Hypersimulated

🎮 We post about interesting simulation & strategy games, especially indie titles. 🎮 Follow us on Twitter: @hypersimulated for all updates 🎮 Send us tips about cool games! [email protected]

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🎵 Turn and face the strange ch-ch-ch-changes... 🎶 🎵

TLDR: FOLLOW US ON TWITTER - @ HYPERSIMULATED - FOR UPDATES ON INDIE SIM AND STRATEGY GAMES!

Just wanted to let you know we’re making a few changes to this Hypersimulated blog! After all it’s springtime, so it’s a good time for spring cleaning, or for turning over a new leaf, or any of a number of other metaphors for a metamorphosis of sorts. ;)

In short - running a Tumblr blog and a Twitter account and a mailing list turned out to be a surprising amount of work, for something that’s a side project in addition to regular day’s work (and then some). But at the same time, this has been a fun project, and we really enjoy finding cool indie sim / strategy games and telling other people about them. So we decided to do a bit of trimming here and there, so that we can spend our limited time a bit more effectively.

Here’s the new world order we came up with:

1. Twitter will now become our main place for posting updates! It’s just much easier to post to, including from mobile. We’ll try to do a sequence of tweets about each game, so you get more info about each game, just like with the old blog posts. Follow us here: @ HYPERSIMULATED

2. Tumblr was an interesting experiment, but it’s less of a gaming community, and the blogging tools leave something to be desired, so we’re going to freeze this blog for now. Same with the mailing list which was very cool, but also a bunch of work to keep up with.

This should make it much easier for us to post updates, so that we can avoid dry spells like the one this winter, and bring more regular updates about awesome indie simulation and strategy titles.

Hope you continue with us on this journey!

🎶 🎵 And I think my spaceship knows which way to go... :) 🎵

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Can you say “Minecraft in space”? Because Astroneer looks like a very ambitious take on the classic mine-build-and-explore genre. Like its illustrious predecessor it’s all about sandbox play, about survival and exploration, and about colonizing the brave new world with your real-life friends (in the 4-player coop mode). Plus, it’s in space, and space is inherently cool. :)

It’s been released into early access last week, and the team appears to be very actively involved with the community and pushing the game further and further. Check them out on Steam, and on their main website:

http://astroneer.space/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/361420/

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I just added a new game to my wishlist: KeeperRL is a dungeon simulator roguelike, that takes a lot of inspiration from the likes of Dungeon Keeper and Dwarf Fortress, but still looks very approachable in spite of its complexity.

That mix of management and roguelike exploration sounds very interesting. It’s currently in early access, and we’ll be following it as it develops.

Oh, and one more neat thing - the author released the source code (sans art assets) for free on Github, for all those intrepid travelers who wish to go spelunking in a C++ codebase to learn all the secrets of the game. :)

More info on their web site, or follow them on Twitter:

http://keeperrl.com/

https://twitter.com/KeeperRL

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Antihero is a fast multiplayer strategy game by Tim Conkling that we’ve been following for a while, and it’s finally out on early access! From the developer:

A turn-based multiplayer strategy game about running a thieves' guild. Antihero is all about short play sessions with super-interesting decisions. Recruit street urchins, hire gangs, steal everything - and bribe, blackmail, and assassinate your way to victory.

Actually they’re doing something more interesting than early access - a “limited release” on Itch, where only small numbers of early access keys will be released at a time.

Since the early community can have a lot of influence over how a game evolves over time, this sounds like a very smart move.

If that sounds like the best of times, you can get more info on their website, and check out their Itch page:

http://antihero-game.com/an-itchy-feeling/

https://versusevil.itch.io/antihero

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Winds of Trade, the maritime trading & economic sim that we talked about in the past, has just launched a Greenlight campaign. From their page:

It’s a strategy game about running an ocean trading company in the 18th and 19th centuries. Building your comercial empire will not be your only goal! Ruthless pirates, shady smugglers, wartime and fierce competitors will make the way to the top a long and hard road for you!

If that sounds like something that ties your knots, why not give them an upvote and help them get on Steam?

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=811054952

Why knot, indeed. Much more info on their home page:

http://www.windsoftrade.net/

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If you like strategy & tycoon games you probably know about Cliff Harris: dev of the Democracy series, and publisher of Big Pharma and Political Animals.

He’s now starting on a new game: Production Line, a supply chain and manufacturing management game, on the theme of managing a super modern car factory. Also, Cliff is developing this game “in public”, showing it from very early stages (it’s not even in alpha yet) and posting weekly video devlogs.

Follow his adventures on the website:

http://positech.co.uk/cliffsblog/

http://www.positech.co.uk/productionline/

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We’ve never covered an advergame before, but this one is sufficiently weird that it deserves a few words. The End Game is a little web advergame from UBS (yes, the financial firm!) inspired by the US presidential elections.

The mechanics are very clearly lifted from inspired by Reigns: as the president of a “major country”, you take binary yes-or-no actions, and those affect four different financial stats: stock market levels, the country’s interest rate, debt ratio, and unemployment rate. Then at the end of the 60-second session, the game gives you a scorecard, pointing out how badly you ruined the country. (Except when you’re printing more money, that choice always improves everything, no matter what situation you’re in. How about that for a blunt political spin embedded in game mechanics?)

Ruin your own “major country” on their site:

https://m.ubs.com/global/en/chief-investment-office/end-game.html

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Greenheart Games has announced they’re working on a new game called Tavern Keeper - a fantasy tavern management sim!

You might have heard of Greenheart because of their last game, Game Dev Tycoon. We were pretty seriously hooked on it - so even thought we don’t know much about this game except what’s teased on the website, we’re looking forward to it already. :)

More info:

https://www.tavernkeeper.com/

http://www.greenheartgames.com/

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Reigns is one of those games you probably heard of because of its UI - “Tinder meets strategy” is how we could describe it, because it’s a card game that uses swiping left or right as the main UI action. But beneath the cute facade hides a compact but cut-throat resource management game, with very short game sessions (maybe 30 seconds each), and randomly generated narrative of your inevitably doomed dynasty.

By the indie developer Nerial: https://twitter.com/nerial

Status: out now, get it on mobile or Steam: http://nerial.co.uk/reigns/

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Dog Sled Saga is a charming and unexpected sports management game. You manage a team of dogsledding dogs (and their driver, or “musher”), optimize the team make-up and train individual dogs, and of course participate in races for fame, glory, and cash prizes. Between the cute puppers and the great-looking pixel art style, it’s worth taking a look at.

By the indie dev team Trichotomy: http://www.dogsledsaga.com/

Status: just released this week! Get it on Steam and other stores: http://store.steampowered.com/app/286240/

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Seen at PAX 2016: Stonehearth is a “game of exploration and survival in an epic fantasy setting”, melding together mechanics of proc gen world exploration and base building. On top of that, the game is incredibly charming, owing a lot to its charming yet blocky visual style.

We’ve been following its development since a Kickstarter campaign some time back, and are very happy to see how it’s developing. It’s currently out in early access, and you can find them on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/253250

By the team Radiant Entertainment, which has since been acquired by Riot Games: http://www.radiant-entertainment.com/

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Seen at PAX West 2016: Eco is a very promising multiplayer ecological simulation game, where a team of players must work together to avoid an impending ecological disaster and build themselves a sustainable home base in a foreign environment. Someone called it “Minecraft with consequences”, which sounds pretty cool.

By the indie team Strange Loop Games: http://www.strangeloopgames.com/

Status: in development, but alpha version is available via their website: http://www.strangeloopgames.com/eco/

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Seen at PAX West 2016: Political Animals is a turn-based strategy game about organizing and winning a presidential campaign. But don’t be deceived by cartoon animals, the political sim is exploring interesting mechanics of how political power, influence, and ultimately corruption work in an election cycle. We’ve covered it before when it was earlier in development, and now it’s been announced for release at the end of 2016!

By the indie team Squaky Wheel Studio from the Philippines: http://www.squeakywheel.ph/

Status: releasing end of year 2016, follow their developments on the website: http://www.politicalanimalsgame.com/

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Seen at PAX West 2016: Basement is a funny yet strategic game about building out and managing your own underground drug production facility. And yes, literally underground - build your base lower and lower, out of the watchful glance of law enforcement, and keep your illegal empire growing and expanding. We’ve covered it before when it was very early in development, and it’s awesome to see how much the game has expanded since then!

By the indie studio Half Bus from Minsk: http://halfbus.co/

Status: available on Steam in early access, get it here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/340150/

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We don’t just post about sim / strategy games, we also make games at the SomaSim games studio. And now we’re very happy to announce that the latest game we’ve been working on has officially been released!

Project Highrise is a skyscraper management sim, where you build and operate highrise buildings, keep your tenants paying rent on time, and grow your real estate empire. But a skyscraper is more than just steel and glass, it’s an intricate ecosystem, full of people that live and work in the building. They become a complex machine that needs your steady hand to keep it running smoothly and efficiently.

Check it out! http://store.steampowered.com/app/423580

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Vulpine bills itself as “an open-world game where you survive as ridiculously well-armed animals.” In addition to the cool low poly style, we’re intrigued by the idea of playing as animals exploring, hunting, and... crafting? Building lairs? How will they do all that without opposable thumbs? I guess we’ll have to wait and find out. :)

This game needs your help on Kickstarter! Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1544199144/vulpine-be-a-fox-with-a-sword

By the indie duo Clockwork Giant: http://clockworkgiant.com/

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Another Brick in the Mall lets you “design, build and manage a giant shopping center,“ putting you in charge of everything from construction to workforce management to keeping customers happy. This sounds very interesting - I love the light-hearted take on a business sim, and the sheer madhouse of little customers running around and doing things. (Plus, there’s that most excellent Pink Floyd reference, right in the title... :) )

By the indie developer The Quadsphere: http://www.thequadsphere.com/

Status: passed Greenlight, and currently in development. You can follow their adventures on the website: http://anotherbrickinthemall.com/