Questions for next Dev Stream

from GalCiv3 Forums

Last Dev Stream we saw how we could make custom races.  So, as an avid modder already toying with preliminary ideas in a spreadsheet, I have a few questions (and perhaps others will add to the list  :grin: ):

 

Can modders modify traits?
Can modders add more traits to the game?

Can modders modify abilities?
Can modders add more abilities to the game?

Is it possible to create custom races without abilities?  Are the abilities hard limited to two per race?  (To throw in a bit more realism, not all AI races have to be equal... right?)

 

And...

 

Where is Colonel Jena Casey?  Is there a new animation yet? (Or at least a teaser?)   Since D.L. Bradey seems to be the guy returned from the pocket universe with the First Fleet, and Jena"s leading the Patriots of what's left of the Second Fleet, who is leading the Mutineers?  Any art for that person yet?

I ask because having more than one animated human leader would be fantastic for modders to create their own custom human factions...!

 

44,616 views 14 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I have a custom race related question that might be use to modders:

A ) Will we be restricted to one custom race bink or can there be mulitple ones to show when the custom race leader is happy, angry, or neutral with a player like it is currently done for majors?  And if not in the base game, could this be possible for DLC/expansion down the road?

More generally for modding:

B ) Will modders be able to set up more than four major branches for the tech tree for their mods?

C ) In a prior devstream, Paul once mentioned possibly having other extreme worlds besides the current five. Are you still thinking of adding them? And/or is this something that could be added by modders who might want to design their own extreme worlds?

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top



Can modders modify traits?
Can modders add more traits to the game?
 
End of quote

 

I can answer these two: Yes, and Yes.  This can be done with the XML files currently.  This topic got me started experimenting with traits, but I posted a picture of my tinkering here: https://forums.galciv3.com/461519/page/1/#3524268  The xml files "FactionDefs" "RaceTraitDefs" and "RaceTraitText" are the ones you need to look at to see how to create and mod traits. Certain files like "TechDefs" and "GalCiv3GlobalDefs" help for figuring out what effects are available.

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Is the battle viewer all that battles are in GC3? Is there absolutely no interactivity that would let players influence the flow of the battle?

Reply #4 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Not in the sense that you are asking. The only effect that you can have on the way the battles play out is by your choices of what ships you build and how they are outfitted.

There will be absolutely no tactical play in the game.

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Franco, reply 4

Not in the sense that you are asking. The only effect that you can have on the way the battles play out is by your choices of what ships you build and how they are outfitted.

There will be absolutely no tactical play in the game.
End of Franco's quote

I have not heard the devs say so. On the contrary - there were information suggesting that battles may be influenced by the player in other ways, yet it was never explained in detail. As far as I remember...

Reply #6 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Space, reply 5


Quoting Franco fx,
reply 4

Not in the sense that you are asking. The only effect that you can have on the way the battles play out is by your choices of what ships you build and how they are outfitted.

There will be absolutely no tactical play in the game.



I have not heard the devs say so. On the contrary - there were information suggesting that battles may be influenced by the player in other ways, yet it was never explained in detail. As far as I remember...

End of Space's quote

 

Actually it has been said repeatedly by the devs many times in the live dev streams that NO there is not going to be any tactical interactions in battles.  You only click to have your fleet attack (or defend if you are the one being attacked), and the battle plays itself out.  They have never suggested it would be any other way; at least I have never heard them suggest otherwise.  Lots of players have spread rumors that there might be something more, but the devs have not (at least not that I saw in a dev post or stream).

 

Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Not YET. It was never said never. This was said however:

 

Quoting Frogboy, reply 30

What you'll have here is if you have support ships in your fleet you'll be able to set up some battle options before the fleet battle begins. its hard to describe, it's a bit magic the gathering (select what you want to do at the start).  but you won't be controlling the ships directly.  The problem is that people would feel forced to micro manage their battles in order to get an optimal result.
End of Frogboy's quote

https://forums.galciv3.com/451740/page/2/#replies

 

Not much, but more than just ship building and fleet composition.

 

EDIT: Also, here:

Quoting Frogboy, reply 1

:)

Yea, there are a number of areas that if you start with GalCiv II as the base, you can take it up to the next level.  For examples:

 

    1. The UI in GalCiv II is pretty dated, GalCiv III has a really good tool tip system that gives you a lot of helpful information.

 

    1. We were able to expand the economics and diplomacy via an ideology system and a new United Planets system.

 

    1. We've been able to make the warfare more sophisticated by having ship designs matter more and letting players have some options at the start of a major battle.

 

    1. The planet economy is more sophisticated, we got rid of the ambiguous morale system and replaced it with adjacency bonuses.

 

    1. We've created strategic resources that certain key types of ships, improvements, wonders require in order to be built so capturing and controlling them matter.

 


That's just off the top of my head.  :)

End of Frogboy's quote

https://forums.galciv3.com/452054/page/1/#replies

 

Reply #8 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

They had talked about some limited tactical options early in the process, but since they've been showing battle viewer on the streams Paul has been clear that there will be no tactical interaction at all.

Reply #9 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Zero tactical interaction. This has been stated repeatedly. It 'may' happen in the future but that is highly unlikely as it is a strategic game not a tactical one. Let me restate it again, there will be ZERO tactical interaction with your fleets for combat at release. 

Reply #10 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yeah, I have been in this beta for a little over a month; that is why I never heard or saw anything from a dev mentioning more sophisticated tactical options for combat.  Those quotes you are linking are from February... 2014.  Things change over the course of a year, especially for a game in beta :P

 

Personally I would love to play a 4x game where you can have some tactical control of large space battles, plus offers everything else GalCiv offers.  But, I think I would go more by what the devs have been saying in the live streams for the last month, rather than pinning my hopes on comments from a year ago ;)

 

 

Reply #11 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yep, things change. That seemed like a fundamental design decision - given by Brad himself - and until it is cancelled by the developers, I won't give up hope. Because without that hope and actual addition, GC3 is basically a GC2 expansion, gameplay-wise. Differently named research and hexes don't bring a fundamental difference.

 

The battle viewer shown was a huge disappointment. Oooo, I can see something I can do squat about... What is the point really?!

Reply #12 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting Space, reply 11
Because without that hope and actual addition, GC3 is basically a GC2 expansion, gameplay-wise. Differently named research and hexes don't bring a fundamental difference.
End of Space's quote

Um, I think you are underselling the additions between GC2 and GC3.  Besides, shouldn't a GalCiv game feel like a, well, GalCiv game?  IMO too many game studios try to change things for the sake of change.  I want GC III to feel like GC II, personally.  Otherwise why call it Galactic Civilizations?

More than that, the gamedevs on more than one occasion have said that this IS like GCII, but a deeper, richer, more complex experience.  And, personally, I applaud them for that stance.

 

EDITED::: Funnily enough, I had reason to fire up GCII last night.  It's surprising just how different it looks even without getting into the numerous game mechanic changes.  Personally I think the memory might be cheating a bit.  Go up and load Twilight and compare it to the beta as it stands right now, and it is clear that these are different games with similar but different mechanics.

Reply #13 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The battle viewer from my point of view is useful in that it lets me know how my ships perform in battle, what is working and what is not.  That way I can design my ships better for later battles.  I can see if my support ship that gives the rest of the fleet better shields and lasers are worth the effort vs a support ship that decreases enemy targeting and point defenses or something to that effect.  You can do something about it just not direct influence of tactics.

 

Everything I've seen on tactical combat in GC3 has been "no, never going to happen" and lots of players that loved GC2 tearing down any suggestion of it being added to GC3.  Personally I would prefer tactical combat but can live with options that give my designs weight beyond the rock paper scissors of GC2 and other games.  Adding ship classes targeting priorities should help with that too.

Reply #14 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

The way I see it there is some degree of tactical control. Your ships are interceptors/fighters, escorts, assault ships, support ships and Capital ships. The quantity and strength of each category has everything to do with how the battle is fought, and how the battle plays out. Failure to plan for every category could mean defeat. This fits the description of everything said by Brad or anyone else regarding tactical IYAM.

I know that this will not satisfy anyone who sees themselves hiding a couple of fast battleships behind a nearby nebula and rushing out to save the day.

Hey, I like that myself but it is not this game, and that's okay by me.