Oriental Empires

A distinctly Chinese (with hints of Mongol and Korean) 4X style game. Somewhat minimalist tactical battles (stack v stack in automatic combat). A fun economy to master. Alright diplomacy (which is normally pretty weak in 4X, so IDK).

I somehow keep coming back to it.

Good game, Civ x Total war.
Took awhile to learn and to get used to the battle formations/tactics.
Wish there was also a auto button for armies too. Once your empire and armies get to big, hard to control all armies one by one in the late game. Or at least have generals able to control certain amount of stacks surrounding him.
I'm kinda stuck defending my East side nation, bottle neck area with endless spam of armies from another. and trying to go north and around but also being spammed up top. trying to re recruit and defend over and over every turn gets stale. luckily my income is crazy.

The most annoying mechanic in the game is the stupid repeated Noble rebellions. Even with maxed out cities and garrison armies and edicts etc.. Nobles will rebel 5-6 cities if your leader doesn't have enough Authority to maintain the Empire.
Then you have to march all the way back or create new stacks with generals to get them back while hoping they don't join them (couple of generals with new armies I sent, joins them).

Good: Fun, nice to watch your people farm etc.. watching armies fight in formation or use tactics.
watching cities grow, buildings being built. armies stack next to each other and move into massive formation.
slow tech but fun.
issuing laws/ edicts.
Capturing their lords or generals is fun.
executing certain people in court can actually have an effect, many despise my lord for killing a very liked lady at court haha
Appointing great people in your court to positions.. but the positions are limited.. only 2 advisors... really? this map is huge! And they don't do anything to be honest no perks etc... they just grow old, get rich and gain authority

Bad: Late game, the other nations spam peasant troops and manages to kill half my trained special troops, even if my army is bigger. Makes you wonder if to just not bother with elite troops. for example.. Enemy had 3 noble riders and 4 peasant men.. me.. 3 stacks, Spearmen, Arti, calvary, elite Imperial guards etc.. and I end up losing with also my general captured xD

Stupid high chance of random noble rebellions, just because your leader has less Authority
(gets annoying fast, espiecially when a vassal takes one of your cities and refuses to give it back)
Best way is to have an heir with high one, and get your leader purposely killed hahaha

Can't dismiss queen or 1 concubine. have to execute them..
Why execute them? because maybe they both not given any babies at age 45+..
Wish they allowed at least 5 concubines instead of 1. You are the Emperor so why not?

Diplomacy: Should be able to cancel your vassals as they don't obey you much anyway. no use of them really.
They refuse to pay money every turn, nor attack enemies unless you pay them.
No right of recruitment, even though they are your vassals, you have to pay for it too.
Vassals should at least minimum allow to recruit troops in their lands.

No actual help with formations and battle tactics, had to learn as I went, terrible information guide on how to use Artillery for support armies.

Another bad thing to gripe about is the siege.. no ladders, no towers. just bomb the city with Arti and burn it with fire arrows..
NEED MORE GENERALS AND LORDS IN COURT. It's crazy how big this map is, but your limited on how many you recruit(prisoner generals you have captured that are very good)

NEED LOYALTY BAR. They show.. battle prowess and city management skill bars. but does not show any loyalty bars. my own grandson rebelled against me and he loved me the turn before it showed. It was so random xD

NEEDS MORE POSITIONS IN COURT.
2 advisors, 1 heir, 1 wife, 1 concubine and 6 general/farming politicians slots in court for a massive empire is really not much. Don't understand why this was limited.


Final point..

Even though many bad points, I still recommend the game, because I got it very cheap on sale. And I still had many hours of fun playing it.
If you like micro manage nearly everything, from marriages to lords, generals, to laws/edicts, tech, armies and cities.. Then this game is for you. but it gets tiring.
Graphics even set to max is okay.. not the best but its an old game. needs more vibrant colours.
Can turn on auto farming, auto tech choice, wish there was an auto road build too.

I would recommend taking out any nation FAST as possible. Raze as many cities as you can. Make your own.
Vassals will keep demanding their old settlement back.
Confucious is the way to go for peasant happiness and nobles. So lesser chance of Noble AND peasant rebellions.
The map is extremely huge. and you need to be careful on how many cities you build.. because if your Emperor is weak in Authority, then expect lots of Noble rebellion. (chance the army you send to take back the city will join them.)

GET IT ON SALE ONLY.

This has been on my wishlist a while, and it had a deep price reduction on the Black Friday 2024 sales.

I expected a CIV clone, but instead got more of a Heroes of Might and Magic clone minus all the supernatural elements, but with added historical realism. It is a hex-based game, which I prefer for this genre, I have played this game once so far for about six hours straight. While I could have played the Han, I instead played the group of people from near Szechuan/Sichuan (their name escapes me; I'm not a East Asian / Sino area studies specialist), and learned lots about the historical evolution of East Asian technologies that enabled urbanization and empire formation. That in and of itself is probably worth the price for me.

What else do I find compelling about the game? In no particular order: Peasants can be set to develop farmland, built roads, clear trees and the like (though gated by technological advances) without needing to build a settler unit. You can learn about/ invest in four technologies at a time, with each turn counting as investments into each of the four. You have advisors, there is a marriage system (though not as advanced as others), and innovations allow you to add more kinds of advisors/flunkies. Corruption is an issue, as it becomes worse over time. You can build shrines to placate the peasants, but I'm not sure if the shrines only benefit the nearest settlement or are empire-wide. The same goes with the installations to improve nobles' moods. Bandits flee combat. So, too, will your foes. And your units. It is relatively easy to recapture a settlement, at least before you add walls. Troops come in two flavors: nobles and peasant levies. Peasant levies are cheaper to maintain. Nobles are more effective. I had begun researching crossbows, having already gotten chariots, bows and metal weapons. Copper and jade can be mined. Mulberry trees improve your silk production. Internal trade is important. External trade is important. I don't know how large the map is, as I never reached the edge. Also, I don't know China well enough to place the rivers in my mental map, so I couldn't estimate hex-size.

In general, I find this game similar enough to western games that I can usually understand what is going on, but it is inflected with enough mainland East Asian history to make it intriguing.

When other strategy games were going into micro DLC and losing their focus on a coherent design, this game stayed on course. Better than Total war and Civilization because its not trying to be to many things for too many different game designers. If you like strategy but feel like other strategy games just don't get it, try this.

Great Game! Very Historical, Good Concept but it crash sometimes

Gameplay Mechanics: 8/10
Narrative: 7/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound and Music: 7/10
Replayability: 8/10
Innovation: 8/10
Oriental Empires is a 4X turn-based strategy game that transports players to ancient China, offering a unique perspective on the genre. Combining city-building, resource management, and large-scale battles, it delivers an experience that feels distinct from traditional 4X games. The gameplay mechanics emphasize long-term planning and cultural development, earning a solid 8/10 for their depth and execution.
The narrative is rooted in historical authenticity, immersing players in the rise of Chinese civilizations from tribal beginnings to imperial dominance. While the story is primarily player-driven, the historical context adds richness to the experience. However, the lack of a structured campaign narrative limits its emotional impact, earning the narrative a 7/10.
Graphically, the game captures the beauty of ancient China with vibrant landscapes and detailed cityscapes. While functional and atmospheric, the visuals don’t break new ground in terms of technical quality, resulting in a 7/10 for graphics.
The sound and music are fitting, with traditional Chinese compositions that enhance the game’s cultural setting. However, the audio design lacks variety and polish, making it serviceable but not memorable. Sound and music score a 7/10.
Replayability is a strength of Oriental Empires, with a wide array of factions to play as, each offering unique starting conditions and playstyles. The sandbox nature of the game and dynamic AI ensure each playthrough feels distinct, earning replayability a commendable 8/10.
Innovation shines in the game’s simultaneous movement system, which adds a new layer of strategy to army positioning and movements. Instead of waiting for turns to resolve sequentially, players must anticipate and counteract enemy movements in real time. This mechanic creates tense and rewarding strategic moments, earning innovation an 8/10.
In summary, Oriental Empires offers a refreshing take on the 4X strategy genre, grounded in the rich history and culture of ancient China. The simultaneous movement system, combined with the game’s focus on cultural development and historical authenticity, makes it a compelling choice for strategy enthusiasts. It’s a solid game that rewards careful planning and thoughtful empire-building.

It's an absolute gem.
You'll need to spend some time learning how everything works, because it isn't a cookie-cutter design, but this is exactly what makes it worth trying. It's NOT the same as the others.
Don't give up early. It really shines after the early game.