Some grip with GalCiv

from Stardock Forums
Maybe those have already been mentionned, but although I like GalCiv very much (the micro-management vs strategic balance is perfect as far as I am concerned, and the sector concept is very interesting), I have some problems with a few of the gameplay issues:

1) When negociating a peace treaty, it would be nice if the UP would enforce it for a fix period of time (ie: 2 or 3 years or so). The current system has work both for and against me, and either way I found it a little ridiculous. For example, I declare war on the Torians. I beat the hell out of them, ask for lots of money and influence and techs, and they give it to me. Next turn, I redeclare war on them. Duh!. And Dregin empire has done the same to me. It makes it absolutely impossible to make a comeback (both for the AI and the player) when you're behind....and it makes peace treaties pretty useless for the weaker player. The system I describe works wonder for EU2 gameplay (another good title by strategy first)

2) In the Governor screen, I'd like to be able to see the advantages of each building....eventually I'll know them by heart, but while Im starting up I have to go in the indivudual planets screens just to see what the heck an orbital hospital does, then come back in the governors screen to prioritize it as I set fit.

3) Ship List: a way to only show ships in orbit/all ships...I dont necessarly want to see all my battleaxes that as defending when I am looking at available ships.

This is more of a "nice to have": a governor's list for military things, both by individual planets and for the empire.
Ex: Planet Earth always has to have 3 battleaxes in orbit, once that is done the empire needs to always have 10 dreadnoughts, then 5 combat transports, then keep on building constructors until a higher priority (battleaxes, dreadnoughts and combat transports) are destroyed.

Maybe this makes no sense, I am only a wanna be game designer, not a real one (althought I'd take a job anyday :-)

That being said, GalCiv is one of the very few turned base games I enjoy, maybe the best since Perfect General II (although very different)...with Entrepreneur and GalCiv, Stardock won me over. Next game you make, I'll be there waiting.

Bluefox




~SDC~
1,080 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I agree, it would be very nice if the UP enforced peace treaties for some number of turns. (I mean, isn't this type of thing the reason why interstellar organizations are created in the first place?). This also provides an additional strategic tradeoff when deciding whether to be part of the UP ("Is my empire going to benefit from having my peace treaties enforced?") and creates the possibility for a UP resolution which changes the number of turns the UP enforces peacetreaties for (i.e. Have a default of say 6 turns and then a resolution which might come up in the middle of the game in which races can vote to increase or decrease that number).

- Matt Lepinski :->

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I like all of your suggestions, especially the military governor one. I don't know if that one will ever be implemented, as it may be too hard to do so, and even then it could perhaps make the game too automatic.

On the other hand, I'd also like "auto-explore" commands (for scouts), "search for anomalies" (for survey ships), "patrol" (keep moving between 2 sectors, if an enemy ship enters the sector you're in, attack it, then resume the patrol), "escort" (to protect transports, colony ships, constructors, etc.). And a version of "auto-attack" which only targets weaker ships. And "auto-attack" for fleets (currently it only works for single ships).

I don't know. I guess some of these are possible, some would be nice but are very unlikely, and some of them would make the game less fun. It's Brad's decision, of course. :)


~SDC~
Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I definitely would like to see the building names hyperlink to a description or pop up their bonuses when you hover on them..It would make it SO much easier to ser you build queues without 3 or 4 screen changes
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
'On the other hand, I'd also like "auto-explore" commands (for scouts),'

I seem to recall there being an autoexplore already....

'"search for anomalies" (for survey ships),'

This is what autosurvey does. Automatically explores known anomolies within range.

~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I like the idea of the UP enforcing peace treaties for a minimum number of turns, but he's an added idea. If you want to attack before that time, either leave the UP or all remaining members will turn on you for breaking the treaty.

Arturus, there is no auto-explore. And 'search for anomolies' is not the same as auto-survey. What people want is the survey ship to explore unexplored areas and survey anomlies as they are found.

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
The treaty suggestion sounds good to me because, as you say, treaties can often prove essentially worthless now, except as an exploitable commodity.

I also like Dehumanizer's suggestion of an "Auto-Patrol" command -- wherein ships patrol a sector automatically, and attack any enemy ship that enters the sector. Sort of like "Sector Sweep" with an attack aspect.

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Auto survey does mean search around, find anomolies, and explore them. At least, that's what my survey ships do when I tell them to auto survey....

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
cough, theres a suggestion thread in the galciv forum, this is the strategies forum ;)

but i'd like to see trade treaties and more trade options, like limit the ammount of ships that Drengins can send, or put an embargo on their frieghters

would also be nice if u took over a system, u get a % of their cash and influence, small, very small, and dependant upon the people you killed.

final suggsetion, would be nice if after you conquered a plannet with like 5000mil people. After the battle, it can say something like "there are still 12mil people left", gives you options on whether or not you want to enslave, wipe them out or let them live peacefully. You would need more influence to make them happy and not as violent as to rise up and defect from you, bla bla bla, i'm just looking for some domestic war type things. and think of it, slaves can become a trade commodity ;)

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
>final suggsetion, would be nice if after you conquered a plannet with like 5000mil people. After the battle, it can say something like "there are still 12mil people left", gives you options on whether or not you want to enslave, wipe them out or let them live peacefully. You would need more influence to make them happy and not as violent as to rise up and defect from you, bla bla bla, i'm just looking for some domestic war type things. and think of it, slaves can become a trade commodity

I always thought that when you invade a planet all of the population died defended it, and the population that you see is from your troop transports?? Am I wrong?

marquis

~SDC~
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmmmmmmmmmm...............Maybe it would be nice if the % of the population that fought was directly proportional to the approval rating (or the planet's moral %).

The unhappy bunch might not fight on behalf of a government they don't support.

Thoughts?

Bluefox

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
It seems that you conquer a planet by killing everyone on it and giving it to your troops, so...I'm not sure I can see many people not fighting.

~SDC~
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
"Auto survey does mean search around, find anomolies, and explore them. At least, that's what my survey ships do when I tell them to auto survey.... "

So you mean to tell me that your survey ship will explore every corner of the galaxy and that you dont need scout ships huh?

Survey ships will 'auto-survey' which means they will automatically go survey any "visible" anomoly. Once all of the visible area of the map is void of anomolies they stop and wait for orders. They do not explore unexplored areas 'looking' for anomolies. They may go thru unexplored areas enroute to a visible anomoly, but they aren't actively searching.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Regarding peace treaties, why can't the duration be negotiable just like cash payments?

The senate would overrule you if you wanted to go to war before the treaty ended. If you are in an Imperial government, you would have massive morale problems until the war ended.

~SDC~