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Cloak is Coming: Evidence in the files

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Cloak is Coming: Evidence in the files

from GalCiv2 Forums
Cloak is coming and I for one am glad to see it. I've also found some other abilities listed in the strings area. Here's to more abilities. Oh, yeah this is what I found:

[ShipAbilityColonize] Colonize
[ShipAbilityTrade] Trade
[ShipAbilityTroops] Transport Troops
[ShipAbilityStealth] Stealth
[ShipAbilityDetStealth] Detect Stealth
[ShipAbilitySurvey] Survey
[ShipAbilityConstructStarbase] Construct Starbases
[ShipAbilityDockShips] Dock Ships
[ShipAbilityAttack] Attack
[ShipAbilityDetonate] Detonate
[ShipAbilityBombard] Bombard
[ShipAbilityMissile] Missile
[ShipAbilityVampire] Vampire
[ShipAbilityHeal] Heal
[ShipAbilityWraith] Wraith
[ShipAbilityAntiWraith] Anti-Wraith
[ShipAbilityStarbase] Starbase
[ShipAbilityFleet] Fleet
[ShipAbilityMonster] Monster
[ShipAbilityConstructShips] Construct Ships

From this I can see lots of new abilities. I'm only hoping they actually implement it.

But while they're at it, I'm going to ask for something else:

In a lot of stategic games an important consideration is chokepoints. This game doesn't really have any since you can pretty much just circle around. Additionally the order in which you strike targets doesn't seem to matter since you'll get to the rest eventually.

Now the game revolves around having open space, but there's something you can do about that. Nebulas and other spacial anomolies (not just the investiagating kind). For example, some nebulas could kill sensors (a great strategic tactic). Others could be impassible. There are lots of other possibilities, but I'll leave that to the people here and the designers. The idea behind this is to make some areas more valuable.
28,562 views 38 replies
Reply #26 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm also one of those Stars! single players who are looking for a decent computer AI for diplomacy & more complex economic, in addition to the core combat module.

This GC2 just might be the ticket... but here are some suggestions on this area of navigation:

1. Stars! has wormholes that lead elsewhere in the sector...
You can invade via wormholes, and vice versa !

2. Stars! has 3 different types of mine fields that slow down invaders:
a) standard mine fields (slows max speed down to 3 for example),
b) Speed Bump mine fields (slows max speed down to 2 for example, but available only to specific races [ie: racial traits]).
c) Denotating mine fields (defender can control denotate each individual mine field to damage invaders, again available to specific race).


BTW, invading Beam/laser weapons sweep away minefields by a certain amount each turn, depending on the power & weapon range of the invading beam/laser...


3. Whilst we don't expect a clone of Stars!'s great combat and gameplay, above are great ideas...
there are already players in this forum that say computer AI has difficulty countering Speed-9 ships that can sidestep defences... think minefields are the answer to slow things down...
Reply #27 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Space terrain is absurd. Asteroid fields are far, far too diffuse to be dangerous (the Hoth asteroid field, for instance, is absurd and must have been created by a relatively recent collision (hundreds of years). Things like the Sol belt have literally thousands of klicks between rocks that are usually so tiny they're insignificant.


:ssst!:: It's a game. If we want the asteroids to be closer and bigger than they would be in the real world, I think it will be okay.

Something that was in Stars! and Space Empires both that I really liked were minelayers. I think that would be a nice addition, and would be something that could accomplishe what you guys are looking for here. The player has a minelayer component that they can put in certain ships which will allow the ship to create a minefield. Different kinds of mines could do different things.

1. Some could just cause damage to ships passing through the field (explosive mines).

2. They could be sensors (allowing the player to see the internal components of any ship passing through).

3. They could be "smokescreen" fields, nullifying or reducing the effectiveness of the enemy's sensors.

4. They create fields that disorient the navigational systems of the enemy's ships, causing them to change directions randomly.

5. The pacifist races could have "smart mines" that only attack ships with weapons.

Of course, all of the minefields could be smart to a certain extent, only blowing up your enemies and not you or your allies. Perhaps through espionage, you could even steal your enemy's "mine field code," thereafter allowing you to pass through their minefields unharmed for a certain number of turns before they realize they've been had and change the code.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm fairly certain the developers have stated that minefields were not being considered for implementation. Not sure where they said that, though--if anyone has a link, throw it up on here.
Reply #29 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
if anyone has a link, throw it up on here


Frogboy posted in the thread https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=251&AID=96470

While not specificly saying they won't ever be in, his post leaves the impression of such.
Reply #30 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah, I definitely read quite a few responses from the devs that they didnt really like the idea of either cloaking or minefields.

I also dont like the idea of jumpgates etc. The whole backstory of Gal Civ kind of makes them obsolete.
Reply #31 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
OK, sorry to beat a dead horse...

In Stars!, ships can add Cloaking component(s) that can reduce the opposing ship's sensor range.

Sounds simple?

Not really--different players (human and AI) can have different Sensor Range strengths--so it becomes an Arms Race of Cloaking technology level vs. Sensor Range technology level, and different situations for each race.

So the same "cloaked" ship, to one player it's undetectable because of the player's inferior sensor technology level, whereas to another player the "cloaked" ship is very visible due to their superior sensor technology level.

Also, perhaps some race(s) would have in-built cloaking tech advantages (maybe even starting off with it too).

It is this kind of arms race of cloak tech vs. sensor tech that adds yet another facet to the game's strategy...
Reply #32 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just thought I'd throw something into the conversation. As much as I love, love, love the idea of chokepoints, without hyperspace lanes they are hopelessly unrealistic.

Space is so vastly empty that to even begin justifying how close star systems in this game are, you basically have to say that when you come within 1 square of a planet, you are leaving "Hyperspace", and going to whatever... Impulse speed if you want to use the Star Trek term. Away from the planets, you are at "Warp" or Hyperspace or whatever.

To include things like Asteroid fields and Nebulas would be... just ridiculous if they took up more than 1 square. At least, from the perspective of anything vaguely resembling reality.

I think a better solution to chokepoints would be for Military Starbases (Or perhaps a new kind of Starbase) to simply be a bit more intimidating, perhaps they get free attacks against enemies within their squares of influence, or something. Although I agree that this doesn't do much for realism either, I think it would be far better than an insanely cluttered galaxy, a design approach that would only even work occassionally on a randomly generated map.

Anyways, a few of those would basically require your opponent to attack them first. The +1/+1 attack defense bonus is way too easy to bypass currently unless your fleets are completely evenly matched, and the AI never upgrades their starbases significantly to make them a threat, in any case. Just some thoughts. I'd love to have some form of chokepoints in the game, but... I don't want to rely on a randomly generated galactic nebula field to do it.
Reply #33 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To include things like Asteroid fields and Nebulas would be... just ridiculous if they took up more than 1 square. At least, from the perspective of anything vaguely resembling reality.


Hehe why not? Planets and ships both take up 1 square...... all the things in this game have very little to do with reality... it's just an iconic representation, it doesn't try to actually model the real galaxy in anyway.

I think it's just me but I rarely find I need more reality in a game! I get enough in the real world as it is!
Reply #34 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah, what next? Bug-eyed bipedal humanoids traveling faster than light shooting death rays.


There's a difference between breaking the laws of physics as we know it (like FTL travel) and something that is just flat out nonsensical. Space is big. Really big. In order to have something like an asteroid field, you'd need an impossibliy large amount of rocks, or it would be so tiny it could be driven around.
Reply #35 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There's a difference between breaking the laws of physics as we know it (like FTL travel) and something that is just flat out nonsensical. Space is big. Really big. In order to have something like an asteroid field, you'd need an impossibliy large amount of rocks, or it would be so tiny it could be driven around.


Let's not go there because there are a large number of nonsensical things in the game. The game doesn't have to completely make sense. It's just that you noticed the asteroids and perhaps you haven't noticed the many other things that don't make sense. I have, but it doesn't bother me because I know you need not let it bother me or else I wouldn't enjoy the game.
Reply #37 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
These entries may just be holdovers from previous versions and not planned for future use.
Reply #38 from Stardock Forums Top
Ugh you ever thinkt hat it is there MAYBE so peopel can mod cool things in not because ti will ever be put into the game?