Galactic Civilizations IV News

Last week we talked about some changes made to the way the game AI played when at war, which has gone some way towards addressing the lack of pressure and difficulty some players were experiencing in the mid to late game. We’ve not stopped there, and Frogboy has recently dropped some hints at what will be coming in the upcoming v2.1.

For now though, we’re going to examine some of the smaller changes that came in with v2.01 that you might have missed, but we feel add something significant to the way the game plays.



While these smaller changes aren’t quite as sexy as big content updates or drastic gameplay changes, they all work together to gradually improve the quality of the game by making it feel more immersive or believable, including a general glow-up of game mechanics to tighten up strategic and tactical play respectively.

First up is map generation. One of the most important factors in determining the kind of game you’re going to get, and its difficulty, is the positioning of where you and your rivals will spawn on the galaxy map, and we’d had a lot of feedback about this since the release of the game onto Steam.

On top of an improved distribution of stars, which has given each sector a more organic feeling (and strategically interesting) layout, we’ve now tweaked the Maximum and Recommended number of players to adjust to the number of sectors, as well as overall map size.





This should mean that multi-sector games are better balanced out at the recommended settings, and the player is always free to add more or less to suit their particular playstyle. Remember, if you want more time to expand, set less players than the recommended number, and if you want more pressure from the AI earlier on, add more.



Pollution is generated by your industry and reduces population growth as it increases in intensity. That’s there to give the player reason to pause and consider what is more important: rapid industrial development or more Citizens for Jobs and colonization.



Polluting Districts and Improvements now increase their output of Pollution as they scale in level, to represent the added load on your eco-system as your industry begins to sprawl. Furthermore, the more Pollution on a planet, the more upset your Citizens will get with some species being more or less bothered by it. Others are completely unaffected by Pollution, while radioactive races just love wallowing around in toxic sludge!

Next up is a series of changes intended to reduce the effectiveness of the stacking of Starbase areas of effect: we’ve increased the number of tiles required between each base from three to four, while adding a maintenance cost to some of the more advanced modules too.



This particularly affects Military Starbases, which were seriously overperforming in terms of their cost effectiveness, and are now more appropriately priced to prevent the player from spamming them everywhere. They’ll also auto-fire their missile-based ranged attack at passing ships too.

Lastly here, we’ve reduced the effectiveness of some of the movement modifiers on the various modules to fix the stacking effect granting ships unintended invincibility and teleportation abilities.




The Supernova update added the ability for ships to be refitted to later models, a long requested feature. However, players were somewhat baffled at why this technology came so late in the tech-tree (previously it was accessed at the same time as Cruisers) and was so expensive.

The initial thinking there was that refitting a ship is pretty difficult compared to building it from scratch, and the technology and pricing should reflect that. Unfortunately this wasn’t communicated and felt jarring to the community, and so we’ve reduced the cost of refits and provided access to them earlier too.

We’re always keen for feedback and your help is proving invaluable in assisting to improve the game, so let us know what you think of these changes in the comments sections below!

One of the most common questions I see asked in the 4X gaming communities online is “What are the 4X games with the best game AI?”, and inevitably someone will mention one of the Galactic Civilizations games in amongst some of the other greats of the genre. Usually, it’s GalCiv2, but the original PC game and Galactic Civilizations III pop up occasionally too.

With such a respectable heritage, Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova had big boots to fill. We think the AI is pretty good now and up there with the past games in the series, but there’s always room for improvement, and one common complaint that we received shortly before launch was that the AI was behaving in an unsatisfying way when it was at war with the player.

Firstly, even if an AI-controlled civilization had built a large and powerful empire, bigger and stronger than the player it was at war with, it would occasionally just sit there, building up fleets but not reacting to the player’s moves until they’d gotten really close. The allowed the player free reign to set up coordinated attacks on enemy Core Worlds and Colonies, which the AI struggled to react to and it often looked to just be sitting there, waiting for you to kill it.



The AI in Galactic Civilizations plays fairly: that means it plays by the same rules as the player, including its vision range and ability to detect threats, and one of the consequences of this is a regular check for threats, which can be computationally expensive if not done efficiently. Optimizing's the AI thinking process a little too much led to it not spotting out far enough.

This issue has now been addressed, with the AI looking a lot further out to detect incoming threats, which makes the AI a much more dangerous opponent when engaged in a war. It will also better protect its homeworld in wartime.

Furthermore, it is now a lot better at figuring out if the player is a threat, meaning that it is more likely to declare war in the face of hostile behavior.

Finally, it will now build balanced fleets, with less of the fighters and bombers it tended to field in heavy numbers, and more of the larger ships, ensuring that it’ll do better in keeping up with the player’s fleets.

Before this patch, all of the above occasionally created situations like this one from a recent game of mine, where the AI just didn’t react to my invasion fleets well enough and I easily rolled over half the galaxy by turn 153, with not a single war declaration from the AI all game.



Things have improved! In this new game, the Drengin declare an early war to take advantage of the fact I built a lot of infrastructure with no defending fleets.



And here’s a huge invasion by the Mimot Brotherhood, who are fed up of the Yor’s constant expansion and corruption of their fuzzy youngsters with a constant barrage of ear-splitting techno music.



On a non-combat related topic, the AI should now pick better colonization targets for its colony ships, preferring the better class worlds over poorer neighbors if possible.

In the vast expanse of space, Galactic Civilizations offers players the chance to embark on a grand adventure. The opening moves of this strategy game introduce a sense of wonder and excitement as you explore the sector, discovering star systems and resources, all fuel for the imagination and helping to shape your plans for building a great galactic civilization. But the fun doesn't stop there, as in-game events present you with meaningful choices that can have long-lasting consequences.

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Your journey begins with exploration, and the humble Probe is your best tool for the job. Equipped with a Probe Module, it boasts infinite range and a wide sensor sweep, perfect for scouting uncharted territory. While the locations of all stars in the sector are known, you need to get closer to determine their class and the presence of any orbiting bodies.

Different star classes offer varying possibilities for habitable worlds and resources. Yellow stars tend to have the best chances for habitable worlds, while white stars provide more asteroids and Durantium. Choosing the right planet to colonize depends on various factors, including your home system's quality, your gameplay style (wide or tall), growth rate, and the presence of nearby neighbors.

Asteroids, found in clusters around stars, offer a valuable Mineral boost when you establish Mining Bases nearby. Pre-settled Minor Worlds occupied by alien civilizations can be a source of early trade income or, if you prefer, you can invade them and establish your own Core World in their place.

Nebulae and Radiation Storms provide unique terrain features that slow down or hamper passing fleets, while Strategic Resources like Elerium and Antimatter can be found in specific locations. The enigmatic Precursor Relics, discovered as you explore the galaxy, grant powerful bonuses when studied with the appropriate Starbase module. Ascension Crystals, when controlled, provide a steady stream of Ascension Points, contributing to a Prestige Victory.

With the research of Subspace Scanning, you unlock Subspace Gates that lead to new worlds, resources, allies, and foes.




The galaxy is brimming with secrets in the form of Anomalies. These can be abandoned space junk, ancient artifacts, or other unique findings. Scanning Anomalies requires high-tech equipment known as a Flag Module, scavenged from Precursor technology. Some Anomalies can trigger quests and challenges, offering game-changing effects when used strategically. As you progress in the game, more Anomalies will appear, making cosmic plunder a lucrative endeavor for your civilization.



Life exists in the depths of space, and some of it is organized enough to pose a threat. Pirates roam the galaxy, preying on non-allied vessels, including unescorted Colony Ships, Freighters, or Constructors. It's essential to scout potential colonies before sending civilian ships into pirate-infested areas. Additionally, there are other threats lurking in the void, such as spacefaring monsters.



Galactic Civilizations is a game of choices. From selecting your first landing planet to deciding whom to trade with and which Commander to assign to your Flagship, you'll constantly face important decisions. In-game events present you with multiple choices, like deciding whether to strip a ship component for resources or sell it on the black market for a credit boost.

Many higher-class planets come with unique features, histories, and alien presences that allow you to shape your colony to your liking. Leaders with various traits and backgrounds can trigger events with powerful effects, and their loyalty plays a significant role in the game's narrative.

Throughout your campaign, our core civilizations will interact with you in thematic ways, adding depth and drama to your experience. The choices you make during critical events can have far-reaching repercussions.


The galaxy in Galactic Civilizations is vast and full of secrets, promising adventure, danger, and hidden treasures. Your choices, be they in exploration, cosmic plunder, or dealing with hostiles, will shape your civilization's destiny until the end of time.

As you embark on this journey, remember to choose wisely, for the fate of your civilization rests in your hands. Happy gaming!

One of the most common complaints that we’ve received regarding the user interface in Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is one of visibility of the various characteristics for each Civilization in play.

Most notably, players were reporting that after selecting a Civilization, there was no way to check their own Civilization Abilities, Traits and other attached information, without exiting to the main menu, starting a new game and checking those details in the game-setup screens there. This information was visible in the Diplomacy screen once the player had unlocked Universal Translator and commenced in some intergalactic hobnobbing with their neighbors. At the start of the game however, the new game setup screens were your only option.

This was frustrating, to say the least. I should know: as a Youtuber making videos for GalCiv4: Supernova, I was one of the people complaining about it.

To address this problem, we’ve added a new “Civilization” information screen to the in-game Data Bank.



Summarized here are the most important of your Civilization’s statistics, including your Cultural Priority (your main Ideological focus), Civilization Traits (including Biology type and Civilization Abilities too), Character Traits (which determine the behavior's of the AI when its playing this faction), some basic background lore and information on its Citizens too.

You also get a video feed of a rather patient looking DL Bradley, or whatever noble/dreadful/bizarre creature it is that leads your budding galactic empire.

Next up, we’ve improved the visibility of these same critical statistics for your rivals too. Previously, this information was available only in the Diplomacy Screen, again locked behind the Universal Translator technology.



To eliminate the need to enter the Diplomacy screen purely to check up on an enemy’s vital traits, we’ve added a handy tooltip to the Summary tab on the right box of the main screen. Just hover over the Civilization you want to check out, et voila!



On top of the Abilities, Biology, Traits and Cultural Focus, we’ve included their Prestige score (a reasonable indicator of how well they’re doing in-game), your current relations score and any modifiers listed below. Note that you can scroll this tooltip if there are more modifiers than would normally fit into the box.

Let us know what you think of these changes!

Experience a revamped AI with superior decision-making skills, an influx of new in-game events and anomalies for an unpredictable galaxy. Enjoy improved multilingual support, refined multiplayer stability, and balanced gameplay mechanics. Plus, embrace a reimagined user interface with community-requested quality-of-life updates.



[h2]Featured Updates for v2.01[/h2]

• Updated A.I decision making intelligence - The A.I is now better aware of its surroundings and resources and how best to use them.
  
• New Events and Anomalies - A variety of new in-game events (examples: The Grammar Enforcer, The Specter's Grasp, Broken Teleporter) survey results and anomalies have been added to the game.
  
• Improved Translations for All Languages - Supported subtitles for intro movies in French and English , better grammatical accuracy for AlienGPT, more accurate image matching for AlienGPT based on player prompts in Chinese, numerous typo fixes and a more focused German text update.
  
• Optimized Multiplayer - Resolved multiple desync issues, crashes, increased stability, resolved stuck turns when re-authenticating with the platform in mid-game.
  
• Rebalances on Influence, planetary/orbital improvements and Pollution Mechanics
  
• A variety of U.I updates based on community QOL requests - Added a new "Your Civilization" tab to the Data Bank Window, showing information related to Your Civilization , better sizing and layout of stats and longer names, resolved clipping issues, fixed incorrect infocards and players can now scroll through text in the Research window. 
  
• A ton more updates and bug fixes, see the full changelog here.