Why should I buy Gal Civ?

I was like you... Last week I was home sick from work and while on the net came across GalCiv... I read all the features and decided to give it a try... So far I love it... I am still interested in Moo3 but will wait until I see some reviews on Moo3 first...

Just read all the features about GalCiv and see if they sound good to you... Also remember that the final version will have more stuff in it then the current beta.

I think one of the big bonuses to GalCiv is the structure Brad (Frogboy) has set up for continued updates to the game after 1.0 is released. I'm probably considered biased since I'm a developer of here at Stardock, but as a gamer I think this is a perfect distribution model for PC games (and console games one they get online). While most games will put out a few patches to fix glaring bugs or tweak the game so certain modes of play aren't as overpowering (cheese tactics), Brad (and the rest of us) will be updating the game itself with our own ideas as well as suggestions from the community. We already have a list of extra features that, due to time constraints, won't make it into the game. But, a month or two after release of the gold, you'll be sure that up on Drengin v1.1 will be available with all new features and tweaks, making the game better with each update. Again, though, I'm from the development team, so I understand if my opinion seems slightly weighted. Hopefully someone will back me up that this post-release game updating model is pretty smooth.

Consider yourself backed up.
The development model you describe was exactly what happened with The Corporate Machine.

Lee,
as an avid 4X genre player I understand your desire to spend your money on the best possible product. I personally will be buying MOO3 as well as already having bought GalCiv. Your question asks which game is better though, and that is bad. It suggests an even comparison of features. Without knowing your tastes it is impossible to answer.
I will however tell you what I love about Galciv. I'll say nothing about MOO3 as I haven't played it and cannot comment.
As mentioned above Galciv is an ongoing development game. That does not mean that patches will be released like other games. That means that the game will evolve and get better as new features are added. Stardock has put money aside for 1 year of extra development.
But what about the initial game? Well I like what I play. Galciv is a Empire based strategy game. It focuses on the interaction at and empire level and those are it's strengths and weaknesses.
This means that diplomancy and AI interaction are very well developed giving you a feeling of a living universe. Trade, exploration, research, starbases, moral, influence, planetary development, general espionage, economy and wars are the primary focus. What is not present are tactical battles, specific espionage or ship design.
Personally I love the feel. Games don't have to degenerate into wars. Winning by influence, economic and research victories are just as appealing. Games are also dynamic and the most powerful race in the start or mid game will not always be the end game winner.

I hope this helps.

Paul.

We can also add that the AI will be( is) very good.

I am playing Galciv since it was released for OS/2. I have seen several version there and real enhancements from version to version - not only bug fixes. This convinces me that we will see the same on the windows platform. By the way I am glad the decision was made to bring it to the windows environment - because it's getting more and more difficult to keep a seperate Warp partition up and running on todays hardware. Anyway compared with other strategy games I have played so far I never had the effect with Galciv that I lost interest in the Game because I finally had understood how to win the game in each and every situation. Also the complexity of all the facets of the game you have to take care of - allows you to play games that are never the same than the ones before. I personally like to win games through research or cultural superiority rather than smashing everybody that comes into your way - but with this game it's up to you to decide which way you prefer. There is more that could be said here - but I would suggest - just give it a try and I am sure you will like it.

Galciv puts more effort into its gameplay at the top level. That is, combat does not get a disproportionate amount of attention in its development over cultural influence, trade, alliances, research, economy, etc. etc. etc.. If you look at any of the MOO forums to see why people are saying MOO3 will squash GC, and look for the reason they think so, it is always the combat system that they pick. These people are looking for a combat game. GC is so much more, but they just don't care about that. The only thing they are willing to compare games on is their combat systems. But if you want a game that has more depth OVERALL, Galciv will be much more interesting and enjoyable.

leelafond,

Well, here's a hint. When we were deaing with earlier builds, with their bugs and various things that detracted from the play, I had no problem spending time reading these posts, posting myself, etc. Now that we have a really solid beta which is beginning to approach the version which will be released, I hate to take time to read and post, 'cause it's just too much fun playing the game! I'm fairly familiar with 4X games, MOO, Space Empires IV, etc., but this is significantly different from any of the others. However much you're anticipating the release of MOO 3 [and I pre-ordered it myself], I think you'd really enjoy GalCiv.

Thanks for all the replies! I guess what I'm worried about mostly is a lack of personality and excessive micromanagement. My favorite game of all time is MOO 2, followed closely by SMAC and HOMM 3. I really love turned based strategy games. Therefore when I saw Space Empires IV all of the features on paper seemed really good and I picked it up. What a disapointment. I have more fun manipulating spreadsheets on Excel at work than I do playing that game. No personality and an absurd level of micromanagement. I like detail but there has to be some flavor with it or I get bored. How do you guys think Gal Civ fares with my tastes?

Thanks!

Well in my opinion MOO2 was an alright game but had some fatal flaws. MOO in my opinion is better(have more fun playing) than MOO2. GalCiv isn't really all that micro intensive, and that's why I like it. It's a good game for lazy people like me

Both GC/OS2 (shipped in 1994) and the beta for GC/Win contain support to reduce micro-management significantly. Compared to MOO2, I find GC much better at reducing the need for micro-management.