Sword of the Stars: Complete Collection

One of the best 4X games availible. Micro is there if you want it, but it's mostly just macro commands. It still looks great after all these years. Warmly recommended.

the AI cheats and dos not follow the rules of the game. they can produce an infinite number of ships per turn. it is therefore not possible to win against the A.I. the hiver is simply not possible to win with. that is because the other players have plenty of time to rebuild by the time the hiver returns. then when there is an A.I rebellion, they will target the hiver player entirely. what was the developers thinking, when they added such a broken race?

I've put well over 3k hours into this game over the years. With some decent human opponents, this game allows for some insane strategy and tactics. Highly recommended.

It's rare for a game to have 6 different factions in a 4X game that all feel genuinely distinct from one another. Not only that, they aren't really analogous to any other sci-fi trope species, either. Most Space RTS games have a "Starfleet" faction and a "Klingon" faction and "Romulan" and "Borg" factions. This was the first I can remember that started to move away from those Star Trek influences. It's not the most complex game, every aspect is incredibly streamlined, and while you can't micromanage your chosen nation, it is certainly possible to fine control the battles. When you've got the strengths, weaknesses and capabilities of various weapons and equipment figured out, you can enter a situation with inferior numbers and, provided you play smart, still come out on top. Some of the random events are great fun, too and even failing a random encounter can provide bonuses on different ways. Case in point; if you fail to protect your world from a meteor shower, you may lose the colony... but when you come back, the planet's mineral wealth will have skyrocketed with every asteroid that made it to the surface. As a bonus, the game is incredibly easy to mod, making it possible to completely customise the game to your preferences with a minimal of fuss. It's less than €10 at the moment. For that price, it's an utter bargain.

This is my type of game. I have played SOTS for over 12,000 hours. It would be a lot more but I do have a wife.