Seasteader

Bought this game on Release as a promising Early Access title. Sadly the devs abandoned this game and it's just the hull of what it could be

Game is fun but performance really tanks over time and I would rather have been able to build freely instead of having to make tightly packed steads to ensure investors couldnt attack

wow i honestly cant believe that these guys had the nerve to sell this piece of garbage for 30 bones. it really is sickening i waitied until this game was on sale for 4 bucks and id have to say its not even worth that just a cluncky mess of a game. dont even waste your money or time on this game your better of playing tropico

TL:DR: buy Banished.

I bought it at less than $2usd during a sale, yet still think it is not worth your time.

I am currently stuck at chapter 7, my factories are not producing any beers or bourbon even when there are stocks of glass and corn / hops in them. You can't see the production progress, there is no smoke coming from the factory chimneys to signal things are in production (as compared to no works ongoing due to lack of workers or resources).

Market is confusing as there are too many numbers and buttons. I still don't understand the lock, percentage, cost for domestic and business use.

As mentioned by others, the only animation is the people walking in single file between buildings. Really can't see anything going on. Not interactive and a waste of time.

Game feels like a prototype with loads of potential. Such a shame they didn't turn it into a quality game.

The only reason i'm giving it a thumbs up is to convince the dev it's worth working on this game.

I think I've really tried to like this game, and it really does have a lot of good things going for it. I enjoy the systems the players can attempt in designing their seastead, and it doesn't take much imagination to immerse yourself in the world you're creating.

This is where the problem comes into play. You get immersed in designing your seastead. You lay it out and you start planning, carefully managing your treasury for future expansions, maybe keep the residential and industrial separate...the usual sort of city-builder sort of thing. Then the game's AI announces an investor is contributing randomly to your design, usually ramming some flophouse into whatever available space happens to be directly adjacent one of your carefully laid buildings. In my last game, my food production area was attacked by these "investors" -- two of their flophouses were buttressed right up against my fishery, side by side. Just like that, my wide open design became another shitty sea-shantytown.

It can be resolved. It has been complained about. I don't honestly know why the developers are apathetic about this.

This is the third consecutive playing session where I've regretted my time, and all because of this disastrous AI. I would 100% keel-haul these investors, so it breaks immersion that they get to turn my seastead into a shantytown, instead.

I may play this again after a future update, in hopes this is fixed. I'm happy to see the devs diversifying the trade goods and thus expanding the available strategies (beyond being a game about building villages around oil-rigs) but this AI needs to be fixed. I'd be happy to just have the option of turning the investors off, presumably because my Seastead Mayor would have them shot on sight.

I'd say it's quite an OK game, but certainly not worth the price. It feels unpolished and generally unfinished. I got it on 80% discount, and I still feel that it was too much. Moreover, apparently the game is abandoned as the last update was released more than a year ago.

If you like an economics game that can be challenging, this is a good game. The game is polished in some ways, and not in others. It is truly a money management game in production, imports, exports, and choosing what to produce and sell based on the world and domestic markets. If you like that, this game has some playability for you.

The game can be considered a calm, almost dull game. First time playing, you definately should take the short tutorial to learn how everything works.

You try to keep the needs of your citizens fulfilled as you set pricing on their rent, choose their wages, etc. You are pretty much the owner of a company town, but at sea. Don't expect some crazy great graphics or anything to surprise you. This is a humble game, and it is truly focused on the management and money. The developers (as of Dec 2017) have admitted to losing money on this game and are focusing on their real jobs, but they are still active in the community and releasing updates on their schedule. They seem genuine and honest, and that is a great trait to have. With that said, the full $30 price is very steep, and sadly, I wouldn't pay full price for it. But at it's current state while on sale for $6, the game is good.

I am happy I supported this early access game. But I want buyers to know, this isn't for everyone. It is a niche game. If you know what to expect and like this stuff, you will find a lot of enjoyment and reward from Seasteader.

Very nice, I think this game but something really special if the devs stick with it. Sort of rerminds me of the movie Waterworld..lol The game at first seemed very bare, and then there was a time when it seemed it may fall victim to the release and abandon syndrome so common on Steam. But my hopes were renewed when the new update came oput and I finally felt safe enough to get it. I love the atmosphere and the potential of being a "Banished on the water" and was very happy to see evidence of it still being worked on by the release of the new update adding a little content. I hope the developer keeps expanding and polishing what could be a really great game when fleshed out. even more. Been fun so far and I can safely recommend supporting this game now since it seems it's being stuck with and continuing to be improved and fleshed out with more content.

It took me a while to start liking this game, I'll admit. The graphics can be very off-putting. This game needs a visual rework. But eventually the gameplay itself grew on me, and I like that it has a decent campaign with many scenarios (although many of them start off similarly. Once you get a hang of how to start off a level with a stable economy you usually just do the same thing for every level. Some vary though)

Basically, if you like Tropico, but finished it, and this game is on sale, get it. I'm not sure I can recommend paying full price for it.

Also, if you havent' played Tropico 3-5, save your cash and get those instead. Come back to this one when you're all done with them and want more.

This game's best and worst features are the same: It's diet Tropico.
Less graphics, less depth, and no humor - But... The core Gameplay is still there. And it's enjoyable.

I'm not gonna flip out over this game or anything but at the end of the day I've played it for 25 hours so far and I'm probably going to be coming back to it for more, so it's gotta be doing SOMETHING right.

Yes someone is right, this is a cheap tropico clone, with simplier graphic, music and UI. it offers less playability, and very much less realistically simulated commute traffic.
Bought on 75% discount, so no much complain, kinda a relaxed game if you just want to see money rolling in.

Bought it at a discount - recommend Tropico instead.
Why? Seasteader seems unfinished. No easy overview, overlays or layouts. Gameplay is very slow and there is nothing to do while waiting. And you wait a lot.
Annoying example: You can set rent for a house and set the same for all other buildings of the same type already built. New building of that type? Remember to check the pricing on that, as the pricing is set to the norm and not your own.
Excuse me as I go play Tropico..

Seasteader in its current form is WAY to slow to keep your attention for longer than 30 minutes. I tried to tough it out by telling myself it will get better. But 30 days into the game and with only a population of 33 people to supply jobs of 45 people. I had to say enough time has been wasted and stop playing.

Gameplay has to be played on fastest speed to get anything done, and money needs to be made faster so the players can feel like we are building something. In its current form I say 2/10 and don't bother. I will of course say that it is still early and this game may become a great title.

Ok, cancel what I wrote 6 months ago...
At February 2018, the devs have failed to update the game or EVEN ANSWER TO THE USERS ON THE FORUM from the last November...
The game seems 'dead'.
Peace: I'm trying to get a refund.

<--->

I've purchased a number of Early Access games in the past and... I'm pretty confident that this could become something funny to play.
Ok, I admit it's still pretty "raw" and the price is, I think, to high for a product that still need much work.
But the global experience is quite good and I see developers actively working on it.
For now, maybe try it discounted, and see if you want to support the development and have some hours of fun with some (minor, for what I experienced) bugs.

It's a good game overall. However, the game would benefit from more production and manufactering options, such as a cannery, and perhaps the ability to grow tobacco and manufacture cigars.

Edited after first 10 missions done
--
Some of the content makes me think of the first version of Tropico. Not a direct comparison but there are some mechanics similarities. It's quite easy to get into the game but the mechanics seem a bit shallow once you've played for a while. If you have a good approach to the early game its pretty easy to build incrementally and create your sprawling sea city. Obviously I've not finished all the scenarios yet and there are still acheivements to get but I'm not sure at the replayability once those are done.

Overall there is some good game time here though increasingly I seem to play it with the + key pressed down (5x speed) waiting for the next pay day or imigration trigger. The lack of factions or polotics or something that stops you increasing everything with no downside may be part of the limiting factor.

I'm going to stick to my positive review here, overall it is considerably better than a lot of the early access trash that is kicking around on steam right now and I'm keen to encourage an indie developer to pursue if this is their first attempt. $30 is a bit steep for the current state of the game in my humble opinion but there is a great platform her for SeaSteader 2.

All in all, not bad, but probably too little content to be worth the pricetag.

Seasteader is a kind of Tropico clone, only set at sea so there's no limitations on your building placement. You have a series of buildings which generate income. Each of these buildings needs some level of population to run it and costs money in maintenance, and may or may not require goods as income. They produce goods as output, which you can then sell periodically on the market to turn a profit.

There's about 10-15 goods to trade in, like oil and fruit, and your population have a number of 'needs' like housing or entertainment that need to be topped up via service buildings. There's also hints of a class structure, though this is little-used in the game. Occasionally, you'll get a mission, like 'build an oil refinery', or an event will occur, like a price collapse in a given good. These are pretty solid mechanics and the game is nicely balanced.

However, there's not really that much to do. You have 25-30 building types, and it's not that hard to build all of them within an hour or so. It's fun, but it's hard to see anyone streching the game out for more than 5-6 hours before they feel they've seen everyhting and done everything. This would be OK for a $15 game, but this is selling for twice that.

Of course, Cozygoat might add more content over time, and there's a very solid basis for them to build on; it doesn't appear to crash - like, ever - and the socio-economic model is both reasonably comlpex and tightly balanced. A few additional features, like more varied and interesting events (disasters anyone?), or a loans or stockmarket system would add some much-needed challenge, since presently all the difficulty seeps out after you've been running a Seastead for 2 hours or so - it just becomes a matter of waiting for the net massive export wave. More high-end buildings would be cool, too, as would some greater gameplay impact from the highly detailed population model (some government simulation aspects, perhaps, with a degree of competition in the population).

All in all, it's well worth picking up on sale - but I wouldn't recommend paying full price.

Interesting concept, but definitely not worth $30. Yeah, I'm still only in the tutorial, but:

- It looks like a ghost town. You don't see anyone working. The only people movement I've seen is when they run single file at the same time between buildings at the start or end of day the day, to eat, or to deal with new construction.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=882548038
- For construction, a building looks like it's burnt until it changes to color. That means construction's done.
- Night comes, the sky is black (no stars or moon), and there are no lights on or in any of the buildings.
- Informational windows can't be moved and use a small thin font.
- You can only have one window open at a time. However, it really seems like you need to be able to have multiple open so you can manage resources effectively.
- There's no workshop. This game definitely needs modders adding content.

Honestly, this feels more like early access to me. I'll see if I feel any different after spending, say, 10 hours in the game.

I normally wait until I've finished a game before I review it, but I've had a good 8 or more hours playing it, and I think I can give it a fair review now.

Seasteader plays like may other city sim games: You have buildings, citizens, and so on. The citizens have needs, as does the city (not the least of which is liquidity (pun intended). You begin with a 'hub', and are required to balance the various aspects of your 'stead as you grow it towards passing the mission goals (or just making a humungous seaborne metropolis).

The game allows a sandbox mode where everything's unlocked, and you can just freely build your city, or campaign mode where you get 'missions' to achieve goals. I think there are only about 15 campaign missions, and I've finished the first three, which are relatively easy once you understand the game mechanics.

As you can see from the graphics, the game focusses less on being pretty with lots of animations and stuff, and primarily on the economic aspects. In this regard, Seasteader strikes a nice balance between clarity and functionality. You won't get all the amazing effects of Anno2050, or the huge array of building types of Tropico, but all the basic building types are there: Production chains, housing, entertainment, city upkeep, etc. What you will get is a game which provides you the ability to build a city much the same as any other CitySim, but which allows to really tweak the economic and employment aspects which most other games won't. This can be by price gouging for exports, making your citizens live in slums and pay huge rent, or forcing them to work every hour god sends...

For me, one of the interesting aspects is building a new building, and then sourcing the right people to 'staff' it. You'll get an influx of immigrants, all of whom have their own skills. You can rob the mediocre fishermen to staff your glassworks, but that'll impact your fishing quotas.. You may, later, choose to move them back, to continue their fishermen training as you don't need so much glassware... Proper tweaking like this isn't needed in the first few levels, but I can see it coming into its own later.


The game is 'complete', insofar as it's not "early access". However it's clear that there's a LOT of spare space in the UI and dropdowns for more options. Some buildings only make one resource type, but are flexibly built to support more. So what you see in the images above is a fraction of what's available, and only gives a wee flavour of the game itself.

Because it's an indie game, it can be a little 'raw'. Like I said, don't expect the polish of a AAA game... There are some aspects you're just expected to play with yourself. If you like just tweaking sliders to see what happens, then you'll enjoy this. Some of the impact of changes to a few variables aren't laid out in simple terms, so you have to tweak them and see what happens. Sometimes the effects aren't obvious for a while.

Having a team of "0%" skill level glassblowers will still produce you some glassware, whereas in real life they'd just suck up cash while they trained, and then you'd get a slowly increasing yield.. I think that realism needs to be tempered a bit with these things, so has taken a back-seat to allow clarity and simplicity to prevail.

I'm giving it a 75% thumbs up: It does need a little work to be more accessible to the general gamer, and a little tweaking. There are a few unusual design choices which can give the learning curve a slightly steeper slope than you'd expect, but it's a solid core with some interesting challenge.

UPDATE(Dec 2019) Unfortunately the game has been abandoned by the developer due to some very negative personal remarks by players. Sadly, the game was released at full price while still under development, and a lot of people took exception to the issues still present, and the general indie-feel to the game, expecting something more polished. It's a real shame because there are many different resource types, and the focus of the game is on people, rather than buildings, which is nice.

Unfortunately, because the game has been abandoned, the later levels aren't quite as balanced as they need to be. If the game is on sale for under a fiver it'd be worth it just to experiment with the economy, but at the moment it's still over £10. If the developer ever comes back and implements all the features on the original roadmap, this'd be a fab game.

Seasteader: where you can make a town in the open ocean on wooden planks, just like I know we all want to do. The game is easy to pick up in terms of how to build but takes a deep dive with its market economy. The biggest drawback, by far, is the price tag. Seasteader has yet to show that it is a $30 game. There aren't a lot of individual assets that I noticed. Around 35-40 unique buildings and the task to manage people, wages, rent, and a market economy. Yet the game lacks the polish for their asking price. Don't get me wrong it IS a fun, casual, city-builder; I don't know if it is a $30 city-builder though.

Pros:
+ Easy to learn building controls
+ Unique city-builder concept
+ Good soundtrack
+ Excellent Dev response time with patches

Cons:
- Game price is too high
- Market economy makes me feel dumb


Check out my in-game review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt3nbHBCLxc