Screenshots published in Nov 05, 2012
Screenshots published in Sep 19, 2012
Screenshots published in 2006
Horizon is a turn-based space 4X game currently under development by indie game studio L3O, and is part of the Space Sector’s “List of Sci-Fi/Space Games You Can’t Miss In 2012“. There’s no firm release date set yet but the devs said recently (Sep 19, 2012) that they are currently in “final development”.
L3O defines Horizon as “a traditional 4X game and plays very much like one. If you have played Master of Orion 1 and 2 you will feel right at home.”.
For more information check out our interview with the devs (from 2010) and the Horizon official website. You can also follow Horizon’s development on the devs’ official facebook page and twitter feed.
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Wow, looks like a promising MoO 2 clone! The new tech screen is very similar to MoO 1/2 :D
Yea, the tech screen with the lady presenting the new breakthrough is very MoO reminiscent :) I loved MoO and MoO2 breakthrough little cutscenes.
Those races look like MOO2 era 3D too,yuk.
Look foward to hearing about the gameplay details.
Ouch, the graphics look really outdated, let’s hope the gameplay and UI handling is topnotch.
Ya, the graphics don’t seem to have changed between 2006 and 2012, anyway. Let’s hope the gameplay makes us forget the graphics :)
I made the mistake of going to L30.com instead of L3O.com. L30.com is about website design, with User Interface Design as one of their highlights. Maybe the L3O guys should talk with the L30 guys, and get some tips, LOL!
Well, I’ll follow Horizon through Space Sector Strategy, and if Adam or Keith gives it a good review, I’ll give it a shot :)
Not my style of gameplay, looks too much like MOO2.
Might be good. Another solid MoO2 but with 2012-HD graphics would be great.
Other important things:
-meaningful tech tree, strong techs
-large galaxy play
-no bugs
-no boring late-game
-random events
-things to find while exploring
-plenty of interesting/funny random dialogs (not just the samo-samo)
Good Luck! ;)
My first thought was, between Star Lords and Stardrive, this looks a huge way behind…Plus there’s now MORE which, just like Horizon, promises to be a faithful MOO recreation (at the lack of a better word). I hope they are planning on doing lots of stuff to make this game stand out, the competition is fierce and how I see it right now, they don’t stand much of a chance unless they get a lot more ambitious and make the game look more up to modern standards.
I hope I’m not being too harsh, the more 4x games, the merrier. :)
Question: how is Horizon development being funded? It has been on-again-off-again since 2003, so obviously they are not on a publisher’s release schedule, I don’t think they have used crowdsourcing or kickstarting, and they aren’t taking pre-orders.
It is kind of curious.
Pretty sure it’s just a couple of guys doing it in their spare time.
So basically it’s the Distant Worlds model. Hopefully they’ll take a cue from that game and get a couple of guys to make some decent art and sound assets once they find a publisher.
Took a look on the “cant miss in 2012”, and retrospectively it looks like there are several titles on the list which MUST BE MISSED :)
It’s not the fault of the author of course, but encourages my strategy that I never wait for any title anymore – too much disappointment in the air nowdays…
“Took a look on the “cant miss in 2012″, and retrospectively it looks like there are several titles on the list which MUST BE MISSED :)”
Good one! :)
Book, meet cover. It is really difficult to determine how a game will turn out from the still shots of game screens and breathless descriptions furnished by developers. I’ve found that a good rule of thumb is that authors of quality products are more willing to show reviewers and potential customers their progress at each stage in the development process; turkeys are often kept hidden away from prying eyes until launch day. Even after 9 years, the jury is still out on Horizon.
Of course that the “can’t miss in 2012” list was made with the perspective of “can’t miss in 2012 having a look at“. The games were one year due, how should I know? ;) Next time I’ll probably just call it “List of Promising Sci-Fi/Space Games for 2013”. Less catchy title but probably more effective.
Updated the list for Legends of Pegasus, Empire of the Eclipse and a couple of other titles. Thanks for bringing this up to my attention. The list could be misleading now after some disappointing releases. Some games should probably be missed. I’ll be updating that list as I have more definite info and reviews available.
Come on, as I mentioned, it is not the fault of you or your POST (no need to change it retrospectively) – Of course you are not an oracle to be able to see the future, and it is good you gave a heads up for us. Adam, your site is great, your posts are great, take my comment not as an offense on your wonderful work, please.
It is simply the gaming industry what I don’t like, and it was interesting to look back, what was promised and what we got.
Marketing department is always well funded, hype is always present – and then it comes out and it’s crap, half of the promises are lies etc. And of course, they ask us to preorder because of a teaser or because they say it will be great.
Yea, I know that. It was my perfectionist side reacting to your comment that lead me to update the post. Because in the end the least I want is to mislead you guys. The purpose of the site is to give you as much accurate info as possible. And, certainly, LoP is a game you CAN miss. The title semantics was not the best, I realize that now.
The graphics could be improved a lot..
The gui looks a little bit outdated.
And the aliens a little bit silly..
Lets see how the game will be..
Well with graphics not being the hardest thing to do right I do not hold out much hope for the rest.
It looks like a steaming pile of pooh, seriously? this has nothing to do with being a niche game, this is just so shoddy that no one except a “hard core” of addicts will buy it.
Looks like a fairly simple game, like ES, but without the visual fluff. I’m skeptical but I wish them good luck:)
Let’s wait for the game. I don’t think we should judge a game only by its graphics. Gameplay is more important and a good-working UI.
Perhaps they should release a little bit more than just screenshots. A good description of the gameplay or a commented video of a few minutes of gameplay.
I agree a couple of gameplay videos would be a better show of their game than a few static screenshoots. I have been following this for a while and would like to know more of the gameplay itself as medioce graphic don’t mean as much as quality gameplay, but then again nice graphic does help as well for a sense of scale and immersion
Frankly, I care a lot more about gameplay, AI, and atmosphere/immersion than anything else. If you can get those three things right, I’m a happy guy. :)
Besides which, I actually find the game visually appealing as it is. Yes, the graphics are obviously dated (not surprising given how long Horizon has been in development), but so long as they service the game and not the other way around, I’ll be content.
i can´t help myself, but this game looks promising to me. very moo-ish and the graphics are absolutely ok. the ui is sort of clear, techtree is nice, if there isn´t less content and the AI is as clever as, i definetly dont miss the game.
ok, im playing imperium galactica 1 atm, maybe the graphics are outdatet :P but still nice.
awsome. what about multiplayer support?
Unfortunately no.
From the Horizon’s site FAQ:
“Will Horizon have a multiplayer mode?
Due to design choices favoring a single player experience, it would not have been possible to make a multiplayer mode without putting severe limits on many features such as advanced tactical combat and ancient powerful alien races.
We believe Horizon players will really appreciate the depth of the single-player game experience and understand the compromises.” ~L3O Interactive
I don’t know why, but the whole lo-fi aesthetic of the game makes me really want to play it!
I totally agree with that too. I think MoO2 did it for me. Graphics were never that important to me in a 4x game, and MoO2 proved to be a great game. When I see other games that look the same such as this, or M.O.R.E, it makes me feel that the devs are trying to create something just like MoO2. I think we all have nostalgia and it’s comforting to see something that looks similar to what we used to love
Hm, these new screenshots look much better than the ones from the previous ones. The UI is indead very clean and nice looking.
Trillion is the new billion, I see. We’ll be trading in qcs before long.
Haha, good catch! Didn’t see that. What’s next? GCs (googolplex credits? :D)
Another older game this seems to emulate is the Star Empires series, particularly IV or V. I really enjoyed those games, however the AI was hopeless. You had to use mods or modify AI orders to get competitive games. I sure hope Horizons gets it right or I won’t waste my time.
Might be pretty good, will be keeping my eye on this one :)
I like the new screens, although I don’t know much about the combat. Will continue to follow this game, though.
The game seems to have an ImperuimGalatica2 style sandbox story where you play the Humans.
I see no tactical combat screens or details about the what system it uses.