Why are you putting GalCiv aside?

[Sikander]

I picked this game up because I was bored and hoped that I would find a new game to grab me. I put it down almost immediately because in large part the user interface was so weak. It sounds like the new expansion pack is going to address that somewhat, which is good. I second the request for a zoomable main map (if it is missing from the expansion). The game graphics are nothing special, so it seems as though having a zooming main map wouldn't be all that hard to implement. It would however be a huge help to me, especially on larger maps.

Also an in game tech tree and hyper links all over the place would really help the game. SMAC sets the standard here in every way, including the zooming.

Anyway, I've played a few hours more of the game and I'm not sure what is going on. It isn't very interesting honestly, but perhaps I'm just completely clueless about the intense struggle going on behing the scenes. Very little has happened, other than even at average level the AI has heavily out colonized me. I don't want to go balls to the walls on a colony ship binge in order to not lose the game honestly. It would help if somewhere the game was described in some detail. The manual acts as a good guide for someone who is interested in purchasing the game, but is of little use to someone who actually has it and wants to play. Slogging through hundreds of posts by more advanced players is extremely time consuming as well. The game needs (prior to the patch anyway) a good deal more internal documentation or a much better manual.

I'm not sure whether to play again tonight, or go back to EU2.

[Egbert]

Sikander. I had no idea what I was doing in my first game (at the lowest difficulty level). It does take a while to get the hang of this game. I think it is one of those games that does take while to really get the hang of. This game is well worth a little perseverance to get over the "learning curve".

I had a bit of trouble learning the game then had GalCiv jag for a few months, then I put the game aside for a couple of months and still play it from time to time. Overall it is certainly one of the better games and I felt I obtained excellent entertainment value for my dollars.

Hang in there for couple of games, perhaps you will change your mind about GalCiv.

[LDiCesare]

The most important change in 1.12 is the minors extending out. I think the hyperlinks have been improved a bit since I can actually see the effects of techs now, but I'm not sure since how it is there.

[SolarKnight]

The main thing that puts me off sometimes is that i get into the game, (im playing easiest setting s i can get used to it) and then for no reason whatsoever, the game locks up completely and never recovers.

It just seems to be completely stable for the most part, then suddenly have a heart attack and die.

By the way, im using the latest version with the expanded universe update.

My system can more than handle it, its an AMD 2700+
with 512 MB of ram
Sapphire Radeon 9600 Atlantis graphics

I just get to a certain stage in the game, (its usually different every time) and the game just gives up.

[vee4473]

Solar, Try going to the galciv website and emailing them. From what i've heard, they seem to be prompt with helping out.

[SolarKnight]

Thanks, ill try that

[eberon]

Originally posted by Draginol


What expansion pack have you played lately?[...]I can't think of any free patches in any game I've played that have added as much as we've added post-release let alone what's in the expansion pack beta already.

This is a widely belated reply, but..... Give me a BREAK. Don't make me post the Alpha Centauri 4.0 through 2.0 readme file to this forum. If you want to talk about giving users value, maybe you should take a page from Sid's book.

[Yef]

I stopped because somehow I found Space Empire 4 to be more engaging. I mean, Galciv have many plus, and its definitively superior as far as diplomacy goes, but SE4 have many more options in other aspects.
If I could just mix them into one......

[ducki]

Also an in game tech tree and hyper links all over the place would really help the game.

I downloaded the demo and tried it last night and I have to say this is my single biggest "gripe". For comparison(which I know devs don't always enjoy), Civ3's Civilopedia is a very nice example - from just about anywhere in the game, I can right-click on something and get the 'pedia page for it. The tech tree is wonderful, IMO. Not necessarily the tree's contents, but the tree's implementation and design - I have a visual diagram that shows me where I am and where I can go and I can right-click any tech to get the 'pedia entry on it with links to 'pedia entries for all the stuff it enables.

Put most simply, Civ 3 makes it such that a new player need not ever read (or even know about) a manual, strategy guides, websites, etc. Sure, those things might help you, but you truly, honestly don't need anything that's not available in-game in order to play and (feel like) you know what you're doing. Alpha Centauri was the same way - manual? What manual?

Unfortunately, this puts the bar rather high for the indies and smaller developers that want to attract part of the Sid-game players.

I somewhat enjoyed the demo, as it is novel, an interesting amalgamation of various games dating back to my childhood, but I felt truly lost. (Note: part of this may be that the "tutorial" mode doesn't recover if you "accidentally" click outside its current context to "explore" the interface - either lock stuff outside the current tutorial context or confirm the player wants to leave it or make it easy to return to where you were.)

Anyway, I think I might like GalCiv, but the demo doesn't really sell me on it. Apart from being novel, it doesn't really show me what GalCiv and Stardock have that C3 or SMAC or that really old Star Trek(or StarTrek-like) ASCII space exploration/battle game don't have. (Anyone remember what that game was? GC reminds me a lot of it, but I can't truly recall.)

So, to sum up, GC seems like a nice game. I might like it, but I'm going to have to invest more time than simply playing the demo to find out. My foray into this forum was primarily to check the 'poly barometer on what the game is like, which hasn't truly helped other than to show that Stardock are, indeed, responsive.

[bonscott]

FYI...there is an in game tech tree in GalCiv. It's not a full tree like in Civ 3 but you can see a tech, what are is prereq's and what techs become available after researching it. You can then click your way forward or back as you see fit to get info on other techs.

From the diplomacy screen you can right-click on any technology or trade good listed to get more information about it. There needs to be more, no doubt, but the basics are in there. The demo version may not have the tech tree but the most updated version does (has had it for about 6 months or so).

[PLATO]

Originally posted by bonscott
FYI...there is an in game tech tree in GalCiv. It's not a full tree like in Civ 3 but you can see a tech, what are is prereq's and what techs become available after researching it. You can then click your way forward or back as you see fit to get info on other techs.

From the diplomacy screen you can right-click on any technology or trade good listed to get more information about it. There needs to be more, no doubt, but the basics are in there. The demo version may not have the tech tree but the most updated version does (has had it for about 6 months or so).

Wasn't that an "Expanded Universe" upgrade?

[bonscott]

Yep. It was version 1.2 I believe released in Sept last year. I think the Demo is based off of version 1.03 or something early like that. Thus why it doesn't have the tech tree viewer.

[ducki]

Thanks for the info, guys.
I'll give it another try next time there's a demo update.

[bonscott]

Don't expect an update of the Demo. I don't think they will do one. They are just about done with GalCiv other then minor bug updates after the expansion is released. Then it's on to two new games, including GalCiv 2.

[Gwylim]

i liked very much to play some games of GalCiv and was not angry that i have baught it, but in the end i played much, much more CIV than i can ever imagining to play GalCiv !!!!
For me the main critic is the failing real map and the tile improvement. It is just to abstract for me to see this black space all the time.
What i love is the user interface - i think it is well suited and i had no prblm to learn the rules/playing of GalCiv: For me it was enough to play one game for testing.
But again: It is too boring too soon