Minecraft definitely a good one. Not a player myself but I get it.
I’m not a big chess fan, so maybe computer Scrabble.
I’ll go with Civilization VI. I’ve actually given up playing it because it’s kind of hard to justify what an incredible time suck it is, but given that I’m in prison under this scenario, an incredible time suck looks like just what I need. Heck, the way that turns toward the end of the game take absolutely FOREVER to get through will go from being a hindrance to a positive boon.
Total War: Warhammer II.
There are games I like more but none with as much replay-ability as that. Warhammer III isn’t better I do not think but I am unclear if you can play WH-II in WH-III.
Civilization V (with ALL DLC) is a close second. I don’t get how people like Civ-VI more. Civ-V and DLC is ultimate Civ. Could keep you busy for years.
Thanks for the clarification.
I’m screwed.
Whatever game I pick, I will get bored in a few months. That’s my pattern. The game I have the most hours in is Gems of War. While it is a match three game, it requires the internet.
I think this clarification kills any mods if the computer starts at the game menu since most games don’t like you mod from that. It’s a different process.
I really don’t know what I would pick.
Civilization V sounds good. Lots of “leaders” to play as, random maps, various difficulty settings and conditions.
Perhaps RimWorld; infinite randomness, a variety of game settings.
Technically, it needs an Internet connection to stream realistic scenery, but can be played offline: MS Flight Simulator. I can virtually visit anywhere on Earth.
Considering that you wouldn’t have internet access, therefore no access to the Dwarf Fortress wiki, that sounds about right.
Total War: Warhammer III.
100+ different campaigns, played fully a campaign can take 50 hours, and a replay of any single campaign will be different than the last attempt.
Immortal Empires campaign in III is like Mortal Empires in II: in this case, a combined campaign of games 1, 2, and 3. This means a HUGE map, as the map now stretches from pole-to-pole, and all the way around the world.
The current review bombing of Warhammer III is because of price increases in the new DLC, but I love the game!
Back in the day sometimes I’d sit down to play Factorio at 7PM thinking "I’ll just progress it as far as petroleum refinement, be in bed by 9:30, and play some more tomorrow.
Then I look up and it’s 4:52 AM and I’m supposed to be at work at 9AM like whaaaaaat happened here.
So yeah, probably Factorio. I wouldn’t even notice 25 years had passed.
I already have more hours in State of Decay 2 than any other thing ever (except like sleep or breathing)…so I might as well keep going with it.
I used to do that playing old Civilization games.
10p…I’ll just play a few more turns.
Next thing I know the sun is coming up and I have to go to work. Fortunately, I was young back then and could cope but still, not fun when you realize what you just did.
My two most played games are Civ IV, then Kerbal Space Program in a distant second.
So I’d take either a new version of Civ or KSP. Probably Civ over KSP.
For sheer flexibility I’d pick Arma 3 or Civilization V. Probably Civ V.
GameBoy Donkey Kong ('94?)
No mods rules out a lot of options I might normally pick, but keeping it updated helps. I think I would have to go with something like a grand strategy game. I can put in a lot of time on those. Be a tough choice between Stellaris, Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV, and Victoria III, I think. CK2 is done with updates, so that one has that downside, but it’s also my favorite in general. EUIV is either done or pretty close to done, I think? Stellaris still has a while to go but it’s definitely getting older, and Vicky III is pretty new, so lots of updates to look forward to.
I’d consider some of the Civ series, but I haven’t really liked any of them since Civ IV, and I think I’m pretty solidly done with 4, at least without mods.
Truthfully some kind of ‘builder’ game like Minecraft might actually be better for that level of longevity, but they’re not generally my type of games at the moment so I don’t even know which one might be good.
In terms of other Civ Style games with the earlier mentioned addictive “just one more turn” the Galactic Civilizations series is probably worth a strong mention.
I’d stick with my first choice because if I’m stuck in solitary, I want something to take me (mentally of course) OUT and away, thus my No Man’s Sky vote, but the feeling of lost time from an addictive turn based game is always fun.
Back in the ancient days of the Commodore, I owned a title called the Adventure Construction Set. It allowed for making RPG adventure games with overworld and dungeon style exploration, combat, spell/trap effects and limited dialogue (an NPC could give a page of canned text but to reply/dialogue). You had full ability, in game, to customize sprites and create creatures, weapons, items, etc. There were pre-made sets for Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Modern Detective but you could adjust any of those or start from scratch. It came with a couple of pre-made full length adventures as well.
Best of all, for our purposes, it could generate adventures itself using the sets (or your adjusted versions). They were simple from a plot standpoint but could take a while to get through an adventure. And none of it required leaving the game. While it would probably feel simplistic and limiting by today’s standards (it was a Commodore 64 title after all) I wonder if anything comparable exists today.
Off the top of my head, I know about RPG Maker. I don’t know if it can auto-generate games based on what you’ve made but it otherwise sounds similar.
I’m sure there are lots more like it, but you’d be limited to whatever assets are included in the base program.
If we can keep out of jail for a few more years I’m sure we’ll start seeing pretty robust integrations of LLM-trained AIs with games, and then we might very well have access to something with true infinite replayability.
Yeah, I think right now anything similar is going to rely on other utilities: Make your sprites in some art program or otherwise import things into the game (mods aplenty). ACS was nice because it was entirely self-contained and I don’t think anything exists now that’s not all-in-one and has the ability to generate its own adventures.
Have to be KSP, a kit of the kids add some good tools and parts, but the base has plenty of scope, and I guess I’d just have to figure out adv calls by hand and docking alignment . I’ve been playing KSP2 early access, very buggy, but if we are allowed the game to be updated then I’d go with that .
If the “play in your own instance mode of Elite Dangerous was allowed’ I might go with that .