I'm kinda in the mood for some (base/city/home/ship/whatever) building, with focus on resource management / survival / economy. I don't care for combat too much, though I don't mind if there is some -- as long as it's not first and foremost a game of war and conquest.

And to be more specific, I'd especially like one where you deal with scarcity and optimization. For example, the start of a new game in The Sims is a perfect place to optimize: build a house as small as you can but large enough to fit all the necessary things; minimize distance so your sim doesn't waste precious seconds (in-game minutes) just walking from place A to B.

I think Dwarf Fortress has some of that as well; at least initially it pays off to be thoughtful about what you dig and build and focus resources on (while also leaving space for future expansion).

I think Factorio (at least in its "standard" game mode) is an anti-example; while you can attempt to optimize things and it certainly makes sense to locally optimize pipelines, the game rewards you most for rapid expansion and "excess" rather than for trying to stay small and trying to make the most out of small space or minimal resources.

Oh and yes, I am looking for DRM-free games on GOG, but it's OK to recommend something that's on itch.io as well.

The game's age or graphics don't really matter, but I'd prefer something that's not terribly slow and hindered by a janky UI.

(In the meanwhile, I'll probably try the Anno series)

EDIT: I would also prefer something that has definite goals and an end to it. Pure sandbox games that you play until you get too bored to continue are kinda depressing for me.

Against the Storm is getting very positive reception and seems to tick most boxes.

Impressions games should probably fit the bill.

Thanks. That does seem promising, although I plan to hold off from purchasing indev titles for the time being.

Surviving the aftermath fits your description pretty well. You need to manage a variety of different resources, and especially in the early game optimizing your layout/which buildings you choose is super important. By end game it's somewhat more forgiving. There's also a fixed end to achieve, at least in the game's story mode. I think there is also a sandbox mode. There is somewhat frequent combat in the form of animals/raiders showing up in your camp, how often it occurs is a bit random and difficult to predict. It's definitely not the focus of the game though.

After having some gameplay issues with the first of the series sold on gog, incorrect values concerning profits, trade schemes etc and other seemingly working gameplay functions at a glance i recommend taking a pass for the first anno title if you have a modern day working system.

My builder strat recommendation would be 'Shadow Empire'. Available on GoG.

This is a heavy militarized exploration survival title with a serious undertone. You start out as the leader of a nation of one city, survivors of the galactic demise of a gigantic empire. From here you need to expand your cities, your resources, your technology and survive harsh conditions, Raiding parties, hostile empires, the usual.

Only attempt if you, also, find yourself with a craving for hex based warfare at large

Surviving Mars! It's a city builder with a neat twist. It's also the only city builder I know of that can be played with a controller, which is a bonus for me. I remember wishing the game had a moon DLC. I eventually saw what that would look like, and was disappointed it was just a re-skin.

Honorable mention to Frostpunk. I haven't played this one yet, but it looks pretty sweet.

O yeah, definitely. And I'd add Banished.

Looks like the 3D Annos we have are stuck on old 32 bit builds that are prone to exhausting the address space and crashing.. also reports of crashing during save and even corrupting the saves :\ Is there a goal in Banished? The reviews give me the impression that it is an unfinished game and a "true sandbox" which provides no incentive to keep going.

Anno 1404 was the best Anno game until Ubi released Anno 1800. 2070 is pretty good though too, with a nice climate change theme to boot. Those two aren't unfortunately on GOG though, of course, but 1404 is. There are also the touched up versions of the older games on Ubi Connect (History Editions), that are dirt cheap, but don't really add much except modern OS compatibility.

But the Annos are must-plays for any city/island builder/trading game fan!

The Tropico games are pretty good. They're not particularly deep, but you have to juggle your economy with politics. Combat is about as deep as having an army to take care of rebels.

Aven Colony
Many varied levels.

Infraspace
More of a logistics managment, but worth a mention. Has an ''ultimate endgame buidling'' that you can set as goal.

Surviving Mars
Turn Mars habitable.


Banished is pure sandbox.

Rimworld is a lifestyle game. Beware before you try it. (But you should. It's great.)

Endzone: A World... is a fun "Banished, but in post-apocalyptic world". It has a nicely-polished UX, too.

Lots of the other suggestions in here are also sound: Aven Colony, Tropico, Banished itself... I personally disagree with Against the Storm, though. Another classic, though one I haven't played since my teens, is Outpost 2.

To break outside of the initial box a bit... Have you played Spiritfarer? It's an adventure/puzzle game, with some light base-building and a great story/vibe.

How about Offworld Trading Company? It's a realtime strategy game without war (Yes, it is. And it works. Your "no war" does make me refrain from suggesting their follow-up, Old World, which is probably the best 4x game on the market at the moment.)

Terra Nil was a nifty, short, puzzle-building experience. A fine "do it all in one weekend" game.

Maybe Dorfromatic? It's only just a game and not a toy. Its board-game implementation is up for the big tabletop gaming award this year too. It's a tile layer ("puzzler", barely -- like Carcassone, but without the competition) that you can play through just to see what develops.

Per Aspera is close, but does SPOILER --- devolve into a war to solve your late game/ending.

One I thought I would have liked, but I personally bounced off, was Founders Fortune. It was portrayed as "Rimworld, but pirate-fantasy, a bit more zoomed in to have a dash of The Sims". It might have improved since release, or might work for you. (That said, there are a bunch of "Rimworld clones" that I keep trying and none have kept me... Rise to Ruins, First Feudal, Villagers and Villeins; and then the just-so-so Settlers clone, Townsmen)

And one more "stretch" -- have you ever done Craft the World? It's a 2d side "Dwarf colony" that's very slow-paced and about tunneling down. Your base gets raided every half an hour, so there's the "must focus on defense" part, but that's one element of it.

Lastly, similar to CTW except you actively play it, is Aground. You could think of it as "Terraria-ish without direct building". It has some platformer? schmup? elements in it.

EDIT: Goals, no sandbox? Rimworld has goals, but they're long-term. I've never actually completed any of the win conditions. Endzone has a clear end to each map. Banished has an "everything's unlocked and going smoothly" state, but no narrative or end. Aven Colony ends, Tropico has a lot of good scenarios. Spiritfarer is a narrative experience. Offworld has stages, but is mostly "sandbox", but each play is only a couple hours. Terra Nil has end-states. Dorfromantic is open-ended, but each play session ends, and there's an unlock treadmill. Per Aspera has narrative and end. CTW has an end for each stage (but they're LONG and it can feel sandboxy if you forget to keep moving toward the exit). Aground has a clear end. (I didn't reach it; I was close but had decided I had enough. Apparently the point I stopped used to be an ending.)

Okay.. that could explain a lot, do you think the dgvoodoo trick, with adding dx12 compatibility could solve anything, or maybe that widget that opens up ram from 2 to 4 gb's (https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371)

As you can see, i'm absolutely not a pro in these things. I run into a problem, I google, or better said for these days I edge... no pun intended, I follow a guide. It was more or less a big letdown after obtaining the whole anno collection when it was dirt cheap only to find broken mechanics. Such a Fraud. The history editions though, do make up.

Banished is quite nicely done btw, especially at time of the release.... Figuring out how to survive those early years, Guessing how to deal with child birth and resources. Its mechanics found their way into a multitude of 'clones'.

Now i think of it, another interesting title might be Space Haven, still in early access, but i had some good times with it already. It also comes with a killer soundtrack. Especially the opening theme, like you are back in your mother's womb, or enjoying a starry starry night with your first love