Distant Worlds: Shadows

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

Moderators: elliotg, Icemania

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Pipewrench
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Pipewrench »

During the Age of Darkness, these space-based survivors who still had the means (although in many cases limited and often decreasing with each generation) to travel space searched the galaxy for other remnants of civilization and the means to keep their technology working. In some cases, they formed beneficial relationship with those who were left here and there on the planets, even helping them to develop and rebuild. In other cases, they raided the planets and their remaining populations and took what they needed as plunder. Often, it was a bit of both.

Treasure hunting.....hmmmm [8D][;)]
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StarLab
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by StarLab »

Wow! I just got used to the game as it is now! Looks like I'll have to take another couple weeks off work once this comes out. lol

Sounds like a great expansion. Can't wait! :)
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Malevolence
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Malevolence »

Looks great!
Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen!

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Velihopea
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Velihopea »


And quite advertising and praise for DW in general at the end:
"And, if you’re new to the brilliant Distant Worlds Universe have a look at my Distant Worlds: Legends review, the second and previous expansion for Distant Worlds, to find out the best space 4X gaming experience of the recent years." [&o]
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Shark7
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Shark7 »

And now the questions you knew I'd ask...

1. How will this affect our current mods? IE will they still work?
2. Will there be any changes to the mod structure?
3. Will new independent factions be based on current races, or can they have their own shipsets and characters/images?
4. Will there be new research techs given the new ground forces?
5. Will any additional areas of the game be open to modding?

Now with all the questions done, I will say I am very happy with the chance to play as a pirate and/or smuggler and capture ships. I'm guessing I can build up a pirate fleet and new bases to further my pillaging aspirations.
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Haree78
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Haree78 »

ORIGINAL: Shark7
1. How will this affect our current mods? IE will they still work?
2. Will there be any changes to the mod structure?

From experience this wont be answered until very close to release but rest assured this will be a big thing for me in testing.
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Kayoz
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Kayoz »

I hope some thought has gone into pricing, so that this expansion appeals to gamers new to DW and not only the existing customer base.

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Pipewrench
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Pipewrench »

+1

Even if Matrix cannot get the new expansion out in time for the Christmas sale, it would be nice to offer a pre-order sale that discounts the existing game to new players with Shadows included.
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tjhkkr
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by tjhkkr »

Ummmm.
Wow.

I hope some of these Space Faring race/Empires you speak of can be imported into the current game.
I think this fits the 'Trade Federation' very well. [:)]

Thank you very much, Erik.
Remember that the evil which is now in the world will become yet more powerful, and that it is not evil which conquers evil, but only love -- Olga Romanov.
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Yskonyn
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Yskonyn »

Wow, that is seriously great news, Erik!
Super excited for what comes!
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ASHBERY76
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by ASHBERY76 »

What were previously "pirates" are now independent space-based factions that can pursue a variety of playstyles, ranging from trade, war and espionage to pure chaos and plunder.

Basically pirates are now minor races.I hope they become politically important like you find in BOTF and CIV5 G&K.
New expanded Ground Combat with new troop types and an animated ground battle resolution screen

I hope to see light micromanagement in building and organising but with complex invasion mechanics with planet and unit types being meaningfull.Groundcombat in most 4x games is pretty crappy so I wait for new details with interest.

I would recommend tweaking bombarding to a much slower rate and longer reputation hit factor.At moment bombard is a very easy tool to use and makes this new high groundcombat investment not worth it.

Day1 buy.
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Haree78
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Haree78 »

I totally agree bombardment is seriously powerful right now. Balance of bombardment to ground combat will be important.

What will also be intriguing will be whether we are able to get resources off of the space faring nations. I suggested this quite some time back when there was attempts to make resources more important. If we can get needed resources from what were pirates then maybe we can tone down the amount of resources in the galaxy and make them more of an important gameplay factor without causing unfixable bottle necks like before.
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tjhkkr
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by tjhkkr »

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76
What were previously "pirates" are now independent space-based factions that can pursue a variety of playstyles, ranging from trade, war and espionage to pure chaos and plunder.

Basically pirates are now minor races.I hope they become politically important like you find in BOTF and CIV5 G&K.
New expanded Ground Combat with new troop types and an animated ground battle resolution screen

I hope to see light micromanagement in building and organising but with complex invasion mechanics with planet and unit types being meaningfull.Groundcombat in most 4x games is pretty crappy so I wait for new details with interest.

I would recommend tweaking bombarding to a much slower rate and longer reputation hit factor.At moment bombard is a very easy tool to use and makes this new high groundcombat investment not worth it.

Day1 buy.

Agreed on Day 1 buy.

Basically pirates are now minor races.
Yeah, they are, but they do not make enough money or have enough resources to be a menace... In combat when facing a lot of them at once, I use seek to damage and not kill because pirates can seldom rebuild/repair (although I would suspect that is 'realistic')... it will be nice to see them more able to sustain themselves.
Remember that the evil which is now in the world will become yet more powerful, and that it is not evil which conquers evil, but only love -- Olga Romanov.
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Arcatus
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Arcatus »

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

- Play as an independent space-based faction, a very different play experience from the existing "Empire" gameplay.
-- Choose from several playstyles, including Smuggler, Pirate and Mercenary.

- Erik


Only me that gets sort of a privateer feel about this?

Trade some stuff to the empires, get them to like you, upgrade your ship(s) with their tech and fight off your competition...
I am probably completely off here, but controlling a single or a few ships could work really well in the DV universe. If that playstyle is coming then it is going to be very, very awesome.

Anyway - enough speculation: I am really looking forward to the new ground combat features. That is going to be a welcome addition. :)

Oh, and explaining pirates with some proper back story is all good. I will probably re-enable the legendary's then (or now actually...)[:D]

And: As mentioned by other posters - seems likely that all of these additions will ruin our mods, so I hope we get additional modding capabilities as "compensation".
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Shark7
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Shark7 »

I'm really hoping it doesn't affect the mods, since it will take another 6 months for the mod makers to get everything back into working order again if it does.
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Camel
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Camel »

This sounds great, really looking forward to this.

I hope they will fix some of the other minor issues as well. Go Elliot!
Shuul
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Shuul »

Yes, please, tell us more about modding possibilities.
Can we change weapon characteristics of even add our own tech?
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Yskonyn
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Yskonyn »

I hope they will also incorporate economy tweaks so its less hard to make insane amounts of money.
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Bingeling
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Bingeling »

ORIGINAL: Arcatus

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

- Play as an independent space-based faction, a very different play experience from the existing "Empire" gameplay.
-- Choose from several playstyles, including Smuggler, Pirate and Mercenary.

- Erik


Only me that gets sort of a privateer feel about this?

Trade some stuff to the empires, get them to like you, upgrade your ship(s) with their tech and fight off your competition...
I am probably completely off here, but controlling a single or a few ships could work really well in the DV universe. If that playstyle is coming then it is going to be very, very awesome.

Anyway - enough speculation: I am really looking forward to the new ground combat features. That is going to be a welcome addition. :)

Oh, and explaining pirates with some proper back story is all good. I will probably re-enable the legendary's then (or now actually...)[:D]

And: As mentioned by other posters - seems likely that all of these additions will ruin our mods, so I hope we get additional modding capabilities as "compensation".
What struck me was some old feature text that said "play as a space ship captain piloting your own ship", and such as alternative ways to play. This seems like expanding on original ideas that were pretty "loose".

As for being a space ship captain, I have thrown my few euros into the creation of "Star Citizen".
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Igard
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RE: Distant Worlds: Shadows

Post by Igard »

Sounds like some cool new features and I know there's more to come.

I like the idea of having pre-hyperspace civilizations in the game. Pirates and smugglers sound good, but I've already had enough one smuggler, goes by the name of 'Data'. He has a liking for my Romulan Ale stash.[;)]

I really hope the tractor beams aren't purely an offensive weapon. I'd like a way to passively deal with space creatures.

Boarding parties, I wonder if I can mod this to become a transporter party, rather than an assault pod. Just thinking out loud here.[8|]

Ground combat improvements sound ok. Gonna be a headache making tank images for my Trek mods. They don't seem to use much armour. I agree with Ash and Haree about nerfing the bombardment. Something needs to be done there.
I'm really hoping it doesn't affect the mods, since it will take another 6 months for the mod makers to get everything back into working order again if it does.

Shark, I still haven't got my mods updated for Legends! Modding characters was just too time consuming. We had the chance to add hundreds of characters to our mods, but that was a serious amount of data entry, typing in every single attribute.

I hope this is sorted for Shadows and we can generate random stats for our custom characters.


Overall though I like what I hear. Definately a first day purchase for me also. [:)]
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