Return of the Shakturi is the recently released expansion pack to Distant Worlds, a 4x real-time space strategy game developed by CodeForce and published by Matrix Games.
To know about Distant Worlds I invite you to read an article I did a year ago: “Distant Worlds – A new Real-time, 4X Space Strategy Game“.
Distant Worlds: Return of the Shakturi
In Distant Worlds: Return of the Shakturi an evil race from another galaxy called the Shakturi is unleashed and seeks destruction. Your mission, in case you accept it, is to spoil their plans (does all this sounds familiar? – Yes, its a bit like the Antarans story in Master of Orion 2).
Besides including the Shakturi race this DW expansion adds two new alien races and a completely new and comprehensive research system (reminds me of Galciv2) with new techs and options such as fighters, bombers, missiles, Ion weapons, planetary facilities and regional capitols.
Return of the Shakturi also provides some interface improvements to provide quicker access to everything in your empire:
- Action Buttons for one-click access to common tasks
- Enemy Targets list showing all known enemy threats
- Build Orders to mass-produce groups of new ships in one simple step
To play Distant Worlds: Return of the Shakturi you need the original full version of Distant Worlds. Sorry guys, Matrix Games does not provides a Distant World demo (I wonder why).
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I was not attrated by DW:ROS for a simple reason: RTS. In the end I’m more a TBS player.
But… the appalling lack of choices pratically obliged me to buy it and give it a try.
Immediately came a second good reason of non attracion: Steep Learning Curve.
DW:ROS sleeped in my hard drive for a good while for this reason.
But… the appalling lack of choices pratically obliged me to work on the SLC and…
Well, I started with all in automation and was more or less checking out what was going on and by the third try it was clear that in some areas I could do better than automation.
It turns out that while the curve is steep it is not much high and a three match after (the last two finished) I was very much in control.
Unfortunately turns out that the same strategy that can win you in one evening a GALCIV2:TOTA suicide level match works here also without too many adjustement RTS or not.
In my second to last match I was kicking Sakaturi ass with gusto when I unfortunately won by owning 33% of the galaxy, and in the last one I had to disable that victory condition to staisfy my thirst of Sakaturi blood.
And now… I’m in the same cundrum that I have with GALCIV2:TOTA, it is too simple to win to be enjoiable but I’m too lazy to explore different strategies just to complicate my (game) life.
In summary: if you have problem with the learning curve relax: it is steep but ultimately shallow.
P.S. in DW:ROS i was playing in huge galaxies in a generally normal situation… I can still try to cranck that up to see if there is a little of challenge somewhere
Reading your comment it seems that you’re having fun playing Distant Worlds Return of the Shakturi. I’m currently in the process of writing the review for DW:ROS.
Something I still don’t like about DW is that things seem to be all over the place. You know what I mean? I don’t have the sense of being in control of stuff. Maybe I’m playing in auto (I have the “give me suggestion” options on). I’ll try fully manual to see how it goes.
I know many people love DW, judging from the poll I’ve just run last month, but somehow it does not make the click for me. And it’s frustrating because I’ve liked, loved or at least enjoyed playing all other 4x sci-fi games to date.
Can anyone give me some tips how to enjoy DW more? I’m more a TBS guy, I admit it. But I like Sins… so, what going on?
I played DW:ROS again in the weekend… and yes I’m having fun with it.
That does not mean that is really far from perfect.
Yesterday I was having a fully fledged Galaxy-span (huge) war against the bad guys but repeated crashes killed my will to see the end… and I went back to CIVV, another far from perfect game that crashes a lot less.
I disabled all the possible suggestions and I kept in my hand the diplomacy and the colonization.
In the first instance the AI was unresonably too aggressive at the point that I suspect that there are scenario reasons behind that. In the second not enough.
Civ 5 is supposedly much better now after the latest patches, judging from what people are saying in civfanatics.com. I didn’t go back yet. I think I’ll wait for the Civ5 expansion.
I’ll try playing Shakturi fully manual to see how far I go. I prefer the style of governors in colonies rather than full empire automation. I wonder if you can do that in DW? I mean put some planets in auto while others are manual. I suppose you cannot.
For the moment I left colonies and fleet management to automation.
I’m happy with the fleet management (I still OKied their missions) but I found myself regularly behind in population and economy (granted that I’m always way in the top spot in number of colonies) so I’m trying to find out what can be done better manually or if my land grab is just too extreme for pop and econ to follow.
The only fleet related activity that I’m managing is the interesting places exploration: this can become vital for the great war to come.
Let’s be clear: the Sakauturi themselves and the Great War against them in the second half of the game is what I like most, without it I would probably already have archived DW.
It is a long time that I was hoping in Civilization (choose the version as you please) in the second half, when the match is already defined and you are just milking it for point, to be surprised by an H.G.Wells Martian invasion or, in a later game, an Independance Day surprise.
The Sakaturi are fulfilling that old desiderata.
Best game ! Require patch: DistantWorlds-ReturnoftheShakturi-Update-v1508