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[Offworld Trading Company] New trading RTS by Soren Johnson
Megamaniaco
Madrid, Spain (again!)Registered User regular
Madrid, Spain (again!)Registered User regular
Ok so here's the deal: Apparently there's no thread about this upcoming game in the forums, but if there is, please feel free to erase this one, mods.
With that said:
According to the website, "Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which money, not military force, is the player's weapon. Players must stake their claims to resources, then extract and develop them into goods that are used for advanced buildings and upgrades – and bought and sold on the real-time, player-driven marketplace".
Early access is starting in two days, but apparently the full game won't come out until 2016; they REALLY want to polish it.
My personal favorite feature? Coop. vs. Maybe one player can handle the market and the other the resource gathering/creation?
Some multiplayer (2v2) gameplay:
Anyway, the idea is at least pretty original and looks like a lot of fun. Plus it's the damn Civilization 4 lead designer, that's some big pedigree right there.
Thoughts?
Update: Very interesting explanation and thoughts written by @NotoriousBEN :
With that said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ha_HgbRLwkAccording to the website, "Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game in which money, not military force, is the player's weapon. Players must stake their claims to resources, then extract and develop them into goods that are used for advanced buildings and upgrades – and bought and sold on the real-time, player-driven marketplace".
Early access is starting in two days, but apparently the full game won't come out until 2016; they REALLY want to polish it.
My personal favorite feature? Coop. vs. Maybe one player can handle the market and the other the resource gathering/creation?
Some multiplayer (2v2) gameplay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvFzMO-drM0Anyway, the idea is at least pretty original and looks like a lot of fun. Plus it's the damn Civilization 4 lead designer, that's some big pedigree right there.
Thoughts?
Update: Very interesting explanation and thoughts written by @NotoriousBEN :
NotoriusBEN wrote: »Ok, here's my overview of the Offworld Trading Company as of now. If you want specifics like how much materials to level up, go look at a wiki.
There are 13 resources in this game. It may seem like a lot to keep track of, but if you break it down like so, its more digestible.
Essential Resources. These resources are vital to survival. You cannot live without them. As such, you will automatically purchase these resources at market price. Luckily, you'll only pull money from your debt pile, but be wary, a spiraling resource can downright cripple you because the larger your debt pile, the cheaper your stock will become, which means people can buy you out easier. Also note, that as you upgrade your base, you will consume more and more essential resources. Be sure you can account for this expansion.
-Power is a unique resource. You cannot stockpile power, unless you research a specific patent for it. Because it can't be stockpiled, it has a rather volatile pricing because it is sold and bought at current pricing. To get power, you need to use Wind Turbines on cliff edges, Solar Panels on high plateaus, or GeoThermal Plants on thermal vents. In the early game, destroying or (better) mutiny'ing someone's power to supplement your own can be a quick infusion of cash. It is not uncommon to use power to pay off $20K-$70K debt easily in one game.
-Water is a basic resource, but also essential. It can be harvested from water tiles with a Water Pump, or harvested from an Ice Condenser on a water ice glacier. Because water is required for three other essential resources, it can behoove someone to corner the water market and nuke any claims they couldn't grab for themselves.
-Food is a processed resource and consumes water to make food.
-O2 is a processed resource that can be made from water with a Hydrolysis Plant, or collected from a Dry Ice Condenser on a dry ice glacier
-Fuel is a processed resource that can only be made from water with a Hydrolysis Plant. It is essential in that you need fuel to transport resources from your mines and factories to your base and back and forth. Work will grind to a halt if you cannot fill up your trucks.
Basic and Processed Resources. A basic resource is what can be mined directly from the ground. They are usually less expensive than the processed resource they are turned into, but random events and if every player suddenly needs it, it can be worth exploiting.
-Aluminum is a base resource and extracted with a Metal Mine. Its value is rather middling in that the only large consumptions of it are when you expand your base. The colony markets don't really want it as much as it wants steel or other processed resources. You only ever need 1.5 aluminum per tick (1 3pip mine, or 2 2pip mines) x worth of aluminum in the whole game, unless you go stupid heavy into electronics. Because everyone needs aluminum in the early game, it's bound to happen that everyone will have 1 aluminum mine and simply tank its price when they have no more need of it at level 3-5 expansions. Those behind on expansions will pick it up for pennies to complete their own.
-Iron is a base resource and extracted with a Metal Mine. Iron remains relevant because everyone, including colony and offworld markets want steel.
-Steel is a processed resource and made from Iron with Steel Mills. If you are not sure what to make money on, steel is a good choice, but you need it to expand as well.
Carbon is a base resource and extracted with an Elemental Quarry. It isn't needed much in the early game, but towards middle, everyone wants chemicals for patents or to sell.
Chemicals is a processed resource and made from Fuel and Carbon in a Chemical Lab. Chemicals are needed for researching patents, which are powerful game changers, like running your power grid off of water, teleportation of goods, hardening your buildings against subterfuge, etc.
Silicon is a base resource and extracted with an Elemental Quarry. Silicon is relevant throughout because you need 80 silicon per solar panel, and it also used in glass which remains expensive throughout the game.
Glass is a processed resource and is made from O2 and silicon in a Glass Furnace. It is a rather stable resource to sell because late game expansions need a lot of glass.
Electronics is the end all resource. It is processed and made from carbon, silicon, and aluminum. Its price remains high because its Electronics Factory only outputs .25 per tick, but Offworld markets usually gobble these up like candy.
Ok, resources are easy enough now... what's the deal with these different types of Headquarters?
Here is some basic rules for all HQs.
-When you first place your HQ, you will get a one time bonus of the resources in the tiles you placed in. The amount of resources is correlated to its abundancy or scarcity. (You cannot harvest those resources later, they are gone now and forever. But a great way to make a resource scarce if there is only one large deposit of it on the map.
-Every time you expand, you get 4 claims. It doesn't matter how many Actions per minute you can make in this game. You only get so many places to work with. Choose wisely and hope your rivals don't fuck you over. Remember, turnabout is fairplay.
-Every HQ is spread over a certain tile pattern and must be placed on level terrain.
Expansive HQ. This is probably the easiest colony to begin with. The base resource to expand is Steel. (along with others, but this is the most prevalent)
The two points with this colony are that it only takes half the steel required to expand, and it gets 1 extra claim per expansion. That means that an expansive player is usually the first person to get secondary claims, and more claims in general. More claims means more resources, and the factories to use them. But they also need to worry about life support more because expanding too fast or improperly will lead to essential resource shortages.
Robotics HQ. The base resource needed to expand is Steel and they dont need Glass for their expansions. When they place their HQ, they get double the amount underneath it compared to someone else who would place over that tile. This HQ seems really powerful because robots don't require life support. They can bypass water, food, O2, even fuel. But there is a catch, Robots consume gobs and gobs of Power in everything they do, and they need electronics to replace broken parts. If you are not careful, you can end up in a power spiral or electronics spiral *very* quickly, and without the claims needed to expand and support your needs.
Scavenger HQ. The base resource needed to expand is Carbon. This can be useful because everyone else is fighting over iron for steel mills while you use carbon and will become very relevant when people start wanting chemicals. Scavenger is kind of a misnomer, They get news about things before other HQs, so they can prepare if they are quick enough, and they also get access to the Black Market more often. They like to be informed of current events before they become events...
Scientific HQ. The base resource needed to expand is surprise... steel. SciHQs don't need to mine a base resource if they place the factory over that tile. So instead of spending 2 claims to mine iron and then a factory for steel, they just place the steel mill over the iron deposit. They also research patents and engineer designs 50% faster than everyone else, and if they are targeted by subterfuge, the damage only costs and lasts 50% of normal.
Special Buildings
You need to be at least expansion level 2 to get these buildings (except the Offworld Market, you need to be level 5 and then only allowed 2 per HQ), but they are useful and can lead to victory.
Pleasure Dome. The colonists go to this building and its basically Las Vegas on Mars. Every tick you'll get money injected into your account or it'll auto payoff debt. Be aware that it consumes a *lot* of power. Compare the difference between how much power you are paying for and how much you are getting for the Dome. If you spend 60$ per tick on power, and are making 50$ on the Dome you are *losing* 10$ per tick. Also be aware, that the more Domes made doesn't mean more money. It simply splits the revenue equally between all Dome Owners, but the Domes still take up a claim, and the power needed to run the whole thing. (If you own a dome and someone else owns one, you'll both get 50% of the colonist revenue. If you build a 2nd Dome, you'll get 66% of the colonist revenue because 3 domes splits 3ways, but you'll still pay the power cost for both domes you own. How petty do you want to be?)
Patent Labs These patents can be game changers. Like increasing power generation by 3x if its connected to your base, or teleporting goods which means you no longer use transports, and are not subject to pirates anymore and everything is where it needs to be on time. Or slant mining, lets you mine in tiles beside the resource tile. Only one player can own a specific patent, be that player.
Engineer Labs let players increase the output of a specific resource. You don't consume extra input. So if tiles are rather scarce, or if your claims have been nuked to shit, you can at least counter it, or you can increase what you have. Very powerful, but more expensive the more you do it.
Hacker Array lets players create artificial shortages or surpluses in the market. Timed right, and you can make a killing or hurt another player. The more you do it though, the more expensive and less effect occurs. No one will know that it was you that manipulated the market.
Offworld Market This is why you are expanding to level 5 as fast as possible. This thing right here is how you will be able to buyout your competitors in lategame when they are worth 40$ a share. It requires a *lot* of steel and electronics to build, but you can rake in stupid amounts of money when you get a shipment offworld. Be ready to have a Goon squad protect this. It is target #1 for everyone else.
Tips and Tricks
-PRESS THE ''C'' KEY ON YOUR KEYBOARD TO CLAIM A TILE!
By far the biggest tip I can offer you guys. If you *really* want that tile, you can press the C key and send a drone out to claim that tile for you for $0. You don't have to wait to get the money or resources to put a factory or mine out there. Just don't go Claim Happy and screw yourself over.
-The overall objective of the game is to make enough money to buyout your competitors. That means that early game setbacks can stack exponentially because someone is able to get that much further ahead of you and hit milestones quicker and reap their rewards before you. Don't be afraid to fight back or screw them over. They'll do it to you too. Spending $5k to halt their production for 60 seconds can give you the window you need to sell your own stockpile and kill the market. Or dynamiting a rocket that's just about to take off? That's game saving right there.
-When you buyout a competitor, you assume *everything* about them. You get their base, their claims, their resources, *and their debt*. Just be aware that your own stock will go down a little bit in price because of the compensation of debt. Be ready to reconfigure their stuff if you can, or turn off things you don't need to keep power consumption down. The upside is that you are now twice as big as you once were. You can expand their base if you wish, and get claims for that as normal. You can output that much more than the other players that are left.
-Build and claim *efficiently*. This seems kinda straightforward. You want to build similar buildings next to each other. Their output increases by 50% and 100% without consuming more base resources. So a steel mill consumes 1 Iron to make .5 steel. 2 mills placed together consume 2 iron and make .75 steel each (1.5 steel total for 2 iron spent) a 3rd factory in a spot touch the other two factories is even better, 3iron spent for 3steel made. This also applies to your mines as well, they will pull more out of the ground if they are placed on resources next to each other.
What isn't straight forward. Build your factories *on resource tiles*. This does two things.
One - You are denying a resource node to your rival competitors. Even if it remains a steel mill all game, you are denying whatever is under it to another player that may desperately need it.
Two - You are now flexible. If steel ends up being worth less that toilet paper, you can remove the factory, but your claim remains. You have the added option of mining whatever resource is beneath your claim along with simply changing the factory.
Three - this ties into claiming efficiently. You only get so many claims, and additional claims can be *expensive* on the black market or during auctions.
This is especially useful for science HQs. They can be very flexible in changing what they need or want. An example of all this would be a bunch of water tiles. Put water Pumps, Hydrolysis Factories and Farms on water tiles. Your Processor Factories readily consume the resource under them, and if there is a change in demands on the market, you can readily scrap and build what you need and cover all *4* essential resources. Patent Water consumption techs so you don't need power and that's pretty powerful for science HQs
-Consider claiming dual resource tiles. Again this leads to flexibility, but it can also be a target if another player is petty enough (they will be petty)
The two cardinal dual resources are aluminum/iron and silicon/carbon. Because you can place the correct Mine on that tile and get *both* resources at the same time.
That's all I got. If you want a question answered I'll be more than happy to help.
Steam ID: Megamaniaco // LoL summoner: Corcorigan (NA), Megamaniaco (EUW) // Hearthstone: Megamaniaco.2120
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
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PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
http://www.twitch.tv/mohawkgames/c/6047756
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
There are three races(?) you can start as. Robotics do not require water/food/oxygen, but they consume electronics (which are expensive to produce). I don't know much about the other three races: Expansive, Scavenger and Scientific.
So many other games though... definitely following it on Steam when it drops.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
It does look like it has many interesting possibilities. AND it drops today.
Still undecided tho.
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Valve takes a cut on Steam. It's pretty common for people to charge more on there for Early Access than they do on their own site.
I think I'll wait 'till the end of the month, so I can decide with some money in hand and stuff, haha.
Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
I avoid Stardock games these days, partly because of Brad Wardell, partly because their first-party games are mostly disappointments. But Mohawk isn't Stardock, and lots of good developers are saddled with... erm... less-than-ideal publishers. That's how I justify it anyway.
It's a pretty interesting game! It's already fun in multiplayer, and you can tell the strategy will get pretty intense, especially with further balancing. It's very different from anything I've seen in RTS form and the pacing is surprisingly good. There are a lot of different schemes you could enact to ruin your opponents.
However, be warned that the UI lacks polish and responsiveness. Especially responsiveness. What I'm saying is that you will click on a button, and there'll be a palpable delay before there's any result. If your tolerance for beta software and Early Access shenanigans is low, you may want to hold off a bit.
Probably the key word is diversify your portfolio. Its proven better (for me) to have your fingers in every pot than to specialize in one or two resources.
You do need to be aware of how the market works, though, and also be prepared make 2 or three moves to capitalize on a resource and make bank.
Let's say carbon is rather scarce on the map. If you feel confident that there are only 5 or 6 spaces of carbon, it may behoove you to go scavenger and claim the carbon mines.
Sure, scavenger uses carbon in its construction over, steel, and that plays in line with what you want to do. Now that you own all the carbon, you can choose to sell it until the price bottoms out. That's a losing move, since you invested all your claims in carbon. What would be a better application is spending a couple claims on 2 hacker arrays, which let you manipulate the market and send out a false flag that there is a carbon shortage, and just keep pushing the price of carbon through the roof, letting you sell for a tidy sum. You can also go into chemicals, that are the complex resource from carbon, and get a fast track to certain patents which let you cut down on power consumption, or just use water instead of fuel for your transport haulers.
Being the carbon slumlord, you can pretty much dictate the price, but be careful, because if you completely tank the carbon market, your competitors can simply buy what carbon they need for dirt cheap and continue on their way. Also, they could potentially bypass you if they purchase the carbon scrubber patent which lets them scour the carbon they need from Mars' atmosphere.
Aluminum is a trap resource at the moment. It can be super expensive in the beginning because everyone needs aluminum to upgrade, but that's it. Get your upgrades, then tank the market and turn it off because I've had games with 1600 aluminum and $1 stock pricing...
Don't let yourself get killed by vital resources. Oxygen, food, and power are essential for everyone save the robots, you'll be forced to autobuy it, spiraling the price out of control, placing you in debt, tanking your shares and letting the person providing you power end up buying your shares for dirt cheap and ending you. Its like they bought you with your own money, and that *DOES* happen.
In multiplayer, if you buy someone out, you buy out *everything* from them. You take all their claims, all their patents, all their debt. Its very powerful because you are now doubled in size, but if they have crippling debt, it can dip your price down just enough to let someone else buy you out in that momentary window. and get you *and* your victim's stuff for cheaper than if they tried to buy you both out themselves... welcome to economics.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
If its a scavanger Ai, take all the carbon, anyone else eff em over in iron and you'll choke the Ai to death as it tries to expand. Late game prioritize food, O2, and fuel, because for some reason the Ai is ok paying 100$ a unit.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
I'm really enjoying hearing commentary as people play, can't wait to see some good Twitch guys get into it.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Watched Ohmwrecker's video of this, and color me interested. Not interested enough to buy this before its done mind you; I've been burned too many times to buy another half-finished game unless what's already there looks good enough to give me multiple orgasms. But I do really like being a space accountant, which is probably why I like XCOM so much and was addicted to EVE Online for two years.
I am going to have a really hard time playing scientific, and I can totally see why most people choose expansive. Expansive is the easiest to play and less prone to screwing yourself over. Anyone have any tips on how to play scientific? As far as I can tell, when you place a factory on a spot, it doesn't actually give you the resources from that spot. So placing a farm on a water tile will let the farm produce food for free, but won't give you extra water. Is that correct?
Yup. If you're set on water but it is scarce on the map, you could plop the farm there to screw with the other companies. Just make sure you get the slant drilling patent or your work is for naught.
My final map, I had a free chem lab, free electronics lab, water and windmill begin at +90% efficiency, pleasure domes at +150%, free slant drilling and superconductor. It was really fun.
There are 13 resources in this game. It may seem like a lot to keep track of, but if you break it down like so, its more digestible.
Ok, resources are easy enough now... what's the deal with these different types of Headquarters?
Special Buildings
Tips and Tricks
That's all I got. If you want a question answered I'll be more than happy to help.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
I still have no idea how to play late game besides "spam the highest offworld you can and hope you hoover up enough weak players before you get bought out."
I'm sure as he keeps developing the game, there will be other ways to win besides buying out all the stocks.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Claims feel so stifling, but I realize that running out of claims and not having what you need built is a big punishment. You will never have everything of what you need which is why the trade bar on the left comes into play.
And why is Glass rare? Did Mars run out of sand?
Except for facing computers, you need to appear 'middling' or 'upper middling' in power. You aren't big enough to be everyone's threat, but you are too big for any one person to tackle.
Now then, appearing, and actually being, are two entirely separate things.
Auctions are incredible boosters to your power because you pay for them with debt, but again, You gotta know what to spend on and what you are willing to lose.
You can easily skate on 20k to 50k and not bat an eyelash, as long as you are expanding regularly.
Probably the most crippling thing, to me, is Power. Power is a volatile resource, yes, but it can spiral and land you in huge debt, which you need for auctions.
Also, as the way this game works, I use Power to pay off other essential needs, usually food, because 2 Water Pumps and 2 Hydrolysis Crackers takes care of my O2 and fuel until expansion 3 or 4. depends on how far out I spread my mines.
Also, be aware that unless you are very willing to commit to all of a resource - don't. I can't stress that enough, its better to have your fingers in all pots, than in just a couple pots, because you are better able to react to the market conditions. they change all the time.
The reason that glass went stupid expensive in their game above is because *no one* was producing it, or not meeting demand with what was made. They all went into electronics because at the beginning, *that's* what was expensive.
Also, none of them were willing to flip factories over to other processed goods. Carbon? that should have been strip mined because it was worth almost as much as steel.
As far as auction pricing goes... its hard to decide, but its something that can only be found out by who you play with.
A free claim anywhere... I'm willing to spend 15K to 20K
Conditional claims... depends on what it is. Geothermal lots are why I put Solar panels on silicon lots. I can put a free Geo Power claim, and flip out a solar panel for no power loss and silicon gain.
Pirates... I'm willing to spend 10K. Remember, the value of a good is worth double when you steal it. What its worth you got from it, and what your opponent lost from not getting it.
Teleportation... buy it or research it. The fuel you save goes to rockets or can actually pay off whatever you spent. Also, can't be taken by pirates.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Did well-ish, I think, though my debt was absolutely absurd by the end because I wasn't paying that close attention to my essentials.
Warframe/Steam: NFyt