Zenicetus

Reply to Who are the Precursors? in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] And: "when everything breaks back down to sub-atomic particles again" If everything (including sub-atomic particles) were made by the introduction of Telenanth to the singularity force of the universe - it would not be 'again'. Even the sub-atomic particles would be gone. Things would be back the way they were - again - as in, a singularity force with no dimension and no time. The Big Crunch - the antithesis to the Big Bang.[/quote] Exact

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor Beta 3C Change Log in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

Very nice, very nice. Firing up a Drath game tonight. I'm curious what the low population growth will do to the colonizing phase. One minor quibble: this description... [quote]+ Drath Imp: Doomsday Generator (galactic achievement that provides a 50% HP bonus to ships built on that planet)[/quote] Is it just me, or is that an odd description for a hull improvement? The word "doomsday" means something apocalyptic, and it just sounds a little out of scale there.

Reply to Are the Terrans really the most popular race? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

It's an odd time to run a poll, since we're all re-discovering each race with the TA beta that adds unique techs and abilities, and some races aren't in yet. My favorites keep shifting with each new beta release.

Reply to Religious Civilizations in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Ah yes, the FSM Mega Event, where all races (besides the Krynn, I guess) become instant Pastafarian converts. Well, the game already has pirates, so why not!

Reply to Of the Drath in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

I like the Drath because they're the only other diplomatically-focused race in the game, besides the Terrans. I don't like playing Terrans... too vanilla and familiar, I guess... so the Drath are my first choice when I want a game heavy on diplomacy. They start out with 5 points more in Diplomacy than the Terrans on their intrinsic stats, and they have that war manipulator super ability. The bit about "mysterious energy that seems like magic" seems kinda vague, but I guess we'll see th

Reply to Engulfed in Twilight in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I don't think the players using the beta have many of those answers, so unless a developer wants to chime in, you'll just have to wait for the final game I guess. Most of what you're asking about hasn't shown up in the beta yet, but they're still adding features. From what little I know: [quote]Speaking of organic ships, you stated that Iconian ships have this ability. Will they look different than metal?[/quote] It's primarily a "behind the scenes" increase in the hull stats,

Reply to Weapons in TA.. Completely Unique? in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Well, that's my point, if they all still fall under the same major weapon categories, then any beam defense can protect against any beam weapon. To be truely unique, there should be 9 different weapon types, that require a unique type of defense, otherwise it's just a name change with slightly different stats based on the main 3.[/quote] Well, that's one concept of what they should be, but what we're getting in TA is still the same three basic weapon types with slight di

Reply to Religious Civilizations in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

My $.02... I think it's better to use religion as a differentiating factor for a single alien race/culture in the game (i.e. the Krynn), instead of messing with religion for all races. For one thing, it's not guaranteed that a technically advanced culture, that could move between star systems, would have any religion at all. It would feel a bit odd (to me anyway) if this was a property of [I]every[/I] race in the game. By focusing only on the Krynn as a strongly religious race, it make

Reply to Economic Treaty Option in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I don't think the treaty concept would work if they could just be canceled. You have to consider cafefully who you give it to, if anyone.[/quote] I agree. If there were no global repercussions, then it would remove any strategic thinking about making and breaking treaties. Treaties would just auto-cancel when you attacked someone, and nobody would care. The current design involves thinking ahead about what races you'll be up against in the late game, who's going down early, and w

Reply to Favorite strategies! in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I'm another cautious, "build up and then strike" type player. After the initial colony rush, I put a single small-hull fighter with no engines and a starter weapon in orbit around my front-line planets, just to hold off any early opportunistic invasions. Then I don't build any other military ships for a long time, focusing more on freighters and starbase constructors. I'll set up a few starport planets ramped up to very high [I]potential[/I] military production near the front lines, so I can cra

Reply to Hey, just bought the game and played it through in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] - second concern, how will the game experience change if i turn off tech trading? i get tired of making sure im on top of the tech trading game, and a.i in these games tend to be all over it/abuse it. i could raise the research rate to make up for this possibly? what do you all think[/quote] Don't raise the research rate, that will only make it worse. Tech trading on or off just comes down to personal preference, basically. I usually leave it on, because I depend on selling tech

Reply to Beta 3b, the Krynn and some other random thoughts in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Even with the 50% economy building, I still have a very hard time keeping the Iconians out of the red. My complaint with them is similar to what a lot of people have stated. I'm not sure who they're supposed to be. In DA, they struck me as slightly evil super-scientists. Now their backstory seems to suggest that they would struggle with science.[/quote] Maybe they don't struggle with science, exactly. Maybe it's more of a predilection to be somewhat lazy about it, since they

Reply to Ideas: evasion, ground and elite forces in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Reducing sensor range instead of full invisibility is an interesting idea. More of a sensor jammer than a full cloak.... you could sneak a parsec or two closer to an objective without being detected. So it's a strategic advantage instead of a tactical/combat advantage, like putting engines, sensors, or life support on a warship. You'd have to think about whether that's more important than one more weapon or a defense module, so it's somewhat self-balancing. The player's cloaked ship wou

Reply to Ideas: evasion, ground and elite forces in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Heh... stopwatch. Just my opinion, but I'm not sure cloaking devices would add anything to the game. It would be overpowering without a matching counter-tech of some kind; a decloaking field or special sensor tech. Once you see the enemy has researched the tech, or has built ships with cloaking devices, you'd automatically research and deploy the de-cloaking tech. And the AI should do the same. So you're back to square one, with both sides evenly matched and countered. If the g

Reply to Beta 3b, the Krynn and some other random thoughts in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

I'm having some trouble with Iconian economy too, although I suspect part of it may be just unfamiliarity with the best order to build their upgrades. It took me a while to even realize what their "economy" buildings were in the tech tree. One of the fun-but-frustrating things about TA is I can't just apply a standard template to building up colonies, like I used to do with DA. Every race is going to have its own different optimization rules, and I haven't come close to figuring it all out yet.

Reply to Terror Star Suggestion in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

I don't know if they could get away with it, but yeah... [I]Alan Parsons Project[/I] is the best yet.

Reply to Terror Star Suggestion in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

I'm not that unhappy with the current name, but to throw another suggestion in the pot, how about "Gravity Gun" or "Gravity Cannon"? It's subtle, but if you understand how supernovas work (and from earlier suggestions I'm guessing a lot of players here do), it's an apt description. Stars are in a constant, shifting balance between the outward pressure of nuclear reactions, and the inward pressure of gravity for the stellar gas. Figure out a way to warp the local spacetime curvature so g

Reply to jihad of Krynn description suggestion in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

Two thoughts about that: First, as far as I can tell this isn't a settled issue yet. Given the ambiguity, I don't think it's unreasonable in a computer game to use the extermination idea, and extend that to competition between sentient aliens. It's a case where a "fun" idea might trump accuracy, especially since the experts still aren't sure about this. Second, I don't think it's a big stretch to call territorial displacement or genetic dilution "extermination," even if it didn

Reply to TA beta 2a -- The Yor still need morale??? in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Shouldn't they have computers constantly calculating what would get the maximum output given their resources? We are not talking about a species that has a long history of trying assert their own free will. We are talking about a species that build each other. I would think that they would atleast consider how to build each other so that they may serve society better than the other civs.[/quote] My pet theory for the Yor is that, at the moment they became self-aware and decided t

Reply to Potential Problem and Change to the Idea of Super Abilities as a Solution in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Why are super abilities now needed with the Racial Tech Trees? Every single super ability could be given as a tech or series of techs, which would be more balanced. It feels like it's a poor,anachronistic design mechanic that was thrown in. [/quote] I can see the logic, to an extent, but here are a couple of counter-arguments. First, it would add to the visual clutter of the tech tree, since they'd be just dead-end starter techs that couldn't be traded or upgraded (

Reply to Trading unique racial "starter" tech? in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Perhaps the one not shown is already owned by the 'other'?[/quote] That's a thought, but I don't think so. This was just a few turns into a new game, and it was the first minor race I contacted for trade. The first race I had contacted at all, actually. How would they already have one of my "unique" techs? Achhh... it's all very confusing. :p

Reply to Trading unique racial "starter" tech? in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

One more thing -- I just noticed that "Advanced Robotics", another Iconian tech that sits isolated at the left side of the tech tree, doesn't show up in the trade window. So... why does Precursor Legacy show up for trade, and not Advanced Robotics, since both are isolated starter techs that don't link to anything else, and only enable race-specific building improvements? The logic of tech trading, when it comes to supposedly "unique" racial techs, is eluding me here. Not just this examp

Trading unique racial "starter" tech? in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

I started a new TA beta 3 game tonight, playing as Iconians. I was tempted to try the new Krynn, but I'm still trying to figure out the Iconian strategies so I have the Krynn as opponents to see how their influence goes. Anyway, a few turns into the early game, the first minor race I encountered wanted to give me 100 bc for "Precursor Legacy - "A history of the Iconian civilization", marked with an asterisk as a unique tech on the trade window. I REALLY like that asterisk showi

Reply to The way of the Krynn in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]My only concern here is the fact that the name of their religion is the same as a real world one. You know it better as Christianity, but Chrstianity was originally known as The Way.[/quote] Please, let's not go there. The religion you mention has no monopoly on that phrase. Here's what Wicki says about Taoism: "Tao or Dao (道, Pinyin: Dào, Cantonese: Dou) is a Chinese character often translated as ‘The way of nature'. In ancient China, dao could be modified by other nou

Reply to Yor's *Synthetic Ingenuity TABeta3B in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

The asterisk means it's a unique racial tech, that you can only get from the Yor. I think it's a 5% bonus to research. In the Yor tech tree it also leads to research academies (collectives), but I think all you get if you buy the tech is that 5% bonus, not the equivalent slot in the tech research line. I haven't experimented much yet with "unique" tech trades, but I think that's how it works.