Klaus,
I suspect they are very busy getting the first Beta build prepared. At times like this more patience is called for. (They are probably running around very frantically trying to get the build ready - sort of like chickens with their heads cut off. I have been there, and I have great sympathy for them.)
I was going to try to answer your questions a couple of days ago, but I felt I was the wrong person to do so. So let me give your questions a try and maybe later (after the build has been made available) one of the Stardock people can correct my errors.
Question 1: Stacking, and impact.
I am having difficulties interpreting your first question. "Stacking" can have different meanings; multiple units occupying a space - either same or multiple races, or grouping of units together to more or operate in unison, etc.. Also, CIV III has a concept called "ARMIES".
In GalCiv, units accupy tiles and are centered in them (similar to Civ, MOO, different from WarCraft, C&C, ..). Multiple units of the same race can occupy the same tile, but units from multiple races can not occupy the same tile (there may be some exceptions to mixed races in the same tile based on unit type, I am not sure where this particular issue is at the moment).
Grouping of units into convoys is not available (yet?). There has been some talk of this, but the last I heard is that it won't appear in the first release.
I have seen no discussion of grouping units into an analogy of an "ARMY" ("NAVY"?).
All combat (thus far?) is ship to ship except for capturing a star, which is done by landing a transport on an enemy's star's planets (collectively, the entire star, not one planet at a time). The attacking ship is the currently selected ship, and the defending ship is determined by some algorithm if there are more than one on the tile (or in orbit around a star being attacked). I believe the defense algorithm is based on which defensive ship is the strongest. The attacking and defending ships are charged damage, and the ship with hit points left is the survivor. The attacking ship can continue attacking ships adjacent to it, or continuing a star it is adjacent to, until all of its hit points are gone if the player wishes to do so, or until all enemy ships in adjacent tiles are destroyed.
Question 2: repair of damaged ships.
I am not sure this has been totally resolved. Currently ships repair themselves, but at a slow and random rate (it has been stated that the chance of a ship repairing itself by one hit point was 20% on any one turn while in open space. I have noticed that they also repair themseives while in orbit.) There has been some discussion of having repair ships and of what effect a planet's building of the various different shipyards might have on repair of ships in orbit. I don't know if any of these issues have been finalized.
Question 3: Fighter/Carrier systems.
I have not heard anything along these lines, but it sounds like an idea with merit. Perhaps when the Stardock people can catch their collective breath one of them can comment on it, or, perhaps start a discussion of how it might be set up to fit in with the rest of the game.
Question 4: Economic System?
The economic system has not been available in the testing we have thus far done. We expect to see it with the next build (the first Beta build). I think there are so many aspects of the economic system in Galciv that I am just going to have to gloss over it. For instance, each planet has resources that contribute to the economy. The amount per planet is based on several factors, two of which are the planet's class and the planet's population. The amount of the monotary production from a planet becomes available for government use is determined by the tax rate (which can be set on the economy screen). The amount of the tax income available to promote building of social improvements and ships is set by the spending rate (also on the economy screen). The rest of the tax income can be spent on other activities, such as espionage or destabilisation of the governments of the other races, retirement of debts, bribes to other races, etc.
Another source of income is trade (not available until the first Beta build), which is initiated by building a freighter and sending it to another race's star system, then negotiating a trade agreement for the trade route.
There may be many more aspects of the economic system yet to come.
When the Stardock people have a chance to collect their wits about them I am sure they will post corrections and additions to my answers, so please hang in there. What I have seen of GalCiv so far (and with the OS/2 version, which has been around for 8 years), it is well worth the wait.
Cheers,
Jack
Stardock Forums
