The 1000 and 1 frustrations of a GalCiv player .....

[civer3]

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1. Very hard to find a position on the map. Using one unit to travel to a specific sector is very tedious. Especially in maps with huge or gigantic galaxy. It would be helpful to leave markers or co-ordinate numbers on the minimap to pinpoint one location quickly without having to click on it.

2. Enemy starbases look exactly like mine. It is a problem trying to upgrade a particular starbase with constructors when I have so much problems looking for its position on the map in the first place. Especially where there are over a hundred starbases in the galaxy. Why do I have to click on the starbase just to know if the starbase is mine? Situation: I have a constructor somewhere in the galaxy. Its turn to move. I have to look like mad for a starbase to upgrade. I click on it only to find out that it is not my starbase. I go to another starbase using the all units menu and have to click on one starbase after another just to find out which one to upgrade. Once I find it, I have to click on it to find where it is. Once I do that, I have to go and look for my constructor. Once I find that constructor, I have to remember exactly where that starbase was on the minimap. Amazing, since there are no markers or numbers for co-ordinate positions. After a few minutes looking around for these two units, I am finally able to send the constructor on its merry way. Hopefully to the right place. At the right time.

3. What happened to the menu that showed all the starbases in its various degrees of upgrades so that I can tell at a glance which starbase to upgrade first with my constructor. And what type of upgrade to use.

4. Minimap does not display where all my starbases are. Isn't there a separate map that can show where all your starbases are in the galaxy? This should make it easier for it to upgrade with my constructors.

5. Isn't there a minimap that can distinguish between starbases that are sitting on top of resources and starbases that are not sitting on them?

6. Doesn't the minimap display the location of all units of a particular type on it? E.g. constructors, defenders, survey ships, battleaxes.......

7. Planets do not show what type of structure has been built. I don't even know what type of structure is present on the planet. Only can tell just because it is no longer there in the build option.

8. Isn't there an option to show clearly on the minimap how much and which area of the galaxy each civillization controls? It would be a great help since I can tell instantly where the other rival civs are.

9. When travelling to a particular location, can't there be a highlighted line that stretches from that unit to its destination? It would be a great help in looking for all my units which are travelling on the map from one location to another especially when crossing more than five or six sectors.

10. Can't the display planets menu have an option that displays only the planets that are building achievements, wonders and galactic trade items? Would be a great help especially when a player has more than thirty planets to oversee.

11. How come the espionage menu doesn't reveal the social and military projects that are being built on rival civ's planets even when Espionage level is Advanced?

12. Espionage does not reveal that wonders or galactic trade items are being built by rival civs. It should also reveal how many turns left before rival civs complete the social or military project they have on their planets.

13. Diplomacy advantage is useless. Rival civs never trade below their profit margin even when the diplomacy advantage ratio is very high between that of player and rival civ.

14. How come the GIA expenditure never reveals anything at all? Is it there just for show?

15. The game does not tell how many 'vile' and 'wicked' deeds you have to do before you become evil. It should have a warning message or something like that.

16. Most powerful civ always has their morale drop very rapidly in large amounts. Why?

Can somebody help me with this?

[WarpStorm]

Looks to me like you didn't find the Tactical Map option (it's hidden on the planets list). About half of the things you are complaining about are there.

1. on Tactical Map
2. on Tactical Map
3. This could be useful
4. on Tactical Map
5. on Tactical Map
6. could be useful
7. on Planet Detail screen
8. press the influence button or look at the tactical map
9. turn it on by pressing the button
10. could be useful, but as I only use my powerhouse planets for this, it wouldn't help me much
11. good question
12. only at the highest level of espionage should this happen
13. good point
14. maybe it's for later
15. on the stats page for your race you can see how close you are getting. It seems some actions are more evil (or good) than others watching that.
16. probably population growth. More people = more power = lower morale.

[Todd Hawks]

What Warpstorm said.

ADDITIONALLY:

2. The starbases are color-coded. The blue ones are yours.

4. Minimap shows starbases as cross (depending on size of galaxy/zoom level as dots)

8. ...or press the population or production button

12. currently irrelevant as more than one wonder/trade good can be build (hopefully fixed soon)

[playshogi]

17. Micromanaging the resource sliders. A lot of time you'll get a tech in x turns with far less % devoted to research. It's very difficult to avoid wasting resources this way since you have to constantly click back and forth.

[Todd Hawks]

I am not sure what you mean but that seems to be due to the way the game rounds the values to get integer numbers. I don't think there's something to manage here. You don't waste anything, it just goes into one of the manufacturing budgets or isn't spend at all.

[civer3]

Originally posted by WarpStorm
Looks to me like you didn't find the Tactical Map option (it's hidden on the planets list). About half of the things you are complaining about are there.

1. on Tactical Map
2. on Tactical Map
3. This could be useful
4. on Tactical Map
5. on Tactical Map
6. could be useful
7. on Planet Detail screen
8. press the influence button or look at the tactical map
9. turn it on by pressing the button
10. could be useful, but as I only use my powerhouse planets for this, it wouldn't help me much
11. good question
12. only at the highest level of espionage should this happen
13. good point
14. maybe it's for later
15. on the stats page for your race you can see how close you are getting. It seems some actions are more evil (or good) than others watching that.
16. probably population growth. More people = more power = lower morale.

2. Color-coded? What I mean is the starbase I come across on the big map. It does not show whether it is an alien starbase or my starbase at a glance without clicking on it.
9. Which button are you referring to? When I mean a highlighted line linking the unit and its destination, I mean a line linking it and its destination on the big map. Not the Tactical Screen.
12. I'm already at the highest level and it still doesn't show anything. I won't call it irrelevant because this option could keep me informed about the enemy's current situation. If there were more than one project going on at one time, then the espionage menu should also reveal this.
17. Very strange. After I loaded the game each time, I notice the number of turns taken to research a particular tech had increased for some unknown reason. So the more times you loaded it, the more turns required to research the tech.

[Lemmy]

2. Color-coded? What I mean is the starbase I come across on the big map. It does not show whether it is an alien starbase or my starbase at a glance without clicking on it.

It does show. Get 2 different starbases next to each other and you'll see the difference....hopefully.

[bonscott]

2. Starbases are color coded for sure. Each module will appear in the color of the Civ that owns it. Yor will be purple, yours will be blue, etc. If there is no module built, it might be harder to tell (can't recall ever seeing another Civ's starbase with no modules) so I'm totally positive there.
9. There isn't a way to turn on a "send to" line in the main interface map. It would get cluttered for me. Seeing it in the mini-map is good enough and I hardley ever look at it myself. But, might be a good suggestion for an option. Go suggest it in the galciv forums.

[LDiCesare]

Which button are you referring to?

There is a button (third from the right) on the tactical map. Nothing available on the main map.

What I'd like to see at first glance is:
Which planet is my tech capital, which one is my econ capital, which one is my manufacturing, my political capital? I have to remember it, and just can't, except the manufacturing capital, which I get by max production.
I'd also like to be able to sort planets by science prod, and not only social or military prod.

[bonscott]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
There is a button (third from the right) on the tactical map. Nothing available on the main map.

What I'd like to see at first glance is:
Which planet is my tech capital, which one is my econ capital, which one is my manufacturing, my political capital? I have to remember it, and just can't, except the manufacturing capital, which I get by max production.

Are you talking about the planets screen? Because in the main map there are icons next to each star system to indicate your various capitals.

[Mannamagnus]

Whenever I colonize a star system I give it a name plus the sector coordinates. For example Feograd F2. That way if I get info on a planet I know always where it's located.

[civer3]

Originally posted by Lemmy

2. Color-coded? What I mean is the starbase I come across on the big map. It does not show whether it is an alien starbase or my starbase at a glance without clicking on it.

It does show. Get 2 different starbases next to each other and you'll see the difference....hopefully.

I have done as you suggested. I still can't tell the difference between an alien starbase and one of mine. I am now using an indirect method of leaving a unit beside that starbase so I would know that it was mine. It's a bit expensive to leave a unit besides every starbase you own but it works. Although it doesn't solve the problem of finding out at a glance what type of upgrades (military, economic, mining, etc ....) it has. They all look the same to me.

[civer3]

18. Why can't I steal technology? My espionage level is at 280% with billions spent on it all the time.

[Felch]

I'm willing to bet that if you request it, they'll include it in a future patch. Brad might even drop by this thread if he comes through here.

[Pyrkaige]

It has been reported that you can steal technology via Advanced espionage. I haven't had it happen personally, but then I normally spend the lowest amount on espionage and just let it slow accumulate. There's a related thread about it in the Stardock Strategy forum, I believe.