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Things you would like to see in a Galactic Civilization expansion set

Things you would like to see in a Galactic Civilization expansion set

I know that there already is one suggestion thread up but I decided to start a second one anyhow. Post any and all ideas that are too outlandish or broad in scope to implement in a commercial patch. Let's see if we can give the developers some evil ideas and maybe, just maybe, improve the chances that there will be a GC expansion pack. I'll try to get this one started.

Things I'd like to see implemented in an expansion:

1) More good and evil technologies
2) Race specific units, technologies and events
3) More events of all types
4) Morality triggered events
5) A new (hard) victory condition only attainable by neutral civilizations
6) Larger than gigantic maps
7) More customization options for maps (more neutral races, better than abundant planets, extra star clusters, more/less anomolies, etc.)
8) A second scenario
9) Two-tiered maps
10) A simple fleet combat system
11) More permenant galactic features (astroid belts, gas giants, ancient junkyards and ruins, etc.)
12) Some additional empire building tools (cosmetic and meaningful)

More technologies and events:
Any expansion to Galactic Civilizations would have to include more of what has already made this game the true, spiritual sucsessor to the Orion series. The event library in particular could be easily expanded to make every game unpredictable and different. Granted, this is already one of the stated goals of the patching process, but what can be done in patches can be 'overdone' in a retail release. :) Adding more technologies for the good and evil civs would also be a likely addition, but would require some compensation for neutrals.

Race specific technologies, units and events:
A familiar idea to an RTS player. An ideal way to introduce race-specific items into GC would be to create 1-3 units and techs for each race, including the humans, and then allowing each player to chose one of each at the start of a campaign. Only techs and units that the player picked at the start could be eventially researched and built.

Not allowing the usage of every racial unit in every game would be a good way to ensure that one race is not automatically 'the best' at any one thing. If the Torians chose their heavy combat vessel they will be able to hold their own against the Drengins. The best part is that the human player will not know what choices the AI races made until later in the game. Did the Drengins decide to activate their Warlord-class battleships (for space superiority) or did they instead chose to use Mutagen bombs (for mutating other species into Drengin hybrids during planetary assaults)?

Neutral victory condition:
Create a United League of Planets and conquer or dominate the galaxy. The catch: The League of Planets cannot have any of the other major races in it -- only minor races (and Independant League) led by the human race. You need at least 4-6 minor races (depending on map size) on-board to win this victory condition. They all must be alive at the end of the game.

It could work like this: Once a minor race is convinced to join the League it becomes an ally of the lead race and every other member race. All member races get military access, shared exploration, trade and diplomatic bonuses with one another. All member races benefit from each others starbases. All minor races belonging to the League give a tribute to the founder but recieve a hefty scientic grant in exchange. League races cannot culture bomb one another.

This would be a very cool victory path. It would be murder build and protect a League of Planets, but it could be a very rewarding endevor. If neutral technologies were to be implemented, perhaps they could be intended to allow this style of victory? The first neutral tech could be League Alliance (allowing member states) and subsequent techs could improve economic and scientic ties between the member races. A full formed League would be an unstable but very wealthy ediface.

Under the right circuimstances, the Arcean Empire may even attempt this. Perhaps one or more of their racial units/techs could be designed with this victory path in mind?

More ahead...
26,910 views 529 replies
Reply #526 Top
Oh yeah there was another idea I thought of that I forgot to mention. There have been times when I would have liked to move a fleet of warships into blockade of a star system I was attacking that no longer had any ships. Moving a fleet into blockade should of course be an act of war, and planetary and star system defences etc should mean that a fleet in blockade slowly sustains damage and can't stay their permanently, but it should also mean enemy ships can't enter orbit of the star system without attacking the blockade. A ship set to autolaunch might break free after sustaining some token damage, but no ships can enter the star system unless it first destroys the blockade fleet. Just an idea, something I wanted to be able to do on several occassions but found I couldn't.

It could have several uses also in the colonisation rush. Blockade an unclaimed star system to prevent anyone else claiming it until your colony ship arrives.
Reply #527 Top
Another idea on asteroid fields. There might be an advanced kind of starfighter that can navigate through them, and there might be a neutral tech for doing some advanced mining type things with asteroid fields. This way an evil empire with a TerrorStar may have blown up a star system and turned it to asteroids, but it would take a different empire to come along and fully exploit the created resources.
Reply #528 Top
AI needs to manage its ships better. It leaves its systems with very little defense and attacks one ship at a time, instead of moving in fleets. It also never notices if you park ships outside its sectors, only within its sectors, and then only on the highest 3 difficulty levels. It's too easy to position yourself to take out many (or all, on medium maps and below) of their systems in one go. Even if they're not at war and have their systems loaded, you can bribe them to go to war, and as soon as they move their ships out to go after the 'enemy', you can move in for the kill, taking most or all of their systems in one turn. The AI will also just leave it's ships scattered all over the galaxy if it's suddenly no longer at war, rather than pulling them back to defend its planets and starbases. The game would be a whole lot more challenging if they just kept themselves better defended.
Reply #529 Top
Sorry if this has been mentioned but the control-N to avoid bad starts is kind of a necessary nuisance. How about we have some set maps like other games do? I would like a map where the human and all the AI start with an equal distance from starfields or the game begin with each side having an equal number of planets or stars. The scenario maps and star battles maps may be fun too but I think a map where everyone gets an equal start and no one gets a bad start would be the most helpful. Then we could mostly say good-bye to control-N. Thanks.

Rick
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