GalCiv... ...huh?

XarXo · March 27, 2003, 22:58

Oh, this thread is just for asking this: Where is the originality? It seems Moo with the Alpha Centauri style...

Again some "research points"...
Again some "labor force points"...

... a great council ...
... some races ...

yeah...

Please, people that bought this new game can say me the great and basic differences ? Thank you!

NOTE: For me a "basic" and "great" difference is not that the buttons are black and not blue...

vmxa1 · March 27, 2003, 23:04

GalCiv predates AC by many years, before Windows. It ran on OS/2.
If it reminds me of anything it would BOTF. I guess all space games share many things.

Malleus · March 27, 2003, 23:06

For me the big difference was the very fast pace of the game. It feels like I am truly rushing against the computer for each objective. I want a planet, and I feel a sense of urgency to get it. I want "goody huts" and I know that there are a half dozen other ships out there racing me for them...

Another feature that I enjoy is the greatly increased role of trading and your own government. I feel less like an absolute ruler: and this is a good thing.

Those are a couple of positive points that really FEEL different in this game.

As a postscript, I am pleased with the level of complexity. AND it was fun out of the box. You hear that MOO3? FUN OUT OF THE BOX.

M

Eric S · March 28, 2003, 14:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Malleus
Another feature that I enjoy is the greatly increased role of trading and your own government. I feel less like an absolute ruler: and this is a good thing.

Those are a couple of positive points that really FEEL different in this game.

No kidding. I'm pretty sure a domination victory is harder than a cultural one, and an aliance victory is probably a little easier, but they're all viable options.

Not being an absolute ruler: The bloody Yor found a precursor Ranger early on in a game I finished last night. I had exactly one ship that could stand up to a Ranger (USS Hero, of course), the Ranger could have taken on the entire remainder of my space force combined and not even slowed down. So I decided that a preemptive strike was necessary. Blow up the ship, and then negotiate peace, while I know where the ship is. The USS Hero comes screaming in from the blackest space, and then, when the tactical officer is about to fire the weapons, we convene the senate to vote on a war declaration, and they voted "No." Absolute ruler? Apparently I'm not even Bush

Still love the game, had the Hero shadow the Ranger so I'd know where it went. Should have tried to buy the Ranger from the Yor, now that I think about it.

XarXo · March 28, 2003, 16:48

mmmmmmm

seems tasty ...

Eric S · March 28, 2003, 18:00

Tasty? hmmmmm.... You wouldn't happen to be a Drengin, would you? Please stay on your side of the Internet until you've answered that, please.

BlueDEvil · March 28, 2003, 20:24

GalCiv is supposed to be around since the early nineties. Many victory options available like conquest - the usual stuff or domination - get other race colonies to join yours, or cultural - collect enough influence points. Either way, it's going be a long game.

XarXo · March 29, 2003, 02:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Eric S
Tasty? hmmmmm.... You wouldn't happen to be a Drengin, would you? Please stay on your side of the Internet until you've answered that, please.

What is a Drengin?

Well, returning on-topic. What really new we can find in GalCiv?

Nirvana_CN · March 29, 2003, 06:57

Well Xarxo, what really new can you find in any game today that hasn't been done before?

Gal-Civ really is top notch addictive stuff, if your looking for a game with Original Features...go buy M003, Yes i enjoy moo3, but Gal-Civ is far superior in terms of pure fun.

The fans ask for features, and they get put in! they have incredible support, one patch already, and even have one team solely working on FREE patches and bonus packs for the next year!

All TBS games follow the same principal, as does Gal-Giv.

The main "New feature" is the Updating AI, people upload recs of their games, and once implimented the AI can access all the human games, and update its AI with the latest strategies to use.

If your looking for a totally fresh and new Turn based game, your gonna have to invent a time machine and travel back 15 years to Civ1

If you want a VERY addictive, fun and incredibly well supported and polish game, Get Gal Civ.

Urban Ranger · March 29, 2003, 09:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Nirvana_CN
Well Xarxo, what really new can you find in any game today that hasn't been done before?

Agreed. After playing computer games for awhile like me, a person tend to get pretty jaded. I am glad that my cynicism served me well against MoO 3.

Alex · March 29, 2003, 09:22

I don't own the game myself, but from what I've read about it (including the interesting and informative review in progress by Yin), it seems like GalCiv is an "old school" 4x game, meaning that it could be something like Civ2 in space... of course, the first GalCiv was released before Civ2, but this only reinforce the "old school" aspect.

And it seems to have a smart and challenging AI, plus some humor.

vishniac · March 29, 2003, 09:31

You mean: humor, like in "Nothing like fresh slaves to start a colony!" ?

Lemmy · March 29, 2003, 09:44

Quote:

Originally posted by XarXo
Well, returning on-topic. What really new we can find in GalCiv?

Good AI....name a 4x game which has never been beaten on the hardest difficulty level. Not even by the betatester or the developers. And the bonus the AI gets is still less then 100% IIRC.

Eric S · March 31, 2003, 15:32

Quote:

Originally posted by XarXo
What is a Drengin?

Drengin are the Major AI race that by default start as pure evil, and when they're pure evil, their first contact message says something to the effect of "So you're a human? You're skin looks so... Tasty. What say you come over for dinner some time?"

Quote:

Well, returning on-topic. What really new we can find in GalCiv?

The best AI I've seen in a game to date. Not just the most challenging, but the one that feels like there's a hint of personality behind it.

Most of the elements of the game date back to the OS/2 version of GalCiv, so the mechanics aren't anything new, though starbases are fun to play with,

Excellent overall game experience.

So far, the only real hit I've seen from people that weren't asking GalCiv to be something it's not (a better version of MoO than MoO2/MoO3, for example) is it's weak manual. It doesn't seem to have been handed to someone that had never played the game before, and really needs a walkthrough of a game (including click-by-click descriptions whenever something new is done) through to the point of making trade agreements and building starbases to enhance the trade routes and planetary/resource production.

Actually, during the beta, someone claimed to have beaten the AI on its hardest level, but it was in a "trick universe" where the player had set a tiny universe with the chances of inhabitable planets set to the minimum. By doing this, the person was able to focus on getting starbases/military up to speed while the AI was wasting time looking for nonexistant planets to colonize. Basically, a victory by cheese (but one I couldn't pull off, so it takes talent as well).

MarkG · March 31, 2003, 15:36

Quote:

I feel less like an absolute ruler: and this is a good thing.

happened to me today: i switched to star democracy and an allied civ was attacked. i didnt get the "declare war on ally's enemy or break the alliance" question. instead my senate had a vote (without me) and i was in war...