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An Excellent TBS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The game itself is an excellent turn-based strategy game. The AI is good enough to provide a challenge to any player, and it does it without cheating. Many players upset with the quality of MOO3 may wish to try this one out. Even if you liked Moo3, you shrould still try GalCiv.

Along with the standards of space TBS's, GalCiv also has some intresting new things thrown in to keep the game intresting. Various random events offer different choices on how to react to them, and aside from affecting the game directly they also influence the morality of your civilization. Your morality affects your relationships with other civilizations and the techs available to you. Another innovative aspect of the game are the starbases. These are structures that can be built anywhere in space. After building them, you can upgrade them with a huge number of additional modules that can affect everything from your civ's cultural influence to military operations. Eventually, you can also transform them into star-destroying terror stars.

In addition to the five major races (six, counting your own), there are also a number of minor races that are placed around the map. The players can use these minor races to make money off of through trade, and they can even be convinced to wage war against your enemies.

There's also a galactic assembly called the United Planets. The United Planets convenes every once in a while to decide on various laws to pass. Your empire uses its influence points during these sessions to attempt to influence the outcome. There are a wide variety of different laws that can be passed, and some can change how the game is played. This plus the many random events included mean no game is exactly like the last, and increase the replayability of GalCiv.

There are a few things about the game that might not appeal to everyone. It's single player only. While some may view that as a big negative for the game, it allows Stardock to focus on making the single player game robust and intresting. Some of the graphics are a bit dated, but since the game is still in beta and art is still being replaced, it'd be unfair to judge the graphics at this point.

While it lacks the name recognition of Master of Orion 3, it still delivers solid and challenging gameplay. If you're a strategy gamer, then you owe it to yourself to check out this game.

finally an AI to challenge the single player

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 86 / 94
Date: March 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

There are bigger names out there, there are bigger budgets out there, there are better mutliplayer games out there, but when it comes to 4X games one game will stand out for the best AI. Galatic Civilizations.
Galatic Civilizations is the new game from Stardock published by Strategy First. It places you in charge of the human race at the dawn of space colonization. Your job ... Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate.
Scouts and survey ships allow you to explore the map. It contains from 10's of stars (tiny) to 1000's of stars (gigantic) as well as resources and anomalies. Anomalies, which can only be explored by survey type ships, consist of many types, potentially granting all sorts of bonuses. Colonization ships allow you to colonise any empty planet, though only those with good enough planet quality are worth it. Constructor ships allow you to build starbases to exploit the rare galatic resources or to enforce your will on differnet areas of space. Many different module upgrades allow for everything from an economic trade based station to a star destroying TERROR star. Tens of different military ships allow you to exterminate.
Galciv does not require you to exterminate to win and is well balanced with the traditional reseach, military and diplomatic victories being augmented with a cultural victory where enemy planets can decide to join your civilization due to cultural influence. Cultural domination is a very enjoyable way to win, focussing all your efforts on building the galatic wonders and cultural starbases to expand your influence and convert the enemy.
The universe in Galciv consists of 5 other major races and a plethora of minor races and event races. Minor races exist on single planets only and do not expand. There are great sources of trade and will often trade money for ships, trade goods or technology. Event races are created by random events (such as civil wars, pirates, terrorists, new races) throughout the game and can expand. Some are fairly weak while others require immediate Galaxy wide efforts to exterminate before it's too late.
The developers have focussed on making the game challenging and enjoyable to play. During the 18 month beta testing phase a constant question of would I have done that was always asked of the AI. If not then it was modified to behave more intelligently.Because it is multi threaded the AI works during your turn allowing for a much better thought out strategy. It follows the same rules as the human player with the one exception that it knows where the starting planets are (background story). It's very enjoyable to see the chief developer post a report on a game he expects to win (not even on highest AI levels) and get beaten by better play. Interaction with the AI players is usually through the trade screen where you can trade ships for technology or bribe another race to declare peace with your favourite minor race.
So what's the catch? Well there is no tactical combat or in-game ship design. This is totally intentional as the focus is on strategy not tactics. Combat is between individual ships and takes place quickly on the main map. There is also no multiplayer as all the effort has been placed on producing a decent single player game.
This game is due out at the end of this month with a host of extra goodies being instantly available for download. The final cherry on the cake is that this game will not just be supported, it will be improved. Free improvements and additions will be available every few months.
Definitely a game to buy.

GalCiv: a classic comes back

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 27
Date: March 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've been participating in the beta program since August of last year, and endorse the previous reviewer's comments. I would also like to point out that there are some things (most especially the concept of starbases, which is now a key part of the game but was never part of the original OS/2 version) that were added through the input of beta testers which have dramatically enhanced the game. GalCiv's Windows version has had one of the most thorough and intense beta periods of any PC game that I know of - indeed, the "delay" in release until March 26th has allowed Stardock and its gamma testers to tweak the playability even more - and I have no hesitation whatever in recommending it to the general gaming public.

As for multiplayer? It's overrated, IMHO. The AI is so outstanding in this game that I guarantee you you won't miss multiplayer capability once you've gotten battered a few times at the hands of the Drengin or the Yor on "genius" level.

A smaller, duller version of Master of Orion

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 27
Date: March 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I love 4X games. I love designing my own starships with the latest technologies, I love sending scouts out to explore and make contact with other civilizations and I like making allies. I like managing cities/planets to specialize output for my empire. I didn't get a feel for any of these preferences with this game.
There is no designing of ships in this game. Certain tech levels let you build a fixed ship design. Other techs might increase the combat values of all of your ships, but you won't have mixed tech fleets.
Exploration of the map is really quick. It took me only 1 hour of game time to explore the map and all of the systems. Although I didn't play the largest map, exploration was way too quick.
There is no real management of individual planets except for what is to be built on that planet, and there isn't much variety in what is to be built.
You can only play a human player and the only difference between different set ups is what government you start with.
The aliens don't seem interested in initiating any diplomacy, they either seem to agree to all of your deals or agree with none of them.
This game feels like a either a console game that is ported over to the PC or a real time game that was made into a turn based game to allow for "Diplomacy". It doesn't have the depth I expected from a 4X game for the PC.
If you want a detailed 4X game, I would recommend either Master of Orion 2 (Yes I said 2, not 3), or Space Empires IV instead.

The game that saves the genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: March 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Master of Orion 3 is a failure, but it's GalCiv that saves the day. It's pretty different from MOO (Master of Orion) and brings many things that are totally new in turn-based strategy gaming. I see GalCiv as the summum of all TBS (turn-base strategy) up to now. As a gamer, here's the TBS I've already played: Civilization 1-2-3, Alpha Centauri, Colonization, Corporate Machine, Capitalism 2, Master of Orion 3. What's so special about GalCiv? Sheer fun is there and it's the game that best manages an empire, a civilization. You may give money to support someone's war, you can win WITHOUT WAR or by many other ways, spying is there and efficient (propaganda too), intern politics are incorporated in a simple manner, the economy is nicely and coherently modeled, your civilization is totally customizable (even if it's always humans), etc.

Indication: Yet, I played about 30 hours of it.

Go see [the website] for more information and the official forums.

Friendly Criticism

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 26
Date: March 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

GC aims to concentrate on strategy rather than micromanagement but IMHO kinda falls between. It doesn't have the detail to involve eg planet type is defined by a single no. vrs eg stars! 3differnet parameters which suited different races, different mineral levels needed for different kit. Ends up as bland, arrive dump people if planet no over 14, repeat. No decsions such as well it doen't suit my race but if I put a holding colony in how about a trade with race X which its ideal for or 'garden world' vrs 'mining hellhole'. On the larger map sizes micromanagement still ends up as a problem particularly for starbase upgrades.
Bug wise- Not real bad (typos, exclusive events happening twice, menus not auto updating between turns unless you go out and in again) and seems v well supported on the forum (although manual is appalling and I couldn't suss tutorial) but some gameplay 'decsions' eg unused resources in a colony disapear but you've only got fairly global control over allocation, seem rather odd.

It does have some really good points such as multiple paths to victory you can actually achieve (tech, political etc), intuitive interspecies trade.

After MOO3 crash and burning, Stars Supernova disapearing in to a publishing hellhole I really wanted GC to suceed unfortunatly for me it just doesn't have that hook to keep me playing.

Everything MOO3 forgot about

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: April 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I got Masters of Orion 3 after months and months of hype and waiting. It was a terrible disappointment. This game makes up for it. If you were disappointed by the lackluster showing for MOO3 but really loved the first two, you need this game.

Most excellent, far better than the Disappointing MOO3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I waited years for a successor to Master of Orion series (part III), and as horribly disappointing as that game was I found what I needed with Galactic Civilizations, the true successor to MOO2. There are some differences, such as simplified combat, but everything you ever wanted in a 4x ('conquer the galaxy') game is here. I highly recommend this product.

Unbelievable replayability value!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 19
Date: April 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Galactic Civilizations is one of those rare gems of a game that keeps you playing long after you know you should go to bed. But what really makes it stand out is that each game truly feels like its own epic. In most strategy games, Civ, HOMM, etc. each game feels pretty similar. But in GalCiv, the computer AI, random events, and randomized galactic maps, help give the game a radically different feel each game.

The game is turn based and it is designed for single player action. But this is the first strategy game I've played where the computer players really seem to play like real people. If you're looking for a thinking man's strategy game, this is it.

Unbelievably fun and AWSOME customer support...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 25
Date: April 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

'nuff said, go to the galciv.com website forum and check out the support and comments of actual players yourself, this game ROCKS!

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