StarDrive 2 (PC)

After a long dry spell, we’re starting to see more and more turn-based 4X strategy titles set in space. A genre lots of people thought was dead has been brought back to life, though not every new title is of the same quality, of course. Some of them don’t have enough depth, or they’re too easy, while others are plagued with bugs on launch day, which then have to be fixed piecemeal through a series of updates, and the sheer number of new titles out there makes it hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. StarDrive 2, from Zero Sum Games, promises to meet all the requirements to become a turn-based space 4X hit. Keep reading to see how well it manages to live up to this promise.

Second Star to the Right and Straight on Till Morning

The various peoples that are available at the beginning of the game don’t just look different – each one also possesses a range of attributes that can give them certain advantages and disadvantages in the game. For example, creative races get a research bonus, and benefit from the fact that for each technology level they research, they get all the technologies associated with it. Other peoples have to use espionage or trade to unlock new branches on the tech tree. If you find the default races a bit too dull for your tastes, you can always create your own by choosing from a variety of attributes – but of course, there are only so many points you can use, to keep you from creating a race with only good qualities. This means you’re going to have to balance out the perks with the drawbacks. If you’re looking for a tougher challenge, there are extra game modes that give you a handicap, like having AI players start with more colonies while you’re trying to get your own economy in order on your home planet.

There are a lot of different sides to StarDrive 2 – along with the classic turn-based strategy gameplay and detailed micromanagement of your colonies’ economy and administration, there are also real-time space battles using fleets of your own design and turn-based combat with troops on the ground. It’s pretty obvious that the developers were heavily influenced by Master of Orion II – the similarities between that classic game and this one just go way deeper than any other title. The ship editor in particular will have older players taking a trip down memory lane – there’s a set number of slots for each new ship for you to place newly researched tech modules and weapons in whatever arrangement you like. There’s an indicator on the right in the ship editor screen that lets you know if you you included enough support systems, ammo, energy cells, etc. – forget any of these modules and the battle’s going to be over before it even starts.

The economy in the StarDrive universe revolves around two simple resources: food and credits. Food fuels your citizens, making sure they work hard to harvest crops, build buildings, and research new technologies. Credits allow you to accelerate construction projects, finance spy operations, and acquire new technologies and mercenary units from non-player factions. Another “resource” are the research points you can invest into research projects – the more scientists you have working in universities, laboratories, and other relevant institutions, the more research points you generate, and thus the faster you’ll arrive at new technological breakthroughs. You can get additional economic, research, environmental, or military bonuses by hiring advisors, who will periodically become available for a certain fee.

Unfortunately, the diplomacy system in StarDrive 2 is not much more advanced than the one featured in Master of Orion II almost two decades ago. Rival AI factions declare war for no apparent reason as soon as the player gains control of a certain number of colonies, even if they’re on the opposite side of the galaxy and have no reason to fear you’ll be aggressively expanding into their territory any time soon. They’ll only accept trade agreements or barter deals if they’re heavily stacked in their favor, even when it makes no sense. The best is when an AI faction that is clearly inferior in every way asks you to hand over a planet without offering any kind of compensation in return. When you reject their ridiculous offer, the once friendly nation gets miffed and declares war a short time later, leaving you with no other option than to steamroll the poor fools. As the Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz famously said: “War is merely the continuation of politics by other means.” Apparently, achieving a diplomatic victory is just not something you can do in StarDrive 2 at this time.

You might have noticed that I just said “at this time” – that’s because the game is still in a sort of optimization stage. It’s certainly playable, but the developers have been releasing patches ever since it came out, not just ironing out the bugs, but also integrating new gameplay elements. There’s an arena mode that focuses on real-time space battles against AI enemies where you earn Credits, which you can use to expand and upgrade your fleet. Successful missions allow you to unlock additional skins for the standard races’ starships. The developers have also been upgrading the AI with each new update, as well. One of things I really enjoyed were the numerous references to classic sci-fi pop culture, like how you can recruit dinosaurs equipped with laser cannons on some planets if you research the right technologies. StarDrive 2 even has its own equivalent to the unapologetically low-budget Syfy hit Sharknado.

Divide and Conquer

While the main, strategic screen looks pretty cool, the tactical, two-dimensional real-time space battles are really spectacular. The two opposing fleets start off on opposite sides of the screen and move towards one another. The type of engines each ship is equipped with will influence how fast they move, and most importantly, how quickly they can turn in order to intercept a target. This is where you get to see just how well you designed your ships in the ship editor – large, heavy cruisers with stationary cannons, for example, are especially vulnerable to small, highly maneuverable vessels, which they can’t hit. Escort ships equipped with rapid-fire weapons, on the other hand, make short work of pesky fighters.

Ground troops can also fight it out in isometric turn-based combat, where you use action points to perform tasks like shooting at enemies or healing your comrades. Whatever faction is still standing at the end of the battle wins. Mercenaries are equipped with whatever gear is available on their home planets, so it’s best to focus your research on small arms and medical technology. If you don’t feel like having to deal with ground troops, you can build bombers and rain hell on enemy populations from orbit. This isn’t all that smart from an economic perspective, though, as citizens acquired through conquest work almost as hard as your own, but they’re of no use to you dead. So it’s worth it to load up troops in a transport and take out the enemy army on the ground.

Dressed for Success