Football World Cup versus Steam Next Fest
There is a sporting event on right now, slightly bigger than 4X games. Because of that, this newsletter has been delayed.
I am backing England , of course, but was impressed by Japan in their match. Possibly my back up team.
The World Cup is fun (even this bloated, controversial iteration) partly because it throws up surprising results.
Who would have thought Capo Verde would hold their own against the mighty Spain, favourites to win the tournament?
and on that note, here is an underdog game that could well topple Medieval Total War 3.
Chronicles: Medieval
In development for about 4 years, this looks to be a more focused look at medieval Europe, allowing players to start the game during specific “chapters.” It aims for historical based gameplay, whilst maintaining an open world, and allows payers first person fights in the middle of large scale tactical combat.
There are a few videos of it about, like this one on the combat, and the dev diaries are a joy to read.
Read more about it on their website, and on Steam.
Do note, the game is coming soon to early access.
Another underdog:
Atre: Dominance Wars:
The premise is simple, and as far as elevator pitches go, this one is brilliant – Dominions but real time.
Reception here has been mostly positive, and this is definitely one to watch.
Next up:
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era
We have covered this quite extensively, and here is our most recent video.
By all accounts, the game is doing quite well.
Also fantasy:
AoW4: Secrets of the Archmages
It seems like just yesterday we were talking about Rise from Ruin, and now we have Secrets of the Archmages.
How many secrets have you found?
Interestingly, reviews are mixed.
And, another dlc worth talking about:
Elemental: Reforged – Treasures of the Magi
Elemental: Reforged – Treasures of the Magi on Steam
Curiously, the basic concept is the same as Secrets of the Archmages – past Wizards left some goodies behind.
Reception so far is universally positive:
Lastly, something set in space:
Distant Worlds 2
DW2 has a new beta – something is cooking
Steam Next Fest is wrapping up, and these are the demos we will be covering:
- Folk Emerging – Our Youtube coverage
- Critias Empire – video coming soon
- DON’T Kill Them All – video coming soon
- Dust Front – video coming soon
- Imperial Ambitions – video coming soon
eXplorminate News & Discussion
Coming soon, our podcast on eXpansion and eXploitation in the 4X genre, with Enkidu (of Folk Emerging fame).
Plus we have released our cozy chat with DasTactic, where we just chat a bit about games.
We are putting out more content now, such as Boho’s look at AoW dlc and thoughts on HoMM: Olden Era..
Every month, we would like to celebrate the community, which is full of lovely people, and highlight a community member we feel embodies what makes eXplorminate such a great place.
This month, it is Vaaish, with consistent participation in discussions.
Questions to ponder:
- AI – again. User Danonne on the Discord is developing a game, using AI but it seems productively. What counts as “real ” art now? And why are we concerned about AI? That sparked quite an interesting discussion.
- Have you ever thought about creating a realistic military system in a game? You might like this article series.
Did we miss anything? Be sure to let us know in the comments below if we’ve missed an important news item!
Want to write for us? Have a game or two that you love to keep tabs on? Let us know! eXplorminate@gmail.com
Please support us by visiting our Discord and donating to our Patreon.
