Lack of Strategy?

[popewiz]

So far, I've really enjoyed this game, however I'm not sure how long it will last. I've played the Civ series for a while, and one of the nice things is the strategy involved in battle. In civ you might have to make your way around a mountain range, or decide not to attack someone fortified on a hill. I haven't played many conquest based games in GalCiv2, but does anyone feel the same way? Also, are there things I can do to increase the strategic decisions I have to make?

 

[warpstorm]

This sounds more like tactics than strategy. About the only tactics in the game is paying attention to starbases ranges (for their attack and defense mods) and movement ranges so that you can get the first attack round.

Strategy is all over this game. Research priorities, ship design trade offs, colonization priorites, trade partners, alignment. I really don't miss the lack of tactics.

 

[Farae]

I would have to agree. There is strategy plastered all over the game, hell, you even have to strategize before you play in what race, bonuses, and political party you select. I don't really care about the lack of tactics.

 

[Vizzini]

I would have to agree. There is strategy plastered all over the game, hell, you even have to strategize before you play in what race, bonuses, and political party you select. I don't really care about the lack of tactics.

And there's plenty of tactical decision making to be made - it just isn't as obvious at first.

Heavily upgraded enemy military starbase is covering the planet you want to assault. You know you're gonna get mauled attacking that base, but do you go ahead and do it to make the defending ships easier? Or keep your fleets at 100% and try to take the defending ships despite the presence of the starbase?

The enemy planet has improvements you want to keep but outnumbers your invasion force 4 to 1: Which invasion tactic do you use? Is their morale low allowing use of Information Warfare? Or too high which means rolling the dice with one of the other invasion tactics?

Plenty of tactics to complement the game - they're just a lot more subtle and maneuvering / terrain is less of a factor (aside from movement range and starbase ranges)

 

[Draginol]

One of the things we're thinking about doing in the expansion pack is introducing asteroid fields that players could build a new type of ship to go out and construct various bases on which would provide benefits to any friendly planets in the area of the bases. They'd be kind of like starbases but they'd provide different powers and could only build on asteroid fields.

The asteroid fields would either slow down or be impassable to ships trying to move through them. Though, by no means is it supposed to be the same as mountains (since we're talking space here). But it would provide some terrain that has to be improved and navigated that's outside your planet.

 

[BearMan]

One of the things we're thinking about doing in the expansion pack is introducing asteroid fields that players could build a new type of ship to go out and construct various bases on which would provide benefits to any friendly planets in the area of the bases.

whatabout adding the same for uninhabitable planets while you are at it ?
Mining stations or so ?

 

[woodelf]

Moons. I need to build on moons!

 

[einherjar_LC]

One of the things we're thinking about doing in the expansion pack is introducing asteroid fields that players could build a new type of ship to go out and construct various bases on which would provide benefits to any friendly planets in the area of the bases. They'd be kind of like starbases but they'd provide different powers and could only build on asteroid fields.

The asteroid fields would either slow down or be impassable to ships trying to move through them. Though, by no means is it supposed to be the same as mountains (since we're talking space here). But it would provide some terrain that has to be improved and navigated that's outside your planet.

This sounds like a nice addition to me.

Great game and please keep up the great work.

 

[ToV]

The asteroid fields would either slow down or be impassable to ships trying to move through them. Though, by no means is it supposed to be the same as mountains (since we're talking space here). But it would provide some terrain that has to be improved and navigated that's outside your planet.

Asteroid fields do not work like that, simply because the distances in space are huge. If you had an asteroid field like in the movies, those peices of rock would be constantly battering each other to rubble. In reality, you could travel through the entire asteroid belt and not see a single asteroid. (I would imagine you would need to get close to ansteroid in order to see it) When NASA wants to get close to an asteroid, they have to carefully plan the trip, or the spacecraft will pass it entirely.

The idea of mining moons and asteroids are more realistic. In fact, you could explain those resources in space as being asteroid fields!

 

[DaviddesJ]

Asteroid fields do not work like that, simply because the distances in space are huge.

Yeah, and everything else in the game is so realistic! The distances from sun to planets are comparable to the distances from one star to another. The planets don't move around the stars. Everything lies in a 2-dimensional plane. Imagine if they marred this flawless simulation with asteroid fields that are too dense.

 

[BlizzardGR]

The asteroids idea sounds nice. What about nebulas? They could provide some interesting tactics as you could hide your ships from enemy radar.

Also, are you guys planning to bring the terror star back? Please do!

 

[S.ilver]

Good to hear that the developers are toying with the idea of adding "terrain" into the game. Although space is supposed to be quite empty and vast, it sometimes gets a bit boring just plodding your ships through space.

What about black holes, supernovas, and other fun stuff like that? They would make good random events which would add some interesting "terrain" to the map. Could even destroy an entire system and turn it into an asteroid field (which would be minable probably).

 

[ToV]

What about black holes, supernovas, and other fun stuff like that? They would make good random events which would add some interesting "terrain" to the map. Could even destroy an entire system and turn it into an asteroid field (which would be minable probably).

So long as these are very rare (only once in a few games), I would be fine with these. For supernovas, there should be a "very old star" type that could blow up at some point. (Rare) There could be things such as resources to make it worth the risk. In addition, you could have a "very young star" type, in which the entire inner solar system is nothing but a thick asteroid belt, which could be dangerous. Again, there needs to be resources or other things in a few of these systems to make it worth the risk.

Nebulas are also a great idea. They should be very large (about the size of a star system, but should be scaled to map size). They should reduce sensor range drasticly, and allow a fleet to hide inside. Some of the larger nebulas (on huge of gigantic) could even have a star or too inside. (Just for show, unless you want to give it usefullness. I do not think shouch a star would have planets yet.)