I think it would be great to put all of those inhabitable planets to use. Maybe some kind of mining on them? If anyone here has played the old Windows 3.x classic Stars, you'll know what I'm talking about.

If this feature is not implemented, it would be nice if there was an option to turn off viewing inhabitable planets. They often make for a lot of confusion and clutter, especially when playing on a large map.

What about being able to turn the planet into an asteroid feild with an advanced mining tech ? Just make it so it only can be used on PQ=0 to avoid the destruction of habitable planets.

hotseat(i wanna play whit my friends!!!!, multiplayer in any other way would be stupid)

more diplomacy, take some of the things who already have been sugested.

chance to colonize gas gigants would be nice, like bespin in star wars.

one or two mini campaigns.

better planetary invasion. it dosnt take a week to capture a planet!!
it takes months!!!

Here it is ...

1. Customizing opponents; allow a trade meter from " never to frequent "
- this way the AI would either trade with you frequently or never during the game.

2. Allow a cloaking device built on scout or attack ships only after researching the right tech. Maybe after researching the counter-espionage tech will enable cloaking device.

3. Allow a tech to counter the cloaking device. Maybe sensors level five will enable anti-mirror sensors on ships that will allow to see cloaked ships.

4. Allow for each race to research a "super device" to be built on planets just like the "super personality" option unique for each race or having the option to customize while creating an opponent. For example ...

Invincibility grid = it will temporarily shield your entire solar system from any attack. The shield will prevent all social construction and slow all military construction as long as it's on since it requires alot of energy to sustain it. Once you power-off the device, it will take significant amount of time to re-use it.

Shadow field processor = it will make all of your ships around the planet at a certain radius cloaked even with the latest sensor tech as long as the ships remain in the area of influence. This tech will be permenant.

Super-nova conductor = it will destroy an entire solar system after blowing up the sun. It's a device that you can install it only on a scout ship with no other modules on it except the "super-nova conductor". All you have to do is fly the scout ship with the device on a collision course towards the sun, if your luck enough not to get intercepted or else it won't work. It will take significant amount of time to build another one.

Worm-hole device = it will open a stable one way conduite to anywhere in the galaxy which lasts only 4 weeks. You have to place it on a scout ship to initiate the point of entry and click on the map for its destination. It will take significant amount of time to build another one.

Super brain wave emmiter = at a certain radius around the planet, it will automatically convert enemies hostage along with their ships; thus using their ships at will as long as your in the area of influence. The emmiter will prevent all social construction and slow all military construction as long as it's on since it requires alot of energy to sustain it. Once you power-off the emmiter, you no longer have control over those ships, so you hope you caused enough damage to other ships or made peace.

Nano-probe bloom = at a certain radius around the planet, this device will cause all enemy ships go crazy. It will attack all systems in the ships by making it lose some engines, weapons, defences, sensors etc... The ships will lose their effectiveness, lose their logistics and can't remain in fleets. The device can only be used once but the effect on the ships will be permanent. You can build the device again but it will take significant amount of time.

Bio-viral technology = this will create a virus specific to a race that will slowly kill their population unless they find the cure which will take time. All you have to do is install the device on a scout ship and fly it to the enemy race's planet. And from there, the virus will spread from one planet of theirs to another. It will take time to research another virus specific to another race.

It's time to think about the next expansion; other than all the bug issues that needs to be resolved at or before the expansion if there thinking about maiking one, we must think of improvements.

Allow more control over espionage

- When no espionage spending is needed, the AI sais from time to time we might get a breakthrough and steal technology. Well at this point, didn't we earn the right to target which tech to steal? In other words, we get the option to choose and target which tech to steal. I would imagine that some techs would take longer to steal than others depending on the value compare to yours. Also, we should get another option to steal a ship. For example, by putting your spies on factories, we should be able to steal the ship that's being built from that CIV. The same with putting your spies on research facilities, we should be able to steal the tech that's being researched from that CIV. Anyways, these are some ideas, but it's harder than you think since you must first reach advanced level of espionage on that particular CIV and you can probably forget to be able to reach an advanced level on all the players anyways. I was never able to reach advance level for more than 1 CIV unless maybe if you played on the biggest map with alot of resources.

Influence starbases should be eliminated

- Influence starbases are mainly there to built it near other planets so that you can convert their government into yours. Can't your spies do this?? For example, after reaching advanced level of espionage, you can place your agents on approval and inflence buildings. Depending on how many agents you place, it would require less time for revolt and conversion.

* Note.. you should be able to spy on planets that have been discovered only, not the one's that are across the galaxy.

User interface for spying

- Every screen that exits to find out about another race should have to go in the spying report screen. Where every information you gather from another race can be viewed here. Because currently, you can go from the diplomacy screen to view some info and also the management screen and there scattered everywhere. Basically, in the begining of the game, you should have no "stats and graphs" in the management screen?? Because the stats and graghs is currently giving me more hints than what my spies are gathering as information or intelligence level (low, medium, expert, advance etc...)

Example (put all the information gathered on a race in the following screen and no other screen in an organized fashion)...

Spying report

Choose the race (Altarian for example)

Low espionage level ( enables society )

- Race name and description
- Total population
- Number of colonies and classes of planets and names
- Approval for each colony and the total approval
- Total influence compared to yours (show it with actual numbers and bar level)
- Opinion on you and the relationship level ( hostile, wary, neutral etc...)
- Their ethical alignment (leaning good, neutral, evil)
- Any social production bonuses ( % )
- Number of influence starbases and modules (you can now click on the starbase)

Medium espionage level ( enables economy )

- Total treasury money compared to yours
- Total income for each colony
- Economic status (this is a detail global version of their economy just like you see it in your own economic tab ... for example, tourism income, military expence etc... have all the total income of the empire in one column and the total expenses of the empire on the other... and compare it to yours with actual numbers and bars)
- Number of trade routes with any other civs (names and number of routes from each)
- Any economic bonuses ( example, economic ability 80% etc... )
- Number of economic starbases and modules ( you can now click on the starbase )

Expert espionage level ( enables technology )

- List all the technologies like a mini-tree version and which tech currently researched and the time, if a certain tech enables a building list it too. for example...

so far...

1. Galactic warfare - space militarization - research laser -
laser beam I - laser beam II

2. Hyperdrive - new propulsion techniques

3. Xeno industrial theory ( enhance factory )

* Now researching laser beam III (15 weeks left)

- Any techonology bonuses ( example, tech ability 50 % etc... )

Advance espionage level ( enables military )

- Total number of each type of ships ( colony, contructor, tiny attack ships, medium attack ships etc...
- Total number of each type of ships being built and on which of their planets
- Give the intelligence report on the races strongest attack ships and their weakest

strongest large class = ( 9/0/3 attk )( 10/0/0 def )
Fleet of 3 ships = ( 27/0/9 attk )( 30/0/0 def )

Weakest medium class = ( 3/0/0 attk )( 2/0/0 def )
Fleet of 5 ships = ( 15/0/0 attk) ( 10/0/0 def )

- Any military production bonuses
- Number of military starbases and modules ( you can now click on the starbase )

* At Advance level of espionage, you can now click on the planets to see everything and also, you can now click on enemy ships where before you coudn't in order to see their stats.

You are actually converting the people of the planet, showing them how good your people got it. So spies wouldn't do the trick. Influence star bases are also useful for stopping your planets from fliping. And in a very specific case, they are very useful when play as or against the yor and their speed restriction. I used a couple of constructors from my borded to create an influence starbase with in Yor territory. It went as far as it could on one turn and then created the starbase, the second constructor added to its influence. The effect allowed my fleet with speed 13 to fly all the way to the Yor's closest planet and take out all the defenders. My troop ship followed and the planet was mine. My influence from that planet was large enough so that i could get to the Yor's next one and so on. The speed restriction never got to stop me thansk to the starbase.

I would really like to see a way to do tactical space combat. This I think is the last major thing remaining for Gal Civ 2 to do. That and maybe a change in how weapons and defences work.

My #1 wish (which I don't expect to get) is multiplayer. Hotseat or LAN would be fine with me, I don't care much about play over the internet.

1) Ground-type units to defent/attack plantes. (Or at least just military type of population to do such things)

2) Reworked espionage. (more options)

What about being able to turn the planet into an asteroid field with an advanced weapon tech ? Make it so it can be used on all PQs to enable the destruction of habitable planets.

I think my wish will be fulfilled with the terror stars.

How about changing the pathing. Instead of going diagonal and then straight to your target, how about a beeline there. This goes for both trade routes and ship movement. Even setting waypoints for both would be great. That way, you could route your freighters around hostile territory. I have been burned too many times by selecting a destination somewhere only to have my weaker ship move in an unexpected diagonal right next to the dread lord ship. Oh that is irritating. In other words, do away with the movement by squares and just use linear movement with waypoints.

When a ship has Hyperdrive engines, make the ship move using the hyperspace. A ship with 4parsec/week should make 4parsec jumps along the path to the destination. It annoys me seeing a ship in hyperspace having to step aside from other ships, planets or stations when the destination is not them.

Give a message whenever a scout set on auto discovers something, especially resources, but also habitable planets, anomalies, inhabited planets, enemy ships etc.

I'd quite like to see the ability to create Star-gate networks to link your systems. To increase movement times within your systems, especially on Huge maps. (Not lifted from Stargate, just from anything that has Jumpgates, really)

I'd pay good money for the continued lack of digital rights management. I like that Stardock made this move, and I really hope Stardock continues it.

I just bought Dark Avatar and am downloading it at the moment. I liked Dread Lords, but I'm not even sure if I'll have the time or inclination to play Dark Avatar. You can thank BioShock for this sale. BioShock nearly destroyed my DVD drive (the bad sectors caused it to repeatedly spin up and down, and it was making a grating noise after a while), and after spending several hours trying to install it, being asked for a serial key was the final straw for me. By the time I got it working, I was almost too sick and tired to play it.

When I noticed Dread Lords sitting in my programs listing today, I immediately logged on to give Stardock some money, for any reason. I didn't want to use the coupon that I have, because I want Stardock to make the maximum profit they can off this. I want to make sure people who do things right (good game and no DRM) stay in business. I may just be one customer, but I hope it helps. I've never been this angry at a piece of software before, nor have I ever purchased a game impulsively. I might regret this later, but I doubt it. Strangely, it feels... really good.

https://forums.galciv2.com/?AID=161697

1. More espionage options, like tech stealing, destroyng buildings etc.

2. Being able to controll space battles! doesn't have to be be superadvanced.

3. Being able to controll planet invasion, some sort of low quality minigame for fun

4. Waaay bigger maps! like 10fold. (for those with super computers)

5. let minor races colonise like .. max 10planets.

6. and idea would be colonising starsystems instead of planets while implementing humongus maps gets those ugly "class 0" planets out the way too.

7. more mining!

8. option to have super super slow tech rating. i mean like 15 times as long or more, "epic games"

9. get the AI to use their brains and build better ships, disband their small ships and get som damn firepower! they always go fast for massiva scale building, but never build them. *sigh*

10. better score system for single player, with highscore list... not all of us bother to play on the metaverse.

11. massdriver, beam and missiles........ atleast 5 more! separate some of them.
something along the lines of: plasma weapons, e-m-p weapons (they pwn all), blackhole-tech weapons, timedistortion weapons, massdriver, missiles, laser, "absolut-cold" weapons... you name it!
The belonging defence tech could merge for some, like shields work for plasma and laser and absolutecold... just and idea.

12. permanent wormholes

13. infoscreen in planet that showsthe planets bonus, if u happend to pick one when colonising it.

..that's about it, now stop reading forum posts and get working!

This is my first time through the game, but here's what I have to offer for suggestions so far. I have no expectation of them being adopted at all, or even appreciated, but I do appreciate the open ear of GalCiv's developers:

Improved Flavortext: The techs' descriptions have a lazy, first-draft feel to them that is jarring when compared to the polish of the rest of the game. It robs some of the satisfaction that should be derived from probing into the secrets of the universe. I don't even bother reading them most of the time. The best flavor text I've ever seen for techs and advances is in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. In addition to providing tasty quotes from faction leaders and long-dead philosophers, they provided an explanation of the tech in question and it's place in the tree: where it came from, the necessity that led to its development, and what promise the tech outlines for the future. Also, the wildly gesticulating robot that goes along with these can get the old heave-ho out the airlock. Alternative: "open" the source files so your fanbase can compile as a group their own flavor text. Or, create a Wiki from which the new tech flavor text can be cribbed, and invite the community to fill it up.

Improved Soundtrack or In-Game Music Player: The default music (I've not played the expansion yet) is good, but the individual tracks are too short and therefore get repetitive, fast. Allow the user to pick their own playlist of files to be played in-game, or develop more ambient, background tunes that meld in better with the hours of gameplay.

Improved Ship Flight Animation: There's nothing wrong per se with ship animation, but they tend to dart around a lot in an unrealistic fashion. I know that the galaxy is a gameboard, for all intents and purposes, but there's no reason why ships can't whoosh around a little. This is most noticable when ships make hairpin turns. They look, in general, like fighter jets, they might move like them as well, banking their turns. Larger Ships could move more like sea ships, dragging their bulk through the cosmos with a slight fishtail, and wider, swinging turns. None of this prettiness should affect speed, however, and ships should still zip around the galaxy at the same speed they currently do. Ideally, this option should be configurable, so that a user can adjust the speed/prettiness ratio to his liking.

Hyperspace Flight Animation: The game manual gives a very, very good excuse for the compressed view of the galaxy, and for the horribly distorted distance between planets, stars and other heavenly bodies: gravity interferes with the hyperdrive, thus in-system flights take much longer than flights in open space. I suggest illustrating this with an animation, mainly the effect of stars, or brightly lit matter, peeling away from the wings or body of the starcraft in flight. Think of the Windows 95 screen saver, "Starfield," only the starfield is projected around the ship, moving in the opposing direction that the ship is travelling.

As the ship moves into open space, the starfield moves faster; as it moves into a gravity well, it slows or stops. I suggest keeping this effect relatively subtle. This is also a visual way to show that a ship is in motion (on autopilot) without tracing its actual path, or resorting to text labeling.

(This suggestion inspired by the recent revamp of Space Mountain in Disneyland.)

Bonus effect: zooming in on the ship in question very closely reveals engine noise, whose pitch is determined by the size of the hull and the relative speed at which the ship is travelling. Possibly different engine noises, based on how many engines are present, and their level of sophistication. Ultra-bonus: radio chatter.

Meaningful espionage - you can send a spy to a planet to stir up trouble. You can send a spy to a planet to get it to flip over to your side - you can send a spy to a fleet and get them to flip over to your side - Cant Remember who I copied this from but additional to their thoughts I would like spies to have the ability to blow improvements, ships and the like up. Also to split alliances with some dirty underhanded tricks by spies.

Can't you already open up those files and edit them? (I would make a copy first though, and then edit the copy).

________________
Edit:
I needed a moment to check.

Go to this directory: (might be different if you installed elsewhere)
C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\Data\English\

You should see a file called "TechTree.xml". Copy it to:
C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\Mods\Default\Data\Techs\

The mods directory is special directory where GalCiv2 will look in when its told to use mods. As such, you should try to keep your mods there.

In any case, after you have finished copying the file, you open the copied file in notepad. It might be a bit clumsy, but you will be able to edit the description, and well just about everything else about the techs.

After that, you need to open the game and do something in options that tells the game that you want to be using mods (you might be asked to restart before they take effect).

Thanks, maybe I'll pose a question in the Mods forums, see if anyone is interested in the idea, and start a framework if there's enough interest.

There are some key features I like about GalCiv. They all stem from one thing: I like seeing things I've done prove useful.

Therefore, I like the ship builder. I like seeing my designs defeat my enemy's designs.

I also like modding. I like seeing my hard work showing up in a game. I haven't the skills to make the whole game, but I can almost imagine it if I make a decent mod.

Both of these are big parts of GalCiv. As many have said already, I'd happily pay just for more ship parts. I'd also be more than willing to pay $20 simply for the ability to make the possession of one tech cause possession of another to be impossible. Or, more elaborately, the ability to make more Xeno Ethics-style choice techs. I'd be more than willing to pay full game price for a package of various modding features--opening up more options to the modder. Many things are hard-coded, which is understandable, but some of these things /could/ be edited by means other than elaborate coding (as most else, many things could be edited via XML) and if a decent bit of what could be edited via XML but currently can't be was added, I'd happily fork over a lot of money.

But all of that may be just me. I don't know. What I do know is that, regardless of features, I'll likely buy any expansion or sequel from Stardock... eventually, at least.

I'd fork out the cash much faster if I could see:

1) Trade Good Agreements: Whereby you must negotiate with a given race to open up trade, for a specific good which they are producing. Upon creating a trade contract, your freighter would need to travel to the planet where the trade-good building (Improvement) is actually located. Additionally, the planet receiving the trade good (your freighter's origin planet) would be awarded a bonus relevent to the good(s) in question. Furthermore, add a few trade-goods which are race-specific in their development, rather than just those based upon who can get that improvement built first.
I'd like this much better than the current trade setup, which just seems a bit....crude.

2) For god sakes, will someone please add a technology branch for ship cloaking technology? I can see a whole set of two branch for this one...

Main Technology:
Shoadow Theory-->Allows research for cloaking & Anti-cloaking tech branches

Brach 1: [These Techs would new new ship module availabilities]
Basic Signature Reduction-->Reduces a ship's visible range to within 10 Parsects
Signature Reduction-->Reduces a ship's visible range to within 8 Parsects
Adv. Signature Reduction-->Reduces a ship's visible range to within 5 Parsects
Extreme Signature Reduction-->Reduces a ship's visible range to within 5 Parsects
Ultimate Signature Reduction-->Covert undetectibility for (non-moving maybe?) ships

Branch 2: [These Techs would also create new ship module availabilities]
Detection Pulse Generator-->Detects cloaked ships up to 5 parsects away.
Anti-Cloacking Sensors-->A smaller sensor module with the same abilities
Adv. Anti-Cloaking Sensors-->Detects cloaked ships up to 7 parsects away.
[And maybe one or two more...You Get the idea.]


3) I'd like to see probes that can perform assorted functions. Here's a crude tech tree branch, but please note the actual stats are just examples, and not necessarily well-thought-out...
Basic Probe-->Sensors:3 Range:2.5 Speed:5 Immbobile once placed
Adv. Probe-->Sensors:4 Range:3.5 Speed:7 Can be relocated if desired
Perimeter Probe-->Sensors:10 Range:0.8 Speed: 3 Alerts you to enemy ships entering your borders
Anti-Cloaking Probe-->Sensors:5 Range:0.8 Speed: 3 Designed to monitor your borders
[And maybe one or two more...You Get the idea.]


There are a few other things I'm dying to see, but I'll post them seperately, and later.

customized techs, mor techs...and a far mor interactive tech tree.

Another thing I'd pay good money for in an expansion:

1) Orbital Weapon Platforms (capable of protecting a planet to some modest extent.
Here's my idea for the tech tree branches.

Main Tech: Orbital Defense Theory (Adds New Improvement - Orbital Defense Facility)

Branch 1: Basic, Standard, Advanced, and Heavy Orbital Defense Beams
Increasingly potent orbital beam weapon defense systems

Branch 2: Basic, Standard, Advanced, and Heavy Orbital Defense Launchers
Increasingly potent orbital Missile weapon (defense) systems

Branch 3: Basic, Standard, Advanced, and Heavy Orbital Defense Cannons
Increasingly potent orbital Mass Driver weapon (defense) systems

Secondary Tech: Orbital Defense System Shielding (Requires Orbital Def. Theory)

Branch 1: Basic, Standard, & Advanced Orbital Platform Bloom
Increasingly potent anti-Beam shielding for orbital platforms

Branch 2: Basic, Standard, & Advanced Orbital Platform Electro-Magnetic Field
Increasingly potent anti-Missile defense for orbital platforms

Branch 3: Basic, Standard, & Advanced Orbital Platform Armor
Increasingly potent anti-Mass Driver protection for orbital platforms

Orbital Platforms could be used in much the same way as an orbiting combat-capable
ship. Additionally, if the planet is also equipped with an Orbital Fleet Manager,
the platforms would (or could) be used in logistical combination with any orbiting combat-cpable ships.

Two catches though: 1) Each orbital platform would consume one of the 10 orbital slots, thereby reducing the number of ships which could be simultaneously orbiting the planet. Additionally, each orbital platform would have a minor maintenance fee (added to planetary maintenance cost) The more advanced the platform(s), the higher the maintenance fee a given platform would impose.

IMHO, neither the Orbital Defense Facility, nor the platforms themselves should come cheap in the way of initial construction cost.