System Requirements?

[Harry Seldon]

I've been puttering around and I can't find any info on this. Does anyone know what the base requirements are for GalCiv?

[Harry Seldon]

I'll reply to myself, just in case anyone is interested.

The base requirements are a PIII 600 w/ 128MB RAM and an 8MB video card. It runs on Windows platforms and requires DirectX7.x.

Optimum requirements are a PIII 1GHz w/ 256MB RAM and a 16MB video card. Same OS req., DirectX8.1.

[The Rusty Gamer]

Yes, but it will still run on lower specs as long as you are satisfied with not using the maximum universe size. See the FAQ discussion.

[Jamski]

These are pretty steep requirements for a TBS, or am I still living in the dark ages ? MoO3 has lower requirments than this, and MoO has RTS combat. GalCiv must have some great cut scenes, or some very thoughtfull AI.

Hmm, but that's good, right?

-Jam

[Lemmy]

Yes, they are steep for TBS games, but that is when you run the game at the maximum universe.
And the max size huge, i remember Draginol saying it takes 200+ turns to cross galaxy at its largest
Some current TBS games don't even have to last that long
I think GalCiv primarily requires processor power, so you could always run a smaller galaxy on a slower processor.

And the AI works differently in GalCiv then in MoO3, even if they had the same system reqs, GalCiv's AI would still be able to do more, and thus be better, then the MoO3's.

[Harry Seldon]

I read the AI is constantly running, considering multiple decisions and outcomes, even when other players are taking their turns. This AI looks kicka**. The more I look into GalCiv, the more it looks like the game I wish MOO3 would have been. *sigh* I guess I'm going to have to upgrade my dark age PC to something more modern now.

[Jamski]

I got my new PC last week, Harry, and its changed my life for the better I reccommend you do the same, even at the cost of a kidney. (You have two for a reason, right ) The joy of playing games without stress or waiting in inestimable.

-Jam

[Draginol]

I run GalCiv on a p2-400 on a regular basis. It works fine.

[Harry Seldon]

That's spectacular! I have a PIII 450. Fortunately it's a slot 1 so I get a little extra mileage out of it on processor-intensive games. Now I don't have to wait for the upgrade to buy the game!

[Harry Seldon]

Here's a good thread from the official forum: http://www.galciv.com/forum.asp?BID=GF&id=15008

[Asmodean]

I just bought a new comp. I can definately say that there is a noticeable difference. Before I had a AMD K2 450 MHz. GalCiv ran, but it made for slow games on huge and Gigantic galaxies. (Some would say that I was crazy to even try ). Now I have an AMD Athlon 2200+, which adds up to a processor speed of app. 1.73 GHz. Add to that the 512 megs of RAM that I now have, and it all means that GalCiv plays like a dream.

Asmodean

[Jamski]

Hey Asmodean, I think you got my machine there (except I've overclocked my CPU to get nearly 2Ghz. ) It makes everything just so nice, yes ? I can always turn up all the graphics prefs to the "high" settings and get better performance than with the "low" settings on my old machine.

I'm dreaming of playing GalCiv

-Jam

[Asmodean]

War of Art: Yeah. It is nice, isn't it.

On a side note, today I returned my new machine to the shop. (Danish law gives you two weeks to regret any purchase). I then went to another hardware shop, bought all the necessary parts, and then went home and built the darn thing myself. Saved me about 200$

Asmodean

[Jamski]

WTF ???? are you living my double life or something ?!?! We have the same law in Germany and I took my first one (a pre-assembled "box") back to the shop too. (Of course they made a big fuss, asking what was wrong with it etc, but that's what you get in German shops ) Then I went to the big parts retailer down the road and got all the same bits, and a big tower to put them in, and they even assembled it for me. Sweet. I had to wait two weeks extra, but I got the whole thing for 1000 Euros. That saved me quite a bit, and I have better quality components now.

How much was yours in Danemark, may I ask ?

-Jam

[Asmodean]

Well, let's do a comparison, shall we??

Motherboard: ASUS A7V333-X --- Euro 114.11
CPU: Athlon Thoroughbred XP 2200+ --- Euro 147.71
Fan: Q-TEC AMD Cooler Overclock --- Euro 24.06
RAM: 512 MB Kingston Performance PC-333 DDR 2700 --- Euro 110.08
Video Card: Daytona geFORCE 4 MX 440 TV-Out w/128 MB RAM --- Euro 97.98
Floppy: No-name --- Euro 13.44
Harddisk: Western Digital WD800JB 80 GB --- Euro 126.21
Soundcard: Creative Soundblaster Live 5.1 Bulk --- Euro 37.63
Casing: AOPEN Miditower HQ48 Pro-P4A --- Euro 73.79
CD/DVD: Plextor PlexCombo PX-320A --- Euro 142.88

All for a grand total of Euro 887.89 or $ 960.70

Pretty darn nice price, if you ask me.

Asmodean

[Jamski]

Right, I'm moving to Danemark.
You've got a better Gforce then me (same series but "only" 64Mb)
Same processor,
Same RAM
I've got a "better" motherboard (I prefer Gigabite for expandability)
I forget what make HD I got, but its the same size,
I have a bigger tower than you - I'm thinking of the future.
So, really, not much difference, apart from the fact I spent 114 Euros more than you.

That sucks.

I'll dig out the parts listing, if you're interested, and see what bits cost more. Or maybe sales tax is higher in Danemark? Hmm, I still think I got a good deal, so yours is GREAT.

-Jam

Edit : Forgot the OS - I also paid 99 Euros for win98 with installation.

[Asmodean]

It would be nice to see what you payed for the individual parts. I didn't buy an OS, since I already have a licensed WinXP Pro, which I bought a year ago or so.

Re.: sales tax. It is 25% in Denmark, on all products. You have differentiated VAT in Germany, haven't you??

Asmodean

[Harry Seldon]

Re.: sales tax. It is 25% in Denmark, on all products.

Good chr**t! Twenty-five percent! The next time I feel like b**ching about the nine percent sale tax here in Alabama, USA, I'll shut my mouth. I thought the prices for your PCs were a little high; I think we can get it built cheaper here. It doesn't look like it's the price of parts, though.

[Asmodean]

War of Art, I just thought: You payed for OS + assembly. I already had the OS + I assembled the PC myself. Probably the prices would have been very similar if the conditions were the same.

Asmodean

[Kassiopeia]

Originally posted by Asmodean
I just bought a new comp. I can definately say that there is a noticeable difference. Before I had a AMD K2 450 MHz. GalCiv ran, but it made for slow games on huge and Gigantic galaxies. (Some would say that I was crazy to even try ). Now I have an AMD Athlon 2200+, which adds up to a processor speed of app. 1.73 GHz. Add to that the 512 megs of RAM that I now have, and it all means that GalCiv plays like a dream.

Asmodean

Yay! I'm upgrading my four year old P2 to a system like that too, in a few months.

[Jamski]

Asmodean, I don't believe I'll ever complain about our 15-18% (IIRC) purchase tax. 25% is insane. Go Danemark ! No wonder you get such a good pension Yes, its the OS that bumps the cost - the assembly was part of the "good deal" - buy the parts from us, and we'll build it for you. They even overclocked the CPU for me too. Nice guys.

Kass - spend that money ! I though 1000 Euros was a lot, but afterwards my life is so much more relaxed. Aaaah !
*falls asleep at computer with a smile on his face*

-Jam

[Kassiopeia]

Actually, it will only be 775 euros, since I won't have to buy a CD-RW or a monitor since I have those already. The only problem is getting the money; but it's happening, I can feel it...

/me kicks his current box with a P2, 64MB of RAM and a sh1tty graphics card *