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Offworld Trading Company |OT| Pirates, I hate those filthy bandits.

C

CzarTim

Member
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Site | Steam, Humble (Windows, Mac)
$39.99
Developer: Mohawk Games
Publisher: Stardock Entertainment

Offworld Trading Company is an economic RTS from Soren Johnson (Civilization IV) which emphasis macro rather than micro. There are no units to control, instead you focus on building up your base, making as much money as possible, and buying out your opponents. Each match plays out differently based on the dynamic market and randomly generated map, so the strategy that lead you to victory in one game time isn't guaranteed to work in the next.

The single player campaign allows players to shape their business over time depending on where they invest their money. Multiplayer skirmishes can be played with up to eight players or AI.

The soundtrack is by Grammy winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV).

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Trailer

Tutorial Videos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Gameplay: 4 Player FFA Tournament Final

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Reviews

Tom Chick, 5 Stars
It is every bit as thrilling as something with constant explosions. It’s the sort of game you’ll be thinking about at work. It’s the sort of game you just might want to try online. It’s the sort of game with a campaign you can play and replay and replay some more. It’s the sort of game with so many settings and options and variables that you might never need another RTS.
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Gamespot, 9/10
Offworld is a revelation. It's almost unparalleled in the genre. Each and every game is thrilling. Every moment is a challenge. And the brutality of the free market ensures that you can never rest on your laurels, less you be quashed by the invisible hand.
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Kotaku
It doesn’t take long to learn to play OTC, especially since it’s got a fantastic (and funny) set of tutorials. Once you get the hang of how the market works and how you claim tiles, you’re ready to go. And yet the game is still incredibly complex because of the possibilities of what you can do with what looks like a limited array of tools.
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IGN, 8/10
Relatively simple in concept but complex in the possible manipulation of the market, Offworld Trading Company manages to make a type of gameplay that’s traditionally slow into something fast and exciting. It’s a tad too easy to trip yourself up before you even begin, but once it gets rolling this multiplayer-friendly cold war of capitalism forces tough, rapid-fire strategic choices.
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PC Gamer, 88/100
Offworld Trading Company is a difficult game to review because I’m probably not good enough to enjoy it the way I should. It says plenty about about the game, then, that I still completely love it. There’s a simple, tactile joy of seeing every a nudge of the finger explode into a flourish of numbers, but a deep and lasting satisfaction from knowing every profit was carefully engineered.
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I'd be interested to know if the UI is something that you can handle with a touchpad. As a StarCraft player I'm well aware that RTS is usually fast and demanding enough that it requires a mouse, but as this is by all appearances a more macro/builder-oriented game, it would be convenient for me if I could play Offworld on the go on a laptop without losing too much of the experience.

I definitely plan to give this game a proper look later in the year, though right now I might be a little too backlogged to jump in at launch. Hopefully there are still other players around for multiplayer skirmishes by then.
 
QuixoticNeutral said:
I'd be interested to know if the UI is something that you can handle with a touchpad. As a StarCraft player I'm well aware that RTS is usually fast and demanding enough that it requires a mouse, but as this is by all appearances a more macro/builder-oriented game, it would be convenient for me if I could play Offworld on the go on a laptop without losing too much of the experience.

I definitely plan to give this game a proper look later in the year, though right now I might be a little too backlogged to jump in at launch. Hopefully there are still other players around for multiplayer skirmishes by then.
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I have not tried it, so I can't say for sure. It should theoretically work. The game doesn't require much in the way of reflexes or high APMs.
 
Anyone care to comment about performance on older hardware? Minimum hardware lists a nvidia 8800, which seems incredibly low.
 
dieter said:
Anyone care to comment about performance on older hardware? Minimum hardware lists a nvidia 8800, which seems incredibly low.
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I had a GTX 200 series when the game first came out and it was okay. It is defiantly better on my 970, but not unplayable before.
 
Last night I played a map where there were only three silicon deposits. I grabbed all of them expecting that eventually, the two other opponents would have to have glass in order to upgrade their bases. I didn't sell any silicon until the price was around 50 units. I know they can buy at the price listed as long as they have money, but I wonder at what rate my hoarding was increasing the price every time they bought a piece of silicon.

I really like the game and the music btw. It's hard to wrap my head around and the situations are too much for a mere mortal to fully contextualize, but I feel like I'm getting better. The worst moment is when yor strategy just starts to plateau my stock-price and then I'm like "I have no idea what to retool towards."
 
Clydebink said:
Last night I played a map where there were only three silicon deposits. I grabbed all of them expecting that eventually, the two other opponents would have to have glass in order to upgrade their bases. I didn't sell any silicon until the price was around 50 units. I know they can buy at the price listed as long as they have money, but I wonder at what rate my hoarding was increasing the price every time they bought a piece of silicon.

I really like the game and the music btw. It's hard to wrap my head around and the situations are too much for a mere mortal to fully contextualize, but I feel like I'm getting better. The worst moment is when yor strategy just starts to plateau my stock-price and then I'm like "I have no idea what to retool towards."
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If your opponents were Robotics, they don't need glass to upgrade. I have found monopolies like that to be very risky. It's usually better to use the claims for other stuff (like power) until the price spikes.

And yeah, the late game can be tricky. I recommend always focusing on getting to level 5 asap and building an offworld while keeping your debt under control when you're still learning. It's the safest play usually. As you get a handle on things, you'll be better at knowing when to deviate.
 
I'd really love to play this game. It's made by the lead designer of Civ IV
best civ game fight me
, the execution looks fantastic, and I've heard very few complaints about the game itself. Oh, and that Christopher "Baba Yetu" Tin soundtrack.

The only issue is that I'm awful at RTS games.
 
They need to work on the lose conditions. There isn't enough being done to alert players that a loss/buyout is imminent. A number appears next to an opponent's name in the player list which indicates how close they are to being able to afford your company, but it's much too easy to miss this during the thick of things, and I'm all too often taken by surprise the minute the pink slip pops up telling me I'm out of a job.

I guess I could blame myself for being inattentive, but I've seen several streams from experienced players of the game having the exact same issue, even when Twitch chat is screaming at them that they're SUDDENLY about to lose the company. This might seem like a minor problem, but it really sours my feelings toward the game when I think I'm chugging along great only to be surprised with a buyout whose minimal hint text popped up only 90 seconds before. Typically other RTS games allow you to send scouts to keep tabs on enemies, and most 4x games give you the tools and charts needed to compare, but there's just something about this game that makes me feel like I'm flying blind until its too late. And the minimal amount of information available by hovering over the player names seems incomplete and insufficient.

Related to this is the frustration I feel when I do actually notice the imminent purchase in time, but my only recourse is the sit and wait for the inevitable loss. I guess one way to address this is to git gud, but I keep feeling like there's a lack of information regarding player/opponent standings throughout the game, and it's too easy to just swoop and and pull the rug out from under someone in seconds, making for an abruptly truncated unceremonious endgame.
 
Erheller said:
I'd really love to play this game. It's made by the lead designer of Civ IV
best civ game fight me
, the execution looks fantastic, and I've heard very few complaints about the game itself. Oh, and that Christopher "Baba Yetu" Tin soundtrack.

The only issue is that I'm awful at RTS games.
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I had this same concern. Really it plays more like a real time board game than an rts though, you don't need a high APM to be good. Single player also lets you pause if needed.
CecilRousso said:
9/10 from Gamespot.

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/offworld-trading-company-review/1900-6416420/
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Thanks, adding to the OP.

It was also featured in a Penny Arcade strip.
 
i know nothing about this game. I like management games but i'm a SP gamer. A lot of this thread is talking about multiplayer. how's the singleplayer?
 
karnage10 said:
i know nothing about this game. I like management games but i'm a SP gamer. A lot of this thread is talking about multiplayer. how's the singleplayer?
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It has a rogue-like campaign where you pick various missions and upgrade your business. The AI is pretty good, especially if your new.
 
karnage10 said:
Could you describe a bit more on how it plays? and how long is it?
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Sure. First you select one of three randomly generated missions, each has its own difficulty and rewards. You then use the cash earned in these missions to either temporarily or permanently boost the buildings you can make. This continues for some rounds until there is an "elimination" phase where the lowest priced companies compete to survive. The last company standing wins, I think? I haven't finished a campaign since they revamped it during early access. It is meant to be replayable, though.
 
CzarTim said:
Sure. First you select one of three randomly generated missions, each has its own difficulty and rewards. You then use the cash earned in these missions to either temporarily or permanently boost the buildings you can make. This continues for some rounds until there is an "elimination" phase where the lowest priced companies compete to survive. The last company standing wins, I think? I haven't finished a campaign since they revamped it during early access. It is meant to be replayable, though.
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That's essentially how it works. The first three weeks you and the corporations in your game buy modules for the colony that determine help determine the demand for the market resources in your game. Then after that the game shifts to the least profitable corporation each weeks is eliminated. If you survive that series of weeks, then the game switches to the familiar direct purchasing of your competitors mode. It's extremely fun and replay-able.

Each mission has effects that may or may not affect your overarching build. There are things like strong winds that make wind turbines more powerful, dust stoms that make solar powered things like condensors and solar panels less effective, miner strikes that make quarries less effective, etc. On top of that, the resource distributions are different during the weeks and you spend your profits each week to unlock or improve your different resource collectors.

All of that is just in the campaign. You could literally never play multiplayer and have a ton of fun in that mode. However, the multiplayer is en pointe, and I highly recommend you jump into it after a few games. Even if you lose, it's an experience unlike any other game I've played. This is what RTS games should be like. There are interesting decisions at every turn, but your finger speed is not the limiting factor anymore.
 
I don't own the game yet, but I have some questions about the map pack DLC:

- It advertises 30 additional map variants, but how does this compare to the map selection that ships with the base game?
- Do they add much spice to the mechanics and challenges in the game, or are the differences mainly cosmetic?
- Is the player base in multiplayer split between those with the map DLC and those without, and is there a noticeable effect on the quality of matchmaking?
 
QuixoticNeutral said:
I don't own the game yet, but I have some questions about the map pack DLC:

- It advertises 30 additional map variants, but how does this compare to the map selection that ships with the base game?
- Do they add much spice to the mechanics and challenges in the game, or are the differences mainly cosmetic?
- Is the player base in multiplayer split between those with the map DLC and those without, and is there a noticeable effect on the quality of matchmaking?
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Maps are randomly generated. I'm pretty sure the DLC affects the topography of the maps and not the resource allocation. It's just a neat thing, but by no means required. Not like a map pack in say, Call of Duty.

I'm fairly certain they can be used in mp lobbies as long as the host has the dlc, but matchmaking itself uses standard maps.
 
Just tried out the campaign mode, and was pleasantly suprised over how much thought and effort that seems to have been put into it. Really liking this game so far.
 
New DLC out now for $5. Includes a new resource and building.

New Location: Ceres - The largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, Ceres presents great challenges to colonization with its vast spans of ice and rock. Enjoy some new scenery as you crush your competition to remain on top of the stock market. Some of the terrain on Ceres also provides additional bonuses:

  • Salt Terrain: Farms produce 50% more food.
  • Cave Terrain: Mines, quarries, and pumps can access resources in adjacent tiles.
New Building: Nuclear Power Plant - The new power plant is an excellent source of energy for your colony and can be built on any tile. This building is powered by Uranium and is only available on Ceres.

New Challenge: Depleting Resources - On Ceres, resources deplete as they are used. Over time, your plots will start to decrease and you will need to be on the lookout for new resource points since even the best of them won't last forever.

New Resource: Uranium - Only available on Ceres, this mineable resource provides power to Power Plants and is just one more way to manipulate the stock market in your favor.

New Patent: Liquid Batteries - This new patent could be critical to the success of your colony on Ceres. Liquid Batteries will allow you to keep your Solar Condenser running no matter what time of the day it is, collecting valuable water so you can keep your operations running smoothly.
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MrCompletely said:
For anyone who's interested in this highly under appreciated game, it's on sale on the Humble store for 50% off ($19.99).
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Thanks, bought. Game sounds really interesting. Battling is the least important part of Civilization games to me :b


Played some of the tutorial missions. Game is very polished and the writing is very good!
 
Well, Tom Chick's GOTY list (and reading a bunch of other reviews) earned this game another ruthless capitalist. That, and the current sale.

Pretty excited to finally play OTC. It sounds like something right up my alley, oddly enough since I usually have a pretty specific spectrum of RTS that I enjoy. Company of Heroes, Dawn of War 2, World In Conflict, Infested Planet...smaller scope/squad scale, hectic battlefields, less about spawning units like crazy and more tactically using the units you have.

But I like cyberpunk so running my own ruthless sci-fi corp to sabotage and overtake my rivals is super enticing
 
Still just learning the ropes in this, doing the tutorials, but I have to praise the construction animations. I love the intricate detail in seeing your buildings unfold and fit together.

Edit: question regarding one of the tutorials. In "Corporations Are People", you had to build glass kilns that needed oxygen to work. But nothing I had built was producing enough oxygen, and the only way was to sell surplus to buy oxygen. Was that the right way to do it, or was the tutorial trying to teach something else?
 
Heh. Just started playing yesterday and am working through the Tutorials as well.

Don't remember having any trouble with the one you mentioned. Did you build enough Electrolysis Reactors to produce O2? Also, keep an eye on the market value of various raw elements that you can sell off. Some will net you far more cash than others. You can also tell if the market price is high or low based on the fluctuating line graph shadowed behind the unit price to the right.

Quite enjoying the game so far as well. Not sure when I'll reach that inevitable, "This game is too difficult for my puny brain." point, but I'm digging the ride so far.
 
I'm sorry to bump this thread.

It is a bit of a shame, I think, that this game seems to be overlooked on here.

The tutorials are so funny (even referencing such amazing things as The Fly) and ease you into the game so smoothly. It is just such a compelling and addictive and sort of stressful game to play. I really, really love it.
 
HashtagLapsed said:
I'm sorry to bump this thread.

It is a bit of a shame, I think, that this game seems to be overlooked on here.

The tutorials are so funny (even referencing such amazing things as The Fly) and ease you into the game so smoothly. It is just such a compelling and addictive and sort of stressful game to play. I really, really love it.
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Yup! My favorite game last year.
 
I think I'll pick this up soon, it looks like a very original rts idea, pure macro no micromanagement lol.

And the OST sounds amazing, but of course no one has heard of this game , it's a niche in a niche :(
 
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