Interstellar dominance (Stellar Horizons is live)
An impressive-looking 'build your own space program' game is up on Kickstarter. Stellar Horizons is a 1-5 (potentially 1-7) player science fiction and exploration game designed by a space engineer, and published by Compass Games. The campaign will run for 29 days.
The game includes cooperative, single-player, and competitive scenarios, and also (weekend-long) campaigns. You choose to play as one of the available factions (North America, Russia, China, EU, Asia plus Japan and a South America-Africa coalition which are stretch goals). Each of these nations has different strengths, weaknesses, and types of ships. The game covers the years between 2030 and 2169. In this period of time, you develop your space program in the solar system while also managing politics back home on Earth.
You send your vehicles to near and far planets, to explore and collect scientific data. By developing your tech and biology tree, you will even be able to put your crew in hibernation (until Aliens wake them up, heh). Spaceship design is also part of the game, so you can build your fleet according to your personal focus: economic, diplomatic, settlement, or military. Conflicts may arise but they are not always the best route to choose. The game places more emphasis on economic, diplomatic, and technological competition.
If you embark on a campaign, there will be three ways to win: colonizing, terraforming, or domination over your rivals.
I’ve had this game pre-ordered on their website since the end of 2016. This looks like a great game but Compass certainly has been quiet about it.
:D
Indeed, only their loyal fans knew about this game, it hadn't been advertised at all.
If they had built a wider fan base, perhaps their products would be cheaper too. Now each game costs an arm and a leg. If Stellar Horizons wasn't so expensive, I would back the KS.
In Compass Games they have decided that they do not want a lot of money, just some to get by and that's it.
This is the only way I can rationalize their absurd lack of marketing, advertising and economics from their campaigns. Such a shame, because their games look good.