World simulator games?

[RoberII]

I'm playing civ IV, BTS atm, and I'm really digging it. But also, I got to thinking: Are there any world simulator games out there? By this I mean games that do a pretty good job of offering immersive (and often emergent) gameplay. Many "world-conquering" games has this to some extent, especially civ games, but Pirates! springs to mind as well, as do the warband games. Any good suggestions for games that do a good job of this?

[zemerick]

Most everything by Paradox Interactive does a good job. The main ones being Victoria 2 ( More economy focused ) and Hearts of Iron 3 ( More combat focused ).

Just be prepared: These games make Civ 5 look like a simple kids game. Absolutely everything about Vic2 and HoI3 has massive amounts of variables, and takes a lot of work. On the flip side though, conquering the world is a major accomplish and feels great. Instead of being the normal conclusion of a couple hour game, its usually a rare conclusion after several weeks of time and effort.

Some first start tips: Don't pick a Great Power, or probably even a secondary power. It'll be a bit of an information overload, and your country is much more likely to fall apart on you. I like to go with Japan in Vic2, and I forgot who in HoI3. In vic2 Japan starts uncivilized, but is on the brink of civilization. Many other countries have either a lot longer road to civilization, or have too much going on for a beginner. Once you have learned the basics, you can then go back and try other countries for different challenges.

[eSOANEM]

Well it's really old, an also a Sid Meier game so it shouldn't be much of a surprise, but Alpha Centauri seems to fit the bill. It's been a few years since I played it, but it's effectively an turn-based-strategy set on a planet orbitting alpha centauri with the human colonists all split into various factions.

You've got less control over the government type than you do in civ, but probably more over your military (as you research tech, you can design each of units individually to use almost any combination of the tech you have available).

[Xerillum]

I would second Paradox games. For a specific suggestion, Europa Universalis 3 is an excellent starting point to the grand strategy genre, and it's probably the easiest game in Paradox's lineup to get into. I would recommend getting the edition with all of the expansions (Chronicles? I'm not sure which one contains Divine Wind), because the expansions make the game much better.

Victoria 2 and Hearts of Iron 3 are also great games by Paradox, but they can be overwhelming if you aren't used to the level of depth they include, especially HoI.

[ElWanderer]

I would recommend getting the edition with all of the expansions (Chronicles? I'm not sure which one contains Divine Wind), because the expansions make the game much better.

Yes, Chronicles is the pack with all four expansions. The now-badly-named Europa Universalis III: Complete was released much earlier and only contains the first two expansions.

[RoberII]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone Will check them out - I tried HoI before and... Well, I raegquaat