# Recommend Exploration Focused Games
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [November 19, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417 "2016-11-19T13:53:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/1 "2016-11-19T13:53:31Z")
I would like to get a game based on exploration. I had hoped “No Man’s Sky” was going to be awesome and I don’t really want to re-hash that thread, but based on its current state it doesn’t look like it will be a game for me. However, I would really like to get an exploration focused game. I tried the demo for “Planet Explorers” but it is too clunky and plays like a 3D Terraria, i.e. it is more focused on gathering materials and crafting. So can anybody recommend a good exploration based game? It doesn’t need to the 3D, one of my favorite games when I was a kid was “Seven Cities of Gold” so something like that would be great too.
Thanks in advance!
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/2 "2016-11-19T16:50:57Z")
Starbound is a lot like Terraria in space. What are you looking for in an exploration game? Do RPGs work for you?
If you’ve never played World of Warcraft, back when I played it (starting with the beta and for another couple of years), entering a new area was a huge part of the fun. I still occasionally have dreams based on that experience of moving into a new WoW biome :).
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/3 "2016-11-19T17:58:17Z")
I was going to recommend Minecraft, until I read “clunky 3D Terraria” and “focused on gathering materials and crafting…”
You might try any of the Elder Scrolls games (Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim) or Bethesda’s Fallout 3 & 4. There’s a plot, but you don’t need to follow it – in fact, it’s a hallmark of those games that you can completely ignore the plot and just head off aimlessly in any random direction.
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### Author:  [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/4 "2016-11-19T20:24:22Z")
Elder Scrolls and Fallout are good suggestions but I’ve played the heck out of them. I’ve played WoW to death as well and I’ve decided not to go back with the release of the latest xpac.
I’ve looked at Starbound but it looks so similar to Terraria I’m worried I wouldn’t find it different. Maybe I should give it a try? Is it very different than Terraria?
I don’t object to some gathering and crafting, most exploration games have these elements, but you know how some games the focus is so very heavy on the gathering and crafting such that you don’t get much exploring done. 🙂
I guess I’m just still sad about No Man’s Sky, I was looking forward to it so much that it has left an exploration itch to be scratched.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/5 "2016-11-19T20:47:35Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#):
>
> I’ve looked at Starbound but it looks so similar to Terraria I’m worried I wouldn’t find it different. Maybe I should give it a try? Is it very different than Terraria?
The key difference between Starbound and Terraria is that you’re not confined to just one planet. There’s also a main quest line which starts after you gathered enough materials to activate a portal and meet the quest-giver. Crafting isn’t really necessary until you want to proceed to the next main quest. The first thing you’ll need to craft is a breathing apparatus in order to visit a moon, which is the only place where you’ll find free fuel for your ship.
It’s also very mod-friendly. There are several additional playable races available on the Steam workshop and elsewhere; all (or close to all) of these can be encountered as NPCs. Many NPCs will be encountered in villages or as solitary traders, any of these have a chance of offering a side quest.
NPCs can also be recruited to your ship and are required for obtaining larger ships without having to buy one. How useful the NPC is depends on their class: Janitors don’t really do anything, Soldiers are useful for taking planetside (two at a time), Engineers are mostly useful on the ship but can also help planetside, Mechanics are best left on the ship. You’ll need to do enough missions for these characters to build up enough of a relationship where they’ll [del]volunteer[/del] beg to join your crew. There is a mod which disables the need for missions as a recruiting tool. There’s also a mod to increase the number of planetside party members.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/6 "2016-11-19T21:02:31Z")
You might be interested in Transcendence. Basically a dungeon crawler except the “dungeons” are solar systems.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/7 "2016-11-19T21:53:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The key difference between Starbound and Terraria is that you’re not confined to just one planet.
I see this a lot, but I don’t understand it. You’re not confined to just one planet in Terraria, either, and in fact it’s impossible to get everything from just one planet (for instance, each world will have corruption or crimson, but not both).
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/8 "2016-11-19T22:08:25Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#):
>
> I’ve looked at Starbound but it looks so similar to Terraria I’m worried I wouldn’t find it different. Maybe I should give it a try? Is it very different than Terraria?
TBH, I played some Starbound while in beta, and I could never get into it–and this is despite spending a crapload of time playing of Terraria. I just don’t like the aesthetic as much.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/9 "2016-11-19T22:15:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> I see this a lot, but I don’t understand it. You’re not confined to just one planet in Terraria, either, and in fact it’s impossible to get everything from just one planet (for instance, each world will have corruption or crimson, but not both).
When I was playing Terraria, the only way to switch planets was to load a character on a different planet. In Starbound, one simply needs to tell their ship to go to another location (if there is enough fuel to do so).
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### Author:  [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/10 "2016-11-19T22:45:54Z")
I’m going to get Starbound. I’ve added Transcendence to my ‘wishlist’ as well. It looks interesting, but we’ll see if Starbound scratches the itch. I do have two hours to try it thanks to Steam’s return policy. If anybody else has any more recommendations feel free to add them and I’ll check them out. Thanks to everybody who has responded so far.
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### Author:  [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/11 "2016-11-20T04:19:41Z")
An exploration game, possibly set in space, where a graphics quality of Seven Cities of Gold or better is acceptable?
I suggest Star Control II, which has become freeware and is now better known as The Ur-Quan Masters. There’s even [a mod with updated graphics](https://sourceforge.net/projects/urquanmastershd/)! (Though it’s still a ca. 1992 interface, it’s prettier to look at)
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2016, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/12 "2016-11-20T08:27:33Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#):
>
> Elder Scrolls and Fallout are good suggestions but I’ve played the heck out of them.
Which _Fallout_ games have you played? There are five of them in the main series and they’re all excellent.
> [@](#):
>
> I guess I’m just still sad about No Man’s Sky, I was looking forward to it so much that it has left an exploration itch to be scratched.
Have you tried [_The Long Dark_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Dark) at all? It’s a combination walking simulator/survival/exploration game; very atmospheric and quite well done IMHO. Also set in Canada, which is a bonus.
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### Author:  [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/13 "2016-11-20T14:19:43Z")
Subnautica is basically No Man’s Sky with a hand-crafted world rather than a procedurally generated world.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/14 "2016-11-20T14:52:37Z")
Are you looking for games where you get to go to a lot of significantly different environments? The **Mass Effect** series might qualify. **Psychonauts** would also qualify, although it’s a little bit more linear (the different environments are the bizarre dreamscapes of different characters).
Neither of these have exploration as the primary motive, though, so they may not work.
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### Author:  [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/15 "2016-11-20T14:55:34Z")
> [@Palooka](#):
>
> Subnautica is basically No Man’s Sky with a hand-crafted world rather than a procedurally generated world.
That’s exactly the sort of game I’m looking for. Awesome! Thanks!
Thanks for all the other suggestions. The other games suggested I’ve either played or aren’t quite what I was looking for.
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### Author:  [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2016, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/16 "2016-11-21T11:35:37Z")
One I was on the fence about for a while was Renowned Explorers, an age of discovery roguelite. I ended up not getting it because I don’t like the look of the thing. Petty, I know. [Renowned Explorers: International Society on Steam](http://store.steampowered.com/app/296970/)
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/17 "2016-11-21T18:13:51Z")
Sunless Sea is a nice exploration game but can be rather difficult to get very far from shore due to high resource demands. I got around that by cheating. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2016, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/18 "2016-11-22T05:18:24Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> Sunless Sea is a nice exploration game but can be rather difficult to get very far from shore due to high resource demands. I got around that by cheating. 🙂
I found Sunless Sea way, way too hard to get into. Far too demanding for not enough reward, IMHO.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/19 "2016-11-27T18:55:39Z")
If you never played the original Elite, give [Oolite](http://www.oolite.org/) a try. It’s an open source remake and it’s free.
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### Author:  [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-exploration-focused-games/772417/20 "2016-12-01T22:20:28Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#):
>
> Sunless Sea is a nice exploration game but can be rather difficult to get very far from shore due to high resource demands. I got around that by cheating. 🙂
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#):
>
> I found Sunless Sea way, way too hard to get into. Far too demanding for not enough reward, IMHO.
Sunless Seas has released the Zubmariner DLC which adds many new locations to the map, making many resources more available.
> [@Palooka](#):
>
> Subnautica is basically No Man’s Sky with a hand-crafted world rather than a procedurally generated world.
Diluvion, still in development, looks similar.
[http://www.diluvion.com/](http://www.diluvion.com/)
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