Rejoice, denizens of the universe! Today marks the 20th Anniversary of Stardock, a company which during that period has given us much reason to celebrate strategy gaming. On this joyous occasion a stellar announcement has been made - the warping in of none other than Galactic Civilizations III!
Galactic Civilizations casts the player as the all-powerful leader of a spacefaring civilization that must explore, expand and colonize new worlds across the galaxy. Dominating rival alien species through technological, economic, political and military prowess tests players' cultural, ideological, and diplomatic skills as they pursue victory via peaceful or belligerent means.
Galactic Civilizations III gives players far more detail in the textures, models, and overall look of everything from the planets they colonize to the fleets they command. New interstellar terrain elements on the hex-based map like black holes and mysterious Precursor relics change the way players explore the galaxy. A completely overhauled ship builder puts nearly every element of starship design in players’ hands, while the new resource system creates fresh opportunities toexplore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.
Here's word from the development team:
We're far from finished with Galactic Civilizations III, but we are thrilled to start sharing what the team has been hard at work on. You'll have to forgive us for being a little cryptic about gameplay specifics that are still in development yet(...)
The whole point of Galactic Civilizations III is to live up to what our fans are hoping for without screwing up the core gameplay that make the franchise one of the highest-rated strategy series in history. So we're adding hexes, because they make better maps. We're putting new stuff out on the map besides anomalies, because it adds depth to how you explore and colonize the galaxy. Diplomacy and non-violent paths to victory have always been key aspects of Galactic Civilizations, so we're adding tons more cool stuff to diplomacy (both mechanically and on the AI side) and adding more ways to interact beyond pushing your influence bubble into enemy territory.
And, of course, Galactic Civilizations III has fully featured online multiplayer. Yes, we heard you on that one.
Keep listening though, because early access to the game is possible via the Founder's program at the official site alone:
The $39.99 Founder's Edition includes beta access, $10 off the regular price, and a special forum badge. The $99.99 Founder's Elite Edition gives players all future DLC and expansions for free as they come out, alpha access, their name in the game's credits, and the right to name a star to appear in-game.
For the icing on the cake Stardock has chosen to also add a sale to the festivities, with several of their released titles to be steeply discounted both at their own store and on Steam starting this Thursday. For some reason at this point we just feel like saying 'Engage!'
