Skyward Collapse: 4x turn-based god game

On Steam on May 23.

Official press release splooge:

How do you balance a war between towns without letting either side obliterate the other? How do you rule over gods, creatures, and men who refuse to obey you? How do you build a thriving landscape of villages against the threat of bandits and mythological powers? Skyward Collapse places you into the role of The Creator, and frees you to tackle these problems your own way. Brought to you by the developer of the modern strategy classic AI War: Fleet Command, Arcen's second full strategy title is equally unique (but far easier to learn): a turn-based 4x strategic god-game.

Your task is to build and populate the floating continent of Luminith. You can create — but not control — gods, creatures, and artifacts from both Greek and Norse mythology. The power you wield with these is immense. (As one example, Heimdall's horn causes everyone standing outside to drop dead.) Your task is to keep both factions alive until The Master calls you home — but this is harder than it sounds. Bandits, along with periodic Woes add to the variety of challenges that you'll face in any given game. Every game plays out completely differently, and you'll need even the craziest of your powers in order to survive what lies in store for you.

Game Features

• A turn-based strategic god-game where you control neither faction, but instead strive to maintain the balance of power.
• Make towns, trade, diplomacy, and war as the boardgame-like floating continent continues to construct itself around you.
• Persuade your minions into doing what you want through incentives as well as controlling what buildings and resources they have access to.
• 16 gods, each with unique passive abilities and three active powers, help you further your goals as you pass into the Age of Monsters.
• Level up your player profile by winning games. Twelve related unlockable buildings in all!
• Straightforward controls paired with an intuitive and helpful interface make this an easy title to pick up... but the strategy runs deep.
• Multiple difficulty tiers let you play a very relaxed game up to a nail-bitingly difficult one. There's no one best way to win!
• Co-op multiplayer planned for 1.0 (but not available from the start of beta).

So Majesty with gods?

If so that'd be an interesting game for sure.

edited 13th May '13 9:36:30 AM by lordnyx

What does the 4x have to do with the game?
Four times turn-based?
what?

edited 13th May '13 9:38:31 AM by Zeromaeus

4X strategy game. However, in this game, you control no one and are trying to be True Neutral.

That is a strange terminology. OK.

eXpand

eXplore

eXploit

eXterminate

It was the 90's and X was eXtreme

edited 13th May '13 9:45:12 AM by lordnyx

Actually, the "X" had nothing to do with "extreme". That term had been informally used even before Civilization.

Yes. I clicked the pothole. I still think its a strange terminology since it doesnt convey any of its meaning on its own.

It's a preexisting term that's been in use since the '90s, though. The people who know what they're looking for already know the label, and it's too late to change.

Sounds like an interesting game. Always nice to see more turn-based strategy.

It's funny how when this is initially announced with Exodus of the Machine this just only got a name and that one has some details already...now this is going to be released soon and that one's on backburner...

Seems to have quite a bit of art reuse from A Valley Without Wind 2 tho...or not (same studio did it)...but still interesting...

Being a bit easier to learn should help sell it I hope...AI War is really hard to learn...

edited 13th May '13 10:44:07 AM by onyhow

This is a pretty great concept. Hope thwy can pull it off.

Oh man, the comic at the start of the game is hilarious...

edited 23rd May '13 9:22:20 PM by onyhow

Sounds like a very good game to keep my eyes on.

^ Game's already out...I was playing the demo that I saw the comic...

Okay, so I bought the full game...hot damn this game is hard...keeping balance is hellish with those bandits and woes, and the fact that you NEED to escalate things but keeping one side from getting totally trounced...damn.

Welp. Just started my first non-tutorial game and I have come to a very important conclusion.

ADAMANTIUM. CHANGES. EVERYTHING.

The amount of counter-balancing I have to do now with a Super-Soldier on the Greek side is ridiculous. This is not helped by the Elf war which gave the Norse an army of fantastic nukes. CHAOS EVERYWHERE.

...I think I'm doing ok though.

Got this last week, enjoying immensely despite not having won a game yet!

How do I get Ares to move? I placed his spear, he went to it, bandits spawned, and then I placed his shield. And he just stood there. And 10 bandit units spawned every turn (as per the spear), which would have been pretty amusing, if Ares had moved on to his last token and converted all the bandits over to his side. But he didn't.

Then I lost the game.

Should have had Heimdall to use the horn then...if he were on the field...

Are the gods meant to not move for some time after getting to their tokens? Or did I place the later tokens too early or something?

No idea. Might be best to ask on the official forums...