializes colonization and expansion. The devs clearly wanted to make colonizing as streamlined and effortless as possible -- which sounds great in theory. In game, though, it has the effect of making expansion feel pretty meaningless. And as much as I appreciate what the devs were trying to do in creating a sophisticated 'chain of commodities' economy, I find I really dislike the way this is implemented. There's just something about the idea of *an entire planet* that exists purely to produce and export "Fish" or "Meat" inherently ludicrous. (The cartoony commodity icons don't help matters.) 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on May 11, 2015, 12:29:39 PM
Fair points, Sandman, I can't argue with those at all.  As all games, it isn't to everyone's taste.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on May 11, 2015, 12:34:54 PM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on April 18, 2015, 02:41:27 PM
Quote from: mikeck on April 18, 2015, 02:19:24 PM
...and build thousands of ships in order to even have a chance at winning which is just ridiculous.

That's an unfair complaint.  You only design/build flagships.  The hundreds/thousands of support ships are built entirely automatically according to the fleets you assign to each flagship.  You can even tell flagships whether to refill their complement from other entities' support fleets (planets, outposts etc) or whether to just buy new ones.

(Note: You can design support ships if you like, but it isn't necessary)

I don't think it's unfair. Whether they are support and auto built or not...managing 5-6 flag ships each with hundreds of support ships is over-the-top for me. Factor in the absurdity of ships the size of planets and I'm out. I Bought in a long time ago and liked it. But first time I ran into an enemg and realized that I was woefully behind in colonies and number of ships I restarted. I realize that the only way to be successful was for me to spam the heck out of colonies and build as many ships as I could which is what I didn't like the first one. That's just my opinion but I don't think it's an "unfair" complaint

That's the way the game is designed
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on May 11, 2015, 01:46:07 PM
You said, and I quote, "build thousands of ships in order to even have a chance at winning which is just ridiculous."  So you think it's ridiculous to have two galaxy-spanning empires to field thousands of ships?  Even when what it essentially boils down to is managing a mere 5 or 6 flagships - again, your words?  If you think that's ridiculous I don't know what you're doing playing strategy games.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on May 11, 2015, 03:36:11 PM
I am not sure what I said that got you so fired up over this game Huw...I said I did not like it because I don't find it immersive (ridiculous) to be controlling thousands of ships. To me it does not matter whether I actually have to build them or whether their autobuild as support ships once I build a flagship. I'm still forcing a big blob of ships over to another sector. I  don't want to have to Control tons of ships and spam colonization.

I don't like it ...that doesn't mean the game sucks and it doesn't mean you don't have to like it. I just gave you the reasons I don't care for it. How that means I shouldn't be playing strategy games I don't know I've been playing them for 20 years. I simply don't like the mechanics of this one. Plenty of other space for Bice I love like distant worlds, galactic civilizations, masters of Orion, etc

As for whether it is realistic to think that a galaxy spanning Empire would have control of thousands of ships.  I don't know we never had one before we all have in our own mind what it supposed to look like and to me, this isnt it...that's all
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Huw the Poo on May 11, 2015, 03:50:34 PM
Quote from: mikeck on May 11, 2015, 03:36:11 PM
I am not sure what I said that got you so fired up over this game Huw.

Because you levelled an unfair accusation at it, no more, no less.  You'll notice that was the only point I picked up on and ignored everything else you said. I ignored most of other people's criticisms of the game too.  There's no accounting for taste and I certainly wouldn't berate someone for simply not liking a game.  I don't give a shit who likes it or who doesn't.  What I do give a shit about is that you said that controlling 5 flagships is ridiculous when it clearly isn't.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: mikeck on May 11, 2015, 05:12:49 PM
Well, it's ridiculous to me to control five flagships when they each  come with hundreds of ships. "Ridiculous" is pretty subjective considering there's never been a galaxy-wide empire that were aware of that we can go by. It's my opinion and I stated as much. The comment was also closely associated with the fact that I can make a ship the size of a planet

Either way, it wasn't a shot at the game, it was my opinion is all.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Dread Rlyeh on May 11, 2015, 06:35:27 PM
But a ship the size of a moon, perhaps we could call it the Stella Mortis, thats ok?   :)

j/k - though I do agree with Sandman about the "fish planet" business - something like tier 1 planets producing "low order hydrocarbons" or somesuch scfi-babble would be preferable.   I haven't had much time to play lately due to the massive backlog I have - not the worst problem I must confess. 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Sparhawk on May 11, 2015, 07:55:35 PM
It seems that many are as polarized over this game as the original Star Ruler. I agree that some aspects of the game aren't as immersive as other games and I know I won't log as many hours on it as I have on Distant Worlds and other great space 4x games I've played because of that, but don't overlook this game because of the traditional immersion paradigm we all share. I knew I'd have to adjust my expectations coming into this, especially after my frustrations with the original game. This game presents a legitimate challenge that is refreshing and has caught my interest. Aurora it is not, but is very original in its own right.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: JasonPratt on May 11, 2015, 09:46:38 PM
I for one am seriously considering getting it, though perhaps not this week. Yet.  :crazy2:
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: vyshka on April 21, 2016, 11:46:15 PM
An expansion comes out for this tommorow, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds.

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Anguille on April 22, 2016, 01:20:16 AM
Quote from: vyshka on April 21, 2016, 11:46:15 PM
An expansion comes out for this tommorow, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds.
Interesting....any link with info?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Tpek on April 22, 2016, 04:14:02 AM
Quote from: Anguille on April 22, 2016, 01:20:16 AM
Quote from: vyshka on April 21, 2016, 11:46:15 PM
An expansion comes out for this tommorow, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds.
Interesting....any link with info?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/460420/
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Nefaro on April 22, 2016, 04:26:26 AM
I've owned SR2 since January.  Still haven't played it.   :crazy2:
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Tpek on April 22, 2016, 10:33:21 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on April 22, 2016, 04:26:26 AM
I've owned SR2 since January.  Still haven't played it.   :crazy2:

I've owned SR2 for nearly a year, still haven't played it  :buck2:
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: sandman2575 on April 22, 2016, 11:02:04 AM
Yeah, me too. SR2 just didn't grab me in the few minutes I put into it. Ditto for its predecessor.

The SR games just feel weirdly lifeless to me. Totally a subjective thing, but I never felt drawn into the universe it was trying to depict. I always remained highly aware of the fact that "Here I am, playing this game." Never achieved that "willing suspension of disbelief," to quote one of my heroes, S.T. Coleridge.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: vyshka on April 22, 2016, 12:05:15 PM
I haven't spent nearly enough time with it. There seem to be some very interesting ideas/mechanics that they put into the game. The card system for Diplomacy, and the way planets depend on each other and how they become more powerful is interesting. You can't have an empire full of super planets. You have low level planets providing resources to higher level planets in some sort of pyramid scheme.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: vyshka on April 22, 2016, 12:38:47 PM
Tom Chick was playiing the expansion last night and streamed it:


Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Nefaro on April 22, 2016, 03:09:33 PM
I like the card diplomacy concept (mini-game).  Part of the reason I purchased it.

Not so sure about linking your planets so intimately in supply routes with exclusive resources for each planet.  Not so much a problem with linking them, but with such extremely specialized planets being so highly dependent on others.  Looks more like playing "Connect The Dots".

The tech "tree", while containing some interesting stuff, has a confusing mess of a UI.  The screenshot of the expansion seems to have spread it out for better visibility ..?

I plan on playing it sometime, despite my mixed and under-informed impressions.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: vyshka on April 22, 2016, 07:38:09 PM
They are streaming a multiplayer game of the expansion at the moment:

https://www.twitch.tv/blindmindstudios
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: bbmike on July 22, 2018, 12:19:55 PM
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aarcentral.com%2Fpics%2Fthreadnecro.jpg&hash=306796643726043225a7fbbaa9e5c52b8b4caf13)

Looks like the developers just made this Open Source. Should be interesting to see what happens now.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/282590/discussions/1/1710690176754840807/ (https://steamcommunity.com/app/282590/discussions/1/1710690176754840807/)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Sparhawk on July 22, 2018, 04:22:07 PM
It will be interesting to see what becomes of it. I was pleased with the what seemed to me as an innovative tech tree ( I liked the tech tree in the first Star Ruler as well).
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on July 22, 2018, 07:58:56 PM
Simple compile with VS 2017 Community Edition.  Locked up debugging but ran with no issues as a standalone.  Pretty sweet...give me something to try and figure out what they're doing in C++.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: OJsDad on July 22, 2018, 09:25:23 PM
Thanks Vyshka.  This was on my steam wishlist. 
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: solops on July 23, 2018, 09:30:08 AM
The interface ruined this otherwise fine game for me. If they had managed something smoother and more conventional I think it would have done very well.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Jarhead0331 on July 23, 2018, 09:56:36 AM
The developers' attitude ruined this game for me.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: Tpek on July 24, 2018, 08:37:25 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on July 23, 2018, 09:56:36 AM
The developers' attitude ruined this game for me.

Well, now anyone can be a developer for this game (and it's free) :)
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: OJsDad on November 10, 2018, 02:07:24 PM
Can anyone here help me.  I downloaded the code, and load into Visual Studio 2017.  I then try to build it, but get the following error.

1>C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\Common7\IDE\VC\VCTargets\Platforms\x64\PlatformToolsets\v141\Toolset.targets(36,5): error MSB8036: The Windows SDK version 10.0.17134.0 was not found. Install the required version of Windows SDK or change the SDK version in the project property pages or by right-clicking the solution and selecting "Retarget solution".
1>Done building project "util.vcxproj" -- FAILED.


I downloaded the SDK, actually, it looks like a slightly newer version.  I launched VS again, and tried to build again, but get the same error.  What am I doing wrong or missing.

This is the SDK I downloaded.  Is there something within VS that I need to tell it to use/find the SDK?  https://developer.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-10-sdk

Thanks.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: OJsDad on November 10, 2018, 05:00:46 PM
Ok, I finally got passed the errors I posed above. 

I did the build on the Star Ruler 2 project, I right clicked on it and select build.  I direct called x64 is created, with a directory inside there called Debug.  There are a bunch of obj files in there, but I'm not seeing an EXE.  Do I need to this directory somewhere else.  What about an EXE file.


Thanks.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on November 11, 2018, 03:19:09 PM
Not sure if you found it yet but under the root of the StarRule2-Source-master is a bin directory.  Go there and then win64.   The .exe is there.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: OJsDad on November 11, 2018, 05:45:09 PM
Thanks WYBaugh.

I redownloaded the source code last night, as I wasn't sure if I had screwed something up.  Now, then building the project, it get an error "Cannot open input file 'glfw64.lib'"  I don't see that lib in the source code folder.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on November 11, 2018, 07:38:35 PM
I see it in StarRuler2-Source-master\source\lib\win64
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on November 11, 2018, 07:40:44 PM
Did you extract the zip and keep the directory structure?
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on November 11, 2018, 07:44:08 PM
Try this...in the solution there is a GLFW project (almost at the top of the solution).  Right click on GLFW and select rebuild.  It will rebuild the source and put the .lib out in the directory I posted above.
Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: OJsDad on November 12, 2018, 07:08:34 PM
WYBaugh,

   Again, thanks for you assistance.

   I did the rebuild of the GLFW and then did the build on Star Ruler 2.  I got past the GLFW error but not get an error that I cannot open input file angelscript64.lib.

   I found that file located in source\lib\win64.  I did a rebuild, and that didn't resolve.  So I renamed the file then did a new build.  Still no luck.  Any more suggestions.

Title: Re: Star Ruler 2
Post by: WYBaugh on November 12, 2018, 07:25:21 PM
Click on the Build menu and Conifguration manager.  It'll bring up a dialog that has active solution configuration as non-steam release and active solution platform as x64. 

For the projects I have all Build being checked except for patcher and SR2Loader.

If all of that matches what you have try going tghrough each of the projects in alphabetical order right-clicking and selecting rebuild.   Start with anglescript, then as_addons, etc until you get to Star Ruler 2