Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Publisher: Stardock
Developer: Stardock
Release Date: Q1 2006

4X games have always been amongst my favorite titles; I, like so many others, grew up playing them for hours on end, always promising myself that the next turn or the next click was my last for the night. Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords, the upcoming empire-building Turn-Based Strategy title from Stardock, is one of the latest games to join this long-standing genre, and ahs some big shoes to fill. One, it is the sequel to a much-loved and acclaimed game by the same name (minus the “2”). The original Galactic Civilizations generated, and still maintains, quite a cult following. And two, it stands in the shadow of what some consider to be the best Turn-Based Strategy game, and even Best Game Ever, Master of Orion 2 (I know the last game of this type that I found worth playing was MoO 2). It has even been compared, favorably, with Masters of Orion. After sitting down with the latest build of the game, I have to agree that Galactic Civilizations 2 is shaping up nicely in this regard.

As far as 4X games (that’s 4X for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) go, Galactic Civilizations 2 offers all of the staple activities; the goal is to build your empire through colonization, develop a fleet of ships, and research better technology than “the other guy”, all with the end result of making your empire the dominant one in the galaxy. The most recent build also showed off some great additions that will soon, hopefully, become standard features of other 4X games. When you first start a new game, you are presented with the choice of several races, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, before getting into the action, its possible to configure the nature of the galaxy – the size, planet types and chance that they are habitable, other races, and so on. As someone who, many times, realized that 8 hours had passed almost instantaneously while playing Masters of Orion, these types of features are much appreciated. They allow for shorter games when time is limited.

From the very first turn, Galactic Civilizations 2 presents itself as a streamlined, sophisticated experience, demonstrating that Stardock has really taken past lessons to heart. Some of the features that I was able to play with added a tremendous amount of fun. For example, planet management was no longer a matter of building everything on every planet. Instead, Stardock’s system was to give every planet a class, and the class of the planet determined how many buildable “tiles” or spaces there were on the surface – a Class 5 planet has far fewer spaces than a Class 15. This change in the building system forces the player to make strategic decisions on what to build on each colony, with some colonies focusing on production, some on research, and so on. The attention necessary to keep track of what planet was at each stage is significantly reduced. I’m not great at the administrate, so this made the game much more fun for me.

Along the same lines of a “streamlined” experience, the build demonstrated many of the options that will be available for players to tailor exactly how the game will play for them. There were various settings for the level of information presented, and the necessary involvement of the player in making decisions. Micromanagers can be happy with taking care of many of the details, while visionaries can let the computer take over some of the day-to-day activities.

Where Galactic Civilizations 2 really shines is where is has added to the Masters of Orion formula. Two additions struck me as particularly strong – space stations and the ship design tools. Space stations are a great addition to the game, allowing players to build free-standing installations in deep space or near systems. The space stations not only represent a race’s presence, but they allow for methods of winning the game other than outright genocide. Each space station can be customized through the use of modules, and stations spread the influence of a culture, sometimes even dominating an area occupied by other races. If the player generates enough influence throughout the galaxy, they will be declared the dominant culture and win the game, all without firing a single shot.

But if military action is more your style, Galactic Civilizations does not disappoint. The space battles and planetary invasions are all there, but the real jewel of the game is in the ship design. Players are no longer limited to a few designs based on the race they have chosen. Instead, there is an entire mini-game built in for designing your own ships – right down to the shape and appearance. Not only can you customize what weapons, armor, and systems are included on your ships, but their placement on the hull. The designer uses hardpoints and a very intuitive system for adding components, including cosmetic components that make the possible designs almost limitless! (Obviously, this was one of my favorite aspects of the preview build).

Overall, Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords is looking to be a major entry into the Turn-Based Strategy genre. Already it sports beautiful graphics and solid audio, and has so many options for customization that nearly any type of player should be able to find a balance that best suits their style of play. Though not complete, the game also has a great sense of humor; the periodic updates from the Galactic New Network were very tongue-in-cheek and made me laugh out loud several times. Clearly Stardock isn’t afraid to poke fun at some of the clichés ever-present in empire building games, and it only adds more fun to a great game. As my first look at Galactic Civilizations, it would seem that the game is nearly complete already, and I can only look forward to the full release.