Maia from Machine Studios (Simon Roth), is a hard sc-fi base builder set on a hostile world. It released in full back in 2018 and now you can get a free copy for the next few days.
There's a full narrative campaign, standalone missions and custom sandbox modes that will test your ability to successfully manage a colony. This is no RimWorld though, it's a lot slower paced and quite difficult. Pretty too, with visuals that give you a retro future feel. Inspired by games such as Dungeon Keeper, Theme Hospital and The Sims mixing together lots of elements into a firmly unique experience.
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With a lot of simulation going on, it's quite impressive. Fires burn away crops, wild animals migrate around the planet and might make a wander colonist their next meal if you don't have some turrets around to keep them safe. I can't tell you the amount of times I've had lava flood into my colony when I've dug around a bit too much for resources.
Nice audio too with wonderful ambient tunes that were recorded using "real antique synthesisers onto tape giving it a rich and authentic science fiction feeling".
This is happening during the Lockdown sale on itch.io, where you can also donate to the developer if you like the game and what they're doing. You have until Saturday March 28, at 12:00 AM UTC.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Still, free is a good price.
Nothing since 2018 ??
Or is it just the itch version ?
I had really, really high hopes for Maia. Back when I bought it in Early Access, it looked so promising and the style really appealed to me. It's a pity that it turned out to be an abandoned mess, not updated (or bugfixed) since late 2018. I'm still seeing reviews that talk about poor pathing, colonists not following the build queue, and people randomly dying of exhaustion because they're standing next to a bed for days without actually getting in it and sleeping.
Still, free is a good price.
Well, "late Dec 2018" is still just a touch over a year ago when it launched, so calling it an "abandoned mess" feels like a huge (and unnecessary) exaggeration. Liam's review agrees with you on AI, but then several other readers mentioned that they really enjoyed it. And as you say it's hard to argue with "free".
It's a great gesture, given that the dev poured nearly five years of his life into making this.
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