I bought Galactic Civilizations 2 recently, and many aspects of the gameplay left me wanting to quit and go play a Paradox game like EU3 or HoI. The thing is, I want to play a space game, but I also want the gameplay flow of a PDS style strategy game. I can't imagine playing a game of GC2 for a week straight the way I've played games of EU3. Paradox normally develops historical games, but have they ever discussed the possibility of a "realistic" 4X space game?
One of the main things I dislike about GC2 is the tech tree. I don't like the presentation of it, the structure of it, the fiddly-ness of it, or the way it feels totally cartoonish and unrealistic. It makes me yearn for a sci-fi 4x with the solid feeling of a HoI3 style tech system. Practicals, theory, and a lot of the other HoI3 style tech would be right at home in a space 4X. I also like the way the HoI tech system feels like it has "inertia", like the weight of your previous tech/production decisions (or decisions made before you started playing) continue to have a serious impact on your tech development.
I also didn't care for the ship customization system. Ships feel like they're constantly outdated and the player is constantly fiddling with ugly, cartoonish components in an attempt to optimize them. A ship in HoI3 feels like something you can feel proud of when it rolls off the line, and you know certain parts will be automatically upgraded as your technology improves.
Am I alone in thinking Paradox could bring various design concepts from its historical games to the 4X space genre and create a great sci-fi game with that unique Paradox charm?
One of the main things I dislike about GC2 is the tech tree. I don't like the presentation of it, the structure of it, the fiddly-ness of it, or the way it feels totally cartoonish and unrealistic. It makes me yearn for a sci-fi 4x with the solid feeling of a HoI3 style tech system. Practicals, theory, and a lot of the other HoI3 style tech would be right at home in a space 4X. I also like the way the HoI tech system feels like it has "inertia", like the weight of your previous tech/production decisions (or decisions made before you started playing) continue to have a serious impact on your tech development.
I also didn't care for the ship customization system. Ships feel like they're constantly outdated and the player is constantly fiddling with ugly, cartoonish components in an attempt to optimize them. A ship in HoI3 feels like something you can feel proud of when it rolls off the line, and you know certain parts will be automatically upgraded as your technology improves.
Am I alone in thinking Paradox could bring various design concepts from its historical games to the 4X space genre and create a great sci-fi game with that unique Paradox charm?