Galactic Civilizations
Various games from the independent development studio Stardock are known under the title Galactic Civilizations (often abbreviated as GalCiv) . These are global strategy games that are played on the galaxy level. The original development was under OS / 2 , but later switched to the Windows base .
Galactic Civilizations (OS / 2)
The first game in this series, Galactic Civilizations , appeared in the fall of 1994 parallel to the release of OS / 2 Warp 3. Originally intended as proof that it is possible to use OS / 2 as a gaming platform, Brad Wardell programmed with the help of several friends the game within a year. During this time, IBM became aware of the project and supported the development, as almost no games for OS / 2 were available so far. The game was published by Advanced Idea Machines , a small one-man publisher. It is unknown how many copies of this game were ultimately sold, as the publisher, contrary to existing contracts, ultimately did not pay any royalties to Stardock. In response to this, it was decided to sell further developments directly.
The game itself has largely the same content in this and all of the following parts. You control a race, people, who start with a planet in a galaxy with different solar systems. Together with 1 to 5 different competing races, each with a different playful orientation and philosophy, the fight for dominance in this universe, which can be achieved in different ways. In addition to forming diplomatic alliances with all races involved, a military victory is also possible through the annihilation of all opponents.
For this purpose, you set up various facilities on the planets (called projects in the game), discover and colonize new planets, research unknown technologies and wage war or negotiations with the other races. You can take a rather bad development direction, as well as a neutral and a good one, which have an influence on contacts with other races and the accessible projects and technologies. Simple random events during the game represent external factors, while Galactic Achievements are particularly desirable projects with galaxy-wide effects, which can often only be researched or built once, and which prevent this development in other races. Conflicts in this game are settled through battles between two warring space fleets that take place in free space or in the orbit of planets. The type of ship that you can build and use is determined by the technologies you have already researched.
Shipyards , an expansion for this game, which was distributed by Stardock itself (about 1000 copies sold), was released in 1995. It introduced the option, requested by many fans of the game, to design ships independently.
IBM released the Family FunPak for OS / 2 Warp that same year. Part of this collection of games for OS / 2 was Star Emperor . This is a differently named Galactic Civilizations for licensing reasons, which offered changed AI routines and simplified operation.
Galactic Civilizations 2 (OS / 2)
After the license for the game returned to Stardock, an extended version of the program, Galactic Civilizations 2 , was developed in 1995 . Rather a revision of the original game, this version of the program was the result of the experience gained in programming the predecessor on the developer's side. With sales of 35,000 units, the game was one of the most successful OS / 2 games of the time.
In addition to graphical improvements throughout the game, which should make it optically more of a game that appeals to the user, changes were made to the operating logic that had been suggested or criticized by users. The AI, already praised by the critics in the first part, which, unlike comparable programs, does not have hidden advantages over the player, but has to perform exactly the same actions as the player, has been revised, as has the range of basic behaviors. In order to facilitate the administration of large empires, the governors were introduced, who automated the work of the planet administration according to certain predetermined behavioral patterns.
As with its predecessor, an expansion was released soon after, Shipyards 2 , which offered the popular ship design and other small modifications. In 1997, to mark the four-year anniversary of the start of the development of Galactic Civilizations, an expansion was offered, Galatics Civilization 2: The Expansion Pack . In addition to further playful improvements, which were mainly based on the wishes and criticisms of the players, there was also new game content in the form of a new race, new technologies and new ships.
In 1998 the final and final version of the game for OS / 2, Galactic Civilizations Gold, was released . It was the base game with all the expansions published up to that point, plus new options. In addition to playable scenarios that had their own rules and conditions, World Civilization is particularly worth mentioning, a module for the game that enables military conflicts to be carried out on a planetary level in the sense of a CoSim .
Galactic Civilizations for Windows
| Galactic Civilizations | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Stardock |
| Publisher | Strategy first |
| Senior Developer | Brad Wardell |
| composer | Eric Heberling Eric Johnson |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
March 26, 2003 |
| platform | Windows |
| genre | Turn-based strategy game |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows 98 |
| medium | CD-ROM , download ( GOG ) |
| language | English |
The focus of Stardock later shifted to Windows-based systems after a market for OS / 2 products no longer existed in the course of development. In the course of this reorientation, a completely new development of Galactic Cilvilizations was tackled, which went beyond a pure port. The result was Galactic Civilizations for Windows (originally named as a distinction to the OS / 2 product), which was later simply referred to as Galactic Civilizations again . The publisher for this game was Strategy First . Shortly before it was released, this made an agreement with Infogrames that Master of Orion III wanted to release at the same time, so Galactic Civilizations was postponed for a month to avoid direct competition and it did not appear until March 26, 2003. A total of around 150,000 games were sold, of which Stardock received royalties only for part, since Strategy First went bankrupt in 2004.
While the content was largely based on the game mechanics and operation of the predecessor, the playful variety that this part offered was significantly expanded. In addition to independent challenges such as marauding space monsters, trade and cultural influence were introduced, leading to new opportunities for victory, namely technical and cultural domination. The graphic presentation was brought up to date, but there were wrong decisions at the designer level, so that, for example, the spaceships, completely rendered as 3D models, looked like hand-drawn 2D icons because the viewing angle could not be changed. At the same time as the game was released, Stardock Central was launched, a communication and resource platform on the Internet that offered the player updates and additional information.
action
The year is 2178. About fifty years earlier, humans first came into contact with aliens, the Oceans. With the help of a stargate from a vanished, ancient alien civilization, they established relationships with four other great races. But the use and maintenance of the stargate consumed immense resources and so the contacts remained very limited. About a decade before the game started, humans invented the stargate technology-based hyperdrive that suddenly made interstellar travel feasible in a short amount of time. Assuming that civilizations capable of interstellar space travel must long ago have overcome their violent plane of existence, humans shared hyperdrive technology with all of the other five major alien civilizations. Shortly afterwards, however, the contact with them broke off and people understood that the new drive technology had started a race for the colonization and management of space.
extension
On November 9, 2004, the expansion Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy was released. In addition to the usual additions to the game such as new races (Drath and Korx), ships and technologies, the possibility of campaign and scenario play was introduced, as well as editors for both new game types, so that players can create new game content independently and among each other via the Stardock Central could exchange.
The final version of the game including all updates and expansions was released in 2006 as Galactic Civilizations: Ultimate Edition .
Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords
| Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Stardock |
| Publisher | Stardock |
| Senior Developer | Brad Wardell Scott Tykoski |
| composer | Paul Kerchen Mason Fischer Eric Heberling |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
February 21, 2006 |
| platform | Windows |
| genre | Turn-based strategy game |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows 98 |
| medium | CD-ROM , download ( GOG ), DVD-ROM |
| language | English German |
On February 21, 2006, the successor to the Windows version appeared under the title Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords . After the repeated bad experiences with publishers, the game was marketed independently. The originally produced 50,000 units for the trade were already sold after two weeks (in addition to the games purchased by download), so that shortly after the first release a new master was made that contained the bonus pack released at the same time as the game.
Again, the game was the result of previous experience and player feedback. The technical basics were brought up to date, so that now a full-fledged 3D engine represented the basis for the game. Functions that were introduced in previous versions through extensions, such as a ship designer or the campaign and scenario system, are now included in the basic version. Existing play elements such as the expansion of planets or trading with other races were greatly expanded. In addition, two new, playable races have been made available, the Iconians and the Thalanen.
Extensions
As part of software support, which Stardock sees as an integral part of game development, an expansion called Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar was released on February 8, 2007 . This addition to the main game, which was later offered together with the main game in Galactics Civilizations II: Gold Edition , followed the pattern of the previous expansions. Among other things, offensive diplomacy options such as espionage and sabotage as well as new playable factions (Korath Clan and Krynn Consulate) were introduced, while many suggestions for expanding and modifying existing game mechanics were implemented. The final expansion for this game, Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor , was released on April 30, 2008.
German version and Galactic Civilizations 2: Endless Universe
The major version of Galactic Civilizations II suffered from localization- related errors at times . In August 2007, free translations of Dread Lords and the add-on Dark Avatar were made available. The German translations of the add-ons were created by I-Mod-Productions. I-Mod-Productions worked with Kalypso Media on Galactic Civilizations 2: Endless Universe , which makes both add-ons playable as standalone versions without the main game and has been released in Europe. This version was later released outside of Europe as Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition .
Re-release DRM-free
On November 21st, 2015, the Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition (with all extensions) was published for the first time DRM -free and without Stardock- product activation in the digital distribution on GOG.com . This version also includes a community patch which has been developed with the knowledge and support of Stardock since September 2014.
On December 17th, 2015, the community patch was released as the official version v2.20 by Stardock.
action
Thousands of years ago the “pioneer” civilization existed. As the young races began to develop, this civilization split into two camps. One side, the Arnor, wanted to accompany and support the young races on their way, while the other side, the Dread Lords, wanted to destroy them. The conflict ended in civil war, at the end of which both parties mysteriously disappeared.
In 2226, fifty years after humans developed hyperdrive, the Terran Alliance, along with the Ocean Empire and the Altarian Republic, are at war with the Drengin Empire and their allied Yor Collective. The war seems to be going well for the humans, but after the Drengin activate an ancient trailblazer artifact, a portal opens into space, whereupon a huge fleet of Dread Lords appears, who once survived the civil war in Arnor locked in a pocket universe. The fight against the Dread Lords can be won, but the people are so weakened afterwards that it is easy for the Drengin to defeat them and their allies. When the earth is besieged at the end, the people manage to find and activate the so-called “device of redemption” of the pioneers just in time, which surrounds the earth with an impenetrable force field and thus brings it to safety. A part of humanity outside of the force field then goes with the help of the trailblazer technology into the pocket universe in which the Dread Lords were trapped, only to one day return stronger and free the earth.
In Dark Avatar the player directs the fortunes of the Drengin Empire, which is now the dominant empire in the galaxy. The humans and their allies are defeated, which the Drengin also owe to the Korath Clan, their elite fighting clan. However, fundamental differences of opinion divide their society, because while the Drengin government attaches importance to only enslaving conquered peoples, the Korath clan is of the opinion that all other non-Drengin life should be exterminated. It turns out that the Korath Clan takes these strange new views because, thirsting for fame and power, they formed an alliance with the Dread Lords and so it comes to a civil war in the Drengin Empire, at the end of which the Korath Clan in shackles and the Dread Lords have once again disappeared from the galaxy.
The plot of Twilight of the Arnor is set at the time of the civil war between the Drengin and the Korath clan. A small Terran task force, led by Colonel Jenna Casey, returns from deep space to find the galaxy in ruins. They meet the Arnor Tandis, who tells them about an ancient crystal called "Telenath", which was once used to create the Arnor or the Dread Lords. If all remaining fragments of this crystal were found and destroyed, the Arnor and the Dread Lords would be severely weakened, making the latter defeatable. Colonel Jenna Casey and her task force then start several targeted operations against the Dread Lords to get the missing pieces (one was in the possession of Tandis). Then they construct a terror star that enables them to trigger a supernova , whereby the broken pieces can ultimately be destroyed.
Galactic Civilizations 3
| Galactic Civilizations 3 | |
|---|---|
| Studio | Stardock |
| Publisher | Stardock |
| Senior Developer | Paul Boyer |
| composer |
Geoff Knorr Mason Fisher Michael Curran |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
May 14, 2015 |
| platform | Windows |
| genre | Turn-based strategy game |
| Game mode | Single player + multiplayer |
| control | Keyboard , mouse |
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows 7 |
| medium | Download |
| language | English German |
Galactic Civilizations 3 was announced on October 15, 2013 for Stardock's 20th anniversary. On March 27, 2014, an alpha version of the game was released on Steam, allowing players who sponsored the project to participate in the development of the game. The full basic version of the game was finally released on May 14, 2015. It only supports 64-bit mode and is the first game in the series to include a multiplayer mode. In addition, it contains a campaign comprising three missions, which ties in with the events of Galactic Civilizations 2 and revolves around the Terrans returning from the pocket universe, who want to free the people on earth from their force field, which is both protective and imprisonment from the drengin.
Extensions
Several add-ons have been released as DLC , some of which are noteworthy. In 2015, the expansion Revenge of the Snathi was released , which introduced a playable civilization of the same name. Included is a campaign in which the player leads the Snathi as they break out of their prison world in order to take revenge on the peoples who once defeated the Snathi gods, the Dread Lords. A year later the first major expansion appeared with Mercenaries . A central innovation was the ability to hire mercenaries. In addition, the two peoples of the Arceans and the Torians, already known from the previous parts of the game series, were introduced as playable civilizations and a campaign was offered, which thematizes the efforts of the Torians to free themselves from the bondage of the Drengin with the help of mercenaries. Also in 2016 a prequel campaign was made available with Rise of the Terrans , in which the player with the civilization “United Earth” could explore the beginnings of human space expansion and the formation of the Terran Alliance. In the same year another campaign followed with the expansion Altarian Prophecy , in which the player is given the task of forging a future-defining alliance between the people and the Altarians.
In 2017, a second major expansion called Crusade was released , which offered three new playable civilizations, Onyx Swarm, Slyne and Terran Resistance, among others. A year later, the third major expansion followed, Intrigue, and Heroes of Star Control: Origins, an expansion with four new playable civilizations. The fourth big expansion came on the market in 2019 under the title Retribution and offers, among other things, the possibility of building hypergates, which significantly accelerate travel in space, as well as playing the two civilizations of the Drath and Korath clans known from the previous games. Also included is a campaign to investigate the Thalane prophecy, which foretells that the humans will destroy the universe through their “crusade” against the Drengin. On top of that, the expansion Villains of Star Control: Origins was released in 2019 , which includes four more playable civilizations.
Civilizations in the Galactic Civilizations Universe
The following civilizations are playable in the Galactic Civilizations series:
| civilization | Homeworld | leader | attitude | description | GalCiv version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terran Alliance | earth | Alan Bradley / Jenna Casey (TA) / DL Bradley (GC3) |
neutral | The Terrans are the youngest people in the galaxy. You are diplomats and traders, but you also have a powerful military. | 1-3 |
| Drengin Empire / Drengin Empire (GC3) |
Drengi | Lord Kona | demonic | The Drengin are an older race of the galaxy. They are evil, cruel and very bellicose. | 1-3 |
| Altarian Republic / Altarian Resistance (DA + TA + GC3) |
Altaria | Netro Mancer (DL campaign) / Elyes Mue (DA + TA) / Akari Malara (GC3) |
holy | The altarians, who for unknown reasons resemble the Terrans, are a deeply religious, friendly, and sometimes high-handed people. Their republic was destroyed by the Drengin, whereupon the Altarian Resistance was formed. | 1-3 |
| Oceanic Empire / Oceanic Empire (GC3) |
Arcea | Lord Vega / Lord Verga (GC3) |
neutral | The Arceans are a noble and noble people. They were nearly wiped out by the Drengin and freed by the Terran Alliance. Now they honor their warriors because they never want to be oppressed again. | 1–2, 3 (DLC Mercenaries ) |
| Torian Confederation / Torian Regime (GC3) |
Toria | Tlas Kzientha | holy | The Torians are an aquatic species. They have been enslaved twice by the Drengin and now want to rebuild their civilization. They are hospitable to strangers, but still suspicious. | 1–2, 3 (DLC Mercenaries ) |
| Yor collective / Yor singularity (GC3) |
Iconia | N-1 | angry | The Yor are a synthetic / artificially created species of intelligent, extremely loyal beings who build new inhabitants and do not need food or reproduction in the conventional sense. They were created by the Iconians as servants. After the Dread Lords breathed life into them, they rose against their creators and drove them from their home planet. | 1-3 |
| Drath Legion | Dratha | Embryes Draken | Well | The Drath are a reptilian species. They were originally the ruling species on the world now known as Altaria. | 1 (Add-On Altarian Prophecy ), 2, 3 (DLC Retribution ) |
| Kingdom of Korx | Korx | Kralax of Korx | demonic | The Korx are gifted traders who use the services of mercenaries to advance their interests. | 1 (Add-On Altarian Prophecy ), 2 |
| Iconian Free State / Iconian Refuge (TA) / Iconian Refuge (GC3) |
New Iconia | (Imperator) Iso the wise | holy | The Iconians are the oldest of the younger races. They created the Yor and were later driven from their home planet when they rose against them. | 2-3 |
| Thalan Empire / Thalan Contingency (GC3) |
Thala | Hithesius | neutral | The thalans are an insectoid species. They claim to come from another universe or from the future to prevent the Terrans from their "crusade" because they believe that the Terrans will destroy the universe. | 2-3 |
| Korath clan | Kora | Krindar i`Agohl / Kindar A`Aghohl (GC3) |
demonic | The Korath Clan was an elite Drengin warrior clan. Since the Drengin government only wanted to enslave the conquered peoples instead of exterminating them all, as the members of the elite warrior clan intended, the Korath clan split from the Drengin, resulting in a second Drengin empire. | 2 (Add-On Dark Avatar ), 3 (DLC Retribution ) |
| Krynn Consulate / Krynn Syndicate (GC3) |
Kryseth | Ynrhed Eidden | neutral / merciless (GC3) |
The Krynn Syndicate is a league of nations with a common religion that they are dedicated to promoting. | 2 (Add-On Dark Avatar ), 3 |
| Iridium Corporation | Iridia | Harondin Gaul | pragmatic | The Iridium Corporation is a heavily capitalist civilization ruled by multi-planetary corporations. Her strengths lie in the areas of business and culture. | 3 |
| Revenge of the Snathi | Snathi Prime | Lord Sparky | merciless | Revenge of the Snathi are a sect of the Snathi. These are bloodthirsty and intelligent, squirrel- like beings created by the Dread Lords as the ultimate weapon. In Galactic Civilizations 2 , the Snathi appeared as a minor race. | 3 (DLC Revenge of the Snathi ) |
| United earth | earth | Gregory Mathews | pragmatic | The United Earth is the predecessor civilization of the Terran Alliance. | 3 (DLC Rise of the Terrans ) |
| Onyx swarm | Onyx Prime | Slymwr P`tosor | pragmatic | The onyx are a siliconid, worm-like , technologically advanced species of volcanic origin. Their society is based on intrigue and betrayal, which makes them capable of excellent espionage activities. | 3 (DLC Crusade ) |
| Slyne | Slyne Omega | Raz-Spon Erg | pragmatic | The Slyne are a siliconid, gelatinous species. They use their innate understanding of technology to improve their bodies with all sorts of cybernetic enhancements. | 3 (DLC Crusade ) |
| Terran resistance | refuge | Jenna Casey | pragmatic | The Terran Resistance is that part of humanity that was not locked up on earth, behind the planetary force field protecting against the drengin. | 3 (DLC Crusade ) |
| Free trandals | Delta gladius I | Lord Clurg | pragmatic | The Free Trandals are the last free members of a powerful warrior people controlled by an artificial intelligence called "Overmind". They fight hard to keep their freedom and to free their brothers at some point. | 3 (DLC Heroes of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Mowlings | Moss | Primarch Moofles | good-natured | The Mowlings are small, accident-prone, and deeply religious beings that resemble weasels or ferrets . Their religion focuses on the worship of an enormously powerful alien named Jeff. | 3 (DLC Heroes of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Mu`Kay | Mu`Kaya | Echo of the abyss Varua | good-natured | The Mu`Kay are an aquatic, intelligent cephalopod species. They are kind, good-natured, and somewhat condescending, as well as the founders of the Federation of Allied Species. | 3 (DLC Heroes of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Tywom | Tywomia | Its moisture splum | good-natured | The Tywom are a friendly race of intelligent snails . | 3 (DLC Heroes of Star Control: Origins ) |
| The Measured | Delta Domos II | Measured ID: G012770 | merciless | The Measured are an aquatic, extremely bureaucratic coral species. They once enjoyed a thriving civilization, but have been genetically modified by the Scryve to make them ideal for keeping their Imperial records. | 3 (DLC Villains of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Phamysht | Ela Rise | Devourer Al | merciless | The Phamysht are extremely polite connoisseurs of all kinds of food, which can be dangerous for other species. | 3 (DLC Villains of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Scryve | Scryveno Seat | Scryve Legate Graffid | merciless | The Scryve are a race of immortals. Their civilization was once shaped by idealism and hope, but as a result of terrible events, they turned to a brutal and violent way of life. | 3 (DLC Villains of Star Control: Origins ) |
| Xraki | Alpha Satori A II | Chaos Commander Xelran | merciless | The Xraki are, to most, vicious monsters from another dimension. They only went insane with the modifications of the Scryve, which they once used as shock troops in their wars. | 3 (DLC Villains of Star Control: Origins ) |
Remarks:
- DL stands for Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords
- DA stands for the expansion Galactic Civilizations 2: Dark Avatar
- TA stands for the expansion Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor
- GC3 stands for Galactic Civilizations 3
- In Galactic Civilizations 3, the names for the attitudes changed. Holy or good became too good-natured, neutral became too pragmatic and demonic or evil became too merciless.
- In Galactic Civilizations 1, only the Terran Alliance was playable.
Web links
- Page of the manufacturing company (English)
- Official GalCiv 2 website (English)
- Galactic Civilizations series at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ GOG.com & Stardock Partner to Release Popular and Upcoming Games ( Memento from November 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) on develop-online.com "Galactic Civilizations III (up to 60% off) & Galactic Civilizations II (75% off) "
- ↑ Community-based update to GalCiv 2 Ultimate Edition by MarvinKosh on September 25, 2014
- ↑ No Game Left Behind: Stardock Brings Update to GalCiv II! - v2.20 improves AI, Balance, and Gameplay from Island Dog on galciv2.com (December 17, 2015)
- ↑ Announcement on the manufacturer's website. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ Galactic Civilizations 3: First Gameplay Video - Early Access for Founders from Thursday at pcgames.de. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ↑ Galactic Civilizations 3 announced // Only for 64-bit systems at gamersglobal.de. Retrieved July 14, 2020.