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Author Topic: Galactic Civilizations 3  (Read 4146 times)

Yskonyn

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on: February 07, 2021, 03:04:37 AM
There doesn’t seem to be a thread about this game yet, so here we go.

Developed by Stardock and previously the series was known for its awesome human-like AI.
The start of GC3 was a rocky one, but (as often with Stardock games) as the years went on the game got stronger.

Interface problems have been addressed,  playable factions have been restored and lots if gameplay mechanics have been tried out and changes over the course of its life, where currently the game seems to have grown back into form.

Additionally Frogboy has taken over AI programming again and with the 4.0 version released, last December, the game seems to be in great shape.

One of the awesome features of GC3, for me at least, is its Steam Workshop support in combination with its very detailed ship designer.
On top of that you can also create your custom factions.

There really is a lot included in this package and its often on sale over at Steam.

Have you guys played it recently (please dont compare older versions as much has changed and if you havent played in a long time the game deserves another look)?


Martok

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Reply #1 on: February 07, 2021, 07:43:13 AM
I like GalCiv3, especially with the expansions & DLC included.  (I concur the base game at release was something of a turd.) 


In its final form, I put it solidly in the "good" category.  It's not amazing, or exciting, and it's not going to push the genre in a bold new direction.  But it *is* technically sound, runs well, is highly polished, has competent AI, and it offers enough new wrinkles to keep things interesting. 

I like the ideology system, and its associated perks.  I like how all habitable planets have some type of "specials" that help make them unique.  I like the Citizens mechanic, and how they boost your empire.  I like how Starbases function, *and* that they finally figured out a reasonable way to eliminate the old Starbase "spam".  I like that the races all "feel" different, both when playing as them, and interacting with them.  I like how mining/acquiring resources work; I also like asteroid mines.  I like the high degree of game setup & customization options. 


However, I am going to partially disagree with you on the ship designer being a standout feature, and that's related to one my chief critiques of this game:  the complete lack of tactical combat.  As long as Stardock continues their steadfast refusal to implement any sort of actual battle system in their GalCiv games, it renders their ridiculously in-depth ship design feature virtually pointless.  You might as well go with a simpler, more streamlined ship designer like what Stellaris has. 

Other things I'm less wild about:  Colony management is...sort of fun?, yet also a bit too byzantine for my tastes.  Diplomacy remains simplistic (although to its credit, this means the AI is better able to handle it).  The fact that you have to *research* new types of treaties (like Alliances) drives me nuts, especially from an immersion standpoint. 


Perhaps my single biggest gripe about the game, however (other than perhaps the combat, or lack thereof), is that it feels somewhat...bland.  And it's not just GC3; the entire series has suffered from this problem.  Brad Wardell created an entire backstory for his universe, complete with lore, notable characters, and dramatic events...and then proceeded to lock it all behind separate, story-based campaigns, rather than folding it into the sandbox campaign that just about everyone prefers to play in.  :doh: 

(Fortunately, it appears that, going by his posts in the Stardock & GalCiv forums from the past several months, Brad has finally taken this lesson to heart:  Galactic Civilizations 4 won't have a separate campaign.  Instead, lore-based events and event-chains will show up during the course of a normal game, just like in Stellaris and Distant Worlds.  This should bring some much needed flavor -- some life -- to the series, that heretofore, had sorely been lacking.) 



Seriously, though, I only criticize because I care.  I genuinely do enjoy GalCiv3; it's earned a permanent spot on my hard drive, at least until GC4 is released.  ;)  It's just maddening when the game does so many things right, but then misses the mark in a few crucial areas.  Gah! 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Yskonyn

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Reply #2 on: February 08, 2021, 07:08:20 AM

However, I am going to partially disagree with you on the ship designer being a standout feature, and that's related to one my chief critiques of this game:  the complete lack of tactical combat.  As long as Stardock continues their steadfast refusal to implement any sort of actual battle system in their GalCiv games, it renders their ridiculously in-depth ship design feature virtually pointless.  You might as well go with a simpler, more streamlined ship designer like what Stellaris has. 

Other things I'm less wild about:  Colony management is...sort of fun?, yet also a bit too byzantine for my tastes.  Diplomacy remains simplistic (although to its credit, this means the AI is better able to handle it).  The fact that you have to *research* new types of treaties (like Alliances) drives me nuts, especially from an immersion standpoint. 


Perhaps my single biggest gripe about the game, however (other than perhaps the combat, or lack thereof), is that it feels somewhat...bland.  And it's not just GC3; the entire series has suffered from this problem.  Brad Wardell created an entire backstory for his universe, complete with lore, notable characters, and dramatic events...and then proceeded to lock it all behind separate, story-based campaigns, rather than folding it into the sandbox campaign that just about everyone prefers to play in.  :doh: 


I do agree. The blandness has been a problem with GalCiv and Fallen Enchantress. To me it indicates that Stardock has great technical guys and gals, but their creative department could use some reinforcements perhaps.

I never thought about the ship editor like that, but I do see you point. There is indeed little applicability to your designs in the game and I suppose the extreme detail of it doesn't really make sense in that regard.
Still, being able to create your own 'faction theme' in such detail is what has always appealed to me very much.

But yes, GC3 could be so much more fun with more storyline, more events and a better combat system.

I haven't read anything about GC4 yet, though. Did they talk about it on the forums?


Martok

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Reply #3 on: February 08, 2021, 08:58:39 AM
I do agree. The blandness has been a problem with GalCiv and Fallen Enchantress. To me it indicates that Stardock has great technical guys and gals, but their creative department could use some reinforcements perhaps.

It's both interesting and ironic that you also find FE bland, because I don't -- at least not Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes.  (I never really played "plain" FE, so I can't comment on it.)  For me, atmosphere & immersion are generally crucial to my gaming enjoyment, and it's no accident that FE:LH is my 2nd-most played game on Steam (and is easily my favorite fantasy 4x to date); I really get sucked into the world when I'm playing it.  I feel it's been the one Stardock game that has (mostly) avoided the blandness problem. 

That being said, I entirely agree with your assessment that Stardock has always been pretty strong on the technical side of their games, but could definitely use some help on the artistic/creative side.  The issue has been mentioned to Brad in the past, but it seems like he's always been a bit blind to it. 



never thought about the ship editor like that, but I do see you point. There is indeed little applicability to your designs in the game and I suppose the extreme detail of it doesn't really make sense in that regard.
Still, being able to create your own 'faction theme' in such detail is what has always appealed to me very much.

Oh, I fully acknowledge that in and of itself, GC3's ship designer is damn cool; I don't think many people dispute that!  I just question the wisdom of having one that's so in-depth, when there's little practical application for it (as you said). 



But yes, GC3 could be so much more fun with more storyline, more events and a better combat system.

Well according to this post, we're at least getting the first two.  :)  That alone should be a huge improvement. 

As for the combat...who knows?  Brad has dropped a few comments this past year indicating he's planning to finally add *some* sort of tactical combat system to GalCiv4.  But then, he made the same sort of comments during GalCiv3's development as well, so I'm taking his words with a huge grain of salt for the time being.  We can but wait and hope. 



I haven't read anything about GC4 yet, though. Did they talk about it on the forums?

Aside from the occasional comment from Brad, no.  I'm quite certain the game is still far too early in development for any of the dev team to discuss it openly yet.  (I'm sure the only reason even Brad has said anything is because, realistically, who's going to stop him? :P


Rob over at Explorminate has a "feeling" that GC4 will be far enough along in development for Stardock to at least start teasing the game (possibly including sneak peeks) by the end of the year, but honestly, I don't see how that's realistically possible.  I know he has some sort of connections at Stardock, so I'm sure that's where he's getting his "hunch" from.  However, from what I've read of Brad's posts, I get the distinct impression that Stardock has only begun work on GalCiv4 in the last 3-6 months...and they're still working from home, which necessarily slows progress. 

Given how long game development typically takes these days, especially 4x games (which are generally some of the most complex beasts to make), my guess is we might -- *might* -- finally start hearing some real chatter about Galactic Civilizations 4 sometime this autumn.  Even then, I doubt we'll get to see much (if anything) until sometime next year. 

I won't exactly be sad if I turn out to be wrong, however.  ;) 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Martok

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Reply #4 on: May 26, 2021, 03:01:06 PM
The next (final?) major update for GalCiv3 is now available for anyone who wishes to opt into the beta. 


https://forums.galciv3.com/505091/galactic-civilizations-iii-vnext---beta-now-available

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/226860/view/3023583801880343129

Spoiler: ShowHide
Quote

GalCiv III v.Next

    Tiny hull receives +2 speed buff
    Small hull receives +1 speed buff
    Cargo hull cost increased
    Slight bump to improvement costs.
    Colony ships cost more
    Prototype hyperdrive requires anti-matter instead of Promethion
    Fixed bug that could cause an AI player to rush a ship when it didn't want to.
    Easier difficulty levels made easier with "dumber" AI.
    Default player count per map size increased:
    - Small: 3 to 5
    - Medium: 6 to 9
    - Large: 8 to 11
    - Huge: 12 to 17
    - Gigantic: 16 to 21
    Star distance reduced from 7 tiles to 5 tiles.
    AI more reasonable in tech trading
    Planetary Improvement tech increases admin points +1
    Colonial Engineering tech increases admin points +1
    Artificial Gravity tech increases admin points +1
    Interstellar Resupply tech increases admin points +1
    Xeno Commerce tech increases admin points +1
    Xeno Entertainment tech increases admin points +1
    Maps given more habitable planets:
    - Tiny map habitable planet count increased from 32 to 36
    - Small map habitable planet count increased from 40 to 48
    - Medium map habitable planet count increased from 100 to 120
    - Large map habitable planet count increased from 200 to 250
    - Huge map habitable planet count increased from 300 to 320
    - Gigantic map habitable planet count increased from 400 to 450
    - Immense map habitable planet count increased from 500 to 550
    Content approval threshold reduced from 45% to 40%
    Starting year increased from 2242 to 2243 for Retribution
    Starbase particle beam support weapon no longer requires Elerium
    Starbase Stinger missile support eapon no longer requires anti-matter
    Starbase Shield Generator support module no l,onger requires Elerium
    Starbase Point defense support module no longer requires Elerium
    Starbase Titanium plate module no longer requires Durantium
    Starbase perimeter Scanner no longer requires Durantium
    Starbase sector scanner Durantium cost reduced from 2 to 1
    Starbase modules resource cost reduced by 1
    Starbase Archeology module benefits increased
    Starbase level 1 economic modules no longer require special resources
    Planet class 26 added
    General balance of planets classes moved down some.
    Players can start slightly closer together.



We'll be updating this list as we put out new updates. We have a lot of plans for this Summer.

To Access
Go to Steam, go to the properties, go to Betas and choose the Opt-in (regardless of what it's labeled).







It's nice to see the current game still getting some love.  Brad even did a new AAR a couple weeks ago, which are usually entertaining and/or informative: 

https://forums.galciv3.com/504854/galciv-iii-aar-the-last-empire



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Anguille

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Reply #5 on: June 02, 2021, 05:44:44 AM
I am playing it right now and like it. Translations and language options are buggy as hell though.



Martok

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Reply #6 on: June 03, 2021, 05:37:25 AM
I am playing it right now and like it.

Yeah, it's not a bad game.  There's a lot of things about GalCiv3 that I genuinely appreciate.  Starbases and the resource system are two of my favorite features. 

In contrast, colony management is one of the worst aspects of the game for me.  I tend to play maps with few habitable planets as a result. 



Translations and language options are buggy as hell though.

I seem to recall complaints about those before, although I'm not sure if that was for GC3 or GC2. 


« Last Edit: June 03, 2021, 05:42:40 AM by Martok »

"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

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Martok

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Reply #7 on: August 05, 2021, 07:50:06 PM
The 4.2 update has officially been released! 


https://forums.galciv3.com/506099/galactic-civilizations-iii-releases-highly-requested-update



The patch largely consists of balance changes, but they're ones I generally approve of:  Most lower-tier starbase upgrades no long require special resources, the distribution of habitable planets have been improved, and certain lower-tier techs make early expansion a little bit easier.  I particularly like that colony ships (finally!) cost more now, and that your capital has been given a modest boost to credits and production.  Not sure how I feel about the default number of players per map (size) being increased, but that can always be manually adjusted if need be. 

In all, a nice list of changes & improvements. 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Martok

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Reply #8 on: December 07, 2021, 03:51:06 AM
Well this caught me by surprise:  I noticed a new update for the opt-in beta was available tonight, and then I found this announcement/change-log from last week... 


https://forums.galciv3.com/508572/galactic-civilizations-iii-421-change-log




Fantastic that they're still updating this game, even while they're working on the new one.  :bigthumb: 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Martok

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Reply #9 on: December 15, 2021, 04:25:25 PM
The v4.21 patch has officially dropped: 


https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/226860/view/3128310883483969774




Quote

Changelog

All versions:

    AI is now significantly better at putting together trade offers with the player (ones likely to be acceptable to the player).
    Asteroid likelihood in a system increased from 20% to 25%
    Ion storm spawn likelyhood an a sector increased from 50% to 65%



Retribution:

    Minimum star distanced reduced from 7 parsecs to 5 parsecs
    Approval requirement for content reduced from 45% to 40%
    Civilization capital raw resource production increased from +2 to +3
    As hardware continues to become more powerful we have bumped up the number of objects a map can spawn:
    Small galaxy base object spawn increased from 300 to 400 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Medium galaxy base object spawn increased from 500 to 700 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Large galaxy base object spawn increased from 750 to 900 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Huge galaxy base object spawn increased from 900 to 1000 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Gigantic galaxy base object spawn increased from 1000 to 1200 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Excessive galaxy base object spawn increased from 1400 to 1500 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    Insane galaxy base object spawn increased from 1500 to 1600 (this is how many planets, stars, etc. are allowed)
    AI weighting of technologies improved to ensure the AI researches the updated tech tree more effectively
    Ministry of Alien Affairs now gives a +0.25 diplomacy bonus
    Interstellar Tourism prereq changed from requiring Immigration to ministry of alien affairs to make available earlier in the game.
    Supply ship manufacturing cost reduced from 200 to 125
    Early game music tracks updated





"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike