Galactic Civilizations IV

[bbmike]

It's not that GalCiv doesn't offer anything new (it really doesn't), it's just that the way the game is presented is extremely dull and bland. I can't quite put my finger on it exactly but every time I start a game I end up several turns in and just not caring about what happens to my empire or the others.

[Anguille]

Very disappointed that this is again the traditional "Civilization" type of just one reseach item at a time. Stellaris is slighly better with 3 at the same time but it's still far from the 6 techs in MOO (except New MOO) and 8 in Horizon. Sorry but i think this is so dumb and a real immersion breaker.

Well then hop on the forums and say so.  Or get in the alpha once it becomes available.  I'm pretty sure this is something that can be changed before release.   

Personally, I'm fairly ambivalent either way.  I don't particularly *like* the "researching only one thing at a time" model (mostly from an immersion/realism standpoint), but I get why it might make sense from the standpoint of gameplay, balance, or both.  Ultimately, however many techs we're allowed to research, I'm sure I'll be okay with it.

Would love to but:

a) don't really have the time
b) my suggestion will most likely be lost among all the GalCiv fans threads (even if i was one of the first to play the original game for pc in 2003 and a Stardock member Since: 7/18/2002, not as long as Martok though  ).

But in the end, i guess i can live with that as well. Even if i think it's an inferior design to MOO1-MOO3 games, i've played all the Civilization games and NuMoo even copied that inferior research design from the Civilization games 

[Martok]

Fair enough. 


In a moment of madness, I did end up signing up for the alpha (pre-alpha?), so we'll see whether I get in or not.  On the off-chance I do, I'll put in a word about the research system.   

[ojsdad]

Fair enough. 


In a moment of madness, I did end up signing up for the alpha (pre-alpha?), so we'll see whether I get in or not.  On the off-chance I do, I'll put in a word about the research system. 

[Martok]

[Anguille]

In a moment of madness, I did end up signing up for the alpha (pre-alpha?), so we'll see whether I get in or not.  On the off-chance I do, I'll put in a word about the research system. 

Excellent. Hope you can give lots of inputs. Have started to play GC3 but boy, the translations are terrible and lacking (sometimes there's no text when you have to make a choice between 3 options) and i can't even change the game to english.  Didn't think that a 5 year old game can be so buggy at that level. 

[Martok]

Uff-da.  That is rough.     

[Martok]

Dev Journal #3 is up.  Brad gives us a somewhat closer look at Colonies and Core Worlds, and how they'll function in the game. 


I really like the concept that newly-colonized planets will automatically default to "Colony" status -- where you don't personally mange/govern it, but instead it simply feeds resources to the nearest Core World.  I suspect it might take a little getting used to at first, but not overly much. 

Turning a Colony into a Core World is an conscious decision you'll have to deliberately choose to make, and will require you to "sacrifice" one of your precious leaders (in order to turn them into a Governor).  While you "lose" that leader, you've also now gained a Core World that is likely to be far more productive than the Colonies feeding resources to it. 


The player also needs to be careful about not having too many Colonies feeding a single Core World:  While doing so would give that Core World an immense amount of resources, and make it extremely productive (and powerful), it's also going to test your Governor's loyalty.  The more Colonies feeding a Core World, the more likely that Core World's governor is going to be tempted to break away and form their own empire. 

Thus, a balance needs to be maintained:  You still need the vast majority of your planets to remain Colonies, but you don't want too high a ratio of Colonies/Core Worlds, lest you spark rebellion and/or civil war. 

[Anguille]

It sounds interesting.

I do disagree with Brad on the AI governors. If it's well done, it can work more or less like his system. The main difference is that you can decide to take care yourself of a planet when you need to.

[Martok]

For those who wish to play the alpha version of the game, Galactic Civilizations IV is now available for purchase...as an Epic exclusive.   

Stardock has already stated that when the full game is released next year, it will also be available on Steam.  However, it does appear that GC4 will be tied to the Epic store for the next 12 months while it's in an alpha/beta state. 


I can understand why Stardock went this route, but it's not something I'll be participating in.  At least it simplifies my decision on whether to purchase early to get alpha access. 




In the meantime, Rob from Explorminate has posted a couple videos of the alpha.  He talks about the game's concepts, the various setup screens, and the 2nd video takes you through the first 30 turns of actual gameplay.  I will say, it does look pretty good so far. 

[Martok]

Brad also posted Dev Journal #4 today, which takes a broader overview of the alpha.  It's pretty meaty. 


https://www.galciv4.com/article/505273/galciv-iv-dev-journal-4---a-guided-alpha-tour



I'm especially eager to see how the game works with citizens/leaders/governors, prestige as means for victory, and control as a resource (used for Executive Orders).  I really like how Stardock is throwing in a lot of new concepts into this game, and/or mixing existing concepts in new/interesting ways. 

[Anguille]

Brad also posted Dev Journal #4 today, which takes a broader overview of the alpha.  It's pretty meaty. 


https://www.galciv4.com/article/505273/galciv-iv-dev-journal-4---a-guided-alpha-tour



I'm especially eager to see how the game works with citizens/leaders/governors, prestige as means for victory, and control as a resource (used for Executive Orders).  I really like how Stardock is throwing in a lot of new concepts into this game, and/or mixing existing concepts in new/interesting ways.

It's looking good already. Enjoyed the videos from Rob. And i can understand the logic to go Epic as he mostly wants to have the feedback on a single forum. Will see if i manage to wait.

[Martok]

Rob shares what he feels could/should be improved, although he emphasizes he's still enjoying himself thus far.  I think his critiques regarding research and diplomacy are particularly spot-on. 

EDIT:  His criticisms aside, I'm already realizing that waiting a year for the Steam release is going to seriously test my willpower.   

[Martok]

Dev Journal #5 is up. 



Interesting how Brad discusses them removing an already-implemented feature (the "Ideology Compass"), and replacing it with something else.  I'm sure some folks would find that alarming, and/or a sign that a game was in major trouble.  Personally, however, I have a lot of respect for him not only being willing to throw out something that isn't working, but openly discussing it as well. 

I'm looking forward to the Cultural Spectrums, and seeing how they work in its stead. 

[Martok]

I thought this was kinda neat... 


Brad just released another dev journal (albeit a short one) about the Yor.  They're the stereotypical evil (Cylon-like) robots in the Galactic Civilizations universe.  He talks about the Yor's evolution -- both artistically and lore-wise -- over the years, and hints at where they might be heading in GC4. 


https://forums.galciv4.com/506037/galciv-iv-dev-journal-7---the-changing-face-of-space-robots



What stands out for me most -- even more than that the Yor are apparently the 2nd-most-played race (after humans) -- is that Brad wrote their origin story when he was still in high school.    He's mentioned before how he created the lore/backstory for the GalCiv universe, and only afterwards (while in college) created a computer game in order to bring it to life, but it still boggles my mind a little when I think about it.