GalCiv II: Beta 2(a) released

Sorry about the delay

https://www.galciv2.com/Journals.aspx?AID=125858
from GalCiv2 Forums

Last Friday we were about to deliver the new beta of Galactic Civilizations II v1.3 when I got a call from home about a different delivery that came earlier than expected.

After a nearly 9 month beta cycle, Baby 3.0 (code-named "Ashley") was released on Saturday. 

But we have released beta 2 and today beta 2a (see link below to see what's new in this build).  A couple long-asked for tweaks have been made including diagnol scrolling and a new planetary lights system for the dark side of colonized planets that grows with population (it actually came out a lot neater than we expected so check it out).  The AI also got some new tweaks in terms of handling what it builds on planets so let us know if you notice a difference.

If you have Galactic Civilizations II already and want to try out a beta (Which WILL have bugs in it so don't download it if glitches really are a problem for you) you can get it via Stardock Central.

The final 1.3 should be out later this month or next month. There's no set date since we're just basically putting in new features, tweaks, etc. and putting them up as betas until we get closed to delivering the Dark Avatar expansion.

We hope you like what you see.

52,545 views 31 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Coolness! Thanks, Frogboy.

And congrats to you and your wife on your Beta 3.0! Love her well (the baby, you twit!).
Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
right on! thanker!!!

dang it, i just got deep into a game on the last beta. now i have to start another new game! jeez.

thanks again for all the hard work!!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
baby 3.0 lol what type of improvements will this one have over 1.0 and 2.0?       
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats on the newborn!

And again, many thanks for being so commited to this game. I will speak for all in saying that we can not express in any words how much we appreciate the commitment of the GalCiv staff, it really makes a difference!
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
wow the new lights look way better and love the fact that they are accurately placed on the continents and that they increase as your pop grows. Great job!

I do have to point out one small problem however. Its actually the same one that has existed for a while now, and that is the fact that not all colonies get the lights. In a given game with lots of planets I'd be lucky if i see a handful with lights. Seems like a coding issue that needs to be looked at, unless of course having only planets contain lights is intentional, random ones too.

Again the new look of the lights is cool, but the fubdamental problem of them working as they should, on "all" colonized worlds, and not just a select few, still hasn't been fixed.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats to you and Mrs Frogboy - extending the release cycle to v3.0 is a brave step I feel (v2.0 was enough to persuade me to stop development on the product, although beta testing is always fun)   

Seeing as regular sleep patterns are now firmly off the agenda, I assume that we will see even more devious AI updates in the near future.  

Hard to believe I'm still playing this game on a daily basis almost 6 months after it's release date - that should hopefully tell you that something is very right with the approach of you and your team (Civ 4 got to about 6 weeks before being shelved).   
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sweet job with the lights indeed! They work perfectly for me. Iam off to test the new beta 2a. Hopefully some performance issues are resolved alrdy or soon.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What are the differences between 1.3 beta 2 and 1.3 beta 2a? The patch notes don't say.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Frogboy said in another thread that it fixes some performance problems.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations on Baby 3.0 I expect it is fully compatible with Windows Vista

The new stuff looks great, I especially appreciate the diagonal scrolling as it's been bugging me for a while.
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Yes, Congrats Frogboy !!!

Also want to say "Love you Guys/Gals " to the whole Stardock Crew.

Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
wow the new lights look way better and love the fact that they are accurately placed on the continents and that they increase as your pop grows. Great job!

I do have to point out one small problem however. Its actually the same one that has existed for a while now, and that is the fact that not all colonies get the lights. In a given game with lots of planets I'd be lucky if i see a handful with lights. Seems like a coding issue that needs to be looked at, unless of course having only planets contain lights is intentional, random ones too.

Again the new look of the lights is cool, but the fubdamental problem of them working as they should, on "all" colonized worlds, and not just a select few, still hasn't been fixed.


yea I'm experiencing this too. Theres a possibility that its related to population, but no idea.
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nice lookin kid, congrats Brad...
Reply #19 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations Frogboy!!!!

Another good news
the miniaturization fix is in 1.3 beta 2a.!!!
Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
congratulations on the baby!
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations on your new baby girl!
Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hehe, I got a serious laugh out of that baby 3.0 line. Congrats and hope the best for you and your family.

Thanks for all your hard work in continually improving the game. Would like to second the comment about the replay value of GC2. I think I dare say it's my favorite computer game of all time.

I'm waiting for the official release before updating to 1.3 and I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like a good one.

Thanks again,

- Craig

Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Congratulations. Best wishes for your family.