Info about Particle Fleet: Emergence:

Official game description:
Build and design your own fleets and stand opposed to the Particulate in this physics/strategy/RTS/fleet hybrid. Build partially destructible and self repairing ships that interact with enemies less controlled by some scripted logic and more driven by a real time massive physics particle simulation.  
As Chief Executive Ticon you should have been the Galactic Executive Officer.... but you aren't. Instead, you and small corporation of dedicated employees have ventured into Redacted Space risking your fortunes and your lives. What you find will challenge your tactical and strategic skills as you adapt to a threat that surrounds and engulfs. Engage the Particulate, Emergent, Doppels, and much more in this unique strategy game.

Release date: Sep 29, 2016

Categories: Strategy, Real-time Strategy, Ship Combat, Ship Customization, Tactical Combat, Resource Management, Physics Simulation, Custom Map Support


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that the game is considered a good purchase when bought on sale, typically around £10 or equivalent in USD. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth the price only when purchased at a discount, indicating that the community perceives the full price as too high. The general sentiment is that the game is enjoyable and worth buying, but primarily at a reduced price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 10.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple data points regarding the time it takes to complete the main story and the overall game. Several reviews mention that the main story or campaign takes around 10 hours to complete. Additionally, one review states that the campaign can be finished in 2 days, which aligns with the 10-hour completion time if we assume around 5 hours of playtime per day. The evidence also suggests that the main campaign is relatively short, taking around 6-10 hours to complete. This consistency across multiple reviews gives a clear indication of the typical playtime for game completion and story completion.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with a slow and boring tutorial-like campaign, but it becomes more enjoyable after completing the campaign when players can engage in custom missions and use movable ships for easier territory expansion.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Completing the campaign
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: slow and boring tutorial-like campaign; tedious storyline reading
  - Unlock drivers: custom missions; skirmish mode; map editor; movable ships for territory expansion
  - Conditions: completing the campaign; engaging in custom missions; using movable ships
- Player Archetypes:
  - Creeper World Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Connection to the Creeper World universe
    - Playstyle: Strategic and experienced, drawing on past experiences from the series.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Creeper World fan; Knuckle Cracker fan
    - Reference games: Creeper World; Creeper World 2; Creeper World 3
  - Strategy Game Aficionado (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of real-time strategy and tactics
    - Playstyle: Strategic and tactical, focusing on the gameplay mechanics and challenges.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Strategy game fan; RTS fan
    - Reference games: Outpost 2
  - Value-Conscious Gamer (sale)
    - Motivation: Getting good value for money
    - Playstyle: Casual, enjoying the game but mindful of its cost.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Bargain hunter
    - Reference games: N/A


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:
- Ship design and customization (weight 0.48): Players have great options to design and customize their ships and fleets, with unique designs and module loadouts, adding depth to the gameplay.
- High-quality and addictive gameplay (weight 0.41): The game offers high-quality, satisfying, and addictive gameplay, making it enjoyable and well-made. Players appreciate the engaging mechanics and overall experience.
- Unique twist on Creeper World (weight 0.35): The game builds on the concept of Creeper World but offers a unique and interesting twist. It stands on its own while being similar to the Creeper World games.
- Tactical and strategic gameplay (weight 0.33): The game requires tactics and planning, offering a tactical approach that is engaging and requires strategic thinking from the players.
- Endless user-made maps (weight 0.31): There is a huge library of user-made maps available, providing a great variety and endless content for players to explore and enjoy.
- Random map generator (weight 0.25): The game includes a random map generator with various user options, allowing for custom map making and enhancing replayability.
- Simple yet complex gameplay (weight 0.2): The game offers simple yet strategic gameplay, providing a lot of fun and depth despite its straightforward mechanics.
- Level editor available (weight 0.2): The game includes a level editor available at release, allowing players to create and share their own scenarios, enhancing the game's replayability and community engagement.
- Variety of gameplay styles (weight 0.2): The game offers a variety of gameplay styles, strategies, and map types, providing diverse mechanics and experiences for players to enjoy.
- Unique tower defense and RTS mix (weight 0.2): The game provides a unique spin on the tower defense genre, with interesting offensive mechanics and a mix of tower defense and RTS elements.
- Positive reception (weight 0.19): Players generally loved the game and found it to be fantastic and good, indicating a positive reception and enjoyment of the overall experience.

Common complaints:
- Uninteresting and short story (weight 0.72): The story is criticized for being uninteresting, short, and not compelling. Many players found the plot to be boring and nothing particularly noteworthy.
- Limited ship customization and variety (weight 0.69): Players express disappointment with the limited quantity of ships, limited ship customization options, and the lack of variety in ship design and modules.
- Comparison to Creeper World series (weight 0.55): Players often compare this game to the Creeper World series, stating it is not as good, shorter, and shallower. It lacks the longevity and depth of Creeper World 3.
- Lack of difficulty and challenges (weight 0.51): The game is criticized for its lack of difficulty and challenges. Players find it not as challenging as expected, with a lack of progression and repetitive gameplay.
- Game balance and strategy issues (weight 0.45): The game is criticized for being unbalanced and lacking strategic depth. Players find the game either too easy or too difficult, with sudden difficulty spikes and limited strategy options.
- Game is too short (weight 0.44): The game is frequently described as short, with a short campaign that can be finished quickly. Players feel the game is shorter than expected.
- Confusing and unclear mechanics (weight 0.42): The game mechanics are often described as confusing and unclear. Players struggle with understanding the mechanics, and there is a lack of proper explanations and tooltips.
- Lack of content and depth (weight 0.39): Players feel the game lacks depth and richness compared to previous titles. There is a lack of additional content, variety in missions, and overall game systems.
- Poor user interface and documentation (weight 0.36): The game's user interface is criticized for being poorly designed and less refined. There are issues with documentation and explanations, making it difficult for players to understand the game systems.
- Language and localization issues (weight 0.33): Non-English speakers face language barriers, as the game is primarily in English. There are complaints about the lack of localization for languages like Russian and Japanese.
- Technical and platform issues (weight 0.24): The game has technical issues, including problems with running on certain platforms like Linux. There are also reports of bugs and compatibility issues.
- Graphics and visual issues (weight 0.21): The game's graphics are criticized for not being as brilliant as other 2D space games. There are also complaints about the lack of graphical variety and visual issues like brightness in certain missions.
- Music and sound issues (weight 0.17): The game's music is criticized for being annoying and not as good as expected. There are also complaints about the lack of certain sounds, like the startup sound.

Gameplay feedback:
- Ship and fleet design (weight 0.91): The game features extensive ship and fleet design options, including modular ship design, custom ship creation, and a variety of ship types such as battleships and frigates. Players can engage in tactical maneuvering and fleet combat.
- Fluid enemy mechanics (weight 0.47): Enemies in the game behave like fluid blobs, providing dynamic and unique combat scenarios. This includes fighting against fluid-like enemies and particulate mechanics.
- RTS with unique twists (weight 0.43): The game is an RTS with unique mechanics and traditional RTS elements. It offers a variety of strategies and map types, making it challenging and engaging.
- Resource management (weight 0.34): Players must manage resources effectively, including energy management for ships. This adds a layer of strategy to the gameplay.
- Story campaign (weight 0.33): The game includes a story campaign with progression, storyline, and lore. The campaign also serves as a tutorial for new players.
- Tower defense mechanics (weight 0.33): The game incorporates tower defense mechanics, blending them with RTS elements. This includes offensive tower defense and hybrid gameplay styles.
- Game mechanics and tactical gameplay (weight 0.32): The game offers a variety of tactical gameplay options and mechanics. Players can engage in strategic ship management and tactical deployment of forces.

Performance notes:
- Linux compatibility issues (weight 0.16): The game is reported to no longer run on Linux and specifically does not start on Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.2.
- Monitor brightness flashing (weight 0.09): Users have reported issues with monitor brightness flashing while playing the game.

Recommendations:
- Play Creeper World 3 first (weight 0.31): Many players recommend playing Creeper World 3 before this game as it seems to provide a better introduction or experience.
- Worth buying on sale (weight 0.25): Several reviews mention that the game is worth purchasing, especially when it is on sale.
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.15): The game comes highly recommended by multiple players, indicating a positive reception.
- Demo available for trial (weight 0.14): Players note that there is a demo version available that allows you to play the first few levels, which can help in making a purchase decision.
- Recommended for specific genres (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for fans of space combat, RTS, and puzzle games, suggesting it blends elements from these genres.
- Request for more games (weight 0.07): There is a desire among players for the developer to create more games, indicating satisfaction with the current offering.
- Recommend other Knuckle Cracker games (weight 0.07): Players highly recommend this game and other games developed by Knuckle Cracker, showing confidence in the developer's portfolio.

Other player notes:
- Demo on official site (weight 0.08): A demo version of the game is available for download on the official website.
- Free copy for play-testers (weight 0.07): Some players received a free copy of the game due to participation in play-testing.

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.16): Players appreciate the variety of gameplay styles, refreshing mechanics, and strong campaign. The game's depth, including custom ships, scenarios, and lore, along with its strategic elements and rewarding gameplay, contribute to a highly enjoyable experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.15): The game generates excitement through its engaging story, high-quality gameplay, and the ability to design ships and fleets. The potential for multiplayer, extensive customization options, and the variety of gameplay mechanics add to the anticipation and enthusiasm.
- Disappointment (weight 0.14): Some players find the gameplay repetitive and unbalanced, with a lack of custom ships in story mode. The game's failure to meet expectations, limited replayability, and lack of certain game systems/content contribute to a sense of disappointment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players feel satisfied with the game's unique and fun gameplay, customization options, and the amount of gameplay for the price. The game's replayability, lack of bugs, and rewarding tactical problems add to the overall satisfaction.
- Frustration (weight 0.09): Frustration arises from issues such as lack of language support, hard missions, and difficulty spikes. Unclear mechanics, limited freedom due to fewer ships, and poor resource supply also contribute to player frustration.
- Interest (weight 0.06): The game piques interest with its unique strategy mechanics, well-told story, and potential for community mods. The blend of tower defense and RTS elements, along with interesting enemy behavior, makes the game intriguing.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy from the game's features, music, and tactical gameplay. The fun and engaging nature of the game contribute to a joyful experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm is driven by the game's unique gameplay and customization options. The potential for additional content and player-designed missions adds to the excitement.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Players feel nostalgia due to the game's connection to the Creeper World saga and comparisons to previous games in the series. The familiarity and memories associated with the Creeper World games evoke a sense of nostalgia.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated by technical issues such as the game not starting on specific Linux versions. Ship mechanics and damage systems, along with punishment for using custom ships, also contribute to frustration.
- Satisfied (weight 0.02): Players are satisfied with the engaging gameplay and community features. The storyline and community content add to the overall satisfaction.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from the contrast between gameplay and UI, along with unexplained gameplay mechanics. Players find certain aspects of the game confusing due to lack of clarity.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): The game's highly engaging and time-consuming gameplay mechanics contribute to its addictive nature. Players find themselves drawn to the game for extended periods.
- Engaged (weight 0.01): The game's dynamic gameplay and campaign keep players engaged. The blend of strategy and story elements maintains player interest and involvement.}