Some returning questions.....

from GalCiv2 Forums
Hello one and all

I'm just about to buy Dark Avatar, and, as usual, I have some problems with payment (living in Thailand seems to have this effect on credit card companies!!) so I came to say hello while I wait for it to be sorted out. I haven't posted here for many many moons. In truth, at the time I got sick of so many negative, unconstructive threads and flames that I lost all enjoyment from posting here - I have happily played the GalCiv2 since then though on a fairly regular basis.

Therefore, I have 2 questions:

1) How's the attitude here now? Are people generally happy and interested in sharing information about the game and strategies in a friendly manner, or is every post still turned into an extended rant by a select few malcontents harping on about their own most-important-thing-that-must-be-introduced-into-the-game-or-everyone-will-hear-about-it-forever ? I have a glimmer of hope that they've got bored and left by now!

2) Yes, yes I know I posted in the Dark Avatar forum..... and I had a reason honestly!! As my purchase has not processed, I was wondering what someone who has not even read a review of Dark Avatar can expect. Primarily, is the game any more difficult now? Do the colonising gas planet type techs and mining asteroids (personally quite excited that this is included) make a significant difference to the way the game is played? Are there any over- or under-powered traits? A short review from those who enjoy it and have played it a lot will go a long way to helping me wait for my purchase to be sorted! Giv strategies!!

Cheers in advance.
Spearthrower
6,006 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
I was wondering what someone who has not even read a review of Dark Avatar can expect.

The game is more difficult. Planets generate ~20% less money, factories produce 2 points less, trade and diplomacy are harder. Asteroid mines give you some production, but I have yet to see a game with up to 1 asteroid field per 1 solar system. Only the latest power plant means something for an average planet, and you'll swear loudly when the neighbour's race takes the nearby class 18 toxic planet, when you're only 2 turns away from the needed tech. There are also those super traits, some of them really strong (Super Annihilator, Super Breeder), and some really weak (Super Spy), the rest is somewhere in between. AI is enhanced, but mostly falls on the same tricks as before. And defenses really rock until the late game.

All that put together, the game became quite more interesting.

BR, Iztok
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mmmm toxic planet - sounds tasty!

Thanks for the summary, that is precisely what I was looking for!

Those super traits are really interesting, I'm going to go and look up some information on those!

Thanks
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Other points:
- 2 new races:
Krynn - most powerful overall set of traits yet, but somewhat skewed from straightforward play.
Korath - Think Drengin, only grumpier, with stats to match.

- A number of races have had traits shuffled - look carefully i.e. Altarians, Iconians

- In general race traits have more impact, because all the default traits are permanent, with usually a larger number of add-on points available.

- Planetforming makes more sense (to my mind), in that low PQ planets will improve MUCH more than high PQ (which basically improve just one tile per level of enviro tech). This means that even originally barely inhabitable planets eventually become fine places (~ PQ 12-18).

- You have one economic and one research "treaty" that you can trade away, giving another layer of complexity to diplo. Each gives the recipient the equivalent of 10% of your weekly points, without loss to your own amount. Of course, each AI guy has 1+1 treaties that they can trade to you or each other as well. yummy.

- Espionage is all different. You recieve Spies for the espionage money you spend, then place them on rivals planetary improvements. The spy serves 2 functions: 1) it nerfs completely the improvment until taken off/knocked off, 2) (not well documented) it accumulates points while active on the planet toward general knowledge of that race, just like the old DL espionage function. The sabotage function can be quite powerful, but the general intell accumulation function is much harder/slower than before.

drrider
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks for the reply ddrider

All of those changes and the others listed by Iztok really seem to be built off of player feedback - I like it! They would also appear to add a lot to the game. I like the notion of fixed traits a *lot* and this system of spying seems more involved and less abstracted. It all looks good to me....

Now just waiting for my order to be processed!!!

Cheers
Spearthrower

P.S. I notice no one is answering my first question!
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I haven't noticed (in the 4-5 months I have been frequenting) the pirating of threads for "my pet idea" rants too much. Actually, the community seems to request a clam up on that sort of thing if it goes on too long.

Some prolonged debated about "fix this vs add that" in some threads, but they were honest give-and-takes.

The one or two folks that add a high proportion of "when are you gonna fix my issue" only seem to do so in selected threads, and in their defense seem to be knowledgable persons who are at the end of their ropes re ideosyncratic failures of the game on otherwise smooth running high end systems.

Lots of excellent strategy passdowns, with benefits from multiple minds adding tweaks.

There was a real funny one the other day when a guy asked for someone to let him use their serial number, to unlock what was clearly from his description of the purchase and packaging a pirate copy. The community was having so much fun abusing that guy that we were asking kyro to NOT ban him yet. And the guys all did it without even the marginally "bad" words that the sysop would let get by.

I'd say go ahead and dive in with confidence in a generally civil and attentive community.

drrider

drrider
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have since been reading.... a lot!

And I have to say that it has improved dramatically here! The "pet idea" posters were really getting obnoxious back when I last posted here..... I think it was a month or 2 after DL came out. Every thread was being led down the garden path in an effort to shore up their argument for either deathstars or tactical battle etc.... and everything was a reference to MOO2!

I'm happy to see that this has all stopped now - as far as I can see.... and there are indeed a lot of fine strategies out there. I've followed the general idea of building a custom superbreeder race for my first game and I have around 200 colonies on a gigantic map and I am about to face the vast armadas of the Drengin - they must have around 2000 ships - their military bar is off the scale while everyone else's is running along the bottom. I'm confident of my success!

I've also made some great ship designs that I will be sharing at some point with everyone!

Pleased to be back!

Cheers
Spearthrower