Help the GalCivII noob please :-)

Never played GalCiv, or Civ either, so a little lost

from JoeUser Forums
First, thank StarDock for the work on the tutorials and such, they are very nice, and have been helpful, though I'm still more than a little lost.

I admit to jumping into things and just trying them out, rather than progressing completely through the tutorials (the game just looks so inviting I figured I should jump in and give it a try for a bit just to see how things work, etc., and will get through the rest of the tutorial if time permits in the next day or so :D ), but I found myself lost quickly.

Some basics, I started the game on easy level, small galaxy, 3 or 4 others in the galaxy with me. Drengin, Altarian, and 2 more I think (which I figured would be somewhat neutral, and/or give me some opportunity to partner up and such).

I was able to play for several years worth of time, but found quickly that I didn't quite understand (at least initially) the way that research and such would work. I believe I've learned that research will only happen on one thing at a time, or is that a false assumption? With the corrected assumption in that area, I still am a bit lost on where I should (as a true nooblar beginner) be concentrating my efforts other than getting universal translation researched as early as possible.

I think I've figured out the early basics on ship building and such, but am also at a bit of loss on how I progress through that area as well. I assume I need to create ships that will go off to other planets and let me start looking for resources and such there, but don't quite understand that area well either. What types of ships (for Earth/Terran as a starter race) would be best for such things, or are required for such things? And once created, how do I command the ships to go to a specific place (or do I simply send them out to explore and then check them occassionally to see what they've found and then act upon that information?)

I guess what I need are some more suggestions on what I should do as a starter in the game. Whats the best strategy to take to start learning the game (and yes, telling me to sit through more tutorial is ok too :p )
19,829 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Forum bumpage so that the GalCiv vet's can offer some suggestions please!
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Me being a noob as well, all I can suggest is to re-read the manual and re-watch the tutorials and search thru these forums for answers and just hop into the either the campaign or do a medium size game (which may be easier). That's what I'm doing, and I am learning by trial and error.

The game directions are a bit vague and dont' give detail or procedures, really.
So I requested in another buried post the following:

Tutorials: need a more detailed or in game example of the in-game mechanics or procedures.

Manual: need an "Instruction Manual", missing much detail, it just tells what things are, not how or when to operate the many screens correctly, ie: this Research Tech will give you this weapon or whatever.

Campaign Walkthrough: self explanatory

Standard Game Example: Just like in the Journal area of this site, but detail on what's being built / used at what stage of the game, etc. etc.

If I had to pick only one of these I would probably pick the:

Standard Game Example (like in the Journal) (as anyone could make one of these, perhaps a fansite)

any one of these would help out Noobs like me (new to this Genre) and of course draw more customer sales for Stardock
and I'm sure this would be greatly appreciated by several others as well.

Killer Game Stardock!
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
This brings me back to when I first started playing GalCiv. After the immense failure of MoOIII I moved on to GalCiv and really got lost .

Obviously, looking over the manual and watching the tutorials will help. However, who really does this? Surfing the forums is a bit more fun and effective. You can find a few really good posts on strategy. Generally these will be for the campaign missions at this point because that's what people are playing.

It takes a while (or at least it did for me) to learn how to get started playing GalCiv (or GalCivII in this case). Generally, if something doesn't work change your strategy. This may seem obvious but a lot of times people just try to do the same thing only better and it doesn't work.

Here are a few starting suggestions. The first turn is very important. You have to actively set everything up. Raise your spending to 100% and your tax rate as high as you can while still keeping morale at 100% also (although I don't think we're getting the population bonus mentioned in the manual for this yet...).

Build things. I generally build two factories, one or two research centers, a market place (or whatever it is), a media center, and a farm. I will buy the first factory and put the other structures as they become available. I don't tend to specialize my home world unless some crazy-wicked specials are available. So use your own judgement. You'll need the factories to churn out colony ships and constructors quickly.

Colonize a couple of good worlds. Try not to settle for less than 10 in planet quality. Eventually you'll want to colonize Mars so no one else does but that can wait for a year or so. Remember, each colony costs money! If you send out too many colony ships too soon you'll go in the red. If you have a lot of great planets you can balance this out as population grows but you'll still have to lower spending and raise your tax rate to stay financially stable.

Instead of focusing on mass colonization try to find resources. I think that's the key to the early game. Then produce constructors to amplify your mining abilities (defences and offense will also be vital for those wars you'll be running in to).

Research wise focus on what will give you basic buildings first. Then basic bonuses (planetary improvements gives +10 to military and social production). Then move to military. You need to have a strong military otherwise you'll be attacked a lot.

After you've taken a couple of resources (and by that I mean as many as you can get your grubby little hands on) and got a couple of colonies build an economic star base or two. Remember, star bases are great for defences. Your enemies will very often die attacking them and they give you bonuses. Economic star bases will increase military, social, and research production for all planets in range (oh, trade too). This is really great if you start next to a system with a good planet or two in it. You can build one or two star bases and amplify abilities for both systems.

That's how I get started. What I do next depends on the specific game. A lot of people go for tech whoring. It works - I do it a lot. Research diplomatic techs to keep ahead (but don't waste months on them) and then trade other techs (not your advantage creating diplomatic techs) for techs and money. This works well in the campaign where you can only trade with your allies (meaning they will never turn around and attack you with that new weapons technology you just gave them but that they will use it against your sworn enemies thus you win twice). Just don't give all of your techs away. Always try to keep an advantage factor.

Trade is also vital. Otherwise you'll have to decrease spending.

For your ships just focus on offense in one area in the beginning. When you see another player that you might get into a conflict with begin to consider adapting your research. Also, never trade for defenses against the weapons you might use against a civilization (if your using plasma weapons don't sell the Drengin your shield research).

There's some basic stuff that worked for me well in beta and in the campaign. I hope that helps.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Obviously, looking over the manual and watching the tutorials will help. However, who really does this? Surfing the forums is a bit more fun and effective. You can find a few really good posts on strategy. Generally these will be for the campaign missions at this point because that's what people are playing.


Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions.

In my case, having obtained GalCivII via TGN (TotalGamer.net) I don't have printed manuals to look though. If there is a pdf file of the manual, then admittedly I haven't searched it out at this time (and I really should, as I don't mind printing the .pdf file to read through).

I really appreciate your other suggestions also, and of course don't mind at all experimenting a bit (which is what inspired some of the initial questions above). GalCivII seems like other games that just take a little while to get into, but I can see under the surface there's quite a bit of fun to be had
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
The PDF manual is located in your GalCiv II folder and should be linked off the Start menu.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
The PDF manual is located in your GalCiv II folder and should be linked off the Start menu.


Ah, thanks much Yarlen, hadn't even thought to look there as I start the game from within StarDock central.

I'll snag a copy and perhaps print it where I can get it to come out the quickest (hate the thought of waiting on the injet at home, so..... )
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
One thing you also might want to do is to buy colony ship and race the AI to the good planets. Yes, it will drain you account and you won't be able to run at 100% production rate but it's important to grab those good planet early (especially those close to you so you can have a easier to manage defensive perimeter). If you wait for the regular build time. the AI would beat you to a good numbder of planets and this will definately hurt you down the line since the is basically a game where you need to out populate, produce and research the AI to have a chance of winning.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
The PDF manual is located in your GalCiv II folder and should be linked off the Start menu.


Quick follow-up, for whatever reason, I don't see the manual showing up in my start menu. I don't know if it's because I got the game downloaded through StarDock central and installed that way, or what, but it just doesn't show up that way. I haven't looked for the .pdf file on disk yet, but if it's here, I'll find it
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
First Wiz33 is absolutely right, if there are good planets near you try to get them. I don't like going overboard with this but you should try to get to them before the AI. If there are only two or three of them, certainly, go for them as soon as you find them.

On the manual, and this is just a guess as to what you're doing. Go to the Start Menu and start GalCivII in there (the default folder is in Stardock Games). From here a menu should come up that gives you the options: Play Game, Manual, Update Game, and Update Serial. You know what to do.

Have fun.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I can give some tips though you may also search the forums for tips.

Initial Turn Stuff: I say spending must goto 100%. Set homeworld to manufacture a scout. BUY scout. Reason uncover more map and send them off in different directions to map out the galaxy faster. The sooner you know where the good planets are, the sooner you can send a colonizer there. Also I raise taxes a bit. Find a spot that gets you money without trashing your approval rating. Generally I don't have heavy heavy taxes but I find 49% is a good number to keep it at for a while.. and adjust accordingly up or down during times of recession/economic boom.

Tiles on homeworld I try to balance out between manu and research until I make decisions on which planets specialize.
I do say specialize on maps bigger than small or tiny. Also, stick with 1 farm for now and 1 entertain and 1 market. My PQ 10 HW generally is 5 Factory, 1 farm, 1 entertain, 1 market, 2 lab. Not truly balanced but will get you some research and help crank out ships.

What to research?? If you don't have space warfare, space miliartirization, stellar cartography, planetary improvements I'd go for one of those first and trade for ones I don't have.

PQ planets 5 or less I generally stick an entertainment and the rest labs. Defended by ships sent over from your military manu planets.

Which brings me to another point, design some fighters and build them as soon as you get a weapons tech! make sure you don't have an undefended one, and even if you don't make the top of the military power list at least you're not on the bottom.. IE the AI might calculate more than once and decide to leave you alone..

Also worth mentioning is resource rush. I rush build constructors and claim resources before my neighbors do. That way YOU have control of those resources and those are nice helps to your empire if you build them up.

This is MY strategy initially and will get you off to a good start. So I'll stand by it. Any questions fire 'em off.



Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
Shogun has the initial turn strategy right, but I would add this; Buy your first factory or two to increase the speed that your ships are built. Also after you have your planets growing you can click on the little arrows in the Mil, Social, or research box on each planet screen to increase the emphasis on that area. (For that planet only) This helps to reduce the number of times you have to adjust the sliders for overall economic policies.

Remember that i am just a Nub at this game too, but it makes me try hard to figure out the way to win.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
A few pieces of stadegy off the top of my head:
First Economics is the key to the game, with them you can always make sure you're covered in the arms race. Federalists, Economonics Race Bonus +10/20+ this way you'll be able to crank out the cash when you need to defend yourself. Plus you can always use it for a bribe/buy a technology. Also you can use it to instantly build a ship or a building. Cash is the king of the game.

Starting out : 100% Spending a Must in the beginning. Taxes, I tax them up to the point my aproval is 51% or above, its important even the beginning you lose population if it goes below 50. Second setting up shop, I like to buy a factory first to increase my productivity of my homeworld before cranking out the colony ships.

Next customize a ship make it have as many engines as possible if there are coloziable worlds nearby. Otherwise you'll have to put in life-support to increase the range and then you'll have some competition for the worlds with the aliens.

I generally balance out at 2 factories and 2 labs per colony. Allows both research and productivity. If its a tiny wolrd <5 I go with factories only, I figure it can at least add to my fleets later on in the game.

Research: Universal Translator, Planetary Improvements, Diplomancy. Speak with the aliens when they come keep on their good sides. Keep them occupied with themselves and research away. After gaining some tech, go for weapons/defense, choose your favorite weapon and research it up. Build up your military. From there reach for the stars.