Astro Protocol

Reminds me of Space Tyrant but with less RNG. I recommend it if you want a light 4x.

It's a lot of fun and well worth the asking price.

Astro Protocol does a great job of giving constant interesting choices. There's no "ramp in" to the fun. The AI plays very well, and brings a real challenge. The game emphasizes interesting choices by forcing tradeoffs based on the map state. It is not a "completionist" style game where you'll get access to everything in every game and slowly walk over the enemy. Instead, there's more of an element of pressure within each match which requires good decision making. Colonization has a layer of complexity that I've really enjoyed thus far.

It's a short, simple, game that scratches my strategy itch without committing to 40 hours of game play. It's 1-2 hours. I am still figuring it out ... I think I need to increase the difficulty now ...

Enjoyable short form 4x with some interesting ideas about infrastructure and technology that I haven't seen elsewhere.

Just starting, though also just won my first game. They definitely achieve their goal of short, intense games, so you get 4X without the mid-game bloat. I think you may still have some of the Stellaris "RNG gave me a really hard start", though I don't have enough experience yet whether it's just a learning-to-play issue or whether there really are starts that aren't worth pursuing. The good news is you can basically figure this out by turn 10 or so and either start a brand new game or replay the current. (Replay randomizes some things like planet locations, but seems to keep some things the same like random opponents and initial anomalies. So it's sort of a rogue-like mini-cycle that you can repeat a couple of times to see if a different approach -- and a bit more foreknowledge -- could lead to a better result.) The different factions have nice tradeoffs. For example the UT faction has extended networks (means you can build more structures to power yourself up), but costlier planet settlement (planets anchor networks so you need to capture and settle a planet if you want to capture enemy structures that are not close to your own planet). Another faction gets attack bonuses for each adjacent allied ship, but the downside is that all factions are able (not guaranteed) to field carriers which launch AoE attacks that hit adjacent hexes so you have to be strategic with clustering. The single-unit-per-hex limitation adds depth you might not see at first, as do most of the rules and mechanics. You definitely need to scout aggressively and place structures with care since network limitations mean you can't build everything you might want on your home territory. I was hoping that removing the bloated middle of 4X might still allow a bit of a relaxing game, but that's not the case. On moderate levels, you will be in contact with unfriendlies in 3 or 4 turns and that continues through to the end (maybe 20-40 turns). I'm getting used to that and enjoy it, just saying that removing the bloated middle means there's confrontation and production pressure for most of the game. I like the art style a lot. Don't listen to soundtracks so can't comment on that. For the price, it's a steal.

This is a pretty fun and well made little 4x game. Has a nice feel and balance. Could use some further development, but a solid game.

For a coffee break 1x it is fine. 1x = exterminate with no real other options. There is a tiny miniscule amount of exploring (anomalies but they are tricky), and an even tinier amount of exploitation, and expansion. Obviously given no real obstacles to expansion but there is no real place to expand to. So as I said, a coffee break game (20mins should do it) with no depth. Is it worth the price? That's for you to decide. I am not happy with the cost vs value but I am also not unhappy with it. 5 hours for <$9 is OK. Not thrilling but not terrible. I just wish it was not so darned tiny (Largest is extremely small)

I'm glad I took a chance on this game - as a busy working parent with limited gaming time, I don't often get to enjoy 4X because a single game can take so long with many gaps between sessions. This solves a lot of those challenges for me and the fact its actually fun and well designed is the cherry on top. Can't wait to keep playing this one.