Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been desperately missing Neptunes Pride, but at the same time I never want to play it again. It’s weird, really. When we were doing our huge game of it, Neptunes Pride was everything. It was a slow burning experience constantly simmering at the back of my mind, and because it was in real time it meant whenever I had 10/20 minutes I could log in and have a rethink of my plans to crush and kill forge alliances and broker deals between those other twats my best friends playing.
It was persistent, is what I’m trying to say. While you can kill 10 minutes on minesweeper if you’re really bored at work it doesn’t (obviously) have the scope of Neptunes. That game of minesweeper isn’t affecting another game in a weeks time, nor is it affecting another 6 people playing minesweeper. Games to kill ten minutes with now feel futile, shallow, and empty.
I miss the scale of the interaction Neptunes Provided. Choices rippled on for weeks affecting numerous people in different ways, which is quite amazing when you think that it’s basically a 4x game boiled down to the simplest form. It’s just a shame that is was so stressful. I couldn’t put myself through Neptunes again. Weeks is too long a timescale to be fighting against people who you know are both good at games and thirsty for your blood.
So, I want another long form multiplayer that plays out in real time. But not Neptunes Pride. Instead I want something where a couple of us can maybe work together. Like Wurm, but browser based. Or something. And I have to be able to just snatch minutes of it at a time. Does such a thing exist? It should.
However, I have to close by saying this: if you haven’t played Neptunes Pride, play it at least once. It’s stressful but it’s also incredible and there is nothing else like it – at least to my knowledge. I came out the other side a slightly different person – a bit more patient, a bit more bitter, and a little less trusting of Ed, which was probably similar to everyone involved.
I’d suggest Frozen Synapse, but you know, you still haven’t taken your move in the game that YOU started against me 2 months ago.
Frozen Synapse isn’t real time or browser based. And I sort of got bored with it – it’s ok but there are far too many things that bug me about it (namely peoples insistance on playing Dark mode and it keep popping up for me to play against people)
They’ve updated it. It now doesn’t pop up in the main corner, and it’ll only ask you to play the game mode you have selected.
Oh, that’s cool. Might have another look then. Still, I can’t install it at work really. Or maybe….
I feel this exact way! Except much faster, as seen from my early departure, of course. :P
But you’re so right! A co-op game in the same style would be excellent. Perhaps Neptune’s Pride, but against AI? And with planet sharing.
Sounds like AI war to me.
I’ve been feeling something similar, actually. It’d be great to have a persistent empire building game that isn’t all about conquest. Maybe something centred around trade and economics? I was recently talking with my buddy about how few good management games there are just now.
Does everyone fancy a big multiplayer game of Civ IV then?
I dont know if I missed the point with Civ 4, but it seemed really….crap. Like you needed combat to win and the combat was crap.
There has to be something out there.
Football Manager Live? ;)
If we do play again, can I win?
Both to Michael and Craig Lam:
No.
I love Neptunes pride… but it is true… the amount of time the game lasted every single idle moment I had was thinking about it. EVE online is an old game that might interest you… I have never played it, but friend started up a trial game a couple weeks ago and likes it.
Iron Helmet made a new game, Blight of the immortals. it’s basically what you just said.
Yeah, I played it. It wasn’t quite as good :(