Rob, William, and David speak about their experience with ARA: History Untold, as the rest of the gang chimes in with questions and more! Support this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/eXplorminatepodcast

The gang got together and spoke about all of the recent news coming out of Gamescom, including initial reactions to Civilization 7 and the new gameplay footage of Ara: History Untold.

Ben and Drexy sit down with Richard Yorke, a strategy gamer grognard, and discuss strategy and wargames.

Rob and Ben sat down with THE DasTactic and had a great discussion with him on his YouTube origins, 4X games, and much more!

Shadow Empire is a post-apocalyptic hybrid sci-fi strategy game mixing the 4X genre with military wargaming and role-playing games. It features a highly detailed procedurally generated planet creation system that creates a wide variety of believable worlds to play on each with their own simulated economies and populations, a sophisticated logistics and supply system, procedural generation of units and one of the most detailed combat systems we've ever seen in the 4X genre.

Join Rob and Ben as they speak with Vic from VR Designs about Shadow Empire in light of its upcoming June 4th release date.

Rob takes a break this week, as Ben hosts Kirk and Eric as they talk about the recent 4X news and what they've been playing recently. 

OUTLINE:

• 00:46 - Alliance of the Sacred Suns
• 02:52 - Field of Glory: Empires Persia 550BCE- 330BCE
• 11:30 - Do people still read game manuals?
• 12:12 - What is "TortugaPower Game" category as coined by Drexy?
• 12:57 - AI War 2
• 17:46 - Total War: Warhammer 2 Greenskins update and The Warden & The Paunch DLC
• 24:52 - Shadow Empire
• 48:35 - Aurora 4X C#
• 55:55 - Armageddon Empires
• 57:28 - Solium Infernum
• 59:26 - Pax Nova and its Steam Reviews
• 1:00:51 - Emperor of the Fading Suns
• 1:06:10 - Drexy's Playing X4
• 1:06:45 - Star Sector

Rob and Ben had the awesome opportunity to sit down with Soren and Leyla Johnson of Mohawk Games and pick their brains about their newest 4X hit, Old World. Please consider supporting this channel and our site, www.eXplorminate.co, by using the "Creator Tag" EXPLORMINATE on Epic Games Store, or by contributing here: https://www.patreon.com/eXplorminate. if you plan to purchase Old World, please do so here: https://store.epicgames.com/explormin...

For a general layout of the interview, see our outline here:

OUTLINE:

• For those that don’t know, can you briefly describe Old World?
• What brought upon the idea of Old World? Was it something you always wanted to make?
• What lessons from Civ 4 did you learn and what have you done to implement them?
• Is there something you’re unhappy with right now?
• 1UPT vs Doom Stack: what are your thoughts?
• Combat in a 4X: why does it generally suck?
• Tell us more about the events? Leyla, I understand you’re writing a lot of them?
• What was the inspiration for the Orders system?
• Can you tell us about the AI and what its intentions are? How difficult is it to develop competent AI? What about AI in the late game?
• Was it the intention to keep games shorter?
• Plans for future content down the line? You supported Offworld so well, I can imagine new cultures, different geographic zones, etc.
• Have you played any recent 4X games recently?
• Any that stand out in general and if so, which ones are pushing the genre forward?
  

Join Rob, Ben, and Drexy as they discuss the news of the past couple weeks and then launch into a deep discussion of Soren Johnson's new 4X game, Old World. ----The 4Xchange #5 Outline---- Old World, Formerly "10 Crowns", Out!: A game that we're clearly a bit enamored with here at eXplorminate, Old World is set to release into Early Access at 11a EDT tomorrow, May 5th! As a gentle reminder, we'd love for those of you who plan to purchase Old World to use the creator tag "EXPLORMINATE" at checkout in the Epic Games Store or you can use THIS LINK HERE (we love you!). Pax Nova eXits Early Access!: As it entered into v1.0, Pax Nova gained a lot of content, AI improvements, pacing improvements, and much more. Rob is pretty positive on it so far, but we will have our final critical take on it within the next couple of weeks. Galactic Civilizations 3 v4.0 Opt-In Now Available!: Stardock has provided an Opt-In for their upcoming v4.0 update to their flagship 4X title. It improves how the planets look and makes a LOT of balance changes! Stellaris Dev Diaries #177 and #178 Released: #177 outlined the changes to edicts coming and #178 outlined the changes to Federation Laws and more. Godking: Master of the Rituals Updates: A few updates to this promising game have been released, including the latest Opt-In that adds a new faction and a lot of new sounds and sound effects. The updates are coming in hard and fast! AI War 2 Reached v2.031 "Faction Color Choice": Lots of improvements and updates, including full GOG compatibility. Stay tuned for a continuance of Rob's Let's Play of it. Topic of the ‘Cast: Old World First, the bad: Epic Store Memory Leak Drexy’s issues The good: Orders system Events Units have different attacks The pacing

Join the boys as they dive deep on the eXploration mechanic of 4X games and try to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what could be improved! 

Outline:

The Newsworthy Stuff:

• Old World, Formerly “10 Crowns”, Formally Announced: Huge news out of Mohawk Games was the announcement of Old World, which was formerly introduced as 10 Crowns. While it plays eXtremely well and has a huge amount of potential, some players have been very open in their dislike for Old World‘s Epic Games Store eXclusivity. Early Access coming SOON!
• Age of Wonders: Planetfall – Invasions Announced: A full-sized expansion is coming to Planetfall, featuring world events, invasions, and a new race, the Shakarn, a lizard-like alien race bent on revenge! Expect more as we’re able to reveal more!
• Galactic Civilizations 3 v4.0 Dev Diary: We’re finally getting information on what v4.0 has in store for us Galactic Civilizations 3 fans! Lots of changes to how the early game will work, planet management, and more! Check the notes!
• Interstellar: Space Genesis Patched to v1.1.2: Some quality of life improvements and other bug fixes have made it into this quickly-improving game.
• Speaking of Let’s Plays, we’ve recently got our hands on the upcoming Shadow Empire, a pseudo-4X/Grand Strategy hybrid, and “Battlemode” Ben has been giving it the tutorial series!
• Alliance of the Sacred Suns v.9.1.2 has dropped: A pretty good summary of the additions can be found right here:

Fairly large patch uploaded – .9.1.2. Fixes a bunch of military-related UI and logic issues, and adds some additional functionality. Also rebalances the economy so it doesn’t crash so hard early. Check it out! #indiegame#games #gamedev #indiegamedev #unity #gamedevelopment

This Episode’s Topic: eXploration

Why is it so important?

Why is it so fun?

Good eXamples:

• Distant Worlds
• Galactic Civilizations 3
• Stellaris
• Interstellar Space: Genesis

The Weekly eXchange is dead. Long live The Weekly eXchange!

In its place is a new, non-scheduled 4X gaming podcast, "The 4Xchange". This podcast is already seeing a total revamp of its format. Instead of just news, each week we'll have a topic we dive deep in to.

This week, we bring on special guest Ray Fowler as we discuss why Master of Orion 1 is the space 4X to beat and what makes it so special.

Outline The Newsworthy Stuff:

• Interstellar Space: Genesis released v1.1 in “unstable beta” format: There are so many improvements made that it’d be hard to list them all and why should we when that link will list them all? Graphics, heroes, bug fixes and more! 
• Fort Triumph to release on April 16th: A game that Rob has played a bunch and really enjoys its “Heroes of Might and Magic meets X-Com” gameplay, it will finally exit Early Access in less than two weeks!
• Dev Diary #174 “Federations is Out, Now What?” and Dev Diary #175 “Space Fauna” for Stellaris released: Paradox has given some hints as to what comes next after Federations in #174 and then shows off some upcoming changes to space fauna in #175.
• Alliance of the Sacred Suns “Military System Part 2: The Ground Combat System” Dev Diary: A gigantic outline of what’s to come in AotSS for its ground combat system. A lot to digest and read about, but it sounds like a simple, yet effective, system for ground combat in this very promising game.
• https://youtu.be/ssine8ECV0Y: Amplitude Studios’ upcoming historical 4X, Humankind, received a new “Shaping Your Legacy” video on how you’ll obtain victory in Humankind. 
• Godking: Master of the Rituals Released: Out now in Early Access for the too-high price of $40

Discussion on Master of Orion 1 and Remnants of the Precursors:

• Why Master of Orion 1 is still very, very good:
  Simple mechanics
  Very little micromanagement
  Subtle, yet significant racial asymmetry
  The importance of fleets
  Not overly bloated
  And more...
  

Remnants of the Precursors will be available FOR FREE on Easter, April 12th, at www.RemnantsofthePrecursors.com.

This 4Xchange podcast thing is already seeing a total revamp of its format. Instead of just news, each week we'll have a topic that we dive deep in to. First up, the boys discuss how'd they'd create the perfect 4X and soon realize how in over their heads they truly are.

Recent 4X news items:

• Stellaris Federations is out. Met with mostly favorable reviews on Steam. Our review was unfortunately taken down due to plagiarism.

• Imperiums: Greek Wars looking for beta testers. Inquire within.
  

• We featured the first-ever look at Godking: Master of the Rituals gameplay. It appears to take some influence from both Master of Magic and the Dominions series and is pretty darn promising.
  

• Thea 2: The Shattering received update Build 0657, which added  a bunch of new content and fixes.
  

• Amplitude Studios showed off Humankind’s territory claiming system in this video.
  

• Dominions 5 received a huge update in the form of version 5.4.1, which among many, many other things, added a new nation, new heroes, new rituals, new units, new…everything! Check it out here!
  

What mechanics would we steal from other 4X games to make the “one great 4X”?

• Endless Legend’s faction asymmetry?
  
• Colonization’s end game?
  
• Alpha Centauri’s setting?
  
• Ascendancy’s racial active abilities?
  
• Sword of the Stars’ different stardrives or its random tech tree?
  
• Distant Worlds’ scale?
  

The Weekly eXchange is dead. Long live The Weekly eXchange!

In its place is a new, non-scheduled 4X gaming podcast, "The 4Xchange". This podcast will be very similar to "The Weekly eXchange", only it will be recorded as time permits and when there's enough to discuss, instead of forced into a weekly format.

1. The change to “The 4Xchange Show”: fortnightly? whenever?
2. Alliance of the Sacred Suns received its "biggest update evah"
3. Arcen Games released "The Spire Rises", AI War 2's first expansion, then shortly thereafter, released v2.007, titled "Speed Boost".  
4. Total Warhammer 2 Major Reformation
5. The Battle of Polytopia for Steam: I have a key for someone who wants to help beta test it!
6. Godking: Master of Rituals announced
7. Just as we expected, Warhammer 40K: Gladius - Relics of War received the much-anticipated Tau DLC this past week and then almost immediately continued their fantastic history of improving and updating the game with v1.5.1
8. Astra Exodus Update
9. The long-awaited AI rework dev diary for Stellaris
10. Skrupel TNG
11. New icy biomes in Interstellar Space Genesis' upcoming graphical overhaul

Join Rob as he delivers the week's 4X news, which entails much more than expected!

This episode was brought to you by Remnants of the Precursors. Download the free public beta on April 12th, 2020 (Easter) at www.RemnantsofthePrecursors.com, or search ROTP on Reddit.

Outline:

1. AI War II: The Spire eXpansion is out!
   
2. Warhammer 40K: Gladius - Tau DLC is out!
   
3. Master of Magic on Steam, Along with Caster of Magic
   
4. Stellaris “Federations” Gets a March 17th Release Date
   
5. Driftland: The Magic Revival New DLC: Nomads
   
6. Interstellar Space: Genesis Moltar Titan Reveal
   
7. Age of Wonders: Planetfall “Tyrannosaurus” Update Hotfix
   
8. Rimworld Surprise “Royalty” Expansion Released
   

The Commonwealth gang, aka Ben, Drexy, and Shaun, discuss 4X, tactics, strategy, and even...RPGs?

Tune in to see what they're up to this month!

Rob was lucky enough to sit down with Derek Paxton, now of Stardock, but formerly of Fall From Heaven 1/2 fame. If you're unfamiliar with Fall From Heaven, it was an incredibly detailed and well-received mod for Civilization 4 and is still considered one of the best mods for any game, ever.

Rob and Derek talk about Derek's move into game development, the games he's worked on, and some hints at what's to come.

This episode was brought to you by Remnants of the Precursors. Download the free public beta on April 12th, 2020 (Easter) at www.RemnantsofthePrecursors.com, or search ROTP on Reddit. 

Join Rob, Ben, and Drexy as they deliver this week's 4X and strategy news and expand a bit this week, in a test of a new, more thorough format!

Outline:

1. AI War 2 v1.332 “The Extragalactic War Nears”
   
2. Stellaris Dev Diary #170: Performance and Other Technical Issues
   
3. Age of Wonders: Planetfall “Tyrannosaurus Rex” Update v1.200
   
4. Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Dev Diary #26 “Colonial Day”
   
5. Dominus Galaxia v0.7.1.7
   
6. Rob’s Astra Exodus Review
   
7. Revision on Thea 2 “Wrath of the Sea” Update: It’s Free!
   
8. What is Star Valor?
   

Rob is outnumbered in this week's episode, but that doesn't matter, because he just joins in on the fun and Rob, Drexy, and Ben all update you on games like Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Interstellar Space: Genesis, Warhammer: 40K - Gladius, and much more.

Outline:

1. Interstellar Space: Genesis Graphics Overhaul Dev Diary and eXplorminate Article
   
2. Stellaris Dev Diary #169: Origins Q&A
   
3. Age of Wonders: Planetfall Tyrannosaurus Rex Update
   
4. Thea 2: Wrath of the Sea DLC Released
   
5. Warhammer: 40K - Gladius Update
   
6. Outscape V1.07 Released
   
7. AI War 2 V.1328 Released “Light and Shadow”
   
8. Sword of the Stars Remake/Redux Petition
   
9. Fantasy General 2 Now Available in Russian
   
10. Godhood “Newfound Shores” Beta Update
    
11. Star Control: Origins - Earth Rising Part 4/4 Released
    
12. Urtuk: The Desolation Now on Steam Early Access
    
13. What is Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem?
    

Join Rob and the British Ben as they discuss updates to many of your favorite 4X games, including Stellaris, Alliance of the Sacred Suns, Remnants of the Precursors and more!

Outline:

1. Stellaris Dev Diary #168: Diplomacy Q&A
   
2. Humankind Developer’s Diary Video
   
3. Alliance of the Sacred Suns Military System Outlined
   
4. Stellar Monarch Update
   
5. Astra Exodus Update and Future Plans
   
6. Pax Nova Update
   
7. Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars Beta Update
   
8. AI War 2 Beta Update
   
9. Remnants of the Precursors Teasers
   
10. Age of Wonders: Planetfall Update?
    
11. What is...Corruption 2029?
    

Join Rob as he lays out the 4X news and presents your ears with a short and sweet roundup of what is to come at eXplorminate!

Outline: 

1. Astra Exodus Released, to Not-So-Favorable Reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/880750/Astra_Exodus/#app_reviews_hash
   
2. Warhammer 40K: Gladius v1.4.6 Update: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791460800057/announcements/detail/1710740767936096465
   
3. Stellaris Update: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791439224844/announcements/detail/1718622067688821157
   
4. Alliance of the Sacred Suns Update: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791464890585/announcements/detail/1700607019312481679
   
5. AI War 2 Update: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791462173160/announcements/detail/1714118468062456980
   
6. Battlestar Galactica DLC Update: https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791458343938/announcements/detail/1681466720895877605
   
7. What is… Rising Lords? https://store.steampowered.com/app/835650/Rising_Lords/
   

Join Rob and special guest, Drexy, as they deliver the 4X gaming news you're looking for!

1. Imperium: Greek Wars update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/1183470/announcements/detail/2977376900608183931)
   
2. Astra Exodus update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/880750/announcements/detail/1692724456740783658)
   
3. Alliance of the Sacred Suns update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/1113400/announcements/detail/3093344592956041626)
   
4. GalaCollider update: (https://store.steampowered.com/app/970370)
   
5. Stellaris update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/281990/announcements/detail/2977376900604273208) and - (https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/stellaris-dev-diary-166-federation-q-a.1313491/&utm_source=launch-steam&utm_medium=launcher&utm_content=post&utm_campaign=fede_stpc_20200123_for_dd)
   
6. Stellaris: Galaxy Command is back. Really??!?!
   
7. Frostpunk update: (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1146960/Frostpunk_The_Last_Autumn/)
   
8. What is… Age of Space?: (https://store.steampowered.com/app/616780/Age_of_Space/)
   
9. Paradox Subscription? (https://kotaku.com/paradox-is-quietly-testing-a-strategy-game-subscription-1841164179)
   

Rob does his best to bring you the news that you want to hear about and also speaks about the return to eXplorminate's roots: 4X games. 

1. WH40K Gladius: RoW update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/489630/announcements/detail/1705107447329605579)
   
2. Interstellar Space: Genesis update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/984680/announcements/detail/1711864755137525664)
   
3. Endless Day 2020: (https://www.games2gether.com/amplitude-studios/games2gether/blogs/716-meet-us-at-the-endless-day-2020-beer2gether)
   
4. Astra Exodus update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/880750/announcements/detail/1692724456723223277)
   
5. Total War Warhammer 2 update: (https://steamcommunity.com/games/594570/announcements/detail/1711864755144547044)
   
6. Iceberg's space-themed giveaway: (https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Iceberg/announcements/detail/1693850356628804154)
   
7. Frostpunk update: (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1146960/Frostpunk_The_Last_Autumn/)
   

Join Rob as he updates you on some recent developments with the site and the staff. We will likely be taking a couple weeks to regroup after some setbacks.

Join Rob and Nate as they cover the small amount of news that popped up this past week and talk about the FREE release of Remnants of the Precursors, a Master of Orion 1 modernization. 

Outline:

1. Lord of Rigel Update
   
2. Master of Orion Steam Thread
   
3. Remnants of the Precursors Steam Thread
   
4. Stellaris Steam Thread
   
5. What is…Secret Government?
   
6. Topic #1 - Steam Tags
   
7. Topic #2 - Most Anticipated Games of 2020
   

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss the newest information about At the Gates, Thea 2, Fantasy General 2, a game called Distant Worlds 2, and much more! Outline: At the Gates Update Thea 2 Update Humankind Game Awards Trailer Warhammer 40K Gladius Update Fantasy General 2 DLC Announced Distant Worlds 2 Update Astra Exodus Update/Releasing Jan 23rd Interstellar Space: Genesis Update Predestination Update Pax Nova Update/Patch AI War 2 Updates Crying Suns Update Fort Triumph Update Fantasy General 2 Update What is...Endzone: A World Apart? Topic #1 - Steam Winter Sale! Topic #2 - Cats: The Movie...Patched Topic #3 - The Witcher on Netflix

Rob, Ben, Drexy, and Shaun discuss the games industry as a whole and dive into the latest news, releases, and drama. This is the first and only "After Dark" episode that will be released to the public. More episodes in this format are already available, and more are to come if you subscribe to eXplorminate | creating a 4X, Strategy, and Tactics Game Podcast | Patreon

*Some explicit language is in this episode, please be warned!*

Matt, aka Sabouts, is a content creator that publishes Let's Plays and other video content related to 4X and strategy games. He's recently reached 20,000 subscribers on his journey to take YouTube by storm and so we sat down with him as part of our new interview series, where we will speak with successful content creators and ask them all sorts of juicy questions related to our favorite genre.  You can check out his growing channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4jGykiynTSb0--B9mPG8g Or follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/sabouts

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss Stellaris, Astra Exodus, Slitherine's upcoming streaming marathon, and Amplitude Studios' Humankind being front and center at the Game Awards Show! They also discuss some of the site changes and Steam stuff. 

Outline:

1. Driftland: The Magic Revival Update
   
2. Humankind Update
   
3. Astra Exodus Update
   
4. Stellaris Update
   
5. Slitherine update - Jingle Bell Marathon on 12/19
   
6. Battletech Update
   
7. What is...Gears Tactics?
   
8. Topic #1 - Steam Ratings
   
9. Topic #2 - Our Site Changes, etc.
   

Join Rob and Nate as they publish the first Weekly eXchange on Anchor.FM and talk about Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Alliance of the Sacred Suns, Astra Exodus, and more. They also discuss the recent Steam sale, if you can call it that.  Outline: Age of Wonders: Planetfall Update Alliance of the Sacred Suns Update Astra Exodus Update Interstellar Space: Genesis Update Remnants of the Precursors Update Stellaris Update What is...Chaos Galaxy? Topic #1 - Steam sale…

This week Rob and Nate bring you the 4X, strategy, and tactics news you expect, but with more audio issues than you'd probably like. Rob blames Nate.Outline: Driftland UpdateStellaris UpdateAstra Exodus Update Predestination Update Total War: Warhammer 2 Update Warlords on GoG What is...GloomhavenTopic #1 - Steam SaleTopic #2 - GotD survey

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss Humankind, At the Gates, Civilization 6, Dominions 5, the great news about Star Dynasties, and much more!Show Outline:Humankind update Civilization 6 updateAt the Gates update Dominions 5 update  Age of Wonders: Planetfall update Star Dynasties update   Astra Exodus update  Stellaris update Stellar Monarch update Battletech update  What is… Spire of Sorcery? Topic #1 - Google StadiaTopic #2 - Elon Musk’s “Truck”

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss the new release of Age of Wonders: Planetfall - Revelations, Astra Exodus, Warhammer 40K: Gladius, Stars in Shadow, and more!Show Outline: Age of Wonders: Planetfall update Endless Legend update WH40K Gladius update Distant Worlds 2 UpdateAstra Exodus update Stellaris update Stars in Shadow update Starpoint Gemini 3 update What is… Command: Modern Operations? Topic #1 - YouTube Topic #2 - Steam UI impressions

Join Rob as he sits down with Chris Park, the main - and currently ONLY - developer behind Arcen Games, a studio with a rich history of doing things differently. Chris opens up on what's gone wrong in the past and what's going right with AI War 2, their latest release that's been met with a positive reception! Stay tuned to eXplorminate later today, as our full review of AI War 2 will be released!Music is taken from the game AI War 2.

It's time for the new Weekly eXchange, wherein we talk about Astra Exodus, Stellaris, Interstellar Space: Genesis, Alliance of the Sacred Suns and much, much more. Outline in lieu of notes, for now: Interstellar Space: Genesis Update Alliance of the Sacred Suns Story Update Pax Nova Update/Wiki Astra Exodus Update Stellaris Update Galactic Civilizations 3 Update Nate's Pipedream of an XCOM3 Update What is...Nebuchadnezzar? Mod Higlight: Endless Legend Topic #1 - AAA Quality games…. Yea, right!!!

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss a new 4X game announcement, Thea 2, an update to a game that is somehow - and thankfully - still being updated, and much more! Outline Provided Until Notes Arrive: Imperium: Greek Wars Announced! Thea 2 Update Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes UpdateDriftland Update Gladius UpdateStellaris UpdateAstra Exodus UpdateImmortal Realms: Vampire Wars Now On SteamWhat is...Terra Invicta? and Official Site Discussion Topic: Copyrights

Join Rob as he speaks with the married duo behind the extremely promising Wildermyth, Nate and Annie, of Worldwalker Games. Wildermyth is what you'd probably get if you mixed fantasy with XCOM tactics and threw in some seriously great character development. It'd appeal to just about anyone with a love for strategy RPGs or fantasy strategy games. The intro and outro song is from Wildermyth, titled "Something in the Woods". Wildermyth on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/763890/Wildermyth/Wildermyth on itch.io: https://wildermyth.itch.io/wildermythWidermyth's Website: https://wildermyth.com/

Rob, Ben, and Jesse interview Lennart Sas, the Game Director of Age of Wonders 4, and Tom Bird, the Creative Lead. Learn about what went into the design, what got cut out, and what's in store for Age of Wonders 4!

Outro music by Whitebat Audio. All rights reserved.

Consider becoming a patron of our podcast so we can continue doing this indefinitely! Click this link!

Join Rob and Nate on All Hallow's Eve Eve as they discuss the updates to Interstellar Space: Genesis, Galactic Civilizations 3, Stellaris, and then go in to detail about some of the games they've been playing of late! Show outline, until notes are provided: Thea 2 update - (https://mailchi.mp/f5ff08d96802/muha-games-newsletter-issue-783333) Age of Wonders: Planetfall update - (https://steamcommunity.com/games/718850/announcements/detail/1652185077929206167) Stellaris update - (https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/stellaris-dev-diary-157-things-that-rock.1264500/&utm_source=twitter-owned&utm_medium=social-owned&utm_content=post&utm_campaign=lith_stpc_20191024_for_dd) Astra Exodus update - (https://steamcommunity.com/games/880750/announcements/detail/1563238351467685142) Interstellar Space: Genesis update - (https://steamcommunity.com/games/984680/announcements/detail/1670199476441750896) Galactic Civilizations 3 update - (https://steamcommunity.com/games/galciv3/announcements/detail/1667947676630880523) Battletech: Heavy Metal update - (https://steamcommunity.com/games/637090/announcements/detail/1661192277177556887) Alder’s Blood update - (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/167825245/alders-blood-a-victorian-western-tactical-stealth-game) Urtuk: the Desolation update - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJfex-X3piw)  What is WarPlan? - (https://www.slitherine.com/game/warplan)

Remember that remake of Master of Orion 1 made in Java? The free one? It's been a while since we've heard anything from Ray Fowler, the solo developer of that project, so Rob pinned him down for an update. Rob finally managed to wrench some good news out of him and learned a lot about the project in the process. You can download the Alpha here: https://rayfowler.itch.io/remnants-of-the-precursors

This week on the Weekly eXchange, Rob and Nate talk about PDXCon, Stellaris, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Pax Nova, Crusader Kings 3, and much more, so tune in and let us know what you think!Notes:Before we begin: HUGE Shoutout to Drexy for his website help!Age of Wonders: Planetfall update – 02:26WH40K Gladius update – 05:09Stellar Monarch update – 07:27Astra Exodus update – 09:50Stars in Shadow Steam pagePax Nova Update: – 11:57Stars in Shadow update – 16:43Stellaris update and the Stellaris: Federations expansion – 17:51Endless Space – Disharmony Steam pageMaster of Orion: Conquer the Stars Steam pageStellaris Galaxy Command, a Mobile Game: – 24:17Nova Empire webpageDiablo Immortal webpageEuropa Universalis 4 Steam pageCrusader Kings 2 Steam pageNorthgard Conquest Mode – 31:06Battletech update – 31:56Battletech Flashpoint Steam pageXCOM 2 Steam pagePDXcon news – 35:55Surviving the AftermathWerewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood | Reveal Trailer“Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong” Announced At PDXCONVampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 on SteamCrusader Kings 3 – Announcement Trailer – An Heir is BornWhat is… Rebel Inc.? – 40:19Plague Inc: Evolved Steam pageFriday eXcursion: Plague Inc. EvolvedTopic: The Price of Games – 42:49Stellaris Steam pageCivilization 6 Steam pageMaster of Orion 2 Steam pageCivilization III Complete Steam pageCivilization V Steam pageSimCity 2000 Special Edition page on OriginGames we are playing / Things we are doing – 58:29Build-a-website! Awesome new game! Juicy achievements! Read all about it!!!(Not)Fix-my-driveway! Endeavor on a journey of self-discovery by pounding concrete blocks!!!(Hah!)What Is Bombogenesis?(Ahem, games please!)Thea 2: The Shattering Steam pageeXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page

Join Rob as he speaks with Steve Hawkins, the developer of Alliance of the Sacred Suns, about the origins of the game, its current state, and the direction it's headed in. Then be sure to check out www.eXplorminate.net for even more on this promising title!

Join Rob as he speaks with Manuel, a gameplay programmer and original founder of Abbey Games, developers of the hit games Reus, The Renowned Explorers, and now, Godhood. Rob asks him about the direction of the game, the criticism leveled at Godhood, and what comes next!Abbey Games' DiscordGodhood's RoadmapGodhood's Forums

Rob and Nate discuss a multitude of news topics, including the biggest one of the week: Blizzard. There's a lot of 4X and strategy news to discuss before we dive in on that one, though. Notes:Age of Wonders: Planetfall update – 01:02Stellaris Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pageCivilization V Steam pageWH40K Gladius update – 03:56Stars in Shadow update – 06:13Stars in Shadow: 2019 – ReeXaminationAstra Exodus update – 07:58Interstellar Space Genesis Steam pageGalCiv 3 Update – 11:09Elemental: War of Magic Steam pageFallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes Steam pageStellaris update – 13:17Total War: Warhammer 2 update – 19:38Total War: Three Kingdoms Steam pageTotal War: Warhammer Steam pageWhat is… Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars – 24:16Let’s eXplore Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars BetaArmello Steam pageTopic #1: How does 5 sound? – 29:38Phoenix Point webpageGrim Dawn Steam pageDominus Galaxia webpageXenonauts Steam pageXenonauts 2 webpageTopic #2: WTF Blizzard?!?!? Are you for real??!?!?! – 43:41Games we are playing / Things we are doing – 58:07Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars Steam pageLet’s eXplore Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars BetaThea 2: The Shattering Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pageOriental Empires Steam pageAge of Wonders: Planetfall Steam pageXenoReaver modsXenia’s Ark Steam pageLegend of Keepers: Prologue Steam pageDungeon ArchitectGodhood Steam pageRenowned Explorers: International SocietyReusChildren of Morta – eXcursion by OliverSeals Victory in Age of Wonders 3 – Mechanical Wonders series by OlivereXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss a slow news week and dive into some other topics, too. Oh, and then there's this rant by Nate. Who saw that coming?Music by Mangadrive for eXplorminate Notes:Thea 2 update – 01:29Thea: The Awakening Steam pageWH40K Gladius update – 09:57Astra Exodus update – 12:56Let’s eXplore Astra ExodusStars in Shadow Steam pageTotal War: Three Kingdoms – 15:40Total War: Rome 2 Steam pageTotal War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Steam pageTotal War: Shogun 2 Steam pageTotal War: Attila Steam pageFantasy General II Steam page – 17:46AI War 2 Steam page – 19:23What is… Trial by Fire? –Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind Steam pageKing of Dragon Pass Steam pageArmello Steam pageLet’s eXplore Trials of Fire: A Roguelike Turn-Based Strategy GameTopic: False Advertising – 26:39Ad Astra (2019) on IMDbEndless Legend Steam pageGalactic Civilizations III Steam pageStellaris Steam pageCivilization 6 Steam pageGames we are playing / Things we are doing – 39:48Thea 2: The Shattering Steam pageeXplorminate Steam Curator pageFantastic Creatures Steam pageFabien of Fantastic CreaturesLet’s eXplore Fantastic CreatureseXplorminate Youtube channeleXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page

Join Rob, Nate, and Oliver as they further discuss Age of Wonders: Planetfall in podcast form. What did Rob leave out in the review? What's changed since the review posted? They talk about that and much more!

Join Rob, Nate and a special guest as they discuss the news on Civilization 6, Birth of Civilization, Stellaris, Dominus Galaxia, and then try to tackle the whole "What is a 4X Game" question. Notes:Civilization 6 update – 01:24Birth of Civilization update – 03:12Stellaris Dev Diary – 05:17Astra Exodus Dev Diary – 07:34Astra Exodus with Atomic KaiserAtomic Kaiser Youtube channelDominus Galaxia update – 09:12The Less eXplored – Dominus GalaxiaInterview with Jeff Graw, Developer of Dominus GalaxiaLet’s eXplore Dominus Galaxia Beta (Youtube)What is… Project Haven? – 11:24XCOM 2 Steam pageTopic: The evolving nature of 4X games and what it means for its definition – 14:16Crossing the Rubicon: Defining the 4X like GenreRevisions to the framework4X Game databaseAge of Wonders Steam pageResults of the perception surveyNorthgard Steam pageSorcerer King: Rivals Steam pageStar Dynasties pageAlliance Of the Sacred Suns on SteamMaster of Orion 2 Steam pageTotal War: Rome 2 Steam pageOffworld Trading Company Steam pageDriftland: The Magic Revival Steam pageThea: The Awakening Steam pageThea 2: The Shattering Steam pageCivilization 6 Steam pageEndless Legend Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pageJon Shafer’s At the Gates Steam pageStellar Monarch Steam PageDistant Worlds: Universe Steam pageStellaris Steam pageArmada 2526 Gold Edition Steam pagePandora: First Contact Steam pageEuropa Universalis 4 Steam pageCrusader Kings 2 Steam pageStar Ruler 2 Steam pageCatan on BoardGameGeekArmello Steam pageGames we are playing / Things we are doing – 49:02Fort Triumph Steam pageHeroes of Might and Magicon GOGXCOM 2 Steam pageDominus Galaxia webpageTrials of Fire Steam pageAstra Exodus Steam pageStellar Monarch Steam PageStellar Monarch: The Age of Technology Steam pageStarbase Orion for iOsPlanar Conquest RRSid Meier’s Civilization VI on the App StoreChildren of MortaWarhammer: Vermintide 2 Steam pageAge of Wonders: Planetfall Steam pageCrying Suns Steam pageeXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support pageeXplorminate

Join Rob as he grills Jeff Graw of StarChart Interactive about his game-in-development, Dominus Galaxia. Why did Jeff model it after Master of Orion 1? What makes Dominus Galaxia special? What does Jeff think of the current 4X market? Tune in to find out!https://dominusgalaxia.com/

Rob, Drex, and Ben discuss some of the latest 4X news and dive deep into Galactic Civilizations 4: Supernova.

Outro music by WhiteBat Audio.

Consider becoming a patron on our Patreon, please! Click this link to support what we do!

Join Rob and Nate as they try this new format on for size and discuss topics ranging from Driftland: The Magic Revival all the way to the recent French courts' decision on Valve's Steam practices. Music by Mangadrive for eXplorminateShow NotesDriftland update – 02:05Age of Wonders: Planetfall Steam pageStellaris Steam pageCivilization 6 Steam pageAudible eXtension For Civilization VICrossing The Rubicon: Defining The 4X-like Genre (by Oliver)Stellar Monarch update – 07:49Endless Space 2 update – 09:59Endless Space 2 – Awakening Steam pageCivilization: Beyond Earth Steam pagePhoenix Point webpageInterstellar Space: Genesis update – 16:48Alliance of the Sacred Suns update – 22:04Total War: Three Kingdoms Steam pageJon Shafer’s At the Gates Steam pageTotal War Sagas: Troy Update – 26:38Total War: Rome 2 Steam pageTotal War: Attila Steam pageTotal War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Steam pageTotal War: Three Kingdoms Steam pageWhat is… Proxima Centauri? – 34:38Topic #1: Game music – 36:25SimCity 2000 Special Edition page on OriginAscendancy pageCivilization IV Steam pageGalactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition Steam pageEndless Space Steam pageEndless Legend Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pageAge of Wonders: Planetfall Steam pagegofundme – A Podcast Intro by Flybyno (Endless Space 1 & 2 and Endless Legend)Topic #2: French Courts speak up – 46:21Games we are playing / Things we are doing – 55:17Thea 2: The Shattering Steam page@FmrPlays on TwitterFantastic Creatures Steam pageAstra Exodus Steam pageCrying Suns Steam pageHalcyon 6: Starbase Commander Steam pageDominus Galaxia webpageeXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page

Join Rob and Nate as they discuss updates to Thea 2, Dominions 5, Civilization 6 and the changes coming to both the website and the Weekly eXchange podcast!Music by Mangadrive for eXplorminateShow Notes: Thea 2 update - Pangea is Coming - 01:13Thea: The Awakening Steam pageDominions 5 update - 03:33Ascendancy pageWarlords III: Reign of Heroes on MobyGamesBurned Land’s Saeculis Obscuris B10 update is live - 06:04Civilization 6 update for Battle Royale type gaming - 08:08Blood Bowl 2 Steam pageEndless Space 2 update - 14:26Stellaris update - 17:50Galactic Civilization 4 update - 19:37Siege of Centauri Steam pageAshes of the Singularity: Escalation Steam pageStellaris Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pageEndless Space Steam pageSword of the Stars Steam pageBattlestar Galactica Deadlock Steam pageSins of the Solar Empire: Rebellion Steam pageBattletech update - 24:50XCOM 2 Steam pageWhat is... Solasta: Crown of the Magister? - 26:38Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced edition Steam pageDivinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition Steam pageBaldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Steam pageLess eXplored - Fort TriumphSteam Labs update - 29:30Interactive Recommender on SteamGOG 2.0 update - 32:55The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Steam pageWEX transformation - 36:02Games we are playing / Things we are doing - 42:01Fort Triumph Steam pageThea 2: The Shattering Steam pageA Podcast Intro by Flybyno (Endless Space 1 & 2 and Endless Legend) - GofundmeeXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page

Join Rob and Nate as they bring you all the important information on all of your favorite 4X and strategy games! This week they talk about Civilization 6, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Alliance of the Sacred Suns, Endless Space 2, Pax Nova, Thea 2: the Shattering and much much more. As well as continued coverage for your other favorite 4X and strategy games.Music for eXplorminate by MangadriveNotes:Civilization 6 update – 01:25Age of Wonders: Planetfall update – 06:21Endless Legend Steam pageAge of Wonders 3 Steam pageAlliance of the Sacred Suns update – 13.30Crusader Kings 2 Steam pageEuropa Universalis 4 Steam pageEndless Space 2 update and The Nakalim of Endless Space 2: Awakening – 15:57Pax Nova update – 21:17Let’s eXplore Pax Nova’s Community Appreciation Update: Final EpisodeLet’s eXplore Pax Nova Community Update: Ep. 1Thea 2 update – 23:18What is… Age of Grit? – 24:20Sunless Sea Steam pageWhat’s this?!?!?! – 27:06Mech Commander page on MobyGamesMaster of Orion 1 Steam pageMaster of Magic on GOGX-COM: UFO Defense Steam pageeXplorminate’s 5th anniversary – 31:095th Anniversary Celebration: Amplitude Studios (CLOSED)5th Anniversary Celebration: Iceberg Interactive Giveaway (CLOSED)Dawn of Andromeda Steam pageLords of the Black Sun Steam pageFantasy General 2 update – near the end…Games we are playing / Things we are doing – 40:26Age of Wonders: Planetfall Steam pageEndless Space 2 Steam pagePax Nova Steam pageEpisode 3: Let’s eXplore Pax Nova Planetary UpdateDawn of Andromeda Steam pageeXplorminate Discord servereXplorminate Patreon Support page