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Dev Stream Tomorrow (Friday, April 11) at Noon PDT

Lead designer Paul Boyer and I are broadcasting live to the Internet at large again tomorrow, playing some Galactic Civilizations III and taking your questions. Catch it at 12pm Pacific time (3pm Eastern, 9pm CET for our friends across the ocean) on the official Stardock Twitch channel . This may be a silly idea, but since the internal build doesn't have anything super-exciting to show right now (it's just bug fixes so far, but we have BIG PLANS. PLANS SO BIG YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW)... [read more]

4/10/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

Dev Stream Tomorrow (Friday, April 4) at Noon PST

I've finally got the equipment set up and Mormegil (lead designer Paul Boyer) convinced to do a developer stream of Galactic Civilizations III at http://twitch.tv/stardock .Tune in at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern) tomorrow to ask your questions live and/or see how effectively I can troll Paul on-air. We'll keep the video up so you can watch it on demand later, of course. I was originally planning on streaming the internal build as a preview of upcoming changes, but then the devs d... [read more]

4/3/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

Alpha Patch 0.0.2.0 is live!

We’ve already pushed out our first post-launch patch for the Galactic Civilizations III alpha, thanks in no small part to the feedback our Elite Founders have been providing in the mere week they’ve had with the game. We’re extremely pleased with the thoughtful feedback and excellent bug-reporting our Founders have been helping us out with. Thank you! To download the patch, simply connect to Steam and let the automatic download magic happen. You may have to restart you... [read more]

4/3/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

Elite Founder Star Naming is Live!

Elite Founders can submit their star names – and their names to be included in the special thanks credit – for Galactic Civilizations III today. Simply head to https://www.galciv3.com/nameastar and login with your Stardock account (that you purchased the Elite Founders edition with) to submit your names. Please note that any content Stardock deems inappropriate will invalidate your entire submission. We keep open minds and Galactic Civilizations III is certainly not a ser... [read more]

4/2/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

My evening playing GalCiv everything!

Galactic Civilizations III     Galactic Civilizations II     Galactic Civilizations I   Spent my evening today trying out the various Galactic Civilizations versions over the years. Each has their own particular strengths.  If you don’t have the original Galactic Civilizations for Windows, I highly recommend picking it up. It has a real “indie” charm to it. Now, the GalCiv III screenshot here is of the alpha . The ... [read more]

3/26/2014 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III Alpha Available Now

The day is here! Our Elite Founders can download the Galactic Civilizations III client through Steam (check your email or Stardock account for your Steam key if you bought directly from Stardock) and get to conquering. This first playable version of Galactic Civilization III includes: Four of the eight races (Drengin, Terran, Altarian, and the new Iridium) Conquest victory enabled First technological era available for testing New interstellar terrain First glimpse at new Ideolog... [read more]

3/26/2014 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Evolution of Galactic Civilizations

Greetings! I was thinking the other day on how Galactic Civilizations has evolved over the years.  Let’s take a look: Feature GalCiv OS/2 GalCiv I GalCiv II GalCiv III Core 4X mechanics x x x x United Planets x x x x Moral Dilema Events x x x x ... [read more]

3/26/2014 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Leading the alpha factions: Lord Kona and Akari Malara

Meet the final two leaders who round out the Galactic Civilizations III alpha roster. Just as we've done with D.L. Bradley of the Terrans and Harondin Gaul of the Iridium , we've given the leaders of Galactic Civilizations III's major factions their own backstories and traits as a step toward infusing the game with as much flavor and personality as we can fit into it. With the alpha hitting Steam tomorrow for our Elite Founders to start banging on, it seemed appropriate to shar... [read more]

3/26/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

First Galactic Civilizations III Gameplay Video

Check out a full playthrough of the Galactic Civilizations III alpha, edited down to a two-minute narrated video: Questions? Ask ‘em here. I’d give you the save file for turn one to see if you could beat my time to victory, but a) I’m 100% certain someone could and it’s from an older build and won’t load in the build Elite Founders are getting access to on Thursday. Thursday is GC3 alpha day, everybody! Are you stoked? Because I am stoked. Also, writing... [read more]

3/24/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

GalCiv III Economy 101

Building a powerful economy is more intuitive in Galactic Civilizations III than in previous titles while still letting players customize their empire’s productivity to the level that hands-on space emperors expect. However, we’ve refined how the basic population input is transformed into manufacturing, research, and wealth outputs. Read on for a detailed breakdown. (click the pic for the full-size version) One Slider to Rule Them All Ever at the forefront of p... [read more]

3/17/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

The Alpha arrives in 17 days from now

Greetings! The ALPHA of Galactic Civilizations III is due in 17 days (March 27). I want to use this post as a way to set people’s expectations and, if anything, use this as a public service announcement that you should NOT join the Founder’s program if your goal is to play a video game for fun early. That is not the purpose of the Founder’s program. The stages of development Software goes through 5 distinct phases with varying definitions but below is my own personal versio... [read more]

3/10/2014 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

The revenge of the Terrans, starring D.L. Bradley

Dark days are upon the besieged inhabitants of Sol III . However, an incandescent explosion of hope returns to Earth in the form of Admiral D.L. Bradley and his unstoppable fleet of vengeance as our story begins. But what price have Bradley and his soldiers paid for the terrible weapons they now turn against the Drengin menace? As I noted last week , we're working hard on bringing more character and flavor to the Galactic Civilizations universe. The foundation of that effort is t... [read more]

3/7/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Building character, starring Iridium High Arbiter Harondin Gaul

Infusing Galactic Civilizations III, its universe, and its people with character and atmosphere is absolutely necessary for it to be the landmark title we intend it to be. It's also much harder to do in a 4X game than in a scripted shooter or RPG; we don't have the luxury of a two-minute cutscene explaining motivations, backstories, or current events. Heck, we don't even have narration or dialogue as it exists in many games. Our task, instead, is to use little snippets of text her... [read more]

2/28/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

$10 Founder's Discount on Galactic Civilizations III expires soon

The limited availability of the regular Founder's Edition is coming to a close as we near the launch of the Galactic Civilizations III Founder's Alpha, which will go out exclusively to Elite Founders who purchased the $99 edition. The last day to purchase the $39.99 Founder's Edition is March 2, 2014 . The $99 Elite Founder’s Edition, which includes all expansions and DLC we ever produce for Galactic Civilizations III and exclusive Alpha access , will continue to be... [read more]

2/21/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

PCGamesN Has a New Galactic Civilizations 3 Preview Posted

PCGamesN has a great Galactic Civilizations 3 article up where they talk to Stardock CEO Brad Wardell and GC3 Lead Designer Paul Boyer. "Reading between the lines of an interview with Galactic Civilizations designer Paul Boyer and Stardock CEO Brad Wardell, they seem a little anxious about maintaining the values that made Galactic Civilizations II the best game Stardock ever developed. They return a lot to the theme of their own naivete in the mid-2000s, the fact that they did some things ... [read more]

2/11/2014 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

GalCiv III visuals

So yesterday the art team gave me a tour of the new rendering technology being used for GalCIv III.  If you’ve been with us for many years, you know that I’m not a graphics guy.  I drew the original OS/2 version “art” myself with the built in OS/2 icon editor.  As you can imagine, that means I have only a little understanding of all the cool stuff they’re doing. To me, I thought the GalCiv II ships looked pretty good. But the art team cringes when I say that.  I am intim... [read more]

1/28/2014 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Part 1 of the Galactic Civilizations 3 Community Interview is Up at SpaceSector

SpaceSector has part 1 of their Community Interview up which took several questions from the community and were answered by our own Ray Barton, producer on Galactic Civilizations 3. " Kordanor, adarax: Regarding multiplayer, will there be simultaneous turns or IGOUGO turns? If there are simultaneous turns, will the orders be executed right within the turn or will they be executed “between” turns? W ill there be a special lobby for multiplayer? Meaning, will Steam be r... [read more]

1/27/2014 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Starbases in Galactic Civilizations III

Constructing starbases has long been a key element of any successful space empire in Galactic Civilizations. We’re taking a good look at them for Galactic Civilizations III from both artistic and mechanical perspectives. Starbases are going to be cooler and more strategically interesting in Galactic Civilizations III than ever.   (click the pic for a high-res downloadable version) Lead designer Paul Boyer (Mormegil here on the forums) has the following to say... [read more]

1/27/2014 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations 3 in Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s ‘Spectacular 2014 Preview’

Rock, Paper, Shotgun put up part one of their ‘Spectacular 2014 Preview’ highlighting some of the PC games coming in 2014.  We’re happy to see Galactic Civilizations 3 on that list. “Stardock’s hotly anticipated sequel may be the epic 4X space game that the federated worlds have been waiting for. Improved planetary management, intricate ship-building and interstellar terrain are among the features that could make this game, long in-development, the brightest star in the sky.” ... [read more]

1/3/2014 By Island Dog in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Stardock's Brad Wardell Talks to Arstechinca about the Star Control Title in Development

I know many of you have been itching to get more info on what’s been going on with Star Control, and today Arstechnica published their interview with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell on just that topic! “In July of last year, developer and publishing house Stardock acquired the rights to the highly celebrated but long-dormant Star Control franchise. The company announced plans for a new Star Control title which would be heavily inspired by the franchise's most famous entry... [read more]

1/3/2014 By Island Dog in Star Control News

Community Q&A #1 -- Answered!

Lead designer Paul Boyer and associate producer Raymond Bartos answered many of the questions you folks sent in last week . Tactical battles, minor races, and moddability were among the many hot topics, and our guys dropped some new info in their answers. Check out the full Q&A below. Programming note: Paul (mormegil on the forums) has been active here on the boards and has provided most of the info I’ve been bothering the team for to fill in the journals and such I’... [read more]

12/17/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Galactic Civilizations III: December Update

Greetings! I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on where things stand with Galactic Civilizations III. Internally, the game is fully playable at this stage (except the AI is really stupid at this point as we won’t really get started on that until January).  While this isn’t a promise, we anticipate the Alpha version being made available in late February.  Those of you with Founder’s Elite access will receive a Steam code around that time and be able ... [read more]

12/16/2013 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

AI coding, I can’t even begin to express how excited I am

I haven’t got to design an AI since…well 2006.  It’s been a long time and the Stardock games team of 2013 is insanely awesome and the tech is just amazing too. Now, I programmed the AI in Legendary Heroes and helped on the AI in Fallen Enchantress (I wrote worker functions for War of Magic).  But I haven’t got to sit down and make something from scratch since GalCiv II. And wow, things are so much better now.  Virtualization, lots of cores to handle threads (GalCiv II ... [read more]

12/5/2013 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Meet the Altarian Leader, Akari Malara

(click the pic for a full-res, downloadable version) Humanity’s allies are bloodied but unbroken in the Galactic Civilizations III timeframe. The former leader of the Republic, Eleys Mue, died at the hands of the Drengin paving the way for the Resistance to take more direct measures that ultimately pushed the Drengin off her world.  Succeeding her is Akari Malara of the Iru-Wraith'ir. She is a smart and capable woman willing to deal with the Drengin-dominated galaxy as i... [read more]

12/3/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Paul Boyer on SpaceGameJunkies Podcast

Lead designer Paul Boyer joined Brian and Jim over at spacegamejunkies.com to chat all kinds of Galactic Civilizations III design, goals, and philosophy. Learn all about how you go from icon designer to 4X space strategy lead in just ten years of hard work by listening in to the podcast. [read more]

12/3/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

Stardock Autumn Sale - 50% Off Fallen Enchantress Titles, DLC, and More

Stardock Autumn Sale! Starting today through Tuesday, December 3rd, we have a big Autumn Sale going on for Stardock games and DLC.  This sale is going on in our store and on Steam. View the Stardock Autumn Sale list here. Here are some sale highlights: Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes  -  $39.99  $19.99 Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion  -   $39.9 9  $19.99 Stardock Entertainment Pack 2014  - $89.99  $44.99 Galactic Civ... [read more]

11/27/2013 By Island Dog in Elemental News

Stardock Autumn Sale - 50% Off Sins of a Solar Empire Titles, DLC, and More

Stardock Autumn Sale! Starting today through Tuesday, December 3rd, we have a big Autumn Sale going on for Stardock games and DLC.  This sale is going on in our store and on Steam. View the Stardock Autumn Sale list here. Here are some sale highlights: Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes  -  $39.99  $19.99 Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion  -  $39.99  $19.99 Stardock Entertainment Pack 2014  - $89.99  $44.99 Galactic Civil... [read more]

11/27/2013 By Island Dog in Sins News

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes 1.5 'Global Intrigue' Update Released

Global Intrigue update released! v1.5 The fifth major update to Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes is live! Diplomacy and stability are the major focuses of v1.5, which you can enjoy as soon as your Steam client automatically downloads the patch. The diplomatic AI has been overhauled, making for a more varied and interesting strategic layer. The AI is also more verbose now, telling players how it feels about them and their other rival empires in no uncertain terms. We al... [read more]

11/25/2013 By Island Dog in Elemental News

The evolution of the Drengin

Many years ago, when I was trying to come up with a villain for what I called, at the time, Earth Space Wars, I wanted an enemy that was brutal, ruthless and most importantly, inhuman. An enemy that would look at our system of ethics, morals and honor and laugh at them as being hopelessly naïve and primitive. Below are images of the Drengin over the years. Early Drengin image from early 90s. Drengin painting from 1995 Lord Kona, Galactic Civilizatio... [read more]

11/22/2013 By Frogboy in GalCiv III Dev Journals

PC Gamer's First Preview of Galactic Civilizations III

PC Gamer has put up the first preview of Galactic Civilizations III and talks with Lead Designer Paul Boyer about the game. "Many of the familiar races from the game, such as the Krynn Consulate and the Iconian Refuge, will return alongside new races. The Iridium Corporation, for instance, was always part of the series’ lore but never a playable race. Boyer notes that “they are essentially ultra-capitalists, like if Apple was a race that was going to take over the universe&rdqu... [read more]

11/20/2013 By Island Dog in GalCiv III News

Galactic Civilizations III Timeline Launched

We've put together an interactive timeline of the Galactic Civilizations III universe. Follow along from our dimension's creation billions of years ago through the rise of humanity and hyperdrive, the Dread Lord wars, and the wrathful return of the Terran First Fleet that kicks off the story of Galactic Civilizations III. Check out the Galactic Civilizations III interactive timeline here. [read more]

11/18/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Derek Paxton on the business of making games

Stardock Entertainment VP Derek Paxton (Kael) has a lot to say about the business side of how games are made. Check out his latest interview if you're curious about the differences in the way Stardock works versus many other game studios. [read more]

11/14/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III News

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes v1.5 Beta Update is Available!

The beta for Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes v1.5 is live! Download it through the Steam client to help us test the next update for our fantasy empire builder. To get the v1.5 beta, do the following: Launch Steam Open your Library Right-click Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, select Properties In the Betas tab, select the v1.5 Beta option from the first drop-down menu Once your download is finished, launch the game We’ve done a lot of work with d... [read more]

11/13/2013 By Island Dog in Elemental News

Drengin Ship Design Illustrated

The evil Drengin empire is in control of the known galaxy. Lacking nigh-invincible warrior-priests to do enforce its grim decrees, the Drengin use these powerful starships to maintain their hegemony. As the story of Galactic Civilizations III begins, the Drengin have seized control of the galaxy alongside their Yor allies . Treacherously holding their fleets back during the Dread Lords war allowed the two malevolent races to sweep aside the weary Terran-led coalition in the aftermath of th... [read more]

11/11/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Brad Wardell Talks to Strategy Informer about Galactic Civilizations III

Stardock's Brad Wardell talked with Strategy Informer about Galactic Civilizations III taking advantage of 64-bit, Steamworks, multiplayer, and more. Strategy Informer:  You’ve said that your game is going to only work on 64-bit computers – that’s quite a statement.  "Brad Wardell: The vast majority of our users have 64-bit Operating Systems already, so it’s really not that big of a thing. For us… 64-bit is just about memory, we wanted... [read more]

11/7/2013 By Island Dog in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Derek Paxton explains why 64-bit gaming is a big deal

Stardock Entertainment VP and Legendary Heroes designer Derek Paxton spoke to Rob Zacny at PCGamesN at length about how 64-bit strategy gaming takes the shackles off of modders and designers, among other things. “If I know that my game is going to support 32-bit, some people are going to play my game in 32-bit mode. I know that I can’t design more stuff in my world, no more can be accessed at once than what fits on a 32-bit amount of memory, which is about two gigs. ....You can ... [read more]

11/7/2013 By abiessener in GalCiv III Dev Journals

Creating Stellar Phenomena

I haven't written a developer journal in ages, but with the release of the Stellar Phenomena DLC for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion today, I thought I'd give it a go. This DLC adds a number of elements to Sins that I've long thought of, so seeing it come into being has been a blast.  As with everything Sins, I worked closely with Ironclad in designing Stellar Phenomena, as did the rest of the team in creating it.  I love getting to work with Ironclad on this stuff, so th... [read more]

11/6/2013 By Yarlen in Sins Developer Journals

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