Totally new to this kind of game

real time strategy sometimes needs fast reaction.
like you an lose a battle for not reacting fast enough cause the game just keeps running.

this game, every player (computer or human doesn't matter) will have its own turn, during your turn nobody else will do a thing. so you can take your time to see whats going on, think of a strategy, see some stats, talk to the IA, negotiate a bit, manage your planets and than hit the turn button. than the IA will play its turns. (this will take from 1 second to like 20 seconds during BIG games with HUGE militairy's).
i know this game keeps the adrenaline level lower than RTS and i think thats a good advantage . + you get to think of some nice strategy's and can sit down, relax and watch over your empire and see whats missing and what needs to be done without having to worry about what happens on places that you currently do not see on your screen.

hope this helps a little bit.

oh and yea, GC2 is a very good game!!
and i also like RTS games allot, rise of nations, C&C to name just a few.

I like both types of games too. mainly, while RTS tests both your strategic skill +management ability, it also tests your dexterity and speed of thought. so for example playing playing warcraft III with your 'wrong' hand you would DIE (unless you are ambidextrous )

With TBS you have all the time in the world, so speed of thought and dexterity do not enter into it. Depth and cleverness of thought are much more important, and longer range planning. playing wiht the wrong hand would make no difference!

I find this makes for a less frustrating game, because you dont have 'bugger, if i'd moved my mouse faster that wouldnt have happened' moments.

personally im not really into rts, im more of a fps kinda guy ..... anyways, this is a way diferent pace .. a nice big juicy map can take up to a week to finish or shortish? on small maps? (i dont play small maps so i dont really know) and requires a different kind of concentration (its good to be able to leave the computer)

the game was much cheeper than an ordinary game from where i got it from (2/3 the price) and i rate it highly as a deepthinking slow turn based strat

Played RTS and I do not really like them, much prefer turn based games. Don't get me wrong some RTS r fantastic but I just do not like losing because I can not move a mouse fast enough or click fast enough. This is what most RTS come down too on the high levels. The only RTS games I really like have a pause feature, so you can think and plan your mouse clicks in advance. Games like GC 2 make u think. Its very rewarding when a strategy comes off for the first time.

GC 2 games do not need to take a week or more to play, a tiny map 2-3 races can be played out in 2-3 hours, most turns can take 30 - 60 secs to complete. GC 2 for a turn based game flys along even towards the end game, which I really like.

There is a certain amount of management in an RTS game, for a TBS game, there's a whole lot more fiddling that can be done to maximize your standing in the game vs. your opponents.

In a lot of RTS games, your focus is spent trying to harvest certain resources, which in turn allows you to build units, which in turn allows you to attack the other opponent(s). The "fiddling" that is done is trying to keep track of what leads to what in order to build the structure or unit that can best achieve the goal of destroying your enemy.

A TBS game like GalCiv2, however, adds complexity to this model. At its core it's similar: you manage your resources which helps you build various stuff which you can use to destroy your enemy. But the vastness of the amount of stuff at your disposal that allows you to do this is infinitely humongous. You can fiddle with the amount you tax your citizens, you can decide which planets under your command you wish to build starships, what kind of starships they are, each planet can have different buildings on it (each providing its own "color" to the planet's output), you can research technologies to improve your overall statistics, you can bargain with the other opponents for money and resources, you can customize your own ships, and so much more that it's impossible to list it all in one paragraph.

Another thing that's important to note that in general, you win an RTS by demolishing the enemy. In GalCiv2 you can choose to win via other means, and it's in fact possible to win the game without firing a single shot from any of your military units.

-HM

I'd like to add to the comments above that TBS are just more fun for me than RTS games. The fact that it takes so much thought, and so much more time, creates an "emotional investment" (for lack of a better term) in your empire. You watch it born, guide it along it's crucial first steps, protect it, and sometimes you just sit there and look at the map and admire it (at least I do). They have a creative quality that is lacking in other games.

When you get a really, really good TBS game going you will find yourself in a spare moment at work thinking about what you are going to do that night to those *!^%&* Drengin for example. It's an ongoing project (unless you are young, unmarried, jobless and have infinite time to spend on playing). But it takes a level of patience and thought that many gamers, accustomed to seeing action every time they click the mouse, are not willing to maintain.

IMHO TBS games appeal to a more intellectual gamer.

I'd like to steer away the topic from whether one type of game is better than another. This is purely a matter of personal taste (and the original poster didn't ask people to state which one people liked better). I'm sure there has been many a Starcraft player who has thought during work over whether spending the extra time to build the siege mode for their tanks was worthwhile, or they should've just went straight to Yamoto guns for their battleships. Those choices also sway the outcome and the strategy of an RTS gaming session.

I would also argue against the fact that TBS games appear to a more intellectual gamer. A more detail-oriented gamer perhaps.

-HM

An RTS is a real-time tactical battle (Supreme Commander might take it to the strategic level).

GalCiv2 is a 4X game

1. eXplore
2. eXpand
3. eXploit
4. eXterminate

You control an empire and deal with it on the strategic, not tactical level. The game is turn-based, meaning I go, then player 2 goes, then player 3 etc. Rather like Snakes & Ladders, or Chess.

While RTS rewards good mouse skills, the ability to work in the moment, a 4X game tends to better reward the ability to look and plan ahead.

Thank you very much for the amount of information that you have provided. I am looking forward to trying something different. I am sure that I will be back posting any questions that I have.