Info about Sid Meier's Starships:

Official game description:
Take command of a fleet of powerful starships in this adventure-driven strategy game from legendary designer Sid Meier. Travel to new worlds, completing missions to help save and protect the planets and their people from dangerous Space Pirates, to powerful Marauders and other hostile factions. Build a planetary federation as you strengthen your fleet and secure your homeworld as you attempt to preserve intergalactic peace and your vision of humanity. Set in the universe of Civilization: Beyond Earth after the age of the Seeding, Sid Meier’s Starships offers sci-fi/strategy fans a full stand-alone game experience that also features cross-connectivity with Beyond Earth, expanding the depth of both games. See if you have what it takes to rule the universe!  
• Tactical Space Combat: Encounter unique tactical challenges in every mission, with dynamically generated maps, victory conditions, and foes.  
• Fully Customizable Starships: Create an armada that fits your tactical plan with modular spaceship design.  
• Diplomacy, Strategy, and Exploration: Expand the influence of your Federation and gain the trust of the citizens of new planets. Use the unique abilities of the each planet to enhance your fleet and Federation, and keep your opponents in check. Build improvements on worlds to increase the capabilities and resources of your Federation.  
• A Galaxy Of Adventure: Explore the galaxy as you lead your fleet to distant worlds and complete missions to help the citizens of these planets. Fight pirates, protect colony ships, destroy rogue AI, and more.  
• Multiple Paths To Victory: Will you win by conquering the greatest threat to the galaxy? Or will you unite a plurality of worlds in your Federation? Perhaps you will lead your people to push the frontiers of science. Each choice you make carries consequences on your path to victory

Release date: 12 Mar, 2015

Categories: Strategy, Tactical Combat, Exploration, Ship Customization, Resource Management, Single-player Story, Multiple Victory Conditions, Turn-based Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable and Fun Gameplay (weight 0.35): Players consistently find the game enjoyable, fun, and a pleasant way to pass time. It's often described as a good casual strategy game, offering a relaxing experience without being overly demanding.
- Simple, Casual, and Quick (weight 0.31): The game is praised for its simplicity, ease of learning, and quick play sessions. It's ideal for casual players or those with limited time, offering a 'lite' strategy experience that can be completed in a few hours.
- Engaging Tactical Combat (weight 0.18): The tactical space battles and the combat system are highlighted as core strengths. Players enjoy the strategic depth of fleet management, ship customization, and the variety of combat approaches.
- Pleasing Visuals and Graphics (weight 0.1): The game's visuals are generally well-received, described as decent, nice, and effective. Ship models and their visual changes with upgrades are also noted positively.
- Stable and Bug-Free Performance (weight 0.07): The game performs well on PC, with stable performance and minimal bugs or glitches, meeting player expectations for a polished experience.
- Ship Customization and Progression (weight 0.06): The ability to modify and customize ships, along with other progression elements like leveling up technology and building cities, adds depth and strategic choice to the gameplay.
- Beyond Earth Integration (weight 0.05): The game's connection and integration with the Civilization Beyond Earth universe are seen as a positive, offering a familiar theme and references.
- Scalable Difficulty Levels (weight 0.03): The game offers adjustable difficulty levels, with medium and hard settings providing a good challenge for players seeking more strategic depth.
- Good Mission Variety (weight 0.03): The variety in missions and story elements is appreciated, contributing to replayability and keeping the gameplay fresh.
- Fair Pricing and Value (weight 0.03): The game's pricing is considered appropriate for its scope, often seen as a good value, especially when discounted.
- Potential for Multiplayer and Mobile (weight 0.03): Players express a strong desire for multiplayer functionality and suggest the game would be well-suited for mobile platforms like iOS.

Common complaints:
- Shallow, Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.99): Players consistently report that the game lacks depth, content, and variety, leading to a repetitive and unengaging experience. Many feel it's too simplistic and short, resembling a mobile game rather than a full PC title, and quickly becomes boring.
- Lacks Sid Meier's Depth (weight 0.23): A significant number of players are disappointed that the game, despite bearing the 'Sid Meier's' name, lacks the strategic depth, complexity, and features expected from a Firaxis or Civilization-branded title. It's often compared unfavorably to other games in the genre.
- Limited Settings & UI (weight 0.17): The game offers extremely limited configuration options, particularly for graphics and display settings. Players are frustrated by the inability to adjust resolution, UI scaling, or visual quality, which impacts playability and user experience.
- Not a True 4X Game (weight 0.15): The game fails to deliver on the promise of a grand strategy 4X space game. Players note its limited scope, primitive development options, and lack of core 4X mechanics, feeling more like a simplified arcade experience or a basic expansion pack.
- Poor Ship Customization (weight 0.13): Ship customization is a major disappointment, offering very limited options beyond basic stat upgrades. Players cannot visually customize ships, and the lack of variety in ship models makes them feel generic and uninspired.
- Overpowered Torpedoes (weight 0.11): The torpedo mechanic is identified as a broken and overpowered feature. Players report that torpedoes make the game too easy, nullifying other ship upgrades and tactics, as they can decimate enemy fleets from across the map with little counterplay.
- Overpriced for Content (weight 0.11): Many players feel the game is severely overpriced for the content and quality it offers, often comparing it to a mobile game or a DLC pack. There's a strong sentiment that it's a 'cash grab' given its perceived lack of depth and polish.
- Shallow Diplomacy System (weight 0.09): The diplomacy system is widely criticized for its lack of depth and functionality. Players find it overly simplistic, offering no real strategic options or negotiation, reducing it to basic 'take it or leave it' interactions.
- Combat & Mission Imbalance (weight 0.09): Players report significant balance issues within combat and missions, with some being too easy and others overly difficult. The lack of mission variety and tactical intricacies contributes to a repetitive and unchallenging experience.
- Weak AI Performance (weight 0.09): The game's AI is consistently described as weak and unintelligent. Players find it easy to outmaneuver, noting its lack of strategic challenge, passive behavior, and poor tactical decisions in combat.
- Limited Fleet Management (weight 0.08): Fleet management is severely limited, with players restricted to a single fleet of a small number of ships. This constraint reduces strategic options on the map and makes the game feel less like a grand space strategy.
- Frequent Crashes & Bugs (weight 0.08): The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, preventing many players from even starting or continuing their games. This technical instability significantly hinders the play experience.
- Lack of Game Updates (weight 0.05): Players note a significant lack of ongoing support and updates for the game since its release. This absence of post-launch development contributes to the feeling that the game is unfinished or abandoned.
- Unfair AI Advantage (weight 0.05): Some players report an unfair advantage for computer opponents, who appear to get multiple turns or disproportionate power, leading to very short and unbalanced games, even on higher difficulties.
- Broken Cross-Game Features (weight 0.05): The promised cross-game functionality and achievement unlocks with Civilization: Beyond Earth are broken due to issues with 2K account integration. This prevents players from accessing advertised bonuses.

Gameplay feedback:
- Single Fleet Management (weight 0.33): The game centers around managing a single fleet of starships, which can be upgraded and expanded up to 8 ships. Ships are not permanently lost in battle but require repair. This singular fleet is the primary unit for all strategic and tactical actions.
- Galaxy Exploration & Combat Loop (weight 0.32): The core gameplay loop involves exploring the galaxy, moving a single fleet between planets, and completing missions. These missions often involve turn-based tactical space battles to gain influence or conquer planets, resembling a simplified 4X strategy game.
- Simplified Strategy Experience (weight 0.3): The game is a simplified, light turn-based strategy experience, often compared to a 'pocket' or 'mini' version of Civilization or other 4X games. It offers a quick learning curve and shorter playtimes, focusing more on tactical combat than grand strategy.
- Ties to Civilization: Beyond Earth (weight 0.19): The game is closely linked to Civilization: Beyond Earth, sharing civilizations, philosophies, and offering cross-game bonuses. It incorporates core Civ mechanics like resource management, improvements, and multiple victory conditions.
- Detailed Ship Customization (weight 0.19): Ship customization is a key strategic element, allowing players to upgrade various modules like engines, shields, weapons, and stealth. These upgrades influence ship roles and overall fleet effectiveness, with resources spent on improving specific attributes.
- Planet Acquisition & Development (weight 0.17): Planets are acquired by completing missions to gain influence, and once controlled, they can be developed with cities and improvements to produce resources. Missions vary in difficulty and can sometimes involve puzzles instead of combat.
- Hex-Grid Tactical Combat (weight 0.15): Combat is turn-based and takes place on a hexagonal grid map, featuring various objectives like destroying enemies, surviving turns, or escorting allies. Ship actions include firing weapons, cloaking, scanning, and launching fighters.
- Tactical Combat Strategies (weight 0.13): Tactical combat emphasizes positioning, utilizing cover from asteroids and planets, and concentrating fire. Strategies include swarming enemies with fighters, using stealth, and attacking from behind for bonus damage.
- Four Core Resources (weight 0.1): There are four primary resources (energy, metal, science, food) produced by planets, which are essential for ship upgrades, planetary improvements, and research. Resource management is crucial for fleet and empire progression.
- Unique Torpedo Mechanics (weight 0.1): Torpedoes are a unique weapon type that travel over multiple turns and can be remotely detonated, offering tactical control over enemy movement. However, some players found them difficult to use effectively due to enemy movement.
- Planetary Wonders (weight 0.08): Planets can have Wonders constructed, which provide powerful, unique advantages to the player's empire, such as double actions or torpedo immunity. These wonders are expensive but offer significant strategic benefits.
- Multiple Victory Conditions (weight 0.07): The game offers four distinct victory conditions: Population, Domination, Science, and Wonder. Players can pursue different paths to victory, which can sometimes be achieved unexpectedly.
- Technology & Research (weight 0.06): Technology upgrades boost ship capabilities and unlock new structures. Research is tied to ship upgrade strategies, and buildings are constructed instantly if resources are available.

Performance notes:
- Missing graphics and display settings (weight 0.13): The game lacks essential graphics and display settings, such as resolution options, true fullscreen mode, Vsync, and LOD settings. This severely limits player control over their visual experience and optimization.
- Severe performance issues and crashes (weight 0.11): Players are experiencing significant performance issues, including low frame rates, frequent crashes, and freezing. This makes the game unplayable for many users and is a critical technical flaw.
- Mixed graphic quality feedback (weight 0.03): Feedback on graphics quality is mixed, with some reporting minor glitches while others find them functional but not exceptional. The overall sentiment suggests graphics are neither a strong point nor a major detractor.
- Excessive screen shake duration (weight 0.01): A minor visual annoyance where the screen shake effect after ship destruction lasts too long. This is a small detail but impacts the flow of gameplay.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a deep sale (weight 0.26): Many players feel the game is significantly overpriced for its content and quality. They strongly advise waiting for a substantial sale or discount, suggesting its true value is much lower than its retail price.
- Short, casual experience (weight 0.14): The game is often described as a short, casual experience, suitable for brief play sessions. Some reviewers found it 'nice' or 'uncomplicated' for quick entertainment, but not a deep or long-lasting game.
- Not recommended overall (weight 0.09): A significant number of reviews explicitly state they do not recommend the game. This indicates a general dissatisfaction with the overall experience, regardless of specific issues.
- Better alternatives exist (weight 0.07): Players frequently suggest alternative, more robust strategy games like Galactic Civilizations, Master of Orion, Stellaris, or Endless Space, implying these titles offer a superior experience in the same genre.
- For Civ fans or collectors (weight 0.05): The game's appeal is often tied to its connection with the Civilization series, particularly Beyond Earth. Some recommend it only for collectors or those seeking specific achievements or traits within the Civ universe.
- Good for beginners, not veterans (weight 0.04): The game is generally recommended for beginners to turn-based or 4X strategy games due to its simplicity. However, experienced players of these genres are advised to skip it as it lacks depth and complexity.
- Needs multiplayer mode (weight 0.04): Some players believe the game would benefit greatly from a multiplayer mode, suggesting it could add more potential and replayability, especially for playing with friends.
- Wait for future updates (weight 0.04): Several players express a desire for future updates and improvements, suggesting the game is currently incomplete or buggy. They advise waiting to see if the developers address these issues.
- Enjoyable starship combat (weight 0.02): A few positive reviews highlight the starship combat as a strong point, recommending the game specifically for players who enjoy tactical space battles and blowing up ships.
- Watch videos before buying (weight 0.01): One reviewer suggests watching gameplay videos before purchasing to avoid disappointment, especially given the perceived risk of spending money on the game.
- Better suited for mobile (weight 0.01): One review speculates that the game is better suited for mobile platforms and might eventually transition to being a tablet game, indicating it lacks the depth expected of a PC title.
- Support indie developers (weight 0.01): One review suggests supporting indie developers over larger studios like Firaxis, possibly due to dissatisfaction with this particular release.
- Appeals to specific strategy fans (weight 0.01): One review recommends the game to players who enjoyed specific Japanese strategy games like Daisenryaku or Gihren's Greed, suggesting a niche appeal.

Other player notes:
- Designed for mobile platforms (weight 0.2): A significant number of reviews highlight that the game feels underdeveloped and simplified, strongly suggesting it was primarily designed for mobile platforms. This perception impacts the PC user experience, making it feel like a 'mini-game' or 'AAA flash game'.
- Not a complex 4X game (weight 0.15): Many players expected a complex 4X strategy game similar to Civilization, but the game is a 'lite' version, focusing on simpler mechanics and a more casual experience. This mismatch in expectations led to disappointment for some.
- Potential for future improvements (weight 0.08): Despite its shortcomings, some players see potential in the game and express a desire for future improvements. They acknowledge its current state but hope for a more fully featured version.
- Sid Meier's name inflates value (weight 0.07): Players feel that the 'Sid Meier' name significantly inflates the game's perceived value and price. Many believe that without his name attached, the game would be priced much lower, especially given its perceived simplicity.
- Limited development resources (weight 0.05): There's a perception that the game was developed quickly with limited resources, possibly as a side project. This explains its smaller scope and less polished feel compared to other major titles.
- Disappointing and unengaging (weight 0.04): Some players, even with low expectations, found the game disappointing and were unable to complete it. This indicates a fundamental lack of engagement or enjoyment for a segment of the audience.
- Price impacts perception (weight 0.04): The game's price point and how players acquired it (e.g., in bundles, as an add-on) significantly influenced their perception and satisfaction. Those who paid less or got it in a bundle were often more forgiving.
- Similar to older Sid Meier titles (weight 0.02): The game's design and gameplay mechanics are more akin to Sid Meier's earlier, simpler titles like 'Pirates!' or 'Railroads!' rather than his more complex strategy games.
- Complete and visually acceptable (weight 0.02): Despite criticisms, some players found the game to be complete and polished within its intended scope, and visually acceptable.
- Expectations influence enjoyment (weight 0.01): Player enjoyment of the game is heavily dependent on their initial expectations. Those expecting a casual, lighter experience are more likely to enjoy it than those anticipating a deep strategy game.
- No tutorial, easy to learn (weight 0.01): The game lacks a formal tutorial, but players generally found it easy to learn and understand the mechanics without one.
- Nostalgic ship designs (weight 0.01): A specific nostalgic connection was made to ship designs from a Civilization 4 mod.
- Small file size (weight 0.01): The small file size of the game was noted, indicating its limited scope.
- Desire for collaboration (weight 0.01): A player expressed a desire for collaboration with 'Sidonia', likely referring to a specific game or franchise.
- Developer communicated game's nature (weight 0.01): Firaxis, the developer, was reportedly clear about the game's nature during its development, suggesting that player expectations might have been misaligned despite official communication.
- Unclear Beyond Earth connection (weight 0.01): A player was unsure how the game connects to 'Beyond Earth', indicating a lack of clear integration or narrative link.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.31): Players expressed disappointment primarily due to the game's perceived lack of depth, content, and replayability, especially when compared to other Sid Meier's titles. Many felt the game was oversimplified, repetitive, and underdeveloped, failing to meet expectations for a Firaxis or Sid Meier's production. Technical issues like broken save/load functionality and a lack of standard PC features also contributed to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Frustration stemmed from numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes, freezes, and poor performance, making the game unplayable for some. UI and display problems, such as unreadable text and lack of resolution options, were also significant pain points. Additionally, players were frustrated by repetitive and tedious gameplay mechanics, unbalanced AI, and a general feeling that the game was unfinished or poorly ported from mobile.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.15): Satisfaction was found in the game's simplicity and accessibility, making it enjoyable for casual players or those new to strategy games. Players appreciated the quick rounds, engaging combat, and ship modification features. The game was seen as a good value for money by some, especially when expectations were managed to align with its intended casual, light 4X design.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Enjoyment was derived from the game's quick, uncomplicated rounds and light tactical gameplay. Players found pleasure in the ship upgrades, tactical combat, and the overall premise of perfecting fleets and achieving universe domination. The game's simplicity and casual nature contributed to a fun experience for many.
- Anger (weight 0.05): Anger was primarily directed at the game's perceived poor quality, unpolished state, and high price, leading many to believe it was a 'cash grab' or an insult to the Sid Meier's brand. Unaddressed widespread issues and misleading marketing further fueled this emotion, particularly concerning the game's technical issues and graphics.
- Boredom (weight 0.04): Boredom arose from the game's repetitive combat and overall gameplay, which quickly became tedious and uninteresting for many players. The lack of challenge and depth meant that interest was lost after a short period, leading to a feeling of monotony.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation was expressed for the game's simple mechanics, variety of play options, and its suitability for busy adults seeking a less demanding strategy experience. Players also appreciated the game being bug-free, balanced, and offering good value, along with its graphics and visual effects, particularly for ship upgrades.
- Understanding (weight 0.01): Players demonstrated understanding of the game's design intent, recognizing its niche as a 'lite 4X' game with tactical combat, suitable for busy players or those with limited time. This perspective acknowledged the game's design choices and the constraints of a smaller development team.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stemmed from difficulties in learning how to play the game, a perceived lack of logic in science choices, and an underdeveloped card system. These aspects made it challenging for players to grasp game mechanics and make informed decisions.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy was experienced by players who found the game fun to play and beat, often noting it was a less stressful and more joyful experience compared to traditional Civilization games. This indicates a positive emotional response to the game's more casual and streamlined approach.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement was generated by the potential for multiplayer fun, as well as the game's addictive gameplay and strategic depth. Players found the game 'super' and particularly suitable for busy individuals, suggesting anticipation for engaging and rewarding experiences.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Relaxation was a key emotion, indicating that the game's nature provided a calming and stress-free experience for players. This suggests the game's design, perhaps its simplicity or pace, contributed to a tranquil gaming environment.
- Annoyance (weight 0): Annoyance was specifically caused by the visual strain resulting from small UI elements and font sizes. This technical issue negatively impacted the user experience, making the game less comfortable to play for some.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia was triggered by the game's reminiscence of tabletop games. This suggests that certain aspects of the game's design or mechanics evoked fond memories of traditional board or strategy games, creating a positive emotional connection.
- Amusement (weight 0): Amusement was derived from a broken torpedo mechanic, indicating that this particular bug or design flaw was perceived as humorous rather than frustrating by some players. This suggests a lighthearted reaction to a game imperfection.
- Defensiveness (weight 0): Defensiveness arose in response to criticism regarding the game's design and price. This indicates that some players felt compelled to defend the game against negative feedback, suggesting a strong personal connection or belief in its value despite criticisms.
- Disgust (weight 0): Disgust was expressed due to the game's poor quality, which was perceived as an insult to the esteemed Sid Meier's name. This strong negative emotion highlights a deep disappointment and offense at what was considered a subpar product from a renowned developer.
- Sadness (weight 0): Sadness was felt due to the game's poor quality and unreliability. This emotion reflects a sense of disappointment and regret over the game's shortcomings, particularly its technical issues and overall lack of polish.
- Sarcasm (weight 0): Sarcasm was used to express dissatisfaction with the game's poor value for money. This indicates a critical and mocking tone, highlighting the discrepancy between the game's price and its perceived quality or content.
- Advocacy (weight 0): Advocacy was demonstrated by players who defended the game's place in the market. This suggests a belief in the game's unique appeal or niche, despite its flaws, and a desire to promote its value to others.}