I couldn't tell if this was the right forum for this but would anyone recommend Gal Civ III (including latest expansion(s)), for someone who generally enjoys Civ 6 and hates Paradox games (b/c they are spreadsheet-fests and also too complicated)?
I'll recommend it. I have played Gal Civ III (with all expansions) since that one released. It's a great game, and the closest thing to Civilization in Space out there, I think. Definitely worth getting the expansions; the devs have greatly improved the game through them.
Planets are similar in complexity to Civilization cities; outposts and space docks are like districts, and you can stack units (spaceships) in fleets (up to your logistics point score, which increases through tech). Has a large tech tree, interesting aliens, Civ V like diplomacy (including a Galactic Council political body), cultural mechanics (Influence, territory and yes, planet flipping through Influence) and you can make up your own faction (and spaceships) to play if you choose. Large modding community as well on Steam.
I play a few Paradox games too (until they went crazy charging for DLC for everything), and Gal Civ III is definitely more similar to Civ V/VI in complexity, rather than Hearts of Iron, Stellaris, et al.
I haven't played Gal Civ III in a few years so I don't know how it's changed. Back then, the thing that frustrated me was there were too many techs and buildings with minor effects/benefits each (e.g. multiple buildings for science but each only given a small bonus). I thought it would be better to scale them back but have more significant bonuses (e.g. two buildings for science with large bonuses). It made me think things were in there just to have them in rather than making it fun. That being said, it certainly has had a chance to evolve over the years. I may actually reinstall it and give it a try again.
The space Civ I've had the most fun with is Stellaris. I didn't find as bad as europa universalis or the other paradox games. The diplomacy was pretty bland initially though but I think it's been improved with expansions.
Endless space 2 was pretty good too but it never grabbed my attention like Stellaris. I also didn't like the fleet spam that happens later in the game. It happened in Endless Space 1 too.
I've played Gal Civ III and enjoyed it a lot. It's actually closer to Civ 4 than it is to Civ 5/6. It's a much more complex game and has more nuances than Civ 5/6. IMHO, that is.
Thanks these comments are super helpful! I also had my eye on Stellaris but was nervous about the complexity, but I'll take another look. I also played Endless Space 2 for a while, which I agree was excellent, but then I got bored, I think because I felt it was too much bucket-dumping (get more of X to dump into the bucket and the most buckets win), and like someone said, the fleet spam.
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