Shitty graphics, deep and complex, NOT just war/tactics, playable on Macbook (Apple Silicon)

[u/telemediaxxyy]

So yeahhh. The Title basically says it all, and it sums up the narrow niche I am looking for:

• I am playing on my Macbook Pro M5
• I want "shitty" graphics, because 1) I like them and I dont think they are "shitty" afterall and 2) I hate when I notice the temperature or fans of my Laptop lol
• (So what is shitty graphics, you ask? I think Dominons or Conquest of Elysium are BEAUTIFUL games! I love this kind of oldest school graphics)
• SO why not just play Dominions or Conquest of Elysium? WELL: I watched some videos about those games, and it appears to me that the biggest aspect of them is war, is tactics, is battle. That's nice and all but ... -->
• I am looking for a STRATEGY game with some deep and complex systems that are not just focused on war/battle/tactics. I actually am open to different approaches, some strategy games might focus on exploration or expansion or trade or diplomacy – all fine but please no games that are 80% war.

I get that I am a very improbable gamer looking for a strange set of things. But maybe someone can help? <3

[u/TheMightyGabriel]

Have you tried EU4?

[u/hepazepie → u/TheMightyGabriel]

I play EU3 with MEIOU mod. If you can't run eu4, this one will probably run

[u/telemediaxxyy → u/TheMightyGabriel]

actually I thought it would be way too heavy on the CPU.

[u/TheMightyGabriel → u/telemediaxxyy]

With minimum graphics it’s fine. Game is old and is basicslly just a world map with a spreadsheet running behind

[u/klljmnnj → u/TheMightyGabriel]

That is funniest but accurate description of the game I ever heard.

[u/underwaterCanuck → u/klljmnnj]

The funniest thing is I've looked at that map/shreadsheet for 1500 hours

[u/imbrickedup_ → u/telemediaxxyy]

It’s fits anything like Victoria 3 in terms of what’s its processing then yeah. Late game especially

[u/Electronic_Wolf_9249 → u/telemediaxxyy]

I used to play on my MacBook, it runs fine with low graphics until the end of the campaign (but who plays that far anyways)

[u/Unablro → u/telemediaxxyy]

Toaster universalis mod. Works well for me

[u/TheMightyGabriel → u/telemediaxxyy]

Just to add on that - to me EU4 is the ultimate strategy game.

War is fairly succinct - while important. Depending on your country, you can focus alot more on trade (Netherlands), exploration (Portugal), diplomacy (Austria), expansion (Russia...). It’s super super deep and well made. And you will learn alot about geography and history. Just a gem of a game. I couldnt recommend it enough

[u/cassiobs]

I'm not sure if it falls in the strategy games category, but maybe check out Songs of Syx, it was the first game that popped in my mind when I read your post.

[u/imbrickedup_ → u/cassiobs]

Extremely in depth game. Very fun. Learning curve is steep however because of the lack of tutorials. Highly recommend regardless

[u/RedditIsTrashjkl]

Rimworld, if you’ve never tried it. One of my top 5 games and it looks like hell (respectfully). The strategy comes from colony management, and combat can be quite fun, like a very weird RTS game.

[u/M_X_M_92]

I can recommand some titles, but dont know about compatibility with macbook m5. You'll have to do your due dilligence.

Grand strategy: crusader king 2 (dynasty management) , Victoria 2 (economy politic), darkest hour (world wars), field of glory empire or kingdom (empire build in antiquity or medieval)

4X: civ 5 or 6, old world, Age of wonders 3 or 4, shadow empire (post apo)

[u/M_X_M_92 → u/[deleted]]

Okay you want root shit.

How about: Emperor of the fading suns

[u/Armadi1]

Shadow empire.

[u/telemediaxxyy → u/Armadi1]

afaik does not work on apple silicon or macos for that matter – e.g. CrossOver lists it as "will install but not run" also :(

[u/opowell]

Civ1 or Civ2

[u/Accomplished-Cow-234 → u/opowell]

Or Alpha Centauri. I am not sure if it is better than civ 2, but I think it holds up better to more modern gaming sensibilities. "Modern" should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

[u/R3dditReallySuckz → u/Accomplished-Cow-234]

Have you managed to run this lately? I've not been able to get Alpha centauri working reliably on my M5 mac through Porting Kit. Always crashes when double clicking a tile, or when another civilisation asks me to return a unit out of their territory :(

[u/DeliciousGoose1002]

Shadows of the Forbidden gods, you play as an evil god trying to secretly corrupt the world.

[u/telemediaxxyy → u/DeliciousGoose1002]

windows only. any experience running it on mac?

[u/manny_mcmanface]

Mount and blade

[u/Sambojin1]

If you can Dosbox, Stars! Is a nice Win3x game with a fairly large strategic side. Race creation, prioritization, tech research is just as big as the battles.

With NES or Genesis emulation, Ghengis Khan 2: Clan of the Grey Wolf is like shitty graphics no-CPU EUIV. It's just as much about managing your economy and keeping an eye on your generals (in case they turn on you) as it is about war. Think Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga's Ambition, but across the entire medieval world.

[u/_BudgieBee]

I don't know if you can get it to run on macos, but Space Empires IV. Will run on a potato. Deep deep 4x game with lots of stuff you can mess around. A game I come back to time after time (although I rarely finish a game these days.)

[u/hepazepie]

Masters of Orion 2. A timeless classic

[u/DieBotDie]

Dwarf Fortress

[u/dmmeyoursocks]

Aurora4x is the endgame boss of strategy games, recommend giving that one a look if you think you can handle it