Galactic Civilizations IV
Galactic Civilizations IV, the sequel to Galactic Civilizations III, is a 4X space strategy game set in the 24th century. Humans and aliens compete against each other for domination of the Milky Way galaxy. It was released on 26 April 2022. IntroductionPlayers begin on their home planet and through research, colonization, and exploration can expand their influence in the wider galaxy. Other races will likely compete for the same worlds and resources though and only through diplomacy, war, technological superiority, or unlocking the secrets of the mysterious precursors themselves can the player hope to gain dominance in a galaxy full of dangers. GameplayMajor CivilizationsMain article: Major Civilizations Plus players have to option to editing existing civilizations or creating their own. Spaceship BattlesMain article: Spaceship Battles New FeaturesGalactic Civilization IV introduces a slew of new features. SectorsThink of it like a GalCiv III map connected to another. Each sector is connected by subspace streams that will allow the player to travel between them. Players can set up the number of sectors and the size of their starting sector. Thus, a player who wants a “quick” game could just set up a single small sector to play in. Or if one would prefer just one very large sector to play like a classic map. Players can also set up the game with a large starting map and many other sectors, making a HUGE overall map for potentially very long, involved, and in-depth games that are much bigger than any previous gal civ games. CharactersWhile the idea of citizens was introduced in Galactic Civilizations III, their role was not as distinct as it is now. Different jobs take advantage of different traits from a leader. Thus, it’s probably not a good idea to put a character with a low Intelligence stat to be Technology ministry Citizens have individual approval ratings and keeping them happy is important – a disloyal and unhappy governor might just take their planet and corresponding colonies with them and start a new empire if the player isn’t careful. The story of the game changes depending on which characters are recruited and how their various backstories manifest throughout. Each civilization has their own characters with their own perks and their own factions to deal with. Core WorldsUnlike previous games of the series, players only manage core worlds. Previously, players would have to manage each world they conquered individually. When a player colonizes a subpar world, it will feed into a core world that the player has already established. With this system, players will directly oversee a lower number of worlds, but still receive the benefits of colonizing and conquering as many as possible. PoliciesMain article: Policies Executive OrdersMain article: Executive Orders These actions can have consequences, but allow players more direct ways to intervene. Additional executive orders can be unlocked via researching new technologies or experiencing other actions and events. Once used, they have a cooldown period that is different for each one. New Ideology SystemMain article: Ideology In Galactic Civilizations IV, ideologies are much more nuanced and divided into 7 different categories. Each category has two paths:
Players will gain awareness of a particular path through their actions and choices. Adopting an ideology into one of the tenets of a civilization comes through completing missions and other events. How different civilizations get along depends heavily on where they are ideologically. Adopting a given trait provides different benefits and consequences. Prestige VictoryPrestige is a new victory condition. The Prestige counter - combined with the new Galactic Achievements feature - allows players to move the game to the endgame quickly. Galactic AchievementsMain article: Galactic Achievements UpdatesMain article: Updates Useful Links |