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A great strategy title proving that solid gameplay and a little innovation can go a long, long way.

Galactic Civilizations II marks the return to the franchise that began with 2003's popular turn-based strategy game Galactic Civilizations. Stardock has made a large number of improvements to the game while trying to maintain the feel and depth that caused the original to be so well received.



A quick look at the developer supplied literature indicates that many changes have been made with the following list being the most significant:

• Now uses a 3D graphics engine
  
• Players can design their own ships from the ground up what they look like, what they are equipped with, the whole enchilada
  
• Player are now able to play as any of the 10 major races with each having their own strengths and weaknesses. Alternately players can create their own unique race
  
• Combat is now split into 3 distinct systems: Offensively: beam weapons, projectile weapons, and guided missiles. The corresponding defenses are shields, armor, and chaff/ECM respectively
  
• Ships can now be grouped into fleets for combined control while also allowing a mix of offensive weaponry types to ensure combat effectiveness
  
• An included campaign mode. The original game didn't have one until the Altarian Prophecy expansion pack added one
  
• Multiple winning conditions 
  
• Victory can be obtained through combat, technological prowess, amassed influence, alliances, or other political maneuvers
  
• Streamlined tech tree

With so many improvements it is surprising to see that the original game's Achilles heel remains: no multiplayer. However, all may not be lost for those who simply must have a multiplayer component. The literature that accompanied the preview copy also indicated that the required framework is in place so it could possibly be added at a later date if there is sufficient demand.



The visual presentation in GC2 is now on par with other strategy games on the market. The ships, planets, and stars are rendered nicely, but the nature of the game makes them difficult to appreciate. The graphical update is lost on me for the majority of the time due to the way I play. I tend to keep the map completely zoomed out in order to see as much as possible at once. Once zoomed out that far the rendered objects are replaced with icons so they can be seen. This isn't a problem, and certainly not a fault of the game, but I still felt it was worth mentioning.

The campaign covers the unveiling of the history of the long since vanished Dread Lords and their enemy; the Arnorians. As the current civilizations battle each other in their quests for galactic conquest, information regarding these lost civilizations emerges- along with unforeseen dangers.



Upon playing, the first thing that caught my attention was the depth of gameplay found within GC2. The amount of political maneuvering available is extensive to say the least. I played entire scenarios without a hint of combat, usually losing to the impressively adept AI that consistently outplayed me in areas of influence, alliances and economics. The importance of expansionism is immediately evident as the more planets grabbed at the outset of the scenario, the stronger your foothold in the ever changing and ever fickle universe of GC2 becomes.



The key to succeeding in this title appears to be through gameplay that is balanced across all of the areas presented. I tried building up a powerful military and winning through brute force only to have my planets rebel against me one by one to join what they felt was a more culturally advanced civilization. I attempted success solely through trade and economics and was met by the swift hand of defeat when a more militaristic civilization crushed what little defenses I scrambled to build. Specialization can work, but only if the other civilizations allow it- which they tend not to do.



The new ship design system allows control over the image and function of ships through a parts assembling system. There is a large amount of parts available immediately with new components unlocked as new technologies are researched. This provides increasingly diverse and powerful ships as the game progresses. The manner in which the parts fit together is very open causing little in the way of limits to your creativity. This feature alone cost me hours of valuable game-playing time. This system is well implemented and just plain cool.



The innovative new combat system Stardock brought to GC2 adds a welcome new dynamic to turn-based strategy combat. No longer can a large force be built up ahead of time and unleashed for victory. Even with the most adept player a large fleet of ships is only enough if outfitted with the right weapons and defenses. Which weapons and defenses are right depends on what your enemy is building and as such is unknown until initial conflict commences. The player must be ready to change ship designs at any given moment based on what is encountered in enemy fleets. Going into battle with the wrong defenses gets ugly quickly, while the right combination of offense and defense can get the job done in a hurry. At least it will until the AI adapts their ships' designs accordingly- which they most certainly will.



Speaking of the AI it should be noted that GC2's AI is very effective and will use every tactic available to beat you. I was beat fair and square by the AI repeatedly while learning the ins and outs of the gameplay available. I was never ripped off by cheap tactics or AI cheating, I was always just plain beat down. An AI system that can win without resorting to underhanded tactics is always appreciated and not as common as most people think. Stardock's AI programmers deserve a big pat on the back for this one.



While the Stardock love is flowing I should also mention that they forgo the usual draconian DRM mechanisms found in most of today's games. Once installed no disc is required to play, and the game can be installed on multiple computers with the developers blessing (provided they are owned by the same person of course). Between my HTPC, My laptop, and my “gaming rig” I have three computers that I regularly play games on, and now I don't have to shuffle the disc around my house to play this game where I want to. Thanks Stardock.

Unfortunately software piracy is a very real concern for developers- especially the smaller ones such as Stardock. For combating this the developer focuses on encouraging people to buy the game rather than the industry standard of preventing people from stealing it. Instead of inconvenient systems that treat everyone like thieves, they simply provide additional content over the games lifetime that requires a valid serial number to obtain. This really is as simple as it sounds and it is nice to see a developer look at ways of dealing with piracy that is not punitive to the people who do buy the game. For treating us like customers they appreciate and respect rather than thieves they would rather not deal with, Stardock deserves heaps of credit.

After spending a significant portion of the last week playing Galactic Civilizations 2, I can honestly say that it is one of the best strategy games I've played recently. The depth of gameplay offered is truly remarkable and the AI is good enough to almost make me forget that there is no multiplayer (almost).

Review by Nigel Grammer.