Medicine Man Medicine Man

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

▼

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

from Stardock Forums
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 #201 from Stardock Forums Top
Wampyre,

Guilty as charged. ;)

Elrikk


~SDC~
Reply #202 from Stardock Forums Top
Cheese

I say

I say

Cheese

This game has already some of that lovely "cheese" in it.

Now give us some more.

This is Sci Fi afterall.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #203 from Stardock Forums Top
One dumb thing I noticed on the tech browser: The tech text is shown but not the effect:
You know that you find instant communication, but have no idea of the bonuses it gives or the ships you can build or whatever. Makes the thing useless if that's the case.
Reply #204 from Stardock Forums Top
Terror Stars should be towable by the larger ships.

Example:
Two Excalibers can tow a Terror Star at half thier speed and every time the number of ships are doubled the tow speed is increased by a certain percent (e.g. 2 ships = 50%, 4 ships = 75%, 8 ships = 87%) or something like that.
Reply #205 from Stardock Forums Top
Elrikk- No penalties or fines will be accessed.

My mother once told me, a long time ago, to be tolerant of those that have different perspectives on life and who have had different life experiences.
She said "Son", (she didnt call me wampyre) "when you grow up you will discover are many people who are not like you (truer words hath not been spoken) and who dont think like you. They will not hold the same beliefs, not core values you hold dear to your heart." (I had no idea what the hell she was saying.) "For instance, one day you may run into somebody who knows not the wisdom of Norman Greenbaum and his Spirit in the Sky. Or his canned ham. Why, its even possible that, say, if in the future, you ever got a pet ape and kept it in your basement, and taught it sign language, some may not approve or understand. Such is life."
I still didnt understand then. But of course, now I do.

So, Elrikk, I guess what I mean to say, after taking up so much space and ticking off those who thought they were going to read something about the tech broswer, its no big thing. I wont hold it against you. I think youre ok. Even Bobo said so.
Carry on.
Reply #206 from Stardock Forums Top
How about an event with the discovery of an Orion-type planet that is protected by Precursor tech. This could encourage event cultural-types to build attack (rather than defense) fleets.
Reply #207 from Stardock Forums Top
Wampyre,

Your mother was a wise woman and spoke the truth.

In my varied travels (and reading) I have come accross many many people who have expoused a unique, different and, dare I say it, even seemingly weird philosophy. Like your mother I have tried to be tolerant and understanding of such people and their ideas and rather then resorting to taunt or ridicule have always tried instead to find the truth hidden deeper inside there seemingly strange beliefs. Most of the time I have been fairly successful in these endevours and have become, as a result, a bit of an ecclectic philosophically. (not academically sound I know but quite satisfying on a personal level.)



. . . but seriously? . . . Canned ham ??? ;)



Elrikk


PS. I have based my life on one single revelation; "The realisation that one is a slow learner does not usually come quickly."

Only time will tell. ;)


~SDC~
Reply #208 from Stardock Forums Top
Collaplsible tree for the fleet list. On the fleet list the default would be a number for each ship type. Hit that ship type and the entire ship list for that type expands. That way you don't have tho scroll thru the list of each ship, only the ship category you are interested in.

~SDC~
Reply #211 from Stardock Forums Top
within "Events" in general i think there's a problem when you tell some sort of story. Something happens, and you choose an option that modifies your alignment along with some sort of reward/punishment. but these stories which we've attached to the "event" don't really mean anything to us. there is no impact on the game other than the modification of a number here and there.

you might as well say only: pick a,b,or c. and you will get a reward... ok, there are long-term effects here such as certain bonuses to your attributes (increased moral, etc.) but if you kill the peoiple living in the underwater domes, and if you enslave the zombies to be your army, and if you destroy the ruins on your planet... there should be a real connection to these events.

if you destroy the ruins on your recently colonised planet, aside from having more room to live, let's find the ancestors of this planet and see what they think about what you've done to their ruins. maybe it becomes espionagable knowledge (what each race does to its people and planets). if i knew that the drengin destroyed the ruins of the "other" race, then maybe i could contact the "other" race and let them know, (thereby starting a war between them). or if the "other" race should travel through the galaxy, maybe they discover this on their own and attack the drengin for doing what they did... or ally themselves with them if they had preserved the ruins. and if i allowed the underwater people to stay in their underwater domes... maybe later in the game, they reward my empire with some sort of "thank you". but a tangible, real "thank you". not just "+5 morale" or just "they throw a party". but some sort of actual thing that makes us FEEL the game more.

i'm talking cause and effect here. but sustained cause and effect. your actions affect tomorrow as well as 5 years from now and even further past that. when you make a decission within the events, the game should record the changes not only in your stats but add it to some sort of ledger that the game references throughout play. something happens and the game checks this ledger and reacts based on what it finds there. but keep it on the ledger and allow it to have multiple connections to events and various other happenings in the game. so... you are fighting someone and the underwater people you spared earlier are suddenly overwhelmed with your benevolence and contribute a space ship, or a new tech, or they donate a fleet of transports... but the key here is to keep it on-going. for every event, there should be dozens of effects that could spin out from it slowly thoughout the game, not just one at that moment. the planet with the underwater domes should remain the planet with the underwater domes. people may WANT to get that planet from you because with the right sort of management, you could get something (and somethingS)wonderful from it and more than just once.

i know this requires a lot of re-tooling, but it would fix what i think to be a thin aspect of the game.

lastly: within the governor build cue, there should be a "cost" value next to the social structure in the list, so we can put a "cheaper" building before the "very expensive" building without having to go back to another screen to make sure it's not too expensive.
Reply #212 from Stardock Forums Top
It would be nice to have (if possible)

- A fleet management window
-The ability to mine planets without having to build civs on every planet
- Able to mine asteroid fields
- planet information
- Information on the mineral status of the empire, and not just the finacial status
- Zoom ability on the main window and not just the mini map
- Larger maps
- Carriers - to build carrier taskforces that can attack ships, enemy fleets, planets or even patrol important sectors.
- Systems that can and do (during the course of the game) become vital to control, because of minerals and other resources.
- Zones of control that (if entered by another race) could constitute an act of war.
- Fleet communication - reports from fleet commanders on anything important
- Battle stations that can be built and dock entire fleets needs to control distant sectors (or mining sectors)that become importance to the empires needs.
- new resouces that can be found and harvested that brings creater durability to ships, shields and finacial might to the empire.

this is what I would like to see in the add on pack


Reply #213 from Stardock Forums Top
One of those things that gets me, and people probably disagree, but is there some way to key the build list of military and social to sort in different ways? Alph doesn't really do it for me - I wish there was something more like power or novelty.

~SDC~
Reply #214 from Stardock Forums Top
I would like to see a way to decide which technology goal you want and the computer automatically puts the required technologies in a queue to be built...and a queue taht I could add as many techs as I wanted to research...sorry if this has been already discussed
Reply #215 from Stardock Forums Top
i agree with the last post as well as others who have suggested the same. as offered before, the techs are fun to discover the first or second time only. any further play has us wishing we could go directly to that tech we want without using notes or our dreaded memories.
Reply #216 from Stardock Forums Top
EM pulse weapons, defenses, and invasion option.
Also, mines, lots of mines! :d
Reply #217 from Stardock Forums Top
oooooh, i almost forgot (i did forget): can we have graphics that surround the planet when things like planetary defenses and such are present? you know, some sort of translucent bubble or something. that would be cool.

and while we're on the subject, the starbases could have a few more graphics options. you know, not just to represent the number of modules, but to represent the kind of modules on it. e.g. with so many defensive modules, it appears to have guns or something on it. but with more mining modules, it would have additional graphics such as... i don't know, yellow and black stripes. when i'm upgrading a starbase, i can't always remember which one needs which upgrade until i actually send a constructor to it. it's be cool to see the starbase's status at a glance.
Reply #218 from Stardock Forums Top
Sorry if it's been mentioned, but it would be really helpful to have the current trade routes indicated on the minimap -- your own, of course, and the enemies' with the appropriate espionage level. Would make it much easier to deicde where to build those trade post starbases.
Reply #219 from Stardock Forums Top
To be able to build your own ships with different technologies.. Not just have the same ships for every race. This would be a huge improvement!!


~SDC~
Reply #220 from Stardock Forums Top
How about an event where an astreoid hits ur planet and destroys it, that would be an interesting twist.

I really like the ideas to expand the expanding faze (i like that sentence) ;p

And aobut having a short range for the star terror.

I looove the up but it needs to have more options, i end up getting the same ones in every game.

A How about having a specific selector for sectors, like 1 row and 10 columns leading to an iteresting game, not very realistic but it has some very interesting applications for scenarios or just a 1 on 1 game, making battle lines and cloaked ships important to get around defenses.

Oh yeah, from page 8 do the canadians even care about canada anyway???
Reply #221 from Stardock Forums Top
How about a key code that would regenerate a specific map ala Colonization I or II. This way you could run different Parties/Abilities against a specific map.

REB

~SDC~
Reply #222 from Stardock Forums Top
I didn't read the whole thread but I would like to be able to turn down a system that flips to you by culture. You might not want to inherit someone else's problem.

~SDC~
Reply #223 from Stardock Forums Top
how about antarans -- or some cheesy civ that lives where they can not be exterminated or atacked but attack once upon the time evening the field of play?
Reply #224 from Stardock Forums Top
Sorry if it's been mentioned: but how about civ controlled freebooters for neutral or lower civs? Ships a civ can generate, but can't be traced back to it. Perfect for harrassing friend or foe. :D
Reply #225 from Stardock Forums Top
Permanent wormholes that can be used as strategic resources. Also the ability to rejoin the U.P. if you leave, but with some heavy penalties for rejoining.