Coming from the somewhat indie lads over at Stardock, the GalCiv series had arguably been nothing more than a niche success with its first instalment in 2003. It wasn't until early last year that the first sequel’s release, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, gave the series an upgraded sense of unanimous industry acclaim and praise (not to mention, sheer idiocy) – so much so, that a stand-alone expansion pack, in the form of Dark Avatar, was subsequently heralded with a similar reception earlier this year. Not one to leave the uninitiated of the series’ sequels behind, Stardock was also wise enough to release a Galactic Civilizations II: Gold Edition – packing both sequel experiences into a single download and/or brick and mortar store purchase.
Even from making a decision of what form to buy the game in, there’s choice – and choice is clearly the key mantra with everything GalCiv2. From the very moment the player hits the ‘new game’ menu button they’ll be met with the first, perhaps most important yet exhaustive decision; how large should the galaxy they’re going to be conquering be? How many planets, stars, asteroids and minor races shall it consist of? How many of those entities will be habitable, filled with anomalies or effect the rate of development in technology? These mere tips of GalCiv2’s customisation, while appearing superfluous at first, are nevertheless crucial details for the budding would-be conqueror.
Even badass-looking avatars can be made into military sissies.
The abundant, some might say frighteningly daunting, number of options don’t stop there either, as the next big choice concerns the 12 major races of the galaxy in question – 13, if you include the option to create one’s own. From browsing what skills and specialisations each race has, to choosing that special empire the player will lead into galactic evolution; from negating particular troublesome-looking races from existence altogether, to simply choosing a name for the player’s helming avatar; there’s a customisable outlet for any player to instil a bit of themselves into.
However, perhaps the most telling example of this ‘grass roots’ essence to the proceedings is in the design of the player’s colony ship – an aspect of the GalCiv2 duo that alone can take up one’s precious time fondling over the intricacies of. Sure, customising ships is bringing nothing new or innovative to the 4x strategy genre – but much like the rest of the customisation options available in either GalCiv2, it is both critically important part of the gameplay design, and more importantly, engagingly entertaining. To test the reach of these traditionally disparate possibilities in ideals, this particular reviewer indulged his fanboyness and created near identical replicas of a few space-faring vessels from other sci-fi game scenarios; in short, creating one’s very own Von Braun (sans a UNN Rickenbacker) to accomplish and conquer what SHODAN never could, is simple enough.
Of course, the point of all this tinkering preparation is unsurprisingly the coming war against the warring contents of the galaxy. Continuing the makeshift narrative set up by the first GalCiv instalments, both campaign entries in the sequel series concern the ongoing events set into action thousands of years ago by the Precursors – the entity that effectively brought forth the races in present day GalCiv canon. Coming down to a race to explore, colonise and conquer the galaxy between the young and clichéd human Terrans and the wrinkly and evil Drengin Empire, is where the player and their own chosen race come in. Luckily enough, GalCiv2 veterans worried that they will have to replay Dread Lords to access Dark Avatar plot content in the Gold Edition need fret not – the non-existent transition between ‘main sequel’ and ‘expansion’ is as seamless as a menu button click, before one is able to dive headlong further into the mysterious plot concerning the Krynn Consulate.
Yes, let's. Right after you turn around and I stab you in the back. Mortein face.
As is the norm with 4x strategy games, the player starts with a measly empire to call their own – in this case, that dirty over-watered dirt ball known as Earth (or subtle race-based variations, thereof). From that point, it’s up to the player and their freshly created forces to conquer the galaxy, or galaxies as it were, in any way they deem necessary. Be it through peaceful negotiations and alliances with rival races, offering trading, tourism, spreading cultural influence and/or complete buyout; or all in all total annihilation of those that stand in the way.
Whatever the choice made on the part of a human player, the computer AI of GalCiv2’s rival races is always scheming and plotting against them with the best of selfish intentions. Depending on the requisite choice of AI difficulty level in the beginning stages of the game, the player could be facing would-be John Howard races that fear an existence without an alliance; a race that prides themselves too much to even care to listen to what the player has to say; or a race that simply prefers a little less conversation and (only) a lot more (destructive) action, baby. In any case, the diplomacy system underlying these interactions continue GalCiv2’s trend of offering a bevy of choice and options.
Underlying the developing interactions with other races, is the development of the player’s own – and if one thought the beginning stages of customisation in GalCiv2 was comprehensive, they haven’t seen the half of it, come exploration time. While things back at the player’s home ranch are difficult enough to keep track of, what with the economy system and their citizen’s ever-changing approval and morale ratings – quarterly reports help keep track of that minor, if not curious, nuisance of galactic conquest. Yes, concerning oneself and their race’s choices of alignment between either a good, neutral, or evil one – with one-off special events that decide the player’s race alignment, while giving subsequent bonuses or penalties depending on their future choices – are all well and good to wrap the player’s synapses around; the infinite routes of exploring the star system map, ship combat, mining and terraforming planets for resources, creating starbases of varying kinds and sizes, and above all, the near endless research tech tree, even more so. Verily, the obligatory pun of mentioning the kitchen sink will be avoided for the sheer mentality of all-inclusiveness Stardock has managed to achieve in GalCiv2’s mechanics and design, and then some.
And here I was thinking they all had a bad case of gas.
In fact, the tech tree on offer in GalCiv2 is so huge, to the point of becoming lifeless in figuring out what doodad works best with what thingamabob. Indeed, with the never-ending customisation and choices comes concern for streamlining the experience, or lack thereof. Make no qualms about it – GalCiv2 is not for the casual player; while there are options to make the playing experience a bit more ‘simplified’, one should not be planning to see major all-conquering developments in their campaign during a single lonely weekend. Nevertheless, overindulgent necessities on the part of the player aside, GalCiv2 is a heap of addictive fun if one is prepared to sink the hours in.
Speaking of longevity, one may be concerned where the obligatory multiplayer mode comes in with such a ‘traditional’ space setting for one. While some may be quick to whine when they realise there isn’t one, that arguably says more about the industry as a whole, than GalCiv2 itself. With the lovingly crafted gameplay on offer that is guaranteed to last an eternity, not to mention a would-be multiplayer service in the form of GalCiv2's metaverse online scoreboard, there was simply no reason nor need for Stardock to spend time developing a multiplayer tack-on for the sake of it – no matter the perceived arbitrary additional value it might add to that potential clueless buyer.
In terms of the more superficially valued aspects of GalCiv2, Stardock manages to trump again. Graphics, while nothing that will rival the imminent Bioshocks and Unreal Tournament 3s, are impressive all the same. Ships shine with a metallic finish, while planets and star systems glow in harmony. With menus that are clearly marked and easily navigated, and a frame rate that never dropped below 60, the fact that the game is able to also run on a reasonably low end PC rig seals the deal.
Insert obligatory Star Trek 'Captain's Log' pun here.
Audio on the other hand is a bit of a more subdued affair, with music that follows typically symphonic sci-fi melodies, albeit nowhere near the point of becoming a distraction. Meanwhile, the sound effects of ships and firepower are surprisingly loud and booming and especially satisfying when connected. Noticeably absent however, is any semblance of voice acting, bar in cutscenes. While negligible, it would have added an additional layer of Star Control 2 inspired immersion to the interactions with races – but considering how many race variations of voice actors would have been required to dish out for such a small studio as Stardock; perhaps it’s best that an Oblivion-styled total of four voice types end result was not attempted, lest attained.
So, GalCiv2 then. Whether one is looking for the vanilla Dread Lords, the newer Dark Avatar experience, or both, the Gold Edition cannot be beat – especially at its asking price. With ongoing updates, technical support and a community that are second to none, Stardock’s Galactic Civilizations II: Gold Edition is worthy of any strategy gamer's mind – especially during those ecstatic mental burnouts at 6am in the morning.
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