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Galactic Civilizations III v2.3 (base game) update

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade is the future of Galactic Civilizations but we haven't forgotten about the hundreds of thousands of players who play the base game.  We are busy working on version 2.3 which should be coming out soon as part of a major update to both the base game and Crusade.  This article details some of the highlighted areas we're focusing on. Diplomacy Some of the improvements to the diplomacy system in Crusade have been brought back ... [read more]

6/11/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Yea...you should probably just skip right to GalCiv III: Crusade

With the Steam Summer sale coming up, we wanted to make sure that the base game of GalCiv III gets a nice refresh.  It's proving difficult because while GalCiv III: Crusade is sold as an "expansion pack" to GalCiv III, under the covers it's more like a sequel. The screenshot above is just some of the changes to the diplomacy screen.  The underlying code base is very different. [read more]

6/11/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation v2.3 is Now Available

Juggernauts and a Brand New Campaign Arrive in v2.3 Dominate the battlefield with two brand new tier 4 warships and experience the fully voiced "Genesis" campaign   Let's take a Quick Look at these Terrifying Tier 4 units:   PHC - The Leonidas A heavy Dreadnought destroyer, this ship boasts the most powerful weapon ever mounted on a construct. It can tear Dreadnoughts apart and stand up to assaults by using its rail cannons and auto cannon... [read more]

6/8/2017 By Island Dog in Ashes of the Singularity News

Pick 2: Polish, low price, sophisticated gameplay

This is a response to the excellent article over at one of my favorite sites, Explorminate . In the article, author Oliver Kiley laments on what he sees as the current unpolished state of the modern 4X market. He defines what he defines what he means by polish: Before going further, I should clarify what, in my mind, a “polished” game has: No major imbalances or exploits in the game that undermine its intended gameplay No major bugs – particu... [read more]

6/6/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

GalCiv Journal: June 2017 [Summer updates coming!]

Greetings! We are working on version 2.3 for Crusade and the base game simultaneously. We don't have a final date but I expect you will start seeing opt-ins very soon. I want to make you guys aware of some important changes happening on Steam that will affect you. Review Scores Some of you may have noticed I've been harping about the Steam user review scores. If you're noticing an ever increasing disconnect between your opinion of a game and the user review score of a ga... [read more]

6/1/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III Dev Journals

wccftech gives Jupiter's Forge 8/10!

“Jupiter’s Forge expands on Offworld Trading Company, taking you to Jupiter’s moon, Io. With this area comes two new factions, a range of new buildings and a whole new way in how to manage resources. Io is a try planet, there is no water to pump and the game will challenge you in a way that makes it feel fresh.” -Chris Wray, wccftech See the full review here: http://wccftech.com/review/offworld-trading-company-jupiters-forge/ [read more]

5/30/2017 By Island Dog in Offworld News

Crusade is a "deeper, more rewarding experience" - USgamer rates 4.5/5!

“If you’re looking to quench your 4X hunger, Crusade makes Galactic Civilizations III one of the more robust, high-quality offerings out there,” USgamer’s Mike Williams writes. “Crusade is everything that an expansion should be. It takes [the base game], sands off the rough edges, and adds new options for a deeper, more strategic experience. The new citizens system offers more late-game options, espionage returns, planetary invasions are more tactical, and alongs... [read more]

5/30/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Crusade “flings new ideas at you with every turn” - PCGamesN rates a 9/10!

"Crusade is a two-pronged attack against Galactic Civilization III’s status quo,” writes Fraser Brown of PCGamesN. “The first assault takes on nuisances like the hefty UI and the sometimes hard-to-parse research screen. It brings clarity and streamlining. The second is the bolder attack. New races, espionage, citizens and meaningful invasions flesh out the galaxy and chuck in new challenges for good measure.” Check out the full review here: https://www.pcgamesn.com/g... [read more]

5/25/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

“This DLC is a Game Changer” - COG Connected gives Crusade a 90!

“[Crusade] can rightly be called a complete overhaul of the original 2015 version of the game. With changes to the AI, new features, and more customization options, Crusade gives players more control over how they play and generally improves the playing experience,” Patrick Anderson at COG Connected writes. “Stardock has clearly gone to great lengths to allow players to make Galactic Civilizations III the game that they want.” Check out the full review here: http://c... [read more]

5/25/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Ludicrous update to Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade arrives!

The biggest, deepest space 4X just got bigger and deeper!   Ludicrous update to Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade has arrived! The best-selling space 4X series of all time recently got its biggest expansion pack ever: Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade.  Today, Stardock has released the first major update to it that adds a new map size, fixes bugs, improves balance and adds some new features. Plymouth, Michigan. May 14. Owners of the Crusade expansion pack to S... [read more]

5/24/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Trial by Toxin - Io's Campaign

Jupiter’s Forge is the first major expansion to Offworld Trading Company and it certainly wouldn’t be complete without additions to the campaign. Io has come to OTC, bringing with it significant changes to to resource tree, specifically centered around water. This means that simply adding to the Martian campaign was never going to be enough, and Io therefore has received its own separate campaign. Every CEO in Offworld has received a new set of engineers that will be av... [read more]

5/24/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

“An example of what a good expansion can be” - Gaming Nexus gives Crusade a 9.5!

This edition contains much more than the usual ‘a couple new races, some new techs, and new challenge maps,’” Tom Bitterman at Gaming Nexus writes. “There have been some serious changes to core game mechanics included. …[This game is] worth the 20 bucks and more.” To read about the game’s new features and how much depth and breadth it adds to the Galactic Civilizations III experience, take a look at the full review here: https://gamingnexus.com/... [read more]

5/23/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

New Jupiter's Forge Expansion for Offworld Trading Company Releases Today!

Thrive on the Volcanic Moon of Io and Crush your Competition in Jupiter's Forge You thought Mars   was a tough environment? Think again . Prudent business decisions take you to Jupiter's moon, Io, to harvest its resources and keep an edge on your competition. Io's 42-hour days and lack of an atmosphere means that you'll have to change your strategy and choose what to build very carefully! Radiation storms, sulfur frosts, tremors, and harsh landscapes threaten your ... [read more]

5/18/2017 By Island Dog in Offworld News

The Diadem Trust - Elite Entrepreneurs

The Nomads of the Penrose Collective aren’t the only ones throwing their hats into the ring. With them comes the Diadem Trust, known quite simply as the Elites. Led by Philippa Ndiaye, this faction is not looking to be sneaky, crafty, or clever. Their plan is to overwhelm to competition with the raw strength of their corporate empire. Every last bonus the Trust brings with them comes from their superior advanced buildings. Some of these bonuses are straightforward, and easily exploitabl... [read more]

5/17/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

Crusade AI verdict: May 2017

From time to time I like to do a full AI evaluation to see where a given game is.  The reason I started programming in the first place was to write AI.  25 years later, we have Crusade. So how does it stack up? I've scored the other AIs Stardock (or I) have developed over the years and I suspect my literal score changes slightly due to faulty memory.  But here is where I see the various GalCiv games.  BTW, while the score is 1 through 10, it i... [read more]

5/15/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Offworld Trading Company: Jupiter's Forge Releases Thursday, May 18th

Conquer the volcanic moon of Io this Thursday, May 18 in Offworld Trading Company: Jupiter's Forge Offworld Trading Company is an economic strategy game from Civilization IV's lead designer, Soren Johnson. Competition on Earth has grown as resources have started to deplete, so businesses have turned their attention to Mars in order to turn a profit. Hire pirates to raid your enemies' assets, research patents to gain an edge over your competition, ship resources back to... [read more]

5/15/2017 By Tatiora in Offworld News

GalCiv Journal: May 2017

Long ago there was Galactic Civilizations II, Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar and Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor.  While Twilight of the Arnor is often considered the best of the GalCiv II series, for many it was really Dark Avatar that took GalCiv II from being a good to a great game. This month, we released the second expansion to Galactic Civilizations III. Crusade is a similarly major change to the base ga... [read more]

5/14/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Crusade: What should go into the base game?

I'm highly biased.  I not only think Crusade is better than GalCiv III but I think Crusade is better than any version of GalCiv we've ever made.  But not everyone will agree with me and thus, we should discuss what is going to be "back ported" into the base game. In no particular order, I will like the major elements into 3 different categories. Category 1: Features that will remain exclusive to Crusade External Ship Designer Ci... [read more]

5/13/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

The Penrose Collective, Nomads of Io

The promise of a new theater of capitalism has brought new competitors with it. The first of these is The Penrose Collective (also known as "Nomads"), a ragtag community brought together under the unifying leadership of Ezra Hoang. This group’s atypical practices have allowed them to find a place in the still young solar economy.     Much like our other abnormal corporation - the outcast Scavengers - the Nomads don’t rely on steel to form the foundation of their... [read more]

5/10/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

GalCiv III: Crusade - Ludicrous Game

The expansion pack to Galactic Civilizations III, Crusade, adds a new multicore job system for handling turns.  This means that turns are dramatically faster late game.  When Crusade first game out, people asked for even bigger maps.  So the first update (due this week) has them. Now, I don't recommend this map size.  I don't personally play it at this map size (or insane before it).  But many people really love these crazy large maps. So here's a game ... [read more]

5/7/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Stupid Alien Tricks

I'm posting this on my brand-new 4K monitor. I'm not saying that having this monitor makes me better than you. I'm not saying that having this monitor makes me morally superior. But I'm not saying it doesn't either. If you have Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade you probably find the new economy to be a massive change from the base game. If you don't have Crusade, well, yea, you're a bad person. Like, literally (not figuratively) history's greatest monster.&#160... [read more]

5/7/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

GalCiv III: Crusade - Player's Guide

And now...I give you.. The super happy fun guide for conquering the universe Or at least the galaxy By Brad Wardell April 2017 Introduction... So you've decided to conquer the galaxy. Good for you! Let me start by saying that Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade is the greatest game in human history. Nay, the greatest creation of all the universe. At least, that's what marketing told me to say (please send help, they're going to take my thumbs!) This impressively f... [read more]

5/5/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade is Available Today!

The Critically Acclaimed Space 4X Strategy Game, Galactic Civilizations III  Gets Its Biggest Expansion Ever! Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade comes packed with tons of new features,  base game improvements, and so much more Experience a whole new side of Galactic Civilizations III with the Crusade expansion! Packed with new features, Crusade provides a level of strategic depth that fixes the late-game grind and gives players what they’ve been craving. ... [read more]

5/4/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

OTC's Anniversary, an Update for Returning Players

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Dev Journal. Jupiter’s Forge development continues, but this week we’re going to take a break from talking about it. This is because we’ve seen many returning players coming back to OTC, and given that we’ve just celebrated Offworld’s first anniversary this past week it seemed like a good to time to catch them up on some of the major changes we’ve seen this year. - Balance - OTC hasn’t seen many majo... [read more]

5/3/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

Haven Rises: A GalCiv III: Crusade AAR

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade is almost here.  The biggest, most complex space 4X ever. Every game is different. This is my story. Your story will be different.   PART I: We are far away from Earth There is no Earth here. Earth is thousands of light years away. The heroic Jenna Casey has settled a planet on the planet of Haven.  The last ship of the fleet, The Bounty, looks desperately for supplies. Th... [read more]

5/2/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade gets release date!

Stardock has set a release date for the biggest expansion pack it has ever created: May 4! A little over a week away from the time of this post. Galactic Civilizations III is a space-based strategy game set in a future where humanity has begun to explore the stars. Players explore the galaxy, colonize new worlds, research new technologies, negotiate with alien civilizations, design star ships, fight epic wars, build vast trading empires, and much more. Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade, ... [read more]

4/26/2017 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Water Water Nowhere, and Yet You Need to Drink

Last week we covered what’s available (and not available) on the surface of Io. The schedule says this week we’re going to have a special journal entry for OTC’s anniversary. That’s still coming in a couple of days, but for now we’re going to talk about all the new buildings available on Io and how you can use them to survive on this truly barren rock. - Water - Finding water on Mars is not easy. Buried far underground or in ice that has to be... [read more]

4/26/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

PREVIEW GUIDE: Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade is an expansion pack for Stardock's popular 4X space strategy game, Galactic Civilizations III.  Crusade is a top-to-bottom update of the entire game.  This article will walk you through what's new, what's changed and try to explain it for those who may not be familiar with the series. The Specs Title : Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade Platform : Windows PC, 64-bit Price : $19.99 if you already have Galactic Civilizations... [read more]

4/26/2017 By Draginol in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade - The First Turn

  Crusade is the space strategy game made by 4X nuts for 4X nuts.   Let's do this. What is Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade? In 2015, Stardock released the latest entry in its popular 4X space strategy game series, Galactic Civilizations III. 4X means eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate and is turn-based.  GalCiv III was well received (81 metacritic) and has a recent Steam review score of 82.  However, coming from Galactic Civilizations II (94... [read more]

4/24/2017 By Draginol in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations through the ages

Galactic Civilizations has the distinction of being the longest running strategy game developed by the same company. Let's take a look at how it has changed. Galactic Civilizations OS/2 The game that started it all.  I wrote this game from my dorm room in college.    Galactic Civilizations for OS/2 (1993)   First commercial multithreaded game First commercial game to use more than 256 colors First commercial 32-bit game It was written for I... [read more]

4/23/2017 By Draginol in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Everything You Need to Know About Io

Hello everyone, and welcome to our second dev journal about Jupiter’s Forge. Today we’re going to begin digging into the meat of the upcoming Offworld expansion, starting with the most obvious place, Io itself. As we talked about last week, Io is not a pleasant place to be. A good look at the moon’s surface should reveal why. Immediately alarming is the fact that Io is covered in lava flows and volcanic pits. However, most of this lava is composed of basalt. This is in fact ... [read more]

4/19/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

CRUSADE DIARY 8: A guided tour part 1

In our previous entries, we've discussed specific major new features of Crusade.  For this entry, we're going to go through a guided tour of what's new in Crusade over GalCiv III in terms of features and gameplay.  Strap in! Let me preface that this is long and probably a bit full of typos.  I wanted to get this out to you as soon as possible. It's long, but I hope you like it! -brad   Prior to the age of digital distribution, Crusade would be a sequel... [read more]

4/17/2017 By Draginol in GalCiv III Dev Journals

New "Inception" DLC for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is Now Available

Inception DLC features a new type of split scenario, new maps, and more! Choose your story in the first split-faction scenario in Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation Get it on Steam | Get it at Stardock   A mysterious entity known as Nihilon has returned to wreak havoc on the planet Oneiros and has seized control of some of the Substrate consciousnesses residing there. As the Substrate, you must rescue your corrupted brethren and find o... [read more]

4/13/2017 By Island Dog in Ashes of the Singularity News

Introducing Offworld Trading Company: Jupiter’s Forge

We’ve built a new home on Mars. It hasn’t been easy, it hasn’t been simple, and it hasn’t been safe. But for those with the will and cunning, it has been profitable. From Mars we went to Ceres, and created a refuge for belters across the system. Completely devoid of atmosphere and with a scarcity of resources that made Mars seem plentiful, Ceres was a challenge for even veteran Offworld entrepreneurs. And yet with all the resources of the belt flowing through, we onc... [read more]

4/12/2017 By Zultar327 in Offworld Dev Journals

New Jupiter's Forge Expansion for Offworld Trading Company Arrives this Spring!

Offworld Trading Company's new Jupiter's Forge expansion takes you to the volcanic moon of Io and challenges you to thrive You thought Mars was a harsh environment? Think again. Prudent business decisions take you to Jupiter's moon, Io, to harvest its resources and keep an edge on your competition. Io's 42-hour days and lack of an atmosphere means that you'll have to change your strategy and choose what to build very carefully! Radiation storms, sulfur frosts, la... [read more]

4/12/2017 By Island Dog in Offworld News

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - Forging an Empire

Recently, Ironclad Games and Stardock released version 1.9 of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion to players, marking the 5-year anniversary of the latest expansion. I've had the pleasure of working on Sins of a Solar Empire since we released the original title in 2008, and it's been great to see fans continue to play both the base game and the many mods that have been created for it. If you're new to the series, or looking to join in the fun, what is Sins of a Solar Empire all abou... [read more]

4/7/2017 By Yarlen in Sins Developer Journals

CRUSADE DIARY 7: Conquest

Let's begin this diary with the understanding that conquest is not the primary means to victory in Galactic Civilizations. While warfare is commonly seen as politics via other means, it is not the only or even the easiest way to "win".   That said, when you do go to war, you are dealing with battles on a scale that humans of the 21st century could scarcely imagine.  Invading a planet is an immense task. Invading entire worlds: BEFORE Since the start of t... [read more]

4/6/2017 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Massive v2.2 Update for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is Now Live!

Game Replays, Huge Balance Updates, New Maps, Modding Support, and More in v2.2 of Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation New features, updates, and adjustments have been made. For a full list, see the change log below! Game Replay  You've been asking, and here it is! The game replays remove the fog of war so that you can see absolutely  everything  that went on during your game. Scope out what your opponents wer... [read more]

4/6/2017 By Island Dog in Ashes of the Singularity News

v1.9 Update marks 5 Year Anniversary for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion!

v1.9 Modernization Update Improves Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion for Current PCs Get Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion on Steam for only $10! * Sins: Rebellion celebrates its 5-year anniversary with an update that brings significant changes to the game's engine, AI, graphics systems, and more! Modern gamers will enjoy an incredible remastered 4K experience, optimizations to late-game play, and improved memory capabilities. Major Features Gra... [read more]

4/4/2017 By Island Dog in Sins News

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