Why play a 4X instead of another video game?

This is the question I will try to answer in this article. Indeed, 4X are for me one of my favorite types of video games with management and strategy games. And 4X games are strategy games.

What is a 4X?

Let's get straight to the point, a 4X game is a game in which the player controls an empire and, whose goal is to dominate the others based on the following four principles:
- Exploration to find resources and opponents.
- Expansion to expand your territory and control the game area.
- Exploitation to develop your economy.
- Extermination, by weapons or other means, to win the game.
If this definition suits you, then you can stop reading here, if not, it's below.
The term 4X was coined by Alan Emrich, a video game journalist and game designer, when he described the game Master of Orion. He calls the game "XXXX", a play on words to refer to the "XXX" classification of pornographic films.
Please note that 4X games are not to be confused with strategy games. The latter differ by their unit/building evolution system linked to a technological tree that can be unlocked according to the player's progress, by their decolonized combat system, by their empire management interface and by the much greater complexity of the game mechanisms.
Most of these games are turn-based, like a chess game. Thus, a player plays and then passes the turn to his opponents. During his time, the player does not control the game and can only look at the state of his empire to predict what he will do next turn. Some games offer simultaneous turns, especially for multiplayer. In this case, all players play at the same time and when everyone has finished their turn, you move on to the next turn.
In a 4X game, you control a civilization that must expand and prosper over hundreds of game turns.

Civilization 6

What are the qualities of 4X ?

- Research and technology: This is one of the most important elements of a 4X game, mostly represented by a well-developed technology tree that offers the player a wide range of development possibilities in several areas (war, diplomacy, science, etc.).

Civilization: Beyond Earth's tech web

- Fighting: confronting your enemies is frequent and can be a way to win by exterminating them. The domination of opponents in combat is often linked to a technological superiority acquired through research.
- Complexity: unlike a strategy game which is mainly interested in combat phases, 4X games are more oriented towards diplomacy, research and management of the economy of one's empire which implies a very important micro-management. It's a huge puzzle that you have to solve every time. Do I build a military unit or a building that will allow me to create military units twice as fast? Do I focus on food to get citizens faster to build or do I use my existing citizens to build? Should I bet everything on technology, or should I prioritize the economy? And I'm not talking about diplomatic relations, critical events that can happen according to the will of the game!

Round 0: who plays what?

Now that you know what it's all about, I'm going to introduce you to a few must-have games of the genre. As said, there is the monumental Civilization. Since the first game, each episode has been trying to put you in the shoes of one of the great civilizations that the Earth has ever borne: from the Incas to the Chinese to the Shoshones. The particularity of Civilization is that it allows you to create dystopias. The little catchphrase in the introduction of the article is inspired by the Attic Player's let's play on Civlization V. One of the main mechanics of the series is that you can create wonders: Eiffel Tower, Broadway, Maharaja, etc. regardless of the civilization you play. So, don't be surprised to see the Spaniards creating the Terracotta Army or the Zulus the Statue of Liberty. It's very destabilizing at the beginning (that's one of the reasons why I didn't get hooked with the series at first), but it's finally very funny and it's part of the charm of the game. Another particularity of Civilization is that you play as the leader of the chosen civilization (Napoleon for the French, Queen Elizabeth for the English, Bismarck for the Germans, etc.) from 2000 BC to infinity or your leader is immortal. In addition to all this dystopian aspect, Civilization being the founding series of the genre, it can enjoy its well-oiled mechanics, its relative accessibility and its immense depth: I have friends with 1000 hours of play on it who are still discovering things. In short, if you want to discover the genre without any risk, Civilization is the one you need.
There are also Endless Space and Endless Legend from Amplitude Studios. The first one takes place in space and has a very dominant management aspect. The second one is about heroic-fantasy, very original, far from orcs and elves, and presents an interesting balance between fights, politics, etc. A little less accessible despite good tutorials, they are much more demanding; they offer much more possibilities of victory than Civilization for example. They also allow you to create your own faction on the model of the existing ones, giving a virtually infinite life span. In the same vein as Endless Space, we find Stellaris, from the Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive. Although this game is also set in space, the action takes place in real time and not in turn-based mode. 
I will finish this holy trinity of presentation with Europa Universalis. Here, we are clearly on another level. If you look at pictures of the game, you might feel dizzy. Let's say it, every Europa Universalis is a gas factory. But like every gas factory, all it requires is that you understand it and help it to work. Many windows and submenus are a laborious path to one of the most complex and rewarding games there is. Alongside this, Europa Universalis offers an extremely faithful historical dimension. The saga is really aimed at history buffs, maybe even more than at strategy players, where Civilization only takes the historical elements and gives them to you, like Lego to reassemble.
With these three games, you have enough to discover the genre. Civilization will allow you to discover the genre in a pleasant way and to have fun relatively quickly with a historical dimension. Endless Legend is another excellent entry point, especially if you like heroic-fantasy more than history classes. This game will offer you a rich universe to discover. Finally, if you need a real and huge challenge, or if you are passionate about History, Europa Universalis is made for you.

Europa Universalis 4

Turn 56: time to drink your coffee

I'm not going to describe the beginning of a game: I'm not experienced enough for that and videos will do it better than I can. Instead, I'll tell you what I think are the qualities of the genre.
First of all: it's clearly the type of game where you can take your time. I'll present that as a flaw too, with explanation, a little later but 4X reminds you of the importance of taking your time. I digress a bit but in a world where everything is going faster and faster, where MOBAs have become a popular game genre thanks to, among other things, their frenetic action, where you can't hide from your calls, texts and e-mails anymore (well, I still know where the off button is on my cell phone personally), playing a game that forces you to spend at least an hour of your time to make your game look like something, it's reassuring and relaxing. A lot of my friends who play these games tell me "oh I love the beginning, that's where it all happens". So sure, but personally, I love playing Civilization and getting to turn 233, zooming out of my map and seeing my three Babylonian cities working perfectly, my borders embracing those of my Egyptian ally, my former enemy Napoleon and the future enemy Greece. I love having economic power over my Danish neighbor to the south and trading with the distant Persian and Dutch empires. I love to look at the map again, to remember all that has happened in the last 233 turns/1500 years of history, to see that steaming little pile that was once Lyon, the city I destroyed. I see that, and I can take the time to feel good.

Endless Legend

Round 87: Where in this plain grows the core of my victory

This desire to take one's time, you may have it thanks to another quality by all the games I mentioned, at different levels: the atmosphere. I'm talking about "atmosphere" here, something that stands out, not just graphics, soundtrack or art direction. Whatever your level of zoom, whatever scene you are shooting, there is something that I think is nice. It goes back to what was said above, but every image on your game board is a story: the troops placed there, the cities built here, this mountain that influenced your strategy at some point, this planet you fought for before you could colonize it, etc. Even if the map generation is random or the space is never anything more than a black immensity, everything tells a story and makes you feel good. After all, some games stand out a bit more than others (Endless Legend comes to mind). On the other hand, the graphics of Civilization VI are a bit too cartoony for my taste, but that's just my opinion.

Endless Space

Turn 142: If you want peace, prepare for war

As I said, one of the biggest strengths of 4X is that the gameplay adapts to your play style. This is evidenced by the diversity of factions in each of them, all of which have different properties and are more oriented towards this or that type of victory. You are free to be a peaceful people and take power through money or take up arms instead. There are no restrictions, except for the one you impose on yourself with this or that faction choice.
However, you will soon realize that this is not possible, not strictly speaking anyway. Yes, you can go for this or that type of victory, but take into account your neighbors, the one who is already taking arms on turn 2. An Empire does not evolve alone in the tundra, it develops in a circus where a whole bunch of other Empires are gesticulating. It's impossible not to have an army, but hey, is that really a negative point? ... Yes and no. Yes, because it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and be efficient on all fronts. No because we'll see about that later. It is true that to like strategy and the 4X genre, you must not be allergic if not to mathematics, at least to calculations. The calculation of forces, productions, the forecasting of numbers, etc. these games will make you think and that's good. The art of calculating damage in MOBAs and MMOs is nice, but there comes a time when you have to move on to much richer calculations.
Finally, with 4X, there is the syndrome of one more turn. This is the theory, not clearly established, that a player is excited by the unknown of the next turn. Let's start with an example. You've just spent, say, 30 turns strategizing; this city at this moment producing this with this, this and this around it as your target passes near your borders. Except that on the thirtieth turn, you have this strange thought of "I have to stop here, tomorrow I start at 7am". But here's the thing, your brilliant 30-round strategy needs the thirty-first round to take off and be exposed. You want that exhilarating effect of "Mwah ah ah, I got you! ". So, you crack "Well come on, one more round" and hit that damn "End turn" button.
And then it's drama, no matter what happens. Your strategy succeeds and reshuffles the current cards in the game, giving you the feeling that victory is near, so why not keep up the good work? That's what happens when you have a string of victories in any PvP (player vs. player) game or poker game. Or, nothing goes according to plan and if you're a fighter, which you have to be with this kind of game because setbacks are common, you want to set things right at your discretion. In any case, "one more turn" is never singular, it is always plural: "one more turn".

Stellaris

Round 199: Time for a never-ending battle

But now it's time to shed some light on a few things that aren't right. I'll start by responding to the feedback I created in the "positives" section.
You have time and you need at least that much for 4X. Yes it's relaxing to be able to sit back and tell yourself you're going to invest time to see something grow. However, there is one word I have to drop for honesty: time consuming. All of these games are very, very, very time consuming. It's impossible to say "come on, quick Civ? "seriously. Or we are talking about particular games. If you want to play a game from start to finish, you need at least a full weekend. Mind you, I'm talking about a full-time weekend: from Friday night to midnight Sunday. Yes, it can be relaxing, but it blocks these games to a very limited audience, who have time, and prevents them from being played spontaneously, whereas we like to start a game of Battleborn or DotA 2 thinking that it will take an hour at the most.
What often happens then is that we decide on an end between players or with ourselves in the case of a game with the computer. You may say: "Well, that's it, I've won for sure. "I don't want to go to war again just to guarantee my survival" are common phrases in 4X. These little endings, even though they are accepted by all players, produce a great deal of frustration. The frustration of not seeing the End screen, the one with the scores, the summary of the game, the strong and weak points of each player.

Turn 242: The real victorious empire

I'll answer the second point I made above: the one about the need to have an army to at least defend yourself.
In most 4X games, it is impossible not to have an army in these games. By the way, whether it's Civilization or Endless Legend, you always have a settler and a warrior at the beginning of the game. Does this remind you of anything? The colonization of America. These games seem to say that it is impossible to live in a world without violence, however deserved and safe it may be. The adage "If you want peace, prepare for war" is a good representation of this thought, this impossibility that we want to believe, this unattainable fully peaceful world. So yes, playing a 4X implies an acceptance, which can be critical as I demonstrate here, that in this world, peace is impossible and that even if you want to spread your culture around the world, you will always need some soldiers.
Furthermore, I am also extremely critical of the fact that there can only be one winner. Even if you have allies, there will only be one winner. Funny to note that in real-time strategy games (Age of Empires, Starcraft, etc.) there can be teams and thus team victories but that this disappears completely in 4X. This is vaguely justified in Endless Legend but I won't say too much about it to avoid spoiling.

Turn 269: So stood the still rock in the raging river of time

4X is now a very specific genre, with a smaller population of players. Of course, a good part of the gamers have already heard of Civilization and because of their growing reputation, the creations of Amplitude Studios and Paradoxe interactive have a certain notoriety. However, very few players have ever played or at least participated in a game. Why is that?
Because 4X is not accessible. I may be breaking your curiosity but too few of these games have a real tutorial mode. They require time and investment. The games are not frantic, they are slow. I'll repeat myself but today, a MOBA game lasts on average 40 minutes and it's designed to last 40 minutes. Because we don't have the time anymore. That's why World of Warcraft has become simpler, that's why the MMO genre is struggling to survive and seems doomed to evolve. Even the fast-paced counterpart to 4X, real-time strategy, is being shunned or at least no longer has the splendor of its former self. In PvP games today, you die, you start over after a few seconds. In a 4X game, you lose an army, it's a whole part of the time invested that disappears and unlike MOBAs, the army won't come back after a few seconds and unfortunately, you have to continue, willy-nilly. The last thing is that MOBAs are basically an offshoot of the real-time strategy game. For all these reasons, 4X games suffer from an elitist image when it is only half true.
The reason I'm writing this article today is to break this image. There is a community waiting for you on each game, guides exist and above all, the games make you want to learn. Take back your time by giving these games a chance, don't be afraid to go against the grain.

So, warrior emperor or diplomatic leader? I sincerely hope I've made you want to learn more about these games or even try one. No it won't be easy and you might regret your purchase after 50 rounds. Since nothing worth doing is worth a little effort, give it another go.