Gnomoria

1. TrueTrueReview

   Apr 20, 2013

   10

   This game is a masterpiece. To hell with towns, and buy this game. First impression may be painful but this game has weeks worth of content in alpha.

   • 10 of 13 users found this helpful
2. DonPrestoni

   Aug 5, 2014

   10

   If you enjoy city/resource management sims and strategy games, this is one you really should pick up.
   
   I picked this game up 10 days ago andIf you enjoy city/resource management sims and strategy games, this is one you really should pick up.
   
   I picked this game up 10 days ago and have already clocked up around 120 hours.
   
   First off, a bit of appreciation for the games difficulty settings. The frequency, size and strength of enemy attacks can be varied anywhere from "Off"/(x 0.5) to "Double"/(x 2). You can also further choose to vary what enemies attack you on a type by type basis. don't like spiders? Turn them off. Only want to fight zombies, go for it.
   
   Ok, lets start with your Gnomes. You control a band of gnomes, and the level of stats and attributes is impressive. It almost gives your gnomes a personality. Oh, and they all have names, so get them killed and you may feel guilty. BUT. Your Gnomes are pretty dumb. The AI isn't bad, but it isn't great. They will try to do things they can't, seal themselves in rooms they built, dig themselves into pits. But you only have yourself to blame. Careful use of commands and doing things in order can avoid all this trouble. Give your gnomes smart commands and see your efficiency sore.
   
   The graphics are basic but perfectly adequate, but don't let that put you off. Where this game truly shines is the depth.
   
   The economy is deep and varied, but based on a common and simple set of principles. This combines to give you a huge variety of things to do in your sandbox, but lets you learn the mechanics relatively easily. As a result, no play through is the same, your city/fortress will always look different. From improvements to efficiency made simply by giving your population access to bags, wheelbarrows and buckets to complex production lines where the forge produces metal which is worked by machine shops to be used by the engineers to build the devices you invented. And there are a good variety of industries to get involved in.
   
   The other aspect of this game that shines is the mechanics system. A solid addition to the tech research trees (you gain access to more mechanical do-hickeys as you complete research), you can build machines limited only by your imagination, and I guess to an extent by the tools available. So far, while the game is in beta there are 3 devices, hatches which close holes when powered, mechanical walls which block passages when powered and pumps which move liquid from one place to another.
   
   There are all sorts of switches and power sources you can use from hand cranks to engines and levers to pressure plates, but put them together and you can do some awesome things. Working purely in 2D I have so far made 1 way doors which can be locked from both directions, drawbridges, goblin crushers (a cunning combination of a mechanical wall and a roof...) and pitfalls. Yesterday I ventured into 3D and my machines gained a whole level of complexity. Yes, the game is 3D, didn't I mention that? You can build up or down as well as outwards.
   
   The military side of things has not been forgotten either. And you have options. Will you live in isolation in a walled off and sealed city forgoing trade and immigration? Will you have a small force of elite troops? A larger but less focused military? No military at all but have every citizen able to join the armed militia if the need arises? Will you use traps and mechanics to fight for you? The options are there for you to use.
   
   Lastly, the information. The level of detail behind the scenes is staggering. But the game does it's best to make anything sensible visible to you. This is helped by the flexibility of the UI. everything can be renamed. And everything can be viewed where appropriate. The UI takes a short while to learn, but is pretty intuitive. There are action bars and a right click menu, both letting you do anything. Things are generally in sensible places. And the UI is being worked on all the time. Resizeable windows, extra options and settings on your resources for prioritisation and stock forwarding.
   
   So go for it, your city is in your hands.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
4. ShrinkingTyler

   Oct 21, 2013

   10

   An absolutleyamazing game. It is in a way easier version of Dwarf Fortress (A very complex game). Gnomoria is one of the first games in aAn absolutleyamazing game. It is in a way easier version of Dwarf Fortress (A very complex game). Gnomoria is one of the first games in a while that i've just gotten lost in and dumped hour after hours into.… Expand

   • 0 of 3 users found this helpful
5. ViciousCrow

   Sep 29, 2013

   10

   I have spent a lot of time playing this game. Even though it's made by a small indie dev team it's quite great, the graphics are well done andI have spent a lot of time playing this game. Even though it's made by a small indie dev team it's quite great, the graphics are well done and the gameplay is amazing. Haven't yet seen a game updated so often and regularly. Every few weeks there's new content added and any emerging bugs fixed nearly instantly.
   
   The only thing that seems missing is the tutorial but if you're into this genre then you'll work out everything fast on your own. Definitely a 10 for me.… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful
6. FrAvatar

   Oct 22, 2013

   9

   Gnomoria is a great Sandbox game. A mix of Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress and city building game. You start the game by choosing your kingdomGnomoria is a great Sandbox game. A mix of Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress and city building game. You start the game by choosing your kingdom name and map size. then it's up to you to get the settlement up and running. You start with 9 Gnome settlers and have to build up production and defenses. Considering that the game is still in Alpha, there's plenty of content already available and the game seems to be getting content added weekly. If you've ever played Dwarf Fortress but couldn't stand the (lack of graphics and clunky interface, then Gnomoria is right up your ally as it addresses these issues. there's quite a learning curve to get going but it's no where as daunting as Dwarf Fortress.
   
   There's plenty of Fun to be had with this game, especially if you enjoy strategy and thinking.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
7. xenoxinius

   Jun 1, 2014

   9

   This game is AWESOME
   I really like what they did with the Dwarf Fortress idea
   The best of it all is, it is still in beta!!! I alreadyThis game is AWESOME
   I really like what they did with the Dwarf Fortress idea
   The best of it all is, it is still in beta!!!
   I already enjoyed hours and hours of this game, and they are still releasing new content!!!
   
   There are a lot of city, world and economy building simulators lately
   a lot of them are awesome (new Tropico 5, Banished, ...)
   This one gets the prize from me. I adore the graphix
   
   Even though the game has a very steep learning curve, I think everyone can pick it up and start
   there is a great and ever expanding wiki, and the community is very friendly… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
8. kuehnau

   Apr 26, 2014

   2

   I don't get where everyone is calling it a "masterpiece", it's a piece of something and you know what I am alluding to.
   
   The game revolvesI don't get where everyone is calling it a "masterpiece", it's a piece of something and you know what I am alluding to.
   
   The game revolves around starting your own community of Gnomes, much in a style similar to Dwarf Fortress, but with better graphics.
   
   Unfortunately the game is marred with so many issues and problems it's almost impossible to find anything remotely resembling a good game here.
   
   To begin with the graphics are overly simplistic. Remember when I compared it to dwarf fortress? It barely achieves anything better then dwarf fortress. Most of the graphics are static, some of the graphics are missing (it is still in production though.)
   
   The controls are awful, confusing and clunky as hell. The game doesn't so much as have tool tips of users to be able to figure out what is going on, even something as simple as trying to move through different levels of the map is a horrible experience.
   
   The game, at times, tends to be overly complex, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the game flat out refuses to teach you anything about the game or how it's played. In games that tend to be more complex, it's a good idea to slowly teach players how to play the game and introduce it. You get none of that with Gnomoria. You literally have to spend hours fumbling around until you figure out on your own how to play the game. The alternative is going on youtube and other websites and STUDYING how to play the game.
   
   Then there is the terrible AI, at the very least they could have programmed the gnomes in Gnomoria to at least be mildly independent, but they are literally retarded. They don't sleep when they need to, they don't eat when they need to and will literally kill themselves doing some of the most stupid stunts I have ever seen.
   
   Bottom line is, this is an awful game and a waste of time.… Expand

   • 1 of 6 users found this helpful

See all 27 User Reviews