Newbie questions about galatic civ 2

1. There is no multiplayer. Just us in the forum to talk to, but only the AI to play with (don't worry - you won't outwit the AI any time soon - it's quite good.

2. I recommend new game - use an easy level and play around with it all. It's better to learn (I've never played all of the campaigns - they are not the game at full potetial. And start with a tiny or small map: The others net more credits but may take onths - and you don't want to regret any newbie misjudgments in 3 or 4 weeks!

No worrys , I actually read the sticky about why theres no mp after writing this and after starting the game well I can see why. The thing is it is a bit overwhelming but so is my gaming habbit so I have no problem sticking with it I was looking for something like this that Im going to be playing a while ......I basically started out on the first campaign of the 2 in the gold pack , maybe I will start a new game but im at the point just now where Im building farms, and research centres, entertainment etc , I have colonized 2 planets and am researching planetory improvements atm to get the soil thing that enables me to use yellow squares. Is there anywhere I can see what my civilians think of me?

Seems a really class game though , Im actually sick of games I complete in 2 days , and say I was to go over the top gaming , get up a 7am and play through that whole day theres many would be completeable in 1 day.(thats why i bought this) Is there any storyline element to just going new game as a matter of interest? Not that I will need it with having loads of factions to conquer

Im actually away to scour the forums for a spoiler free newbie starting out guide.

Thanks for your reply
David.

1. farms? Never buld more than 1 farm on a planet. Planets with too much food are overpopulated and unhappy.
2. 3 planets: good for a small or tiny map - otherwise: colonise as long as there is stuff to colonise
3. How happy are my people: there is an aproval percentage in lower left corner of the galaxy screen, an aproval rating in the statistics session of the planet screen and a written comment under details

Hold your population under 20. The tax return relative to what you spend / give up to keep thim happy is essentially negative above that, except in very special (read: advanced) circumstances. In fact, for a newb, shoot to keep your pop / planet in the 13 - 16B range, so you don't have to worry about it too much.

drrider

Hiya , yeah im getting there with this game now , I read the complete newbie guide on the forums but also reading this::

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/925349/46577

Its maybe already mentioned on here though. Im away on gciv tonight again Once I get a bit better im going to re-design alot more, I am actually doing the dreadlords campaign, I realise its not giving me as much as the new game option but at least I am getting accustomed to things this way in tiny galaxies.

Actually one final thing , Im also in the process off reading the manual and I notice you can click an option that allows you to see other civs. Basically when I play currently all I see is like a grey fog unless I have ships next to a new planet, do people generally have that off or on?

Dam heres another thing that Im currently searching for a definitive answer, I cant seem to get survey ships fopr exploring anomolies, I must be missing some research but i cant see what, the only ships I get initially are colony and scout

Going back a few posts.... watch the time it takes to research certain techs. theres no rush to get the yellow tiles for a while and those techs take a while. Look for ones that help with your economy and production.


If you dont have a survey ship it MAY be because you're playing the campain. I never play it so i dont know what it has. Butm, in the new game (sandbox) mode you should have a miner, colony ship and a flagship=(surveyor) no matter who you start as.

In a new game, while you get a survey ship, you can't build one immediately. If you look down the sensor tech line, one of them offers up a survey module. You need that to build survey ships.

Sounds like your refering to the Blind exploration option that is in the game setup screen. If ticked you can't see the area of influence of the AI, but if left unchecked you'll see where all the AIs are on the minimap right off.

Thanks for all the replies

Hi!

According to the above:

I am also new to the game and enjoy it like.... very much.

Should I buy "Dark Avatar" or wait and play through the campaign in GCII (basic game) first? Are there any updates in DA for the basic game that I am now missing?

Or should I (perhaps) begin with Dark Avatar right away, instead of playing the "old" game/first game?

Actually what I mean is: Is the expansion that much better (Dark Avatar) that it seems pointless to play through GCII without it? Or is it necessary to first play GCII to understand the story in DA?

BR Mem

Unless you're really interested in the backstory, the campaign isn't really vital--the meat of the game lies in the sandbox games. So at that, DA or DL is really a matter of preference as to game mechanics and features.

Kryo is downplaying the differences a bit, IMO. DA is a bit more complicated (environment techs, treaties, always-hostile espionage), but many of us find it more interesting. Some folks who are hung up on combat math also prefer DA because it has some fundamental differences, e.g. per-weapon firing as opposed to all-at-once firing.

I tend to agree w/ replies to similar questions I'v seen around here: try DL for a while to learn the ropes and then try DA to see if you like the differences.

I think Dread Lords still has some things going for it. The two have a lot in common, but I think DA is a harder, more involved game. Though, I may still play DL every now and then. I agree it's a good idea to start with Dread Lords then move to Dark Avatar once you know the ropes.

Total bonuses seem to be higher in DA, which makes DL a less specialised version - better suited for beginners.