Back in 2022, Sin began her impressions of grand strategy space game Terra Invicta with the comment that “I pity anyone who has to review, or god help them, write a guide for Terra Invicta, because doing it even semi-comprehensively would take longer than I expect to live.”
Further down the page there are horrifying phrases like “makes Europa Universalis seem limited” and “every planet and moon and asteroid, all orbiting in real time”, woven through a fascinating account of a game that is sort of XCOM, but you’re organising a whole Earth’s worth of competing countries and factions to repel solar system invaders who may not even materialise for dozens of hours. But of course Hooded Horse are publishing it. This was one of their first signings, I believe. Those sickos.
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The hour of reckoning is nigh. Developers Pavonis Interactive have just released the last major Terra Invicta update before the 1.0 release, which is still undated. The update adds 50 new Early regions, a starting scenario in 2070 that skips you forward to the maturation of interplanetary travel technologies, various AI and performance improvements, and the ability to mount an expedition to the asteroid Apophis in the year 2029, this being when that 20 million tonne boulder will next pass close to Earth.
The creators of Terra Invicta appear hell-bent on representing the real-life status and likely development of space tech, geopolitics and the motions of celestial bodies. The 1.0 release will add a 2026 scenario “with the world situation updated to the present day”. This meticulousness prompts the worry that perhaps there is an alien invasion underway and this game is secretly an interface for the actual global resistance. Are you doing an Ender’s Game on us, Pavonis? Because I should not be allowed within three lightyears of any command bunker. I’m the guy who forgets which character he is in fighting games.
Here’s a full bulletpoint rundown of the 1.0 update.
- More than 50 new regions on Earth, along with new nations, breakaways, and formables, along with new mechanics for region annexation and federations. We also updated Earth’s boost values for the 2022 scenario to match Earth’s actual launch capabilities during that year.
- The “2070” scenario, in which interplanetary travel has been achieved and all factions start with some space assets already built. Many nations on Earth are consolidated into regional powers with the intent to create greater balance between their stats and initial capabilities, so there are lots of strategies on Earth and in space to explore.
- A “realistic” combat mode in which ships are closer to their actual size and propellant consumption at high acceleration increases dramatically. The older mode is still available and now called “cinematic” combat so you can play how you like!
- New hab modules, including solar mirrors to support solar power on surface habs on Mars, asteroids, and Jupiter, spy modules to give bonuses to the oppression priority and detecting enemy councilors on Earth, and climate modules that give bonuses to the environment priority.
- A bunch of new events, including “Peace Dividend,” where nations without rivals can trade military capability for economic benefits; “Officer’s Insight,” where a high-ranking ship officer can propose faction-wide improvements, and “Apophis Passage,” where the passing of this near-Earth asteroid in 2029 offers the opportunity to mount an expedition for scientific advancements.
- Some new projects, including three faction-specific projects for each faction, as well as some that improve Earth-based research. Also consolidated many national independence projects.
- An updated tutorial!
- UI updates galore, including a new org manager to manage your councilors’ orgs all in one place.
- Smarter AI on Earth and in space.
- Performance improvements, bugfixes, and balance changes across the board. Buffs to particle weapons, hybrid and exotic armor, and earlier access to plasma weapons. Most ship hulls gained a utility slot as batteries became a completely optional module.
- 10 new achievements! We’ll let you discover what they are.
I would like to hear more about the revised tutorial and UI. In her 2022 write-up, Sin noted that it was often hard to know what to do, and not just because “there’s just so much STUFF and so little capacity to pursue 95% of it that it largely becomes background noise.” Beyond that, I have a terrible urge to play this but haha haahahaa ahaaa, I’m not going to review it. I can’t even dry my towels correctly, let alone get my spies in order. Don’t try to make me review Terra Invicta, Julian. I will scream.
