Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar Preview

Introduction

Stardock has made the best 4X strategy games since Master of Orion 2. The Galactic Civilizations franchise has borrowed liberally from the MOO games, but conscientiously as well. Improvements have been made, new features implemented, and it has all come together in a remarkably simple and easy-to-play game which has good, realistic AI and a decent interface.

Dark Avatar, the expansion to Galactic Civilizations II, looks to continue that tradition. Stardock again nods at Master of Orion and takes the idea of planet environments and implements it in GC. Not only do planets have quality ratings as they did before, but now some environments – like toxic and irradiated – cannot be colonized unless you have the proper technologies. It would be easy to criticize Stardock for simply lifting a page from the MOO playbook, but the idea is so basic and sensible, and creates such a fundamental gameplay choice that it cannot be underestimated in value. Moreover, Dark Avatar’s improvements are not limited to mere environments.

The upcoming expansion also brings us asteroid field mining. There are zones near solar systems that designate asteroid fields, which can be mined. The mines can send the resources to a designated planet, so your Manufacturing Capital can truly shine. However, like planets, they do have their own morale and loyalty, and building mines within the cultural influence of a foreign power is not a recipe for success – they will rebel and rather quickly. Unlike planets, mining facilities cannot be upgraded to better resist foreign influences.

Dark Avatar’s additions also extend to the idea of a spy network, which is implemented sensibly in that every new spy costs more than the last, and thus they become a rather limited resource even for the greatest power. This tends to put restraints on the abuses that can be made with them, since losing spies can quickly become prohibitive – something that was not an issue with Master of Orion and its sequel. On the eye candy front, there are also new graphics and ship designs, that go with the two new races. All races also have special abilities, like super spies, or reduced movement for foreign ships traveling through your lands, or they can manipulate others to go to war with each other.

The usual Stardock polish is quite evident with Dark Avatar, despite this being a beta we noticed no major bugs, had no crashes or other issues. Gameplay with the new features is also quite refined; while I’ve never been a fan of spies in any game, Stardock does put reasonable restraints on them. More important are the tough choices the player has to make early in the tech tree now. Not only must you decide between cultural, military, financial, and industrial technologies, now you have to choose whether or not to pursue the colonization techs. Without them, you may quickly find yourself behind the curve as foreign states colonize planets inaccessible to you.

Finally, for fans of the campaign: Dark Avatar continues the story from GalCiv 2. We won’t spoil things any further than that! It is expected in February of the coming year for $29.95.