A Walkthru of Dark Avatar

An in-depth look

Published on February 5, 2007 By Draginol In GalCiv Journals

A Guided Tour of Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar.

A reintroduction to Galactic Civilizations

Galactic Civilizations is a turn-based strategy game set in the 23rd century. Players take on the role of leader of an interstellar civilization. The player must explore and expand into the galaxy and balancing their manufacturing, economic, political, cultural, and military resources in order to survive in a hostile galaxy.

Players can win the game through military conquest, diplomatic alliances, cultural influence, or through a technological victory.

Galactic Civilizations II introduced a ton of new features over the original game which we won't get into here. But a couple of the most notable were ship design and a new "technology forest". The technology tree in GalCiv II forces players to make tough choices. Because economic, military, industrial, logistical, diplomatic, computing, cultural, and other kinds of technologies are in their own separate branches, the order in which players choose to research technologies as well as when they make those choices have a much greater impact on game play than is typical of strategy games. It also requires the computer AI to be far more sophisticated in order to be competitive.

The computer AI in Galactic Civilizations has always been one of its high points. Most reviews will touch on it because, in an age where AI is often ignored (you can't take a screenshot of artificial intelligence), Galactic Civilizations has a computer AI that provides a significant challenge without having to resort to cheating (though super high levels are available for people who truly master the game where the AI does get extra money and resources). The net result is a game where there are a ton of strategic options available that still provides compelling competition from the computer players.

Rise of the Dark Avatar

Galactic Civilizations II included a campaign called Dread Lords (the full title was Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords). In it, the Terran Alliance based on Earth in 2225 was working to build an interstellar alliance to ward of the powerful and hostile Drengin Empire. Into this mix came the Dread Lords -- a race of insanely powerful beings who had been imprisoned in a pocket dimension. Suddenly, a three-way war was underway. The Dread Lords only weakness is that they were few in number (as in, only numbering in the hundreds).

Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar is the expansion pack to GalCiv II. It includes a ton of new features as well as a new campaign in which players must take on the role of leader of the evil Drengin Empire to deal with an internal challenge to their dominance -- the Korath.

A Guided Tour of Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar

Setting up a game

The setup options in Dark Avatar give normal players the kind of power that is normally reserved to game modders. Here's what's new:

The new galaxy setup screen allows users far more options than previous and is much easier to use.

Players can now easily pick and choose from a long list of opponents including ones they've created themselves.

When players create their own opponents they can even decide what ship style they'll have

Still not good enough? Okay, fine, you can even tell the computer player what ship styles they should use for particular roles. Still not good enough? Okay, the ships they use can be ones you designed! So all those ships you made from your favorite Sci-Fi show can now be in the game used by different races that you created!

Still want more? Okay, how about being able to set the intelligence level to the point where you pick which algorithms and how much money they get compared to you? You can even decide whether they get to use more CPU than normal in order to make use of more sophisticated algorithms!

Into the galaxy

Colonizing planets isn't the "rush" it once was. Half the planets require a specific (and expensive) technology to get. Focus too much on getting those techs and you could find yourself far behind technologically.

The graphics in Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar are significantly better. Military star base from Dark Avatar (left) vs. original (right). And the new ones are more memory efficient.

The technology tree has been greatly streamlined. Gone are repetitive items in the tree like "Laser 1, Laser 2". Instead, technology groups are put together into a single item on the tree that's divided into milestones.

Asteroids are now in the game which can be mined. But the miners are not totally loyal. Make sure you control the space the mines are in or else they may defect! Moreover, decide carefully where to beam the resources from your mines. The further the target planet is, the fewer resources that get there.

Ship Design

Players can now use template ships as the basis of a design. Create a really cool ship? Save it as a template and use it in future games as the basis of new designs!

Ship Design is greatly enhanced thanks to having around 10X as many ship components to put onto ships as were available in the original.

The Effect of Super Abilities

Each civilization has its own unique super-ablity. And they're not afraid to use it. Here, "someone" has persuaded the Altarians to go to war with the Korx. Someone has the Super Manipulator ability...

The New Diplomacy

With Economic and Research Treaties in the mix, players who want to win without going to war have lots of new options.

The new treaties are immensely valuable. But they are very powerful too.

The Foreign Report screen is much more detailed about why civilizations like or don't like you.

Computer players put even more thought into who they should surrender to and why.

The New Warfare

The key to military victory in Galactic Civilizations II has been to keep an eye on what your opponents have on their ships. In Dark Avatar, this has been taken up a notch with the Starship Intelligence Report.

Pretty and useful. Keep track of what the AI has on its ships in style

Want to knock someone down but don't want to go to war? Send in your secret agents! They can disrupt an opponent's economy with them never knowing who did it. Of course, the same can be done to you...

Dark Avatar has a new combat system: Battles take place on a per weapon basis instead of all weapons being summed up into a single shot by a single ship. This makes ship design even more important and makes capital ships more valuable (but also more expensive).

The little Touches

Set where you want your ships to exit orbit at.

Get a pop up map for displaying territory using normal perspective.

Misc Screenshots

My Ranger class starship protects the home solar system.

Manage your military from a super zoomed out position in the abstract...

Or get really close to individual ships

A detailed report on your mining base (and an easy way to show how much better the graphics are than in the original GalCiv II).

Ships in orbit now really orbit on the map

Players now have the option to build not just the latest/greatest planetary improvements but older ones as well

[Get Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar]

Comments (Page 1)

Mighty Mongoose

on Feb 05, 2007

Ok...first things first....WOOT!!!! I am gonna get this! >dances on desk<

Battles take place on a per weapon basis

Does that mean that the position of weapons on ships matters (a weapon will be unable to fire if there is something in the way) y'know, a firing arc...I have no feelings either way merely curious.

Great job guys!

Bingjack

on Feb 05, 2007

Ok, look...Im not kidding around anymore. Cough up the game. Gimme! Enough with the previews, you had me at "new combat system". Give!

BTW, love the shader on the asteroids. Gives them a wet look. Sort of like floating space-dookie. Which is cool! ( I think)

kryo

on Feb 05, 2007

Does that mean that the position of weapons on ships matters (a weapon will be unable to fire if there is something in the way) y'know, a firing arc...I have no feelings either way merely curious.

No, just that if a ship with multiple weapons destroys one target without firing them all, it can fire the rest on another (and another, and another, until all it's weapons have been fired). So capital ships can now cut through fighter swarms with ease, rather than picking them off one per round.

See the combat system sticky in the Beta Reports forum for details.

JonSarik

on Feb 05, 2007

Ok, look...Im not kidding around anymore. Cough up the game. Gimme! Enough with the previews, you had me at "new combat system". Give!

Waah!...Should've coughed up the dough for the beta when you had the chance.

Spider Minion

on Feb 05, 2007

Wow, nice preview. Waiting for this to come out has just been made twice as hard.

JonSarik

on Feb 05, 2007

So capital ships can now cut through fighter swarms with ease, rather than picking them off one per round.

It's a shame they didn't give this benefit to starbases with multiple weapons upgrades.

Bingjack

on Feb 05, 2007

Waah!...Should've coughed up the dough for the beta when you had the chance

Im told the beta is a pale shadow of the features in the gold edition. My source is questionable though, as they made the game and cant be considered unbiased.

I guess my point is...Gimme!

JonSarik

on Feb 05, 2007

Im told the beta is a pale shadow of the features in the gold edition.

God, I hope you're right. That would be awesome. But I would say the beta is spot-on with what's being released for the time being. I think Brad has designs to add some of the original features mentioned way back but had to pass on for time later (like the epic story generator).

MBM1215

on Feb 05, 2007

Darn it Why do you have to taunt us so with your fancy previews and such. You enjoy watching us squirm don't you.

Just kidding. This looks awesome. I absolutely cannot wait. Great job guys this looks amazing.

Mighty Mongoose

on Feb 05, 2007

Ok cool! Thanks!

Bingjack

on Feb 05, 2007

Im told the beta is a pale shadow of the features in the gold edition.

Yeah, that was me mispeaking. I shouldnt have said "features", so much as "polish". I am told the beta build is totally outdated though, as far as tweaks and polish go. Not that Im speaking for Stardock, nor could I if I wanted to. Im just running my mouth in lieu of HAVING THE DAMN GAME TO PLAY.

I want to play with the space-poo!

BastianEX

on Feb 05, 2007

As someone who's played through the betas, whats highlighted here is pretty much spot on..theres a few minor things that either A)I didnt know was in there or B)Have been added since the end of the betas. Either way it all looks amazing and Im counting the days!

PS..any word on the so called early dl for those beta players and those that preordered?

crow_t_robot

on Feb 05, 2007

Good. This will give a much need upgrade for combat. I still long for mor "into it" combat.
EX: My capital ship has 5 doomrays and 20 laserVs (don't ask why, it just does). I want to be able to tell the ship to focus the laserVs on the fighters while telling the doomrays to fire on the larger ships. I also want raiding and the possibility to retreat in a battle(the efficiency of escape is based on the ships speed. Tractor beams added to a ship would lower the efficiency of the retreating ship's escape). Raiding would be: "Attacking the troop transport and cargo classes first. Once those have been destroyed, make a hasty retreat." This would make guerilla warfare more feasible instead of beeing locked in the battle no matter what. I also want to have the option of more auto-attack features. It is good so far, but it needs more depth. I would want my fast raiders to attack freighters and transports and ,if possible, use the above raiding tactics. You could have "suppress area" where a ship would go to a planet and block off the planet by surrounding it with ships and doing a defensive auto attack around the area, making sure nothing gets in or out of that target area whether it may be a planet or an area of space.

I would also want the ability to capture ships and starbases. Mostly to make pirates more real. You could have Boarding parties which would be more feasible to use if you could have a more hands on ship combat.

Pirates should be more piraty. They should be able to be bribed to attack a race or the capturing thing if it were in there. They should be able to build ships from special starbases.
----------------------------------
On starbases:

I wish you could research whole new starbases. You could first start with a basic starbase that does nothing except be there and watch over the area. Then you could research the different types that would be far different than the same old deck of three. Stabases need to have a better weapon system It is boring to watch it gun a down a fleet. It needs the multiple weapon attack that ships have. They also need to have the weapon upgrades you give them. If I give the starbase a doomray, I want to see it used.

EX starbases: range, sensor, inverter beam*, trade, production, attrition**, cultural, espionage, carrier starbase***, Terrorstar****

*A starbase that would lock parts of the map with a starbase until you can counter research it

**A starbase that would slowly damage enemy ships that pass through its influence.

***By carrier starbase, I mean it would make ships. IE: The Homeworld mothership.

****OOPS! I shouldn't of said that one!
----------------------------------

Another idea:
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You could create laws that would help your empire expand and give it some personality. These laws of course could be good,evil, or neutral. Here are some ideas:

-slave labor/child labor (+10% production-pop growth)
-foodstamps (+farming, -morale)
-free health care (+10%morale)
-welfare (+10% morale but -5bc/turn)
-brainwashing (+10% less likely to rebel -creativity)
----------------------------------

Music: I wish we could have playlists, but kryo said it wouldn't ever happen.

Borders: They need them for reasons I don't NEED to explain: WWW Link

I won't lie, the game is sweet, but if they had these features, it would add more depth and reduce micromanagement.

Lord Herman

on Feb 05, 2007

Nice!

I especially like the orbiting ships, and the improved tech tree.

crow_t_robot

on Feb 05, 2007

GARGH! It won't let me edit my post. Her is what I was gonna add on the music part:

PS: Custom races should have CUSTOM SONGS!

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