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GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #14 - How many turns should that thing take?

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #14 - How many turns should that thing take? So how many turns should it take to get a thing? Turn based games live and die on pacing balance. We don’t have a speed button to zip over bad pacing choices. So we have to be very, very careful on the number of turns something takes to get. Take research for example. How many turns? 1 turn seems too generous. 8 turns is pretty long. But do you make the tech cost more or find ways to reduce the amount of re... [read more]

5/1/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #13 - AlienGPT

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #13 - GPT GPT stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer” and since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT the world of generative AI has really taken off. For the past several months, we have been working to build GPT technology into our Tachyon engine, Stardock’s cloud-based metagaming technology that has previously been seen in Ashes of the Singularity, Offworld Trading Company and Star Control: Origins. Thanks to OpenAI’s ChatGPT API and Tachyon, we are proud... [read more]

4/27/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Now in Early Access - Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Edition now available in early access Early Access adds ChatGPT integration: AlienGPT [Early Access Gameplay Trailer] Stardock has released the latest sequel of its award-winning space strategy game series today into early access. Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova sees the player as the ruler of a united home world that has just discovered faster-than-light travel. Join Early Access Now: www.galciv4.com ... [read more]

4/27/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv News

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #12 - Humanoids?

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #12 - Humanoids? One of the things we are definitely looking at widely expanding are the number of different species categories: There’s a lot of reasons to do this. For one, I think it would be a good way to have several different tech trees. Right now, the tech tree in the game is different per race but they are all derived from the same master. But imagine if we could make it so that each biology category had its own completely different tech tree? ... [read more]

4/24/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #11 - The AI Elephant in the Room

Supernova makes heavy use of AI art generation. While our human art staff on GalCiv IV is the biggest it’s ever been, the art team has made a great deal of use of using AI to vastly increase the amount of variance of art assets in the game. There are a lot of different types of AI generated content in Supernova including text, missions, AI dialog, citizen portraits and even the aliens themselves. Some uses of AI are controversial. For example, one of the controversial aspects of AI art... [read more]

4/20/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #10 - Little New Things

I spend a lot of time debugging AI in games. This means having to play the game over and over and over again trying to see why the AI is doing something dumb. Two features that will be rolling out into Supernova and then back to the base game are: Fast Move Fast Battles When you turn these on, ships move instantly to their destination and battles occur without any fanfare. It makes the turns go by insanely fast. ____________________________________________________... [read more]

4/13/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE: Sins of a Solar Empire II - Technical Preview 5

Technical Preview 5 Features Major AI and UI Improvements, Audio Balancing, Quality-of-Life Updates, and More Read the full changelog Greetings, Sins II players! Thanks to everyone who played during our opt-in period and sent us any bug reports or weird issues that you came across. Your diligence helps us deliver the best game possible, and we're happy to let you know that Technical Preview 5 is now officially released. Before we talk about what's in the... [read more]

4/13/2023 By Tatiora in Sins of a Solar Empire News

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #9 - The FAQ

What is Galactic Civilizations? GalCiv is a 4X turn-based strategy game series where players lead civilizations, expanding and conquering the galaxy. What is a 4X game? In 4X games, players explore space, expand empires, manage resources, and strategize in battles for galactic dominance. So this is the 4th GalCiv game, then? Technically, it’s the 7th as there were 3 versions on IBM’s OS/2 operating system in the 1990s. GalCiv is the oldest, continually dev... [read more]

4/5/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #8 - The Supernova Crisis

In the year 2245, the Terran Alliance and their coalition had emerged victorious in a battle against the Drengin Empire, thanks to the recovery of a mysterious Precursor weapon. The Thalans, an advanced civilization that claimed to be from a nightmare future where humans were responsible for the destruction of the entire Milky Way galaxy, persuaded the humans to send the Precursor weapon back into the void of the pocket dimension it had been previously sent to. Shortly after, the Thalan Empir... [read more]

3/31/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Sins II: Dev Journal 8 - An RTS with a Changing Map

The Art of War tells us that there are five fundamental factors to war: Politics, Weather, Terrain, the Commander, and Doctrine. But the terrain has been largely static in RTS’s. A new feature of Sins of a Solar Empire II is that all the planets are in active orbits. Their location and the links between them change over time. Because the orbit differs based on how far from the sun the planet is (Mercury orbits our sun much faster than Uranus), formerly cohesive empires can become scattere... [read more]

3/31/2023 By DerekPaxton in Sins Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #7 - What's New in Supernova

A recap of what Galactic Civilizations is To recap, Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is a turn-based 4X space strategy game set in the 24th century with players taking on the role of leader of a civilization that has just developed faster than light (FTL) travel. Supernova adds an additional layer – civilizations are on the verge of discovery subspace streams which allow for intergalactic travel. Civilizations must explore their area of space, expand their influence through colonizi... [read more]

3/30/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Announced Today!

Stardock Announces Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova An array of new features and improvements include brand-new civilizations, Terror Star units, improved systems, and much more Stardock, a leading developer of 4X strategy and simulation games, announced the launch Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova , the latest installment in their acclaimed Galactic Civilizations franchise today. Explore an enhanced ideology system by ... [read more]

3/30/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv News

NOW AVAILABLE: Galactic Civilizations IV v1.12 Update

Galactic Civilizations IV v1.12 update is here with fixes, balance updates, and performance improvements Read the changelog It's here: the v1.12 update for Galactic Civilizations IV ! In v1.12, we focused on fixing issues, all the way from minor typo corrections to some bigger problems, like ship components that weren't working properly. Some community members also expressed confusion about why the rush button wasn't working, so we included a tool tip there that expla... [read more]

3/23/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv News

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #6 - Technology and Ideology Changes

Greetings, fellow space explorers! It's time for another exciting update on the development of GalCiv IV: Supernova. Today, we're going to talk about some changes coming to the technology tree and ideologies. First up, let's talk about the technology tree. Technology choices are currently random in GalCiv IV, and while this added an element of unpredictable gameplay and replayability, it could also be frustrating when you desperately needed a specific technology and it just wouldn't show up... [read more]

3/23/2023 By Design_Zack in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Sins II: Dev Journal 7 - The Argonev Starbase

Although recognized as powerful battlestations, the Argonev-class starbases began their lives as civilian structures. Prior to the war, the Argonev served as orbital cities where families lived, major commerce hubs were established, and ships serviced on their treks across Trader space. By War Year 15 the TEC had determined that these massive bases would need to be repurposed for the war effort. Many of the civilian accommodations were removed to free up space for military hardware and const... [read more]

3/21/2023 By Yarlen in Sins Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE: Sins of a Solar Empire II - Technical Preview 4

Technical Preview 4 Features a Multiplayer Refresh, TEC Rebel Gameplay Updates, Research Improvements, and More Read the full changelog Greetings, Sins II players! Thanks to everyone who played during our opt-in period and sent us any bug reports or weird issues that you came across. Your diligence helps us deliver the best game possible, and we're happy to let you know that Technical Preview 4 is now officially released. Before we talk about what's in the new update, here's an imp... [read more]

3/16/2023 By Tatiora in Sins of a Solar Empire News

Save up to 75% on Stardock games, DLC, and software in the Steam Spring Sale!

Save up to 75% on Stardock Games and Software! Offworld Trading Company ( Includes FREE: Jupiter's Forge Expansion and Almanac DLC) $29.99 Now $11.99 - 60% Off Galactic Civilizations III ( Includes FREE: Crusade and Retribution Expansions, Mega Events DLC) $39.99 Now $12.79 - 68% Off Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation $29.99 Now $9.89 - 67% Off Star Control: Origins - Earth Rising $19.99 ... [read more]

3/16/2023 By Tatiora in Stardock Entertainment Announcements

Multiplayer Tidbits for the Sins of a Solar Empire II Technical Preview

We knew that when we announced Sins of a Solar Empire II that people were going to be excited. When we launched the Technical Preview back in November, there was one question everyone was asking right from the onset: when would we add multiplayer? Our multiplayer update came out of opt-in on February 21st and since then has been widely enjoyed by everyone who has played. We know how fun it is to be able to play with your friends - and we also know how long a good game of Sins can go when o... [read more]

3/9/2023 By Tatiora in Sins Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #5 - The Planets are Liars

As you know, in GalCiv IV core worlds are the backbone of your civilization. But not all planets are created equal. This is communicated in two ways: First, by the raw planetary inputs (minerals, tech, food, wealth, culture) and Second, by the types of tiles that the planet has on it. Unfortunately, in GalCiv IV, the two don't reflect on each other. They're disconnected. What I mean is that you could have a planet with a high tech raw resource input and have no tiles t... [read more]

3/8/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III v4.52 Fixes Issues and Updates Balance

Galactic Civilizations III v4.52 Fixes Issues and Updates Balance Full changelog available at the bottom of the post Greetings, Galactic Civilizations III fans! Our latest update is out of opt-in and is now available for you. See Lord Kona smiling up there? Yeah, he's excited, too. In v4.52 we focused on fixing a few issues that our users have reported. It was brought to our attention that the Promethion cost in the Industrial Replicator improvement and ... [read more]

3/7/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv III News

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #4 - Event Updates

Hello everyone, I hope this post finds you well and ready for another update on GalCiv IV: Supernova. Today I will be talking about some updates to the event system. Galactic Civilizations IV (GalCiv IV) is a 4x game that provides players with a vast, dynamic universe to explore and conquer. As a part of that experience, we've included a system of random events that players can encounter throughout the game. These events serve to keep the game world feeling alive and unpredictable, but we've ... [read more]

3/1/2023 By Design_Zack in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Sins II: Dev Journal 6 - The Dunov Battlecruiser

The Dunov Battlecruiser - from its humble beginnings as a simple cargo carrier for the Trade Order, the Dunov has secured an impressive war record for the TEC. Originally starting its design life as a heavy cargo carrier, the Dunov class plied the trade routes between members of the old Trade Order for centuries. With the creation of the TEC, the Dunov’s heavy frame was modified into a versatile support ship. The vessel’s heavy armor was augmented with a modicum of weapons and a number of u... [read more]

2/27/2023 By Yarlen in Sins Dev Journals

GalCiv IV timeline after 2245

• 2245: The Terran Alliance and their coalition defeat the Drengin Empire with the help of a mysterious Precursor weapon. • 2246: Planet Kona occupied, beginning of the United Planets occupation forced upon the Drengin Empire • 2247: The Thalans convince the humans to send the Precursor weapon back into the void of the pocket dimension, and they disappear shortly after. • 2256: The Drengin Empire finds a crashed Navigator ship and unlock Subspace streams. &b... [read more]

2/25/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE: Sins of a Solar Empire II - Tech Preview 3, Multiplayer Update

Sins of a Solar Empire II Adds Multiplayer to Technical Preview, Adds Visual Enhancements Take over an existing AI empire in a multiplayer game or start fresh matches via game codes, searchable lobbies, or quick join options. See the full changelog Stardock and Ironclad Games released a new update to the Technical Preview for Sins of a Solar Empire II today. The update adds the highly anticipated multiplayer feature, new ship models, an updated... [read more]

2/14/2023 By Tatiora in Sins of a Solar Empire News

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #3 - Battle Viewer And Ship Behavior Improvements

I hope this dev log finds you well and ready for some exciting updates on GalCiv IV: Supernova. Today, I wanted to share with you some recent work we've been doing on the battle viewer. First and foremost, we have completely redone the cinematic mode. We know that players love to watch their battles unfold in a dramatic and visually stunning way, so we took this to heart and completely overhauled the camera movements. The result is an epic and movie-like experience that truly captures the fee... [read more]

2/13/2023 By Design_Zack in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE - Star Control: Origins v1.62!

Star Control: Origins v1.62 Update Addresses Crash Reports and Updates Balance For full details, see the changelog! In a galaxy as vast and varied as the one in Star Control: Origins, we can't always see everything. That's why we appreciate whenever our incredible community shares their crash reports with us! We do our best to get into the game quickly and fix the problems so that we can ensure your experience protecting the galaxy is a fun one. In v1.62, we address ... [read more]

2/7/2023 By Tatiora in Star Control News

NOW AVAILABLE: Galactic Civilizations IV v1.11 Update

Galactic Civilizations IV v1.11 Update Adds German Language Support, Adjusts Game Balance, and More Read the changelog It's here: German language support for Galactic Civilizations IV! In addition, v1.11 focuses on updating some numbers behind the scenes to improve game balance and create a better overall gameplay experience. We updated the Warrior ability to deal increased damage, but took away the ranged weapon benefits. Leader events are popular among our commu... [read more]

2/1/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv News

Sins II: Dev Journal 5 - The Sova Carrier

This installment of our dev journal series we take a look at the updated TEC Sova carrier. Prior to the war, strikecraft had proven to be an effective countermeasure to pirate incursions around planetary systems. After the arrival of the Vasari Exodus Fleet, the necessity for a mobile platform for strikecraft quickly became a necessity. With the need to project power and secure territory more important than ever, the updated Sova-class has been overhauled into a true mobile war machine. ... [read more]

1/25/2023 By Yarlen in Sins Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE: v4.51 Update for Galactic Civilizations III

Galactic Civilizations III v4.51 Brings Balance Updates & Game Fixes Greetings, galactic conquerers! Our v4.51 update for Galactic Civilizations III is out of opt-in and fully released today. For full release details, make sure to check the changelog at the bottom of the post. Thanks so much to everyone who tried out the opt-in and shared their feedback with us! Your opinions, bug hunts, and crash reports help us so much to continue making this game the best it... [read more]

1/24/2023 By Tatiora in GalCiv III News

Lookback: Sins of a Solar Empire through the years

The storied legacy of Sins of a Solar Empire began way back on October 10th, 2006 - announcement day! This was long before my time at Stardock - or before I’d even heard of it, for that matter - but fortunately for me, our forums hold a great deal of history that’s just a few search queries away. From Brad’s welcome post: “Stardock Entertainment, the creators of Galactic Civilizations, and Ironclad Games which includes developers from Homeworld: Cataclysm, have... [read more]

1/19/2023 By Tatiora in Sins Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #2 - Updating Visuals

One of the things this Winter we're doing is updating the graphics of GalCiv IV in lots of various ways. One upcoming update to GalCiv IV will be a revision to all the planetary improvements. For example: [New research building] With 4K and 1440p becoming more common we really needed to up the game. We will also be updating some of the minor races. So for instance, remember this guy? Pretty grotesque. He's being updated with this guy: ... [read more]

1/9/2023 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

New Language Support on our Sins Discord

When we first launched our Discord channel for Sins of a Solar Empire, we only supported English communication. However, as the game gained popularity in other parts of the world, we received numerous requests for additional language support. So we decided to add French, German, and Russian support to the Discord channel, thanks to our very own Zabik who is fluent in all of these! The addition of these languages has allowed us to better serve players and create a more inclusive community. We ... [read more]

1/6/2023 By redskittlesonly in Sins of a Solar Empire News

Save up to 75% on Stardock games, DLC, and software during the Steam Winter Sale!

Save up to 75% on Stardock Games and Software! The Steam Winter Sale Star Control: Origins $29.99 Now $11.99 - 60% Off Galactic Civilizations III ( Includes FREE: Crusade and Retribution Expansions, Mega Events DLC) $39.99 Now $12.79 - 68% Off Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation $29.99 Now $9.89 - 67% Off Offworld Trading Company ( Includes FREE: Jupiter's Forge Expansion and Almanac D... [read more]

12/22/2022 By Tatiora in Stardock Entertainment Announcements

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #1 - The 2023 plan

So this Spring will mark the one year anniversary of the release of Galactic Civilizations IV. And we have some really big plans for it. We've been working hard on a major revamp of the entire game. Here are some of the areas we are making big changes: Totally new combat system. Beam vs. Kinetic vs. Missile as a rock paper scissors mechanic against shields, armor and point defense is going away. Instead, various types of weapons will have their own pros and cons in... [read more]

12/22/2022 By Frogboy in GalCiv IV Dev Journals

NOW AVAILABLE: v4.5 Update for Galactic Civilizations III

Galactic Civilizations III v4.5 Update Improves AI, Early Game, Diplomatic Trades, and More Read the changelog v4.5 makes some updates that help get your early game moving just a little bit faster. You now start with 2 scouts and all starting worlds have 4 more tiles and additional currency on them. Diplomatic trades have also been tweaked so that you can get a little more bang for your buck – or your Elerium, if credits simply aren’t enticing... [read more]

12/21/2022 By Tatiora in GalCiv III News

GalCiv III v4.5 [released] and other Stardock Stuff

When I say “Learn to code” I really mean it because man, ever since Covid hit we have just been behind the eightball on getting things done in a timely way. We need more engineers. Star Control: Origins on XBOX Series X is in Certification, Galactic Civilizations IV is about to get a major overhaul, Sins of a Solar Empire II just had a technical alpha update and we have a huge new game in development that hasn’t been announced. And this doesn’t even count f... [read more]

12/18/2022 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Sins of a Solar Empire II Technical Preview Expands With New Faction, Gameplay Systems, and Units

Now with the TEC Rebel faction, new and updated game systems, additional units, a random map and more Stardock and Ironclad Games released a new update for the Sins of a Solar Empire II Technical Preview today. The update adds the TEC Rebel faction, new and updated game systems, additional units, a random map and more. Players have previously been able to play as the TEC Loyalist faction, but now they can also access the TEC Rebel faction with an expanded roster to bring ... [read more]

12/15/2022 By Tatiora in Sins of a Solar Empire News

Star Control: Origins v1.6 Makes Major Visual Enhancements, Improves Performance

Star Control ® : Origins ™ v1.6 Update Improves Visual Fidelity for Ships and Leaders Stardock released a v1.6 update for Star Control: Origins today. The update includes a major visual overhaul for the aliens and starships. The memory footprint of the game was simultaneously reduced thanks to new updates to Stardock’s Cider engine. Star Control: Origins is&nb... [read more]

12/8/2022 By Tatiora in Star Control News

Sins II: Dev Journal 4 - The Marza Dreadnought

For our next installment of the key units of the Trader Emergency Coalition we have the Marza Dreadnought. The Marza started its life as a mining ship, capable of blasting part asteroids for their raw materials to fuel the Trader worlds' economic expansion. As the war dragged on, it became apparent that the TEC needed a capital ship capable of laying siege to enemy worlds. The perfect choice for this role was to retrofit the Marza with a variety of devastating weapons. The current incarnation... [read more]

12/7/2022 By Yarlen in Sins Dev Journals

Celebrating 30 Years of Star Control II!

Happy Anniversary, Star Control II - Celebrating 30 years Check out our official anniversary webpage [ View fan art/stories, interviews, and enjoy a special gift ] 30 years ago, Star Control II captivated our imaginations and cemented itself as one of the greatest games of all time (the 17 th best game ever, in fact, according to IGN.com). T hank you to the incredible team of designers, writers, musicians, marketers, and many more who made Star Contr... [read more]

11/30/2022 By Tatiora in Star Control News

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