Galactic Civilizations III Announced!

[Island Dog]

The beta patch went live today which addresses a common issue with laptops that have both integrated and discrete graphics chipsets, some fixes, and the option to suspend production at a shipyard. The full patch notes can be found here.

[+Asmodai MVC]

Do you work for Stardock Island Dog?  Not that it's a problem if you do, just curious.

[Island Dog]

Yes I do. :)

[+Asmodai MVC]

Yes I do. :)

I figured that's what "partner" meant under your pic but the St. Cloud, FL location threw me.  I thought all the Stardock guys were in Michigan.  Anyway thanks for the updates!

[spaceelf]

This is pretty rare for me, but I actually liked GC1 more than 2.  Do they still have the separate types of weapon shields stuff going on in 3?  That kinda made me want to punch kittens.

[Island Dog]

You mean the different types of weaponry and shields you can research?

 

Also, there's a Lets Play on YouTube from the Lead Designer which is a nice overview of the beta.

 

[spaceelf]

That's alright I guess, thanks for the response.

 

I have so many newish turn based games I haven't even touched...so I guess I'm done buyin em.

[Island Dog]

Beta 2 is now available!  It brings diplomacy, trade, the Krynn, and more. :)

• Diplomacy ? Make friends, broker deals, and threaten uppity neighbors in your bid for galactic dominance
• Trade ? Boost your economy through trade, or take a more proactive approach by raiding enemy trade routes
• The United Planets ? Enact game-altering edicts, embargo your rivals, or face the wrath of a galaxy united by defying the council?s resolutions
• The Krynn ? Take control of the Krynn faction: a conglomeration of alien species whose government is in the pocket of organized crime
• Expanded Interface ? Effortlessly command a galaxy full of colonies and fleets with rally points, mass upgrades, and more

Full changelog is here.

[PGHammer]

I figured that's what "partner" meant under your pic but the St. Cloud, FL location threw me.  I thought all the Stardock guys were in Michigan.  Anyway thanks for the updates!

"Island Dog" is in fact the "nom de Neowin" of Stardock CEO Brad "Rad" Wardell - as such, he's been rather commonplace here on Neowin.

 

The "Rad" goes back to the original Galactic Civilizations - which was my first exposure to Stardock's gaming side.  (My original exposure to Stardock itself was Object Desktop.)

[Andre S. Veteran]

I would have hoped it would be a larger graphical improvement over GalCiv2. It's not a bad-looking game by any means, but it's not very impressive for its time either. The characters in diplomacy look nice but the main strategy screen is somewhat unexciting. SoaSE and Beyond Earth are quite a bit more fun to look at.

[Beyond Godlike]

Given that Stardock has bombed every game release other than Sins of a Solar empire, i'm staying clear.  Theyve burned me multiple times with Demigod and Elemental.  The game will run, but multiplayer will be totally broken like the other games they messed up.  When their staff posts on their forums 'just buy it and put it down for 6 months while we fix it'...they lose all credibility.  

[Island Dog]

Beta 3 is out and the Yor have made their arrival!

Beta 3 adds everyone?s favorite synthetic sociopaths, who laugh at the idea of feeding their colonists or worrying about growth rates. Need more population? Just build some new units to augment the Singularity?s physical capabilities. Simple.

 

Also included in Beta 3 are big-moment cinematics done by our in-house team to mark occasions like your first capital ship launched or first colony founded, and our first pass at combat animations including visible damage states for starships.

 

We?ve also dropped in unique art for many events, made the UI reflect your empire?s color (GalCiv III is approximately 62% less blue, on balance), added a ton of (perfectly realistic) sound effects to many objects in space, completely overhauled balance, and much more.

 

Read the full patch notes here: http://forums.galciv3.com/459763

[Island Dog]

When their staff posts on their forums 'just buy it and put it down for 6 months while we fix it'...they lose all credibility.

I'd certainly like to see where a Stardock employee posted anything like that.

[Island Dog]

Beta 4 landed today, and it is definitely a nice one. Lots of good stuff including the battle viewer, extreme worlds, ideology revamp, gigantic and immense map sizes, and more.

Patch notes

 

 

[Island Dog]

Beta 5 today! Custom factions, planetary invasions, pirates, and much more.

Full patch notes are here.

 

[Island Dog]

Design a faction contest was announced today for Galactic Civilizations III, and people will have a chance at a $1000 cash prize and their faction in the game as a minor race.

 

Contest details are here.

[HawkMan]

I see you guys are doing the same BS as all other publishers/ self publishers on Steam. 3 videos. no a single second of actual gameplay in any video... I mean sure, there isn't a whole lot of exciting gameplay in a 4X game, but still. 

[Island Dog]

The big Diplomatic feature update and Precursor Worlds DLC is out today!
 

 

1.5 offers more diplomacy options, the new Coercion ability, and a unique twist on the Planetary Spending Wheel while the "Precursor Worlds" DLC brings exciting new worlds, events, and anomalies to the game! 

Features:
 

• Precursor Planet Types: Colonize Precursor Worlds and discover Space Elevators, Orbital Factory Rings, Promethion Refineries, and other exotic technologies that can boost planetary production, build better ships, or increase resources.
• Colonization Events: Wrestle with new ideological choices that can drastically alter the future and potential of your new Precursor colonies.
• Anomalies: Alter the future of your civilization by sending your survey ships out in search of more powerful Precursor Anomalies.

Info and changelog: http://forums.galciv3.com/473700/

[Island Dog]

GalCiv III: Mercenaries was announced today! The first expansion for Galactic Civilizations III with New Factions, New Ships, Mercenary Bazaar and more.

 

Visit the Galactic Bazaar and hire dozens of Mercenaries
Discover Galactic Bazaars and choose from dozens of mercenaries for hire! Is that anomaly a little too dangerous to risk your own life and limb over? Pick a mercenary suited for the job and order them to do your bidding. Your bones are fragile, after all.

 

New Campaign! Lead the Torians to freedom from their Drengin oppressors 
Hire mercenaries and use them to help lead the Torians to freedom from their Drengin oppressors in an exciting new campaign. Rebuild your shattered empire from the ground up and thrive in the face of adversity.

 

Tons of New Ship Designs
Every mercenary has their own unique ship for traveling across the galaxy in style. Speaking of style, there are lots of new ship parts to enhance your own customizations and styles! 

 

Play as an Ancient Race of Warriors
The Arceans, an ancient and honorable civilization of warriors and long-time enemy of the Drengin Empire, make their debut in Mercenaries! The Arceans have new racial traits and abilities and a unique tech tree to boot!

 

Play as an Old Familiar Race from Galactic Civilizations II
The aquatic Torians are back and ready to fight! ...Well, sort of. They're ready to hire a bunch of mercenaries to help them escape their enslavement from the cruel Drengin Empire. The Torians are at the center of the Mercenaries campaign and also have new racial traits, abilities, and tech trees for you to explore.

 

More info: http://forums.galciv3.com/474543/

 

 

[Island Dog]

GalCiv III: Mercenaries and the v1.6 update are out today!

 

Mercenaries info: http://forums.galciv3.com/474801/

 

v1.6 changelog: http://forums.galciv3.com/475427

 

In Galactic Civilizations III: Mercenaries, the human race is fighting a war against the remorseless Drengin Empire. Both sides have become increasingly desperate, leading them to turn to the galactic underworld and their elite mercenaries.

 

Visit the Galactic Bazaar and hire dozens of Mercenaries
Discover Galactic Bazaars and choose from dozens of mercenaries for hire! Is that anomaly a little too dangerous to risk your own life and limb over? Pick a mercenary suited for the job and order them to do your bidding. Your bones are fragile, after all.
 

New Campaign! Lead the Torians to freedom from their Drengin oppressors
Hire mercenaries and use them to help lead the Torians to freedom from their Drengin oppressors in an exciting new campaign. Rebuild your shattered empire from the ground up and thrive in the face of adversity.

 

Tons of New Ship Designs
Every mercenary has their own unique ship for traveling across the galaxy in style. Speaking of style, there are lots of new ship parts to enhance your own customizations and styles!

 

Play as an Ancient Race of Warriors
The Arceans, an ancient and honorable civilization of warriors and long-time enemy of the Drengin Empire, make their debut in Mercenaries! The Arceans have new racial traits and abilities and a unique tech tree to boot!

 

Play as an Old Familiar Race from Galactic Civilizations II
The aquatic Torians are back and ready to fight! ...Well, sort of. They're ready to hire a bunch of mercenaries to help them escape their enslavement from the cruel Drengin Empire. The Torians are at the center of the Mercenaries campaign and also have new racial traits, abilities, and tech trees for you to explore.

 

[+Asmodai MVC]

1 hour ago, Island Dog said:

GalCiv III: Mercenaries and the v1.6 update are out today!

Picked it up on gog.com!

I'm not sure why you guy don't even mention them when you say where it's available but thanks for at least releasing there instead of being Steam ONLY.

[Island Dog]

The v1.71 update is out today that addresses bugs, optimize performance (esp. on larger maps/longer games), and introduce a few improvements to the gameplay and lobby.

 

Full changelog: http://forums.galciv3.com/477459

 

[Island Dog]

The Builder's Kit DLC is out today.

 

New Ship Parts
Use dozens of core and specialized parts in shapes like disks, boxes, cockpits, fins, and more!    

 

New Labeling Options
Use letters and numbers to enhance your ship designs and show off your creative names!    

 

New Ship Style Set
The new Raider style allows you to outfit your custom factions with a new look to their starbases, shipyards, and more!

 

http://forums.galciv3.com/477524/

 

[Island Dog]

The Galactic Civilizations III v1.8 update is out today with asteroid mining, ship leveling, improved multiplayer, and more.

 

Info and changelog: http://forums.galciv3.com/477869/

 

Highlights of the update:

 

Quote

Asteroid Mining
Looking for a get rich quick scheme? Well, this may not quite fit the bill, but it will fill your pockets! Choose an asteroid in your zone of control and build an Asteroid Mining Base. When completed, it will send raw production to a planet of your choice. make sure to keep an eye out for your enemies, though -- these bases are fragile and easily destroyed. 

New Planet List
There are a lot of planets out there just waiting to be discovered! This new planet list allows you to keep track of the planets you've already found so that when you go back to colonize them later, they're much easier to find.

Ship Leveling
Win battles and survey anomalies to level up your vessels! Most ships will gain additional hit points as they gain experience and Mercenary Ships will improve based on their existing abilities, which makes them a lot more relevant in the late game.

Star Information Window
Click on a star to see all colonizable worlds within that system. Organize your empire by renaming stars with your own name scheme - or, draw inspiration from your favorite Sci-Fi series!

Multiplayer Improvements
Enjoy new stability in your games online with friends! The game has been updated to allow for increased ship movement during multiplayer matches and a host of fixes for issues that could cause desyncs.

[Island Dog]

The v1.81 update is available today. This update focuses on UI and AI, along with various other fixes and improvements to the game.

 

Full changelog: http://forums.galciv3.com/478793/

 

Quote

 

Increased AI Aggression 
Ai is more likely to engage you multiple times in a single turn.  

 

New notification UI
We've updated notification system to make it more useful and informative.  Notifications messages now appear as scrolling list on the left-hand side of the screen. Notifications can be filtered based on priority or disabled off in the game options menu.

 

Better load times  
Starting a new game is significantly faster.