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Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar Announced!

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Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar Announced!

Sometimes, evil wins...

https://www.galciv2.com/darkavatar/
from GalCiv2 Forums

This Fall Stardock will be releasing the Dark Avatar expansion pack for Galactic Civilizations II.

Dark Avatar is the first official expansion pack to Stardock's award-winning PC strategy game, Galactic Civiliations II.

The expansion pack goes far beyond the typical expansion. Not only does it add new units, new races, new maps, and a new campaign as is expected in an expansion pack, it greatly expands the feature set of the base game in very significant ways.

Here are some of the features that will be in the expansion pack:

  • Custom Opponents.  Just as players can design their own civilizations; in Dark Avatar they can design their own opponents to play against. This isn't just cosmetic either, players will be able to set up their intelligence, personality, playing style as well as what they look like, what ships they use, what dialog they use, etc.  These opponents are then saved for later use.
  • Agents. Players will be able to hire agents via espionage to wreak havoc on their opponents or to counter enemy agents operating in their own empire.
  • Special Worlds.  Worlds in Galactic Civilizations II will have an additional classification -- environment type. Different races will start with the ability to colonize only certain environment types.  Through research and technology, additional planet types can be colonized and conquered but it will totally change the way the initial colonization phase of the game plays out.
  • The Epic Generator.  One of the things Stardock has put out that people seem to like are epic stories of game play examples.  Dark Avatar will generate such stories automatically and export them as HTML so that players can share their stories with others and look back at a good game as the epic saga they imagined.
  • Asteroid Fields. The economics in Dark Avatar will be altered to make strategic control of additional kinds of resources important. Amongst those will be the asteroid fields which, when utilized, can help the closest colonized planet. In additional, asteroid fields act as a natural barrier slowing down incoming ships.
  • New Treaties. Diplomacy will get beefed up with the additional of new diplomatic treaties. These treaties not only provide mutual benefit but give players more tools to forge their relations with other players.
  • New Races. Two new civilizations will be introduced to the mix including the evil Korath who are bent on genocide at the galactic scale.
  • New hulls and ship components. A ton of hulls and ship components are going to be added. This really can't be overstated enough because not only are there going to be a lot of these components but the quality is far superior to what we've done before thanks to having mastered the art of making ship hulls and components.
  • The New Campaign: Dark Avatar. This time, the Drengin Empire are the good guys. You must make the galaxy safe for oppression and tyranny...because the alternative is worse.

The expansion pack will list for $29.95 but users will be able to pre-order it for $24.95.  The expansion will be initally released digital only via TotalGaming.net (and the store on GalCiv2.com). though players can also have a CD sent to them as well. 

The release date is this Fall.

128,764 views 123 replies
Reply #101 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Way to go !
I LOVE Dark Avatar plans ! , the only question I have - why some of ths things (like dofferent environment for planets) were not implemented in original game ?
Another thing - still no tactical combat
Reply #102 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
why some of ths things (like dofferent environment for planets) were not implemented in original game ?


I don't work at Stardock, but this is obvious. Time, money, and AI balance.

Another thing - still no tactical combat


I'm pretty sure there's a 0% chance of tactical combat ever being in GalCiv2.
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #103 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
5. Some strategic resourses must be added. The possesion of these will allow civilization to construct the most advanced or specialized weaponry or buildings. (Perhaps, the construction of a Doom ray requires "neutroniun", which can acquired from a neutron star - if you have a mining base near). The presence or lack of such resources can totally change the strategy.


You don't realize how powerful a neutron star could be if it were harvested. it's one of the densest objects in the universe. Which means a small amount, like a teaspoon, would weigh a ton. Launch that baby at an enemy ship and it's GONEeeee.

Also what about perpetual motion factory? Having the thing work on it's own with no workers or maintenence would be insanely powerful. FYI perpetual motion is a machine that when made works for eternity. Example of short terme perpetual: The waves of an ocean will always be there...until the sun blows up. TRUE perpetual motion that is theoretically impossible if you follow the rules of thermo dynamics. However, time is perpetual too.

Reply #104 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just realized something. In either this expantion or in GalCiv III, two races were supposed to get wiped of the face of the galaxy. If that was for this expanstion, we know the Terrans, the Altarians,and the Arceans survived! (In the screneshoot of the Alterians, the leader is greating the Arcean Empire) If I am wrong, and these two races are to be exterminated in the sequel, at least we know how it will happen (cough)Korath!(cough)


On a more serious note, I would like to ask if the expantion will EVER be available in stores, because my modem is not only slow, but is actually older than my computer. It takes me hours to download a patch, and this think must be bigger than one of those! I sudder to think for how many days my phoneline will be tied up. If anyone from Stardock can answer my question, it would solve a lot of worry for me.
Reply #105 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Please use at least some astronomical realism in your planet types. GURPs Space 4th edition (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/space) has a nice simplified system. Your screenshot makes it look worse than Space Empires III. Space Empires IV is a little bit improved but not really good. MOOII does ok - Asteroid, Gas Giant, Toxic (no terraform), Barren, Desert, Tundera, Arid, Swamp, Terran, Gaia, but it is Carbon/water based life only. Please consult GURPs Space 4th Edition before even thinking of making a atmosphere type of 'heavy gravity' and describing it has '10x gravity'. A better label might be brown-dwarf or gas-supergiant.

GURPs space mostly breaks down by 'tiny', 'small', 'medium', 'large', and 'gas giant'. Then the types are broken down by temperature zones except ocean vs garden, which is differentiated by presense of photosythetic life. For sizes it is differentiated by the type of gas the the planets gravity allows it to retain over geological time. Tiny=Not Much (min RMM>28), small=Nitrogen but not Water Vapor (min RMM 18-28), Medium=Water Vapor but not Helium (min RMM 4-18), Large=Helium but not Hydrogen (min RMM 1-4), Gas-Giant (>Large)=Hydrogen (min RMM <1). RMM means relative molecular mass. Tiny planets would be able to retain CO2 (RMM 46).

For something more complicated you can check out the Alien Planet Designer (Punch in numbers and it makes more numbers; Web) - http://www.johnbray.org.uk/planetdesigner/ and AstroSynthesis (RPG-focused, accretion algorithms, Payware) - http://www.nbos.com/products/astro/astro.htm and StarGen (Accretion Algorithm, Web or Windows interface - HTML output - Open Source) - http://home.comcast.net/~brons/NerdCorner/StarGen/StarGen.html
Reply #106 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Wonderful...and I think the choice for digital distribution will be another "good hit" for stardock (especially because we're talking about an expansion pack)...good luck then, and...I don't know if someone has already proposed it, but regarding the..

Special Worlds. In Galactic Civilizations II, all worlds could be colonized by all players. That will change. In Dark Avatar, each world will be of a certain environment and only civilizations that know how to build colonies on the proper environment can colonize until they research the proper technology.

..I think taking into consideration also the "zone of influence" would make this feature slightly more interesting...in other words: why a civilization would let a "stranger" colonise a world situated into its "territory", between its planets? For this particular purpose I think diplomacy *must* play its role, eventually letting the owner of that territory stipulate a contract where he can "trade" the possibility to colonize within his property ("influence") and where that action won't be considered as hostile.
Reply #107 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmmm, hopefully the New Planet Colonization won't mess up empires to much. Be really weird if your neighbor can only colonize on type and you the other. Then having planets all over the place in your empire, only to be converted in few years by you. Sounds messy.
Reply #108 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmm talk of influence and borders gets me excited guys, hope devs read this I like the Birth of the federetion thing that there were contested areas and enemy couldnt colonize in ur borders unless war was declared, good stuff. BotF had some very good concepts but overall the game was buggy and ran slow :/ Having enough population to man your buildings was also good
Reply #109 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
God BOTF I still rember the Memory leak when that first came out that would bring your computer to a screeching halt after a few hours play.

Nasty bugs that one had.
Reply #110 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It all looks great. Almost.

I like all the features you guys put in, but I am dissapointed at the ommission of Terror Stars or their equivalents.
Reply #111 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
All the new features sound great.. except the fact that I still won't be able to play the game against a friend. Boo Hiss!
Reply #112 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
All the new features sound great.. except the fact that I still won't be able to play the game against a friend. Boo Hiss!

Yes I completely agree.


Reply #113 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This all looks pretty cool. I'm excited. Going to have to get to grips with Stardock Central now I guess.

Regarding espionage, I'm pleased to see it expanding, but one complaint I have about how its been traditionally done in 4X games is that it gets very fiddly, often doesn 't have a great deal of genuine impact, and I often forget to do anything with it at all. Basically if you can come up with a system that is simple and elegant, but provides decent strategic choices (i.e. more than 'how much money do I want to spend?'), then I will come over there and give you a big hug.

Finally, a tip for those sans credit card. Any debit card with a credit card company's logo on it can be used with online ordering. In the UK, Nationwide do a VISA debit card with their Flex account, which is what I use. I don't know any continental European banks, but I suspect they might provide a similar service (although you likely have to be over 18).
Reply #114 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I hope in the espionage you can assassinate foreign leaders to manipulate the galaxy. The drath are suppose to be like this.
Reply #115 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Woohoo! Thank god there is no multiplayer, or half of those features wouldn't be in the pack! Hurrah for SP!
Reply #116 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are we finally going to get some non-caucasian race portraits? Specifically black and asian. Or did they somehow disappear in the future?
Reply #117 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Or maybe they could've made Alan Bradley a cross between all races, then they could have covered all minorities at once. I'm a genius...
Reply #118 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When they say more ship components - do they mean cosmetic or are there more functional components as well.

I must say i think one of the worst parts of the game is the lack of more functional components for the ships. Its nice to be able to make nice looking ships but it has no effect on the game at all. And im sorry to say its a bit stupid as this is only a single player game and noboddy see's the ships you build anyway (unless you post them in the forums).

All i say is it would be nice with a bit more variation in the functional design of the ships, instead of the very very simple rock, paper, scissors aproach
Reply #120 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I quite enjoy the rock-paper-scissors approach to combat, and changing that too much (adding new weapons etc.) might break it. However, more support modules might be nice.

A Carrier Module could allow tiny/small sized ships in the fleet to move at the same speed as the carrier ship.

A Terraforming Module could allow colony ships to auto-upgrade some planet tiles when the planet is colonized.

A Cloaking Module could prevent a ship from being seen on the map, unless a survey ship is within X parsecs.
Reply #121 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are we finally going to get some non-caucasian race portraits? Specifically black and asian. Or did they somehow disappear in the future?


The future looks bleak for you! Actually you can put in a portrait for any wace, I know it's not the same hting as having one already made, but we'll see. I personally wouldn't mind human portraits of various ethincity. Also please include multi-ethic portraits for other races! I'm sure they have some variations in color amongs other races.

A Carrier Module could allow tiny/small sized ships in the fleet to move at the same speed as the carrier ship.


Yeah but technically if that was the aim it wouldn't even have to store the ship inside. It could just attach to the hull of the faster ship.

Reply #122 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What to add to the fine list already given...

My functionality request is simple. I would like to see all the Random galaxy variables as an input options for example the X & Y axis for the map. Moreover have the ability to set it to something 100x100 for those of us with monster rigs.

Additionally, I would like the hard coded limits for abilities removed or at least set to something 100% and the unimplemented ones fully implemented.
Reply #123 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
NICE! I'm gonna download (or buy it, if that's the case) as soon as it hits shelves (or this site).