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Astro Empires: Spreadsheets in SPAAAAAACE

MKRMKR Registered User regular
edited March 2010 in MMO Extravaganza
http://www.astroempires.com/

From the site:
Astro Empires is a highly addictive Space Strategy Game in real-time.

Play in a Huge Universe with Thousands of Players.

Build bases, spaceships, research new technologies, form alliances, fight epic Battles, and much more!

It's like Trade Wars, but in a browser. All the cool people play on Alpha.

Screenshots

Forum
Wiki
Tutorial

MKR on

Posts

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Well, that's a small OP. :P Maybe write something about why we should all play this game and why these epic battles are epic?

    Aldo on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    It's a "you either like it or you don't" kind of game. I couldn't really tell you why it's fun for me.

    MKR on
  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    edited April 2009
    Their website reminds me of

    http://swcombine.com/


    Man.

    How is SW Combine still going.

    Is this anything like Hyperion?

    Jasconius on
  • Shorn Scrotum ManShorn Scrotum Man Registered User regular
    edited August 2009
    I thought Space-spreadsheets was Eve Online...

    I generally like these sorts of games, but the idea of there being some kind of upgraded accounts, presumably purchased with $$$, worries me. Can anybody explain what that's all about?

    Shorn Scrotum Man on
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  • CidonaBoyCidonaBoy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I thought Space-spreadsheets was Eve Online...

    I generally like these sorts of games, but the idea of there being some kind of upgraded accounts, presumably purchased with $$$, worries me. Can anybody explain what that's all about?

    For 20 euro a year, you can have an upgraded account. It removes certain restrictions on your account (9 bases, 5 levels of certain structures) and gives you access to extra features in your empire tab (mostly just charts to help manage your empire.)

    You can still play for free, and you won't lose structures/bases you built if your upgrade expires. It is a bargain at twice the price however.
    All the cool people play on Alpha.

    Well of course, there are no other servers. 8-)

    http://alpha.astroempires.com//profile.aspx?player=40958 <-- Thats Me!

    CidonaBoy on
  • Shorn Scrotum ManShorn Scrotum Man Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    So, basically $30 a year if I want to be competitive?

    For a web browser game?

    No thanks.

    Shorn Scrotum Man on
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  • CidonaBoyCidonaBoy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    So, basically $30 a year if I want to be competitive?

    For a web browser game?

    No thanks.

    Did I just steal defeat from the jaws of victory? Oh well.
    Jasconius wrote: »
    Is this anything like Hyperion?

    My apologies, but I am unfamiliar with that game, so cannot really comment.

    Its a strategy game based around whatever you want it to be. You can just build an empire, enjoy just chatting with friends, or perhaps try your hand at leading your own guild. Try being peaceful and delegate your way up, or be a fighting guild, always with someone shooting at you (and hopefully vice versa. :P )

    Combat is simple enough between ships (and great for those math lovers amongst us), and there is plenty of ways to customize your fleet, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, all very well balanced.

    Experience defeat, but also taste victory. But most importantly have fun!

    If any of ye need a hand starting up, I can help with your choice of bases and ships.

    CidonaBoy on
  • farbekriegfarbekrieg Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    (I played last year for 3 months or so not sure if it has changed significantly since than) I really enjoyed developing planets, but found that amount of buildings you could stick on a planet being restricted by the free account to be horrible (you start off with so much supportable land mass and it can be upgraded to X for free accounts but Z for paid), you could either have enough space to advance your planet at a reasonable pace OR be able to advance super slowly but have defenses so you arent being raided constantly, the one or other aspect sucked, it seems to have a very Halo Xbox Live set of players who exist soley to make others playing experiences miserable

    Pros
    Developing a set of planets (9 i think for unpaid accounts with research and industrial areas and tech)
    Building Death Stars! in Space!
    Space armada battles

    Cons

    Shielded units, show up wipe out your fleet and repair their shield instantly leaving you pretty hosed
    You cant build really big stuff unless you pay for your account
    By space armada battles they mean a straight point based calculator fight, so people run the numbers several times before they show up and bring just the right fleet to make the battle not even close
    You cant own more than X planets(bases) unless you pay for your account
    You cant join certain guilds if you dont pay for your account
    People are waiting for you to hit 10 lvls below their level so they can farm the fark out of
    Frigates are worthless ships but there is no documentation to show this (basically if anyone is flying frigates they get a hey farm me tag).
    All the 'crystal' money planets were taken the first week the server was up, have fun with the reject tiny planets no one else wanted
    You cant upgrade the tiny planets to anything worthwhile without a paid account
    Time Sink if you arent checking in on your account multiple times a day you get tagged to get farmed by those guys that update every hour.
    Guilds tend to dissolve rapidly and be stocked with people of the same intelligence as those who post comments about youtube videos

    My conclusion was if you have a set of friends who are going to play and a set guild that wont evaporate and you are willing to pay the monthly fee it could be worthwhile, if not it is very much pass. Its like the PA comic of the free cardboard account vs the real paid accounts where you arent allowed to look at/speak to

    farbekrieg on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    You can do just fine with a free account. Unless you go out of your way to avoid interacting with people, someone will give you an upgrade or two eventually. I'm working on my second free upgrade right now.

    Some of the most respected players have never been upgraded.
    Shielded units, show up wipe out your fleet and repair their shield instantly leaving you pretty hosed

    Shields in AE do not work like you think they work. All they do is pad your armor a bit. Nothing imbalancing.
    You cant build really big stuff unless you pay for your account

    The only big thing you can't build on a free account is a death star, and most people don't have them anyway.
    You cant join certain guilds if you dont pay for your account
    Which ones? I've never seen any kind of free/unpaid elitism in this game.

    People are waiting for you to hit 10 lvls below their level so they can farm the fark out of
    I've been hit twice while playing. The first was before I had defenses, and the second was during a war, and he lost 100k fleet doing it. Alpha is where you go if you want the civilized version of AE.
    Frigates are worthless ships but there is no documentation to show this (basically if anyone is flying frigates they get a hey farm me tag).
    Frigates are amazing ships. The reason people whine about them is because they're terribly fragile if someone strolls in with the right fleet composition while you aren't watching. It's the risk you take for having them, like with anything worth having.
    All the 'crystal' money planets were taken the first week the server was up, have fun with the reject tiny planets no one else wanted
    Crystallines suck anyway. Rockies and Craters are best, but you can safely settle for anything with 5+ fertility and 2 metal.
    You cant upgrade the tiny planets to anything worthwhile without a paid account
    This is why you go for planets if you don't plan to upgrade.
    Time Sink if you arent checking in on your account multiple times a day you get tagged to get farmed by those guys that update every hour.
    Nah. Just send your fleet off on a long flight when you won't be on. A trip across the galaxy is about 14 hours. Across a row is 5-6.
    Guilds tend to dissolve rapidly and be stocked with people of the same intelligence as those who post comments about youtube videos
    Every game has good and bad guilds. You'll find a lot of crap ones down in the lower ranks, but once you start getting into the 100s and up, the quality rises quickly.

    The one I'm in is packed with people twice my age, and they're all good people.

    Addendum: If you're from PA, on Alpha, and are being hassled in game, PM me (IGN is MKR) and I'll see if I can get it resolved diplomatically. I'm in a guild with a ridiculous number of diplomatic connections. This is 90% of why my bases are untouched. :)

    MKR on
  • QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
    edited September 2009
    I am in MKR's guild and having a grand time. I am glad he sucked me into this game. I am rubbing up against the free account limitations right now but they are not insurmountable, and my current plan is to stockpile credits where possible and then upgrade for a month to expand. A month is only like $5 and if I plan well it will be quite fruitful. Following the guide to set up 10 planets in a week was phenomenally helpful.

    Quoth on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    And Quoth will be rolling around Alpha with the UFP sisterhood within a few months devouring empires.

    MKR on
  • CidonaBoyCidonaBoy Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    MKR wrote: »
    And Quoth will be rolling around Alpha with the UFP sisterhood within a few months devouring empires.

    Don't make it sound like there is months of grind. Of course you won't be directly clashing against top players straight away, but you can harass their UC's easily enough once you get a few thousand fleet together. :P

    CidonaBoy on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited September 2009
    CidonaBoy wrote: »
    MKR wrote: »
    And Quoth will be rolling around Alpha with the UFP sisterhood within a few months devouring empires.

    Don't make it sound like there is months of grind. Of course you won't be directly clashing against top players straight away, but you can harass their UC's easily enough once you get a few thousand fleet together. :P

    The "UFP Sisterhood" is all the women in UFP. Their levels are in the 40s and 50s mostly, so it will be months even with all the help Quoth is getting.

    You can have fun much sooner than that though. :)

    MKR on
  • CycloneRangerCycloneRanger Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I just started playing this, and it's quite fun so far. I've decided to play as an independent (e.g. without a guild) for the hell of it. So far I've only lost scouts and trade routes, but I'm sure someone will be along to try to farm me soon enough. I'm presently in G56 if anyone wants to trade or needs some help, although I imagine it's I who will be looking for help before long.

    [Edit: Username is Semipiratical]

    CycloneRanger on
  • SeptusSeptus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    To what degree is this better than the old Huge Universe beta? I played that for about 2 weeks and it was ok, but more than a little confusing, and it didn't really grab me as I'd log on and train/build a few things and then log off.

    Septus on
    PSN: Kurahoshi1
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Septus wrote: »
    To what degree is this better than the old Huge Universe beta? I played that for about 2 weeks and it was ok, but more than a little confusing, and it didn't really grab me as I'd log on and train/build a few things and then log off.

    First you would have to provide a link, because Google isn't turning anything up.

    MKR on
  • SeptusSeptus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Sorry, I meant Vast Universe.

    Septus on
    PSN: Kurahoshi1
  • CycloneRangerCycloneRanger Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Septus wrote: »
    Sorry, I meant Vast Universe.
    There's no real interaction between players in Vast Universe. Astro Empires is much better in this respect. AE also has a much more hostile environment in general. AE is made by people who can spell, too, and has a much larger userbase.

    The hostility in AE is especially bad on certain servers. Gamma is basically the Wild West—you will be pillaged. Alpha is a much more gentrified and stabilized server, with large power blocks mostly ignoring new players (or fighting to induct and train them).

    CycloneRanger on
  • CloakCloak Registered User new member
    edited March 2010
    "Gamma is basically the Wild West—you will be pillaged"

    I lol'd

    Cloak on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited March 2010
    Man, this is basically just Travian in space.

    Makes me miss Space Merchant, though.

    Darkewolfe on
    What is this I don't even.
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