Re: Moo3 is a shareware now
I like GalCiv, tho not as much as SEIV. It's designed for solo play, so all the development effort that otherwise would have gone into multi-player went into the AI instead. I haven't had time to play much since its release--altho I did play CONSTANTLY as part of the open beta test--and the AI kicks my butt on a regular basis at low difficulty levels. They also have a more detailed diplomatic model, in which, altho you still ultimately know you're playing a computer, the illusion of playing another human is much stronger than in other games.
On the down side, there's no ship design--you research techs to get bigger hulls, and research other techs which upgrade your fleet as a whole. Also, there's no tactical combat--ships or fleets fight when they occupy the same location, with the "action" occurring behind the scenes. But, to be fair, this was the intent--to have the AI take care of the tactical detail so the player can focus on the big picture, and the result is a smooth, easily understood system, unlike MOO3 which had the same stated goal but exectued it incomprehensibly. Planetary development can involve a lot more detail, as there is a vast array of different facilities from which to choose--most of which appear as associated techs are researched--but even here, you can let "Governors" [essentially automated queues] handle the details, and they'll actually do what you tell them to--ulike MOO3's "Ministers."
I disagree with whoever it was on this forum who argued that GalCiv isn't a Space 4x game. It certainly is, merely focused on a higher level than most others. But, the decisions you make in the game have a discernable impact on the course of your civilization, and the variety of victory paths, whether military, cultural, technical, etc., require different approaches to play and are all possible to pursue successfully. One final thing: GalCiv is a sequel to a very popular game for the OS2 operating system, a game which had a highly devoted fan base. From everything I've seen, these fans are quite happy with the new game, unlike the legions of angry MOOers.
[ June 11, 2003, 03:40: Message edited by: Hrothgar ]
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