Hi All, quite a few people noticed a new Kickstarter game called the 'Universe Sim' as it kinda looks like PA. I was actually intrigued and when you delve a bit deeper it is a very different game- essentially it comes over as a cross between SimCity and Spore- a very ambitious project! Anyway I thought some of you might be interested to know it's now reached it's funding goal! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crytivogames/the-universim
I'm glad it reached its goal. I didn't back it myself, because I don't know much about the developers or the studio. I'll probably grab it when it's out, though, if it lives up to expectations.
Well I did put it in the unrelated discussion section in my defence. As for the developers- the lead guy is a newbie (his first major project according to the pitch video) so this is a risky one. A bit like the Castle Story devs (still they appear to be getting there now- they haven't given up!). It might fall flat, still I think it's good that they're going to get a shot at it. After all all great devs have to start somewhere. I also think that when you look into their plans on the various updates, what they're trying to do is actually quite sensible and well thought out. It isn't nearly as technically challenging as PA, as it reads that although there will be multiple planets you won't be managing them in real time simultaneously- they will be connected via 'transport routes' and such to move resources around but it isn't going to be like system view in PA. The advantage of this though is that they won't need to build a complex engine from scratch- their engine work is going to be on the simulation system instead (using Unity for graphics) and content creation, which sounds achievable.
Guys, read the subforum before you post. This is like the 5th thread or so on this one game, and I swear it must just be because it looks a lot like PA
Personally I'm interested in it due to the gameplay it's proposing (which is nothing like PA). Different genre, although I don't doubt that PA was an inspiration to this game. I don't really understand the hostility towards it, UniSim is SimCity crossed with a bit of Black and White, it's not trying to steal PA's thunder at all.
Thats the whole Idea about kickstarter! So ho ever think it looks cool can help out! Take no risk, but get reward. "probably get it when it gets out" but u dident backed! Gosh, im sad Im Crying buhuhu
I disagree. I backed PA because the concept was cool and there was a team with substantial and relevant experience that I trusted to turn that concept into a really awesome game and to live up to its massive potential. The team minimised the risk for me. With this game, the concept looks cool, but I know nothing about the team making it and they don't have the track record to fill me with confidence that they'll be able to make it work. So although I'd definitely get a game if I'd backed the Universim, I'm not sure it'd be as good as it has the potential to be. That's the risk. In any case, we'll see how it pans out - I sincerely hope they prove me wrong.
I ended up deciding to get the $20 beta tier and I'm glad to see that it's well funded. In my opinion the risk is low enough to back that much but we'll see how it goes. They do seem to do a very good job of listening to the community and keeping everyone up to date on their plans so that's a good sign.
Good news everyone! There's a prototype build for Universim out! It's not an alpha or a beta, and it's not the final release. So... It's a demo of the alpha? I dunno, but apparently it will "give you a good sense of the overall mood of the game, and even allow you to discover a few easter eggs hidden around the planet". It's an internal test bed. Thing. https://theuniversim.com/forums/index.php?/topic/989-prototype-release/
Everyone does. It's just a setup file and a txt with a serial key in a zip on indiedb. I just had a quick look. Doesn't seem like you can do much other than stare at a planet and rotate abysmally slowly.
Uber's somehow implicated in all of this. I'm just calling it. either they shared studies and thesis's or even actual base code.
What they've been showing so far in the updates looks very promising The 'people' in the game are called 'nuggets', have both male and female as well as age (they start as babies / children and grow up and eventually die). There are various statistics that effect the nuggets (age, health and so on)- and the way you run the society directly effects them. It's so far looking quite detailed, which is what you want for a game like this. They've also released lots of detailed info about farming (going to be a major mechanic in middle to late stages), and info on the technological progression of your society. These guys definitely seem to know the god game genre and so far appear to be ticking all the right boxes.
