Well thats a shame about the ship pack but I certainly understand the business decision. So we'll be getting a nice xmas present from Stardock instead. I think I can live with that .

Disappointed about the ship pack.

I hope Stardock take the opportunity of the expansion to add some increased variety (e.g. organic hulls, crystalline hulls, matching jewellery etc.)

Two races will be eleminated ?

Damn hehe

Well i would have liked to see the mini-expanision pack(s). 9 bucks is incredibly fair. But thats over with now. I look forward to the expansion and the "dark" storyline.

Isn't killing off a major race a bit extreme? They should still be avaialble in "sandbox" mode in future versions (if not in the campaigns).

What are the odds the humans are the major race to get killed off? You'd never see that - a science fiction game where the humans don't survive or aren't heroes. (But actually, you could kill off the humans as a major race and have humans still surviving in other factions.)

Although I'm sad that there won't be the small ship expansion pack, I guess I can wait a bit for a full scale expansion.

No, the expansin pack will have two ADDITIONAL playable races. It's just during the story 2 of the existing ones will be wiped out.  So you will be able to have a lot more players.

I think creating an expansion that focuses on a new campaign as its primary focus is a mistake. I've never been one for campaigns in TBS games, they are too constricting. I'd much rather you focus on improving the United Planets, epsionage and other game mechanics. Having other sides people incorporated into your population mean more would also be a bonus, I'd really like to see say the Drengin in my empire get upset because I was at war with them.

Other cool things I'd like to see are:
* Ability to have Dread Lords show up in sandbox mode attacking others at random.
* Have more government options based on the type of race being played. A race with a hive mind like the Thalan wouldn't conceive of democracy and neither would a warrior race like the Drengin. For example have the Drengin player's popularity fall if he ISN'T at war with someone!

Also a race or two that liked unhabitable planets to the other races would be very interesting and having an ability to 'close' your borders to other races would be fun.

To be honest, I've never really found the races in GalCiv2 to have that much character except for the Yor (remind me of the creepy Klikiss robots from Saga of the Seven Suns), the Drengin, the Terrans and the Altarians (always liked the idea of another 'human' race out there).

Having the option where all the evil and good races group together in the same part of the map would also be good.

I think creating an expansion that focuses on a new campaign as its primary focus is a mistake. I've never been one for campaigns in TBS games, they are too constricting. I'd much rather you focus on improving the United Planets, epsionage and other game mechanics.

I hate to say it, but I agree with waitingtoconnect. I am sure lots of people have, but I haven't even played through the existing campaign and probably wouldn't play through an expansion's campaign. I know you guys put a lot of effort into the campaign, but it is too restrictive for me. It is only my opinion, but I would like to see much more effort put into the elements that make sandbox mode fun. I play game after game of sandbox, because I love the game. Either way, I am 100% positive that I am going to buy the expansion! Keep up the good work!

Right decission ,
The ship design is nice but I want to play strategic game , if I only wanted to draw new ships I woul use 3D Max instead.

I'm a little disappointed about the mini-pack, but that's life. At least we'll get the content at some point, which is always a good thing.

Regarding the soon to be destroyed races, I notice the Iconians are number 2 in the poll! Eek! Personally I love the Iconians. Not only do they look cool, but they have the interesting backstory (vs Yor). I think the races to go should be the least interesting ones, not necessarily the least playable ones. I know Brad cares a lot about the backstory - he wrote it!

The story behind the game is quite interesting, and I would prefer it to remain that way. Modders could always put the other dead races back into future games, so thats not really a top concern for me. If the story behind the game isn't good, then the races become meaningless and uninteresting. Custom races can mimic them and without personality they are quite boring.

I would prefer the Korx and the Thalans to go, but I could tolerate the Altarians being wiped out if some refugees make it to the Terran Alliance, bringing some nice tech with them and showing up from time time as special characters. I'd like to say a little about each race, and how they make me feel. I'll leave out the Terrans as they aren't up for the chop:

Altarians - There is an interesting story surrounding the Altarians and humans. Aside from that though I don't think there is any reason to have two "human" race. If the mystery becomes resolved I would be fine seeing the Altarians being destroyed, and the survivors integrating into Terran culture.

Drengin - Humanity's worst nightmare! I couldn't imagine the game without them, and the rivalry between the two is one of the defining things about the game's lore. I doubt they will go, as they are in the original backstory for the game.

Arceans - The Arceans also have a lot of history within the lore of the game. They are the first race I think of when I think "neutral". I would like to know more about their warrior culture.

Torians - These guys are too cute to die. To me they feel like Earth's best friends in the universe. The Altarians always make me think they have a hidden motive behind their actions, but these guys have a face you can trust. I enjoy the story about their enslavement and ultimate victory over the Drengin. That lore makes me care about them.

Yor - The fact that the Drengin will take these machines as their allies speaks volumes. As the only synthetic race I find them to be extremely interesting, especially when paired with the Iconians. They also look very cool.

Iconians - When I want to imagine an ancient advanced race, I think of the Iconians. They look cool, and their history with the Yor is interesting. They compliment each other nicely. The first word I think of when I see them is "sleek".

Korx - I really don't care much for the Korx. I get that they are mercenaries, but they don't feel part of the same universe as the other races. Maybe I haven't studied the lore carefully enough, but they seem like an 'extra'.

Drathi - Although this race looks cooler than the Korx, I feel about the same way about them. They seem to have a beef with the Altarians, which sucks them into the lore a little more. If the Korx were removed, and the Drathi took on a little of their persona and abilities, I think they could stay.

Thalans - I get that they come from "somewhere else", but they seem to have a seperate story, and again, this race doesn't feel like a part of the same universe as the others. It's interesting to have an insectoid race, but they don't play any differently. This is another race I wouldn't miss.

So my top choices for the chop (in order of most likely to die) would be: Korx, Thalans, Altarians and Drathi. If any of the others didn't make it I would probably shed a tear or two.

Personally i don't see anything to ashame about not buying a ship pack.First of all the game is a TBS game not only a shipbuilder.Secondly a graphic pack would have had a better result in my opinion, more portraits for minors,more texture for planets, unique hulls for every race could have pushed me to buy it.Anyway for us european i hope the expansion pack will be also available through paradox or the cost would be really high to book a copy from america.

I think creating an expansion that focuses on a new campaign as its primary focus is a mistake. I've never been one for campaigns in TBS games, they are too constricting. I'd much rather you focus on improving the United Planets, epsionage and other game mechanics. Having other sides people incorporated into your population mean more would also be a bonus, I'd really like to see say the Drengin in my empire get upset because I was at war with them.

I totally agree, the sandbox game is way more fun than the campaign! I also would expanded diplomancy and expanded role for the UP.

Also, currently when a race surrenders to another, the second race gets their planets. In addition they should also get their starbases, ships, technology, and star maps. Also the fortunes of war should play a role in your race's moral. If you are doing well your moral goes up and if you are losing it goes down; surely losing key planets (homeworld, capitals, and high PQ planets) should lower your moral.