Screeps: World

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"Screeps is a massively multiplayer real-time strategy game that allows you to script the behavior of your units using JavaScript. In the game's persistent world, you control your colony by writing code to gather resources, build structures, and engage in PvP conflict with other players. As a game designed for programming enthusiasts, your units can operate independently based on the scripts you have written."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,239 reviews

gameplay21 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

Screeps offers a unique blend of programming and real-time strategy gameplay, allowing players to write code to control their units and automate their actions.
The game has a well-documented API and a supportive community, making it a great learning tool for both novice and experienced programmers.
Players find satisfaction in optimizing their code and watching their 'creeps' execute tasks autonomously, providing a rewarding experience.

The game has a steep learning curve, especially for those without prior programming experience, which can be frustrating for new players.
The official servers often suffer from slow tick rates, making gameplay feel sluggish and less engaging.
There are concerns about the subscription model, as players may feel pressured to pay for additional CPU time to remain competitive.

gameplay
81 mentions
26 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Screeps is characterized by its complexity and depth, requiring players to program their AI using JavaScript, which can be both rewarding and challenging. While the game offers a rich set of mechanics and encourages strategic thinking, newcomers may struggle with balance issues and a steep learning curve, often feeling overwhelmed by the power disparity with more experienced players. Overall, it provides a unique blend of programming and real-time strategy gameplay, appealing to those who enjoy coding and system optimization, but it can be hindered by slow progression and performance issues.
- “The gameplay is highly rewarding and thought-provoking.”
- “Screeps has very interesting gameplay; the heart of the game is to program an AI to perform the proper tasks, stimulating the learning of programming logic in an ideal way.”
- “The gameplay loop is also really interesting - the 'bots' (creeps) that you program run 24/7, so you are constantly progressing even while away from the game.”
- “The power discrepancy between old and new players is absolutely massive without any mechanics to help new players get a foothold.”
- “But unfortunately, with the grind-based main mechanic, it really started resembling watching paint dry.”
- “Absurdly slow gameplay, littered with waiting and subscription paygates is something we expect to see in mobile games.”
optimization
70 mentions
17 % positive mentions
76 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, particularly with the client, which suffers from freezing and lag. While the game offers extensive opportunities for coding and optimization challenges, the underlying performance problems detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration among users. Despite its potential for teaching efficient coding practices, the lack of optimization in both server and client performance has left some players disappointed.
- “The game provides such a very large breadth of topics, from general program architecture to performance optimization, market efficiency to combat strategy and tactics, pathfinding to optimized creeps (your 'agents' in the game world) configuration.”
- “You'll never quite feel satisfied with what you've written and there's always room for optimization/new strategies; highly recommend if you enjoy optimization and solving open-ended problems.”
- “Screeps seems to provide endless possibilities for code optimization, problem solving, usage of data structures, and memory management.”
- “Cons - it is baffling how a game built for and by programmers is so incredibly unoptimized.”
- “The game's performance is also extremely poor considering it's meant to be for programmers; I was fairly shocked to see how sluggish the game was.”
- “The gameplay is fun, however, the absolutely terrible performance (at least on the Steam client) makes the experience painful.”
graphics
26 mentions
15 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as very basic and plain, lacking in detail and sophistication, which may lead to frequent glitches and rendering issues. While some players appreciate the simplicity and focus on gameplay mechanics, others find the visuals unsatisfactory and in need of improvement. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose but do not enhance the gaming experience significantly.
- “It's all good and well to put text into a computer and see text output to your screen in the way you expect, but there's something so satisfying about seeing a graphical representation of the work you've done.”
- “The game has deceptively simple visuals, but a lot of increasingly complex systems that you gain access to as you progress within the game, providing interesting challenges for your programming ability.”
- “Don't let the simple graphics fool you, this game has huge depth.”
- “There are very frequent graphical glitches, ranging from parts of the rooms not rendering to seeing virtual stationary creeps that have actually left that spot many ticks ago.”
- “The graphics are the bare minimum you need to see what's going on, and could definitely use some improvements.”
- “I mean the graphics are pretty plain-jane, the action is nada, at least so far for me.”
grinding
14 mentions
7 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
93 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by a slow and tedious gameplay loop, where players often feel the need to wait several days for progress, leading to frustration with the unbalanced experience. While some players appreciate the meditative quality and sense of achievement that comes from scripting and watching their creations grow, others find the reliance on grinding and waiting to be a significant drawback, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The game is a tedious kind of wait, few days for more progress kind of thing.”
- “This is because I chose to code my AI entirely from scratch, and doing so means several days of not much happening every time you start a new base, because grinding and waiting is the main gameplay loop.”
- “But the game being all about grinding, with the shallow end goal of being competitive and killing other players, just doesn't resonate with me.”
story
14 mentions
21 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and immersive, while others describe it as dull or lacking depth. A few users appreciate the potential for personal storytelling through gameplay mechanics, but many suggest that those seeking a strong narrative should look elsewhere. Overall, the game seems to prioritize gameplay and strategy over a compelling storyline.
- “Awesome story.”
- “It will replace your life story.”
- “I'm 100% new to scripting, but I was looking for a game where you get involved in the behind-the-scenes architecture of the game itself - writing AI or structuring the characters of the game and the storyline yourself, all the while being an MMO.”
- “If you want a story, then go read a book.”
- “I almost fell asleep with this story.”
- “Sound, storyline, and options were removed from the list.”
stability
13 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and a sluggish user interface. While some appreciate its potential as a beginner project, the overall experience is marred by persistent issues that detract from gameplay. Many users recommend caution due to the game's instability and frustrating quirks.
- “This 'game' is extremely buggy.”
- “-- there are very frequent graphical glitches, ranging from parts of the rooms not rendering to seeing virtual stationary creeps that have actually left that spot many ticks ago.”
- “Another point of contention is the autocomplete is very buggy; it decides when it wants to work and generally doesn't work at all, making guessing some of the code you can use and reference tricky unless you know what to look for.”
humor
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game through amusing interactions, such as sending creeps to disrupt construction sites and creatively coding characters for mischievous antics. The blend of funny surprises and sometimes cruel outcomes adds to the enjoyment, making the gameplay both entertaining and engaging. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making it easy to learn yet challenging to master.
- “It's funny to send creeps with 1 move to construction sites and break them :)”
- “However, I had a blast trying to code a 'thief' creeper that would go to my neighbors' land who had unguarded drop miners, and steal from him :p it was hilarious.”
- “Just try, it's 'easy to learn, hard to master', and funny to play!”
music
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's music and sound design are widely criticized, with many users noting a complete absence of both soundtrack and sound effects, which detracts from the overall experience. Some players suggest that external music could alleviate the monotony caused by this lack. Overall, the game's auditory elements are seen as a significant shortcoming.
- “Enjoy gorgeous visuals, fluid animation, and a soundtrack that you just can't get enough of.”
- “Having some YouTube music playing in the background will help keep your sanity while you find that finger-generated bug.”
- “This game needs sounds and a soundtrack badly.”
- “Other disappointments included a somewhat outdated UI, lack of music or sound, and the overall look of the game in its current state.”
- “There are no sounds or music.”
replayability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users highlight the game's significant replayability, with one reviewer giving it a perfect score of 100/100, indicating a strong desire to play it multiple times. Overall, players find the game engaging enough to warrant repeated playthroughs.
- “I thoroughly enjoy playing this game, and I believe it has a huge amount of replayability.”
- “Replayability - 100/100”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The game offers no new content or variations in gameplay on subsequent playthroughs.”
emotional
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, noting that despite initial hesitation, their engagement grew over time, leading to a sense of love and appreciation for the experience as they learned and improved their coding skills.
- “The emotional depth of the story truly resonated with me, making me reflect on my own experiences.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the characters' journeys; their struggles felt so real and relatable.”
- “The game beautifully captures the essence of human emotions, leaving a lasting impact long after I finished playing.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy, which includes a subscription for additional CPU access, is viewed as a cash grab by some players who feel that the default limit of 10 CPU is too restrictive and suggest that a higher default limit of 30 would be more reasonable.
- “Selling a CPU subscription makes sense, but limiting players to 10 CPU without buying it feels like a cash grab. A default of 30 CPU would be more reasonable.”
- “The monetization model is overly aggressive, making it difficult for free-to-play users to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions, which detracts from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's strong community, expressing hope that this positive atmosphere will continue following its launch on Steam.