In development for the past 5 years, the 4X version of Solar Ocean: Colonies has undergone several iterations:
The first iteration was a miniature war-game, pitting player assets against each other across the 3-part arena, composed of Planetary, Aerospace and Space battlefields. The game was planned to be print-on-demand, and completely free, however, high-quality miniature assets would be available for the serious tournament-attending audience.
The second iteration was a short and concise 90-minute affair, where each player had 3 different sectors on which to play their colonial assets, each akin to a world by itself. The game was expanded to include both combat and colonisation spheres, and was tagged with its current subtitle: “A Game of Conflict and Colonisation in Deep Space”. It was still planned to be free. This version of the game was showcased at PaxAUS 2017 and was met with mixed reviews.
The third iteration expanded on the second one by redesigning the battlefield in a linear fashion and adding placement rules, resulting in a more location-sensitive game. As such, it had more chess-like characteristics. The game was no longer planned to be free, but presented in 12 Faction Boxes, and players had the chance to build their army from an expanded list of assets. This version was showcased at PaxAUS 2018 and was met with mostly positive reviews.
The fourth iteration, developed after extensive play-testing, featured a hex-based play area, dominated by a central sun. Players vied for the control of a solar system, and the game was vastly modified to include exploration, resource-gathering, industry and political systems. Interlockable miniatures were introduced, where colonial armadas, represented by colony ship miniatures, were able to dock inside detailed colony miniatures. Also, the blueprint system was perfected, where players could concoct combined specs for their armadas and colonies, which would roll into all instances of those assets across the game board. This version was showcased at PaxAUS 2019 and was a hit.
The fifth and final iteration has been under development for most of 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, the global pandemic threw a spanner into game-testing and development, and things happened slowly during this time. As of mid-2021, the final version is mostly ready on the paper and tested to laboratory perfection. The game that’s being prepared for mass-testing at the moment features a play area divided into two for each player: one-half tactical, and one-half strategical. On the tactical half, the player is able to intimately plan their colonies and assets, much like the blueprint system of the previous iteration. On the strategical half, those assets are placed across a freeform stellar map connected by weir-gates.
The game still features extensive conflict and colonisation systems. Heroes are introduced as level-able assets, and their presence links the 4X Experience with the Role-Playing Game Experience.