Let's Play GalCiv II - judging interest.

[Cubey]

So, just like everyone else, I feel a sudden urge to create a Let's Play. What we need is a game that I possess and am at least competent at, that is amusing both to narrate (because we want the LP to be fun) and to play (because I want to stay motivated). Also, one that won't take ages to finish. And I know just the title that fits all the criteria.

In other words, I bring you - Galactic Civilizations II. It's a 4X space strategy title, and one of the best ones that I had a chance to encounter. It offers great gameplay, lots of options and customization, and also humour as the title doesn't take itself too seriously.

What you say people? Your options basically boil down to "this should be fun" and "no Cubey, enough with LPs already!"

Ah yeah, as for the race I'm going to play, I'll choose custom. And I already know who it's going to be.
http://i41.tinypic.com/9qkxn8.jpg

[The Glyphstone]

You might as well take a shot - my current LP is another 4X game, Ascendancy, and my biggest problem right now (aside from basically writing in a plot from scratch to a game completely lacking one) is the challenge of finding interesting screenshots to take. Maybe GalCiv has more variety in the stuff you can take pics of, and maybe reading yours will inspire me towards ideas I can shamelessly steal imitate...

[chiasaur11]

Well, I considered doing this myself, and I loved Tom Francis's 2 journals, so...

Go for it.

[Cubey]

Don't worry! There's always fun stuff going on in GalCiv, and if there's not I can always fast forward it a little. Random events help with keeping stuff fresh and amusing too.

And now I have chiasaur's blessing, too. No turning back now.

[tribble]

you should post the tech tree and such of your custom race for the benefit of those who play GalCiv.

[Cubey]

I'm going with the Torian research tree. Which makes a funny contrast with Gurren Lagann's warlike nature, but they fit fluff-wise with disregard for normal physics and friggin' hot springs as morale boosting buildings.
Also, both Torians and the Spirals are total good guys, almost to the point of nausea. At least theoretically. GalCiv II's definition of good is "be charitable and kind for your own kin, but do with others as you seem fit". And evil is moustache-twirling villainy.

[tribble]

I'm going with the Torian research tree. Which makes a funny contrast with Gurren Lagann's warlike nature, but they fit fluff-wise with disregard for normal physics and friggin' hot springs as morale boosting buildings.
Also, both Torians and the Spirals are total good guys, almost to the point of nausea. At least theoretically. GalCiv II's definition of good is "be charitable and kind for your own kin, but do with others as you seem fit". And evil is moustache-twirling villainy.

any alterations other than naming and the like?

[Flickerdart]

You will have appropriate looking ships, of course.

Twilight of Arnor, Dark Avatar or the base Dread Lords?

[chiasaur11]

You will have appropriate looking ships, of course.

Twilight of Arnor, Dark Avatar or the base Dread Lords?

Sounds like Arnor from the tech tree bit.

[Terraoblivion]

This should definitely be fun. Especially if you get some suitably stupid events along the way. There is no game the LP'ing of which cannot be improved by stupid accidents and general failure.

[Ka-ther Fangfoot]

Hmmm, I have that game around here somewhere. I never got into it, though. It falls in an unhappy place between all the other 4x games I play. I think part of the problem was I tried playing the campaign. :smallsigh: A 4x game. With a campaign. At least you will be able to make cool looking ships for our lets-play-watching amusement. :smallamused:

[Hunter Noventa]

I look forward to this. If only for Spiral Power. I sadly do not have a TTGL gallery to share with you like the SRW one I have...

[Tavar]

This should be amazing. I eagerly await more substance.

[Cubey]

Yes, I am playing Twilight of the Arnor. The tech tree is an unchanged Torian - I didn't want to mess with it and create something horribly broken by accident. Of course I'm further customizing the race by choosing racial abilities, etc.

As for ships, I found GalCiv II's editor to be lacking in its ability to create giant robots. I will try to create stuff that looks as close to TTGL robots as possible, but I won't spend so much effort on it that it compromises actual effort time.
Finally, do not expect much of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann's plot coming up. I plan for the game to occur after the series ends - as a part of meeting with "the lights in the skies". Who turn out to be GalCiv races. Similarly, don't expect TTGL characters appearing apart from an occassional cameo. I believe it'll be better that way than forcefully recreating the whole plot of the series all over again.

But Cubey, you may ask. What parts of TTGL are left in your game then? No plot, no characters, maybe the robots... just what is left? The attitude. The attitude of true Spiral Beings. Of never giving up even in the face of overwhelming odds. Of not starting a fight but always being the one to finish it. Of believing in you, who believes in yourself and WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?

And since I already played a few turns for the LP (actual thread coming up soon), let me tell you - this attitude will be needed. Oh so very much.

[Artanis]

I am very interested, and would love to see a GC2 LP.

[Cubey]

And the LP is up.

[Malek]

This one is going to be interesting - I have GalCiv since recently but so far all my play attempts were a struggle so I expect I might learn stuff from reading this.

[Cubey]

GalCiv offers different options than GalCiv II (and while I find the second game absolutely amazing, the first was only okay in my book), but the basics of gameplay are the same. I'm no master though, so I won't be surprised if eventually someone will critcise one of my decisions as inefficient or just bad.

I should probably link the LP thread. Here it is. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130471)

[Malek]

GalCiv offers different options than GalCiv II (and while I find the second game absolutely amazing, the first was only okay in my book), but the basics of gameplay are the same.
Ah, I meant GalCiv II also, forgot to add the number above :smalltongue:

[Blayze]

Of not starting a fight but always being the one to finish it.

Which translates, given that this is GalCiv 2, into spamming Influence until everyone hates you and begins an endless war against you as their planets fall before your cultural might one by one, yes?

Pity you're going for fluff-suitable stuff for TTGL, otherwise the Korath would have been a good choice with buildings like the Galaxy Flipper (Dark Influencer). That said, long live the attitude!

[Cubey]

Maaybe...
But if experience is any indication, other civs don't need a good reason to start a war with you. Just being there is enough for them, especially if you seem weaker than them but really aren't. That applies to supposedly "good" races as well.

[Artanis]

Maaybe...
But if experience is any indication, other civs don't need a good reason to start a war with you. Just being there is enough for them, especially if you seem weaker than them but really aren't. That applies to supposedly "good" races as well.

Regarding "seeming weaker":

The military rating is broken. I don't mean "horridly imbalanced" broken, I mean "outright does not work" broken. The formula* that the AI uses to judge military strength adds the total attack, defense, and hp/10 of your armed ships, nothing more. So, especially early on, you can build up a "stronger" military by cranking out 1-attack cargo ships than you can by building multi-turn combat vessels. Avoiding early wars means giving whole new meaning to the term "paper tiger".


Regarding alignment:

The Good-aligned races are generally more peaceful than Evil races...as long as you're not Evil. If you're Evil, the good races will hate your guts, which is about the only thing giving Good any worth at all. The Altarians are especially trigger-happy when it comes to declaring war on Evil-aligned races, seeing themselves as some sort of crusaders or something. In DA and TotA, the Drath are also a major PitA because they really, really love using their super-ability** to make everybody else attack you.



*Well, not exactly this, but close enough not to matter.

**You know how you can pay somebody to declare war on somebody else, but it's usually stupidly expensive? Well, the Drath can do it for like, five bucks thanks to their Super Manipulator ability.

[Tavar]

Hmm...is the Biosphere Modulator and good? I'm not quite sure what it does...

[Cubey]

I wish I remembered what it does too... which tech tree is it from?

[Tavar]

Alarian[sic] resistance. It says it helps manage/improve the planet's quality, and there is a limit of one per planet. Besides that, it just seems to give an industry boost.

[Cubey]

Planet quality is the same thing as its planetary class. It gives you more tiles and better citizen morale.