That also made me think of Spaceward Ho! I know it may be too simple a game for a “serious” 4x game conversation, but I still in joy its style of gameplay. Sometimes a game like Civ can be too deep, or demand too much time for a satisfying play through, where Spaceward Ho! is fun, quick, but still hits some of those 4x notes.

Are there any modern 4x “lite” type games like this?