Aside from the more mundane bonuses you’d expect to find, there are also some choices that can more drastically impact how you play the game. You can also customize these races, and this system of adding negative and positive traits works in a similar manner to StarDrive, which in turn works similarly to MOO II. To help facilitate this, the game comes equipped with 9 pre-set races, 1 of which, the Chukk, is completely new to the series. When it comes to space 4X, what people really want is an epic sandbox where they can play out their own custom space opera. There is an editor also available, should you decide to create custom scenarios, but to date I haven’t seen any developed or shared and frankly I don’t anticipate seeing many in the future. A couple of them do unlock unique ship skins usable in the sandbox mode, so there is at least some reward for completing them. Of the three scenarios included, only one features any attempt at storytelling, and all three can be completed in less than an evening’s time. The battle arena scenarios make up a very minute part of the game and actually feel a bit tacked on. StarDrive 2 includes essentially two modes: a sandbox mode, and a battle arena mode. Another very significant and controversial difference is something basically unheard of within the space 4X genre, the introduction of turn-based deterministic ground combat. The biggest difference is a switch from real-time to turn-based as its central mechanism for all aspects except space combat, a move likely to please MOO II fans, but perhaps less welcome to those who appreciated the original’s RTS feel. In some ways, this has introduced some radical differences. This game’s DNA contains a fair bit more of 1996’s classic Microprose game, Master of Orion II, than its older brother ever did. Nearly every system has been tweaked and refined however, so while both games may include research, espionage, and diplomacy, how these systems are executed is quite different. A deeper look will show that many aspects of the original game have also made a return, such as the setting, races, and ship design system. A quick look at some screenshots will show that many of the art assets have been reused. StarDrive 2 borrows and expands upon much of what StarDrive offered. If you played StarDrive and disliked its tone, you need to know that the space bears are still here and still typing on their keypads. StarDrive 2 is a rather whimsical single-player space 4X game. In a later announcement, a 33% discount on StarDrive 2 was promised and has been delivered to owners of the original game. Many fans of the genre had very strong negative feelings about this decision, and we reached out the developer to discuss these feelings, this decision, and the future of the StarDrive franchise. With StarDrive barely six months out of the starting gate at that time, the idea that this game was in development brought about a lot of controversy. StarDrive 2, from developer Zero Sum Games and publisher Iceberg Interactive, has now been released roughly 2 years after its late 2013 unofficial announcement.
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