Need convincing, for buying the game.

from GalCiv2 Forums
I am a great fan of strategy games, usually of the real-time variety. I tend to focus on RTS' that require more than fast clicking (Rise of Nations, Age of Mythology.) In the last year though, I have discovered the interesting world of .... Turn based strategy and love the idea, but not when playing. I have listened to the hype on the civilization series and I went out riding on this hype and a 1-hour trial and bought Civilization 3 Complete. Honestly I try harder each time but I can never seem to fully enjoy it. I find I fell like im doing work almost working for a landscaping firm when I play that game. CUT TREES, IRRIGATE LAND, BUILD A ROAD. Moreover I feel that im frequently bogged down by the babysitting of an empire in that game. Additionally I have spent at minimum 9 hours going through one brawl Vs. five AI's in that game on a pangea style map (one continent).

Recently I have discovered Galciv and upon downloading and playing the demo I have been very, very impressed. I feel when I play this game that, honestly I am playing the game im having fun not that im babysitting 40 cities trying to send all these damn barbarians over to one spot to attack some other guys cities while going over every damned square of land transforming it so i can hopefully complete my stupid catapult in less than 30 turns.

So really all I am asking is, please galciv community help me realize that this game can fulfill my gaming needs while still feeling like a fun enjoyable game, that won't waste my money like Civ3 ($50 Can.) or Command and Conquer generals ($20 Can) or Warcraft 3 ($60 Can.)

I am looking for a game that is lively enough, so that when I play I feel like I am playing with lively competition with personalities, while buidling a civilization that I feel proud to govern, not babysit.

P.S My computer isn't the biggest rig and I'm including my "specs" just to verify that it won't convert to icons if I eventually purchase the game. The demo runs fine and dandy and looks great : )

Thanks alot for any help, it's all appreciated,
John.



12,045 views 23 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Oh sorry I forgot to post my specs: here

Processor Intel Pentium 4 2400MHz
Display Card Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV
Memory 512MB
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
Free Disk Space 51.41GB
Display Card Memory 64MB

I don't happen to have either T&L or Pixel shading just to keep that in mind, thanks alot once again,
John
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Galciv II has a faster gamplay than the Civs even when you have a big empire you don't take so much time to build units or so, things go fast and the AI is very good too so if you aren't a hardcore gamer you'll always have a nice challenge.

The second fact that makes this game realy cool is the customization of your race and ships if you enjoy this aspect like I do you'll like to spend sometimes about 10-30 minutes to design the newest ship of your armada.

Thrid is the replayability, the fact you can customize your race make that race config is quite unique and require different styles of playing plus you can configure your galaxy with many settings like disabling tech-trading ect... that can make everygame very different.

Finaly, Stardock has promised to upgrade the game via patchs and expansions, actualy they're doing well in making the game evoluting and I hope they'll continue like that. Plus Galciv II CD don't have any crash-computer-protection you just need your key in order to update the game and make it fully enjoyable. Compared to all the turn-based games that were realased this year I consider that galciv was my best purchase.

I hope that this advice was useful
ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hey! thanks alot thats great exactly what I need I think, that was great,

Thanks,
John
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
GC 2 has no where near the micro management of the Civ series, u can have very fast paced games, can complete them in a couple of hours. Also can have games that take u weeks, all depends how u set the game options at the start. There r just 3 sliders to control for military/planetary/research, those effect your entire empire. No need to change every turn if u don't want too.

Your machine should be fine to run GC2.

It's a great game, true classic sci-fi game.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You've already played the demo and enjoyed it. The full game is like that, but you can play longer...what more convincing do you need?

-HM
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I was also very disappointed with Civilization 3. Because of Civ 3, I stayed away from that type of game for a long time. However, Gal Civ II got excellent reviews on Gamespot, so I decided to try it out and I've been hooked ever since. It never gets repetitive or boring for me, which is what I look for in a game... a new experience almost every time I play it. I also enjoy an AI that's a bit of a smart @$$, which Gal Civ's can be, so that's another plus for me.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
with the settings available you can have as fast or as slow a game as you choose for the most part. you can have 2 hour games or 40 hour games also. map size has a profound impact on how the game plays out and what sort of strategies you need to succeed. you can adjust the tech development rate to change the pace as well. and of course you have the difficulty lvl. i have found the ai to have enough of a personality range amongst races to keep me satisifed. different races tend to concentrate on different strategies. some care alot about influence while other want to be left alone to tech up. others just wanna stomp on your head to see what color the contents are bottom line, it should be hard not to get your moneys worth out of this game. i don't expect to ever find the game i really want so i just hope they keep me interested long enough to justify buying them. in this case it came amazingly close to what i wanted, and value wise it may be the best bargain i ever got in a computer game.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well coming from someone who never-ever had an interest in a game like Civ (yuck) or any other boring turn based game, I love GC2. It's sci-fi (#1), it's totally *NOT* boring, and it can be played a gizillion different ways. You have to do some planning and management, but not too much to make it laborious and enough to make it interesting. It's just a really great game and 95% fun.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
95% fun.


errrr.... should'nt that be 100% fun?

After over 3 months of playing this game still rocks, best game I have ever bought, better than the mighty Master of Orion 2, was coming to think I would never, ever say that...
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Not 100% becuase there are a few things here and there that are not fun, some bugs, some things that just suck, but 95% is still pretty darn good in my book.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
For my own personal taste, this game would be perfect if it had the graphics of Homeworld 2. The substance of this game more than satisfies me, but I have always gravitated towards the higher-end graphics games, going as far back as the days of the old Apple II+ (yes, I'm old. So?!?!). I wouldn't mind some expansion packs that might add techs, ships or civs (or any combination thereof), but as was previously mentioned, the variety of game settings and events really keeps this game fresh. For example, since I've purchased the game, almost every time I play there is a galactic economic expansion period where all your money increases each turn. For the first time, only last week, I was presented with a galactic recession. That kind of variety is what keeps me playing, and I've been playing this game more or less for 3 months straight!

Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Basicly, It sounds as though you only like fast-pace CLICKERS. That have no real stratagy at all. Just build a lot of units as fast as you can, then attack by clicking the right-mouse button. Obviously you can't handle real stratagy or you are bored by it. Save your money then or gain some patience.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You may want to go out and get another 512 of Ram. The game is playable at 512 but for me it was struggling on larger maps. Just get the game, and you'll probably want to get the ram later...

My older 8550 video card worked fine, i'm not familiar with your card but it'll probably work fine.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well GalCiv2 plays a LOT faster than, say, Civ4, and it's a lot more about the game than the candy. I think it has more... well, personality is the best word I can think of. Civ4 feels like you're just playing some game; GalCiv2 feels like you're part of a project. I feel *involved*. But then... I paid for the game.

The thing is, when I'm playing a 4X game like GC2 or Civ4 I usually hve at any one time some kind of objective in mind (defeat an invasion, prepare to invade, get my economy into surplus), and every "babysitting" action I take carries a teeny little charge of satisfaction because it's a small increment to that goal. Then there's the bigger payoff when I have my Phaser-armed destroyers to attack the Arceans with which I kick their ass, or whatever. And then the next goal.

And really, that's the game.

BTW: 9 hours? Pft. I've spent ten times that on a really big game, and loved it. Think of it as a soap opera, not a film, if you like.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hey well thanks alot so far the replies have been great. Other than "JakeCourtney" the dumbassed know it all who presumes or just is so much better than me he knows exactly what I want and like. Jeez he seems to know me better than myself, what an amazing gift!

Thanks to everyone else for their help I'd have to say I'm pretty much persuaded, and btw if anyone would like to buy civ 3, warcraft 3, or rise of nations give me a call,

John

P.s Now I have to start pestering the parents and planting the messages with my brother, since my birthday is only a few weeks away,

Thanks again.
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just thought of this, JakeCourtney even a fast paced "clickfest" or w.e you labelled some rts' as is alot better than a lonely anti-social creature such as yourself. You might think your powerful just because of your fat ass and your fat thunder-thighs which prevent you from putting on pants, forcing you to wear fat-dresses and staying inside. What I mean to say is if you want to critisize someone you have to remember that #1. You dislike what they say or stand for because, your an opinionated troglodite or because you have finally realized your never gunna get a women let alone a friend if you treat random individuals like you treated this one. Go play some D&D with yourself you noob.

John
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
@John For one I'm happily married so that whole anti-social complex you just described holds no value. Now get back to your Star Trek episode. You also assume that I'm fat which is also incorrect for I actually exercise. Unlike you who probably just skateboards or some other degenerate sport.
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
@John For one I'm happily married so that whole anti-social complex you just described holds no value. Now get back to your Star Trek episode. You also assume that I'm fat which is also incorrect for I actually exercise. Unlike you who probably just skateboards or some other degenerate sport.


I have seen you on other gaming boards. Why do you feel the need to degrade anyone around you and those who disagree with you? Everytime you post on a different board you claim a different profile: married...single...young...old but your comments come across the same. If you truly feel you are so much better than the rest of us, please stop posting and save yourself the agony of talking to people not as good as you.

The thing is, when I'm playing a 4X game like GC2 or Civ4 I usually hve at any one time some kind of objective in mind (defeat an invasion, prepare to invade, get my economy into surplus), and every "babysitting" action I take carries a teeny little charge of satisfaction because it's a small increment to that goal. Then there's the bigger payoff when I have my Phaser-armed destroyers to attack the Arceans with which I kick their ass, or whatever. And then the next goal.

And really, that's the game.


Well said, V1m. I think you just covered exactly what Stardock was going for, a game you could really get into and develop long-term goals almost as if these were real scenarios or problems you were facing. This is far from a perfect game but I think that it is a major improvement over some recent games in the 4x world and really seems promising for the future game development out of Stardock.
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Um, Jake, being married and exercising do not make you social or nonfat... They just mean you got married and exercise.

Now, I'm a big fan of strategy games. I like some micromanagement. But Civ 3 is a pure micro game. That's not how it works in real life. I want something that simulates real combat, and to be honest, this game is the closest I have seen. It's ironic that it's the scifi games, like StarCraft and this one, that actually simulate real combat rather well while managing to still be fun after awhile.

Now, do I micromanage in this? Yes. I build interceptors and pair them with fast-moving fighters for dealing with small ship combat. For the big ships, I prefer a mix of battlecruises with maybe a couple of destroyers thrown in. I'm also always updating the ships I have deployed, in some cases creating the next version before the ones currently deployed are done upgrading.

Now, if they ever introduced carriers into this game, you'd see some of the interesting strategy I've come up with...
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Actually, Jake, if you bothered to think before speaking, you would realize where my point lies. Space combat is a lot like modern naval and air combat. You have three dimensions to worry about, and formation is pretty hard to keep once combat is started amoung the smaller vessels. The only difference is that all vessels can move three directions, which doesn't actually change tactics that much.

Now, StarCraft adds in marines and other ground elements. You send in dropships, have tanks, etc. You can use your tanks as mobile artillery to take out incomming infantry before they get close enough to your base to cause problems. In fact, in StarCraft, old military tactics (such as the blitzkrieg) work perfectly well.

There's not that much difference in the actual tactics.
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Wow what an active board thanks alot everyone, especially, Amensotep and, Thurlin for helping me out. I now realize that really this is a game thats not only enjoyable to play, but has an active community that is actually populated by regular people. It has its "dick-asses" lol like "JakeCourtney" but really thats what brings the rest of the regular people who enjoy this game together, lol thanks again.

John
Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Oh shoot Btw I just gave Civ 3 another final shot,

The Celts
Tiny map
3 opponents
Pangea

Other than the satisfaction I get while being the noble celtic tribe of my ancestors LOL, really I've finally come to realize that I have to get this game, as I'm sick of A.I's almost as stupid as Paris Hilton.

John