Zenicetus

Reply to The Techno-tree--S to be. in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

Zyxpsilon, Brad said in another thread somewhere that the trees aren't finalized yet, there will probably be additions and re-arrangements. So you'll probably want to wait for the final release. I get the impression that things are still pretty fluid in the beta. Also, we haven't seen the custom tech tree editor yet. Unless I'm mistaken, I think this will be some kind of GUI for viewing and editing the .XML tech trees. I assume that includes viewing the stock trees for the main races, s

Reply to GalCiv II: Twilight of the Arnor Beta 5 in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]@ZenicetusYou need 1000 points. Even if you get all 5 Ascension crystals (at roughly the same time, for simplicity's sake), that's still 200 turns. That's ~4 years. Have fun "rushing".[/quote] Ahhh... missed that part. I wonder if that isn't maybe one year too long? If it ties you down strategically for that long, many players may not bother with the option. It still might be interesting if one of the AI races goes for it.

Reply to Simple TA questions... in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

The beta is available for download only if you pre-order it (pay for it), and on that basis it's open to anyone. And yes, it works like DL or DA: it has its own launch icon and you can still launch the older games separately.

Reply to GalCiv II: Twilight of the Arnor Beta 5 in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

Nice change for ship maintenance! That eases the economic crunch a little in the colony rush, and trade will be more efficient (oooh... gotta start a Korx game this weekend). Constructors still cost maintenance, but they have a short life. The maintenance costs will mostly kick in when your economy is stronger, and you're cranking out military ships. Cool. The Ascension victory option is very interesting. If I'm reading it right, it's sort of a shortcut military victory, right? A race o

Reply to TotA: (im)balance issues? in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Unless I'm mistaken, the current TA beta hasn't yet been updated with any major changes to the AI, so that it knows how to make optimal use of the new "unique" racial techs. If that's true, then it's too early to know how evenly balanced the races will be, or if Stardock is aiming for perfect balance. Even with optimized AI, the unique techs (especially the economic ones) may make some races more challenging for the player than others. That's fine by me, as long as the AI can still put

Reply to Ships should have the ability to out manouver attacks! in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Since were talking about Ships and Nano Robotics in this game, eventually more advanced ships shouldn't be "manned" at all concidering the limitations which humans would have vs a computer with the "memory" span and functionality of almost an entire ship body. The only ships that wouldnt be able to withstand 5-10G acceleration would be colony ships and transport ships.[/quote] I agree this is the current direction airborne military hardware is going (i.e. robotics), but I don't t

Reply to Ships should have the ability to out manouver attacks! in Modding GalCiv2 Forums

It's true that larger ships with more mass would be less maneuverable (assuming all other things being equal, like ratios of engine size and power generators to hull size), but why would it be difficult to target and hit a smaller, more maneuverable ship? We're talking about advanced, space-faring civilizations here. They're not going to be aiming and shooting by hand (or tentacle, claw, whatever). Beam weapons work (presumably) at light speed, so they hit where you point them. Missile

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor...Ideas---> in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]However, the orbital defense platform module should be doable in the editor, eh? Would it be possible to install a module that applies a NEGATIVE speed modifier?[/quote] It depends on how modular the game engine is. If any existing effect that alters stats can be applied to [I]any[/I] object -- ship, planet, or starbase with no restrictions -- then there are lots of possibilities. We'll have fewer (but still interesting) possibilities if we have to stick to effects that

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor...Ideas---> in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Given that you can have starbase modules that decrease the opponent's speed while in the AOE, I'm not sure it's -that- much of a jump to have such a module on a ship, and it's definitely not a jump (or shouldn't be, anyway) to have it affect sensors.[/quote] It's a jump to have anything that forces a reduction in sensor range, because there's nothing already in the game that does this now. Where is that programming going to come from? My assumption (I could be wrong, I'

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor...Ideas---> in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]A sensor jammer as well, meaning that ships within a few parsecs of the jamming ship have their sensor range reduced.[/quote] I could be wrong, but I don't think the tech editor is going to support new game mechanics like sensor reduction, cloaking etc. I'm assuming that the tech editor will mostly just let us come up with new tech [I]names[/I] to support a custom race's back story, or fine tune things we don't like about the main race trees. For example, if I design a

Reply to Change to Forum Format in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Kryo, thanks for the update! On the upside, the server speed does seem MUCH faster now. No more "tabbing away" to read other sites while waiting for a post to load. I don't know if that's a hardware/bandwidth or software upgrade, but whatever it is, it's working very well.

Reply to Change to Forum Format in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I wonder if there has been a reduction in activity on the forums after the changes. Personally I find them less functional overall than before the upgrade, and aggravating enough to make me want to use them only as much as I "need" to.[/quote] Speaking only for myself, I'm not spending less [I]time[/I] per day here on the forum, but because I do have a limited time for forum surfing, and because the efficiency has gone way down, I'm not reading as many posts or interacting as mu

Reply to Forums are Back Up in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

My reply #41 started by hitting the Quote key for message #37: "I would like to comment that the text is not actually smaller. I did a couple of print screens (I have one before changes) to compare text, and they all look the same when you compare the letters." That's what I saw in the editor, when writing. But the actual post is now showing a quote from message #36, the prior message.

Reply to Forums are Back Up in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I'm noticing that the in the My Replies section, the post times for the "Last Reply" and "My Last Reply" are the same even though in the majority of cases I am not the most recent post.[/quote] What browser are you using? Firefox 2.0 here. Also, confirming earlier comments that the threat titles aren't showing old vs. new posts (check your colors for new vs. visited links, guys). I'm also not getting the jump to unread posts feature that was here, in the prior version.<

Reply to Forums are Back Up in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

Ditto what Binjack said... this forum was already difficult to read, even before the update, with this white-on-black text. I know the devs are probably thinking "space theme" but that's a terrible combination for legibility, and it's the reason you don't often see it used any more. I suppose that won't change, but the new smaller default font makes it even harder to read, especially on higher res desktops (I'm using 1600x1200). This font is tinier than in any other forum I visit. The m

Reply to Question on custom races and comment on ship designs in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

Custom races are disabled in the beta, because (I assume) the devs only want feedback on the main races and their unique tech trees, since that's the heart of the expansion. Player feedback on what works or doesn't with custom races wouldn't help iron out the balance issues. Custom races will be in the final TA release (AFAIK), and that should get REALLY interesting with the new tech tree editor.

Reply to Master Of Magic in Off-Topic GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] Sovereign of sorcery LOL Actually I like that one. [/quote] Me too. I'm sure Stardock already has a name, but this is fun. How about: Ace of the Arcane Sultan of Spells Mistress of the Mysterium (hey, why not rope in a few more female players?) Nabob of Necromancy

Reply to Yahoo Games Scored GalCiv2 4/5 in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] They rated GalCiv II's graphics as less than Darwinia's. I like Darwinia, thought it was a very good game but graphics wasn't...it's strongest point. They also rated Darwinia's music a full star ahead of GalCiv II's. [/quote] I played Darwinia too, and I don't understand that comparison either. The only thing cool about the Darwinia graphics, was that the game context allowed ultra-minimalist, abstract 3D creatures and terrain, and it still worked. The g

Reply to Universal translator in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] So what's the deal? Is this a tech that's essentially useless for the AI but required for me? [/quote] It does seem weird on the surface, but it makes more sense if you think of it as not just a translator, but a device that [I]initiates[/I] a conversation. So if the Thalans have one and you don't, they can contact you if they want to, and it provides two-way translation. But you can't initiate a conversation with them if you don't have it. You're lacking the device tha

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor Beta 4C in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] If that's all the minor races are intended to be, then why even have them in the game? I thought I'd read that they were going to get a bit of individual flavor and become more interesting. [/quote] It takes a lot of effort to give just the major races an individual flavor. That's the whole point of the TA expansion, and look at how much testing and fine-tuning is required to balance things, so that some races aren't ridiculously easy to play and others are ridiculously

Reply to sci-fi movies and shows in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I remember that UFO series... man, talk about low budget! I didn't think much of it at the time, but maybe I should take another look. Let's see... old and obscure. How about "Quark"? That was a short-lived series starring Richard Benjamin that satirized Trek and the other sci-fi hits back in the 70's. Here's the Wiki page: [link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_%28TV_series%29"]WWW Link[/link] Aside from Quark, all the other Trek and Star Wars spin-offs from that t

Reply to sci fi books in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Yes, read the "Gripping Hand" if you liked the first Moties novel. I read all the sequels to "Ringworld," but they didn't impress me as much as the original. Still worth reading though, if you're a Niven fan. I'd also recommend "Footfall" and "The Legacy of Heorot" as two of his better novels outside the Known Space series (IIRC he co-wrote Footfall with Pournelle). The best hard sci-fi/space opera I've read since the old Larry Niven days is by Alastair Reynolds. He's sort of a darker,

Reply to Did any one else know, you can put your own pics and insignias in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I'm seeing those stretched-out portraits in the contact window also. They've been there ever since the DA expansion, I think, and the TA beta still does it. On my system it only happens with the static portraits for minor races. The animated major race portraits all look fine. I'm running the game at 1600x1200 resolution... maybe it happens at some resolutions and not others? Or is everyone seeing this?

Reply to Hyperdrive...how in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Yeah, that never made sense to me either, but then the backstory doesn't really work in anything but a campaign game. In sandbox mode, you have races meeting each other for the first time, that supposedly once shared a planet, or had a horrible war. But none of that is reflected in the diplomacy screens. Like when you play the Iconians and first run into the Yor. "Hi, we're the Yor, watch out, we're dangerous." Yeah, I KNOW you're dangerous, and remind me why we aren't immediately declaring war

Reply to Recurring Anomolies/Resources in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] I believe these were added to gameplay to give a certain sense of progress to the "beginner-like" players... and provide a simulated random factor. Indirectly, they really are nothing short of extreme variables which can create some advantages. Specially, the worm-hole incident ! [/quote] The scattered anomalies also help in establishing contact between races. I don't bother manually exploring to establish trading or diplomacy contacts, because I know that