So I happen to own a copy of Garry’s Mod on Steam, and one of my favorite ways to play has been with the Space Build addon. In the past it was a game mode that was just derived from the basic sandbox game mode, but it’s been changed to be purely an addon which can potentially allow it to work in other game modes.
Though as much as I’ve loved Space Build, it is a bit lacking. True, the SBEP definitely adds quite a bit more to it, but it can be a bit buggy. Plus there’s not much room on each map, due to the limitations of the Source engine. So as fun as it is, there’s only so much you can do in it.
Fortunately, there’s a certain MMO I’ve recently encountered that alleviates pretty much everything that I found lacking in Space Build. And Shores of Hazeron definitely seems to make it fun. It’s still in the early development stages and there’s limited servers, so expect bugs and lag.
There’s a few more things that inspire Hazeron as well, such as Noctis. The entire galaxy is procedurally generated, giving you a LOT of places to explore. And currently, all empires are located in only a small section of the galaxy, and new ones are spawning generally nearby existing ones.
There’s also some inspiration taken from Spore, in that you create your own race whenever you create your own new empire. The shear number of options you get for race creation can be rather mind-boggling, so hitting the randomize button may be easier.
It’s not a game to be taken lightly though, and can be a bit difficult to get into first. The Hazeron game manual itself is a bit sparse, but the tutorial PDF that can be found there can really help you get started with the game.
If you like getting a society up and running from its feat and exploring the vast reaches of space, definitely give Shores of Hazeron a try!