Galactic Civilizations IV News

The Megastructures expansion has two new resources for you to play with: Energy and Gigamass. We briefly covered both back in developer journal #84, but today I’d like to focus on Gigamass.


Gigamass is a limited, somewhat scarce and very valuable resource, being tied to the Dead Worlds found orbiting the various stars on the game map. Aside from a very small amount that can be gained from Events here and there, once the galaxy’s supply is used up, there’ll be no more.


The race to harvest Gigamass is important, and once you have laid your hands on some, the choices you make on what to spend it on is a key part of the gameplay. You’ll not usually own enough to build everything you could hope for in a single playthrough and that is by design, as the gameplay features that Gigamass offer are very powerful in their effect of boosting each of the core mechanics of GalCiv.


Whether that’s allowing you to field incredibly powerful warships to conquer your more peaceful neighbours, apply a huge boost to your economic or industrial output with Stellar Nexus, linking together distant parts of your civilization’s territory with Stellar Gateways and many more, the intention is for you to pick the aspect of your civilization that you want to enhance and then wisely spend your available Gigamass to achieve that purpose.

One of the challenges in making a space 4X game fun is ensuring that each playthrough is unique, even if you’re playing with the same faction or game settings each time. Procedurally generated content does the heavy lifting there but are some other tools to achieve a similar effect.


The various Strategic Resources in GalCiv IV, with their many uses and random distribution, is one way to ensure this: for example, a Civilization with naturally weak research can enjoy access to a plentiful supply of Promethium by spending it on Research Missions. That Promethium can further shape their ship-building program too, encouraging the construction of Cloaking Devices, Promethium Drives and so on.



If Elerium is more abundant, you’ll have great access to the very best Beam and Shielding technologies instead.

With Gigamass however, we wanted to add an even more scarce resource into the game that gave the player much greater power, but would require them to make tough choices on exactly how to spend it. Promethium and Elerium can be purchased from the bazaar, and so even a player without any mines of their own can build their economy up and often still buy those resources in smaller amounts, and it can often be traded with another Civilization who does have access to it.

Gigamass is deliberately more difficult to get: you can trade it with the other Civilizations but it is valued much higher than the other Strategic Resources in the base-game. We’re hoping that the fight to reach the Gigamass, and then control who owns or has access to it afterwards, will make compelling gameplay that not only gives you some very powerful tools to utilise in your playthroughs, but also provide a new, optional focal point to encourage you to really get engaged with the core mechanics in new and exciting ways.


You’re playing the Korath Clan and don’t quite have the Gigamass available to build one of those big, shiny Megastructure baubles the other Civilizations are showing off? Then spend yours on building some of the smaller, cheaper Civilization Achievements that require Gigamass and Energy to turbocharge your industry, and then spend the rest on a set of nearly invulnerable ships to go take those hi-tech treasures off them instead. That way you get the fruits of their labours too!

If you’re trying to play more peacefully, perhaps a short war to grab a Purple Star could be well worth the effort: a Stellar Nexus here could provide a huge boost to Influence, Tourism, Trade Routes or Diplomacy, depending on the Augment you pick for it.

In most games on medium maps with more standard settings, you’ll have to pick and choose which Megastructures you want, as you’ll be unlikely to be able to afford them all.


However, GalCiv is a sandbox-like 4X, meaning that it is highly customisable and gameplay can vary quite significantly depending on the game options you set. This affects Gigamass too: larger maps with less AI player populating it will generally mean you’ve got more Gigamass (and Stars to build your Megastructures around) than you would with a smaller, more densely populated one.


So, if you’re excited to play a game with the new expansion and you’d like the option to build more of those titanic, powerful construction projects, playing on a larger map, and/or reducing the amount of AI opponents is one way to guarantee more Gigamass for an epic playthrough with many powerful Megastructures available in your game!

Let us know how you get on with your own Megastructure projects, we’re excited to hear how you are incorporating them into your own playstyle.

Cheers!

[h2]Megastructures is Here![/h2]
The long-awaited DLC for Galactic Civilizations IV has arrived, bringing with it a plethora of powerful new Megastructures. In this week's dev journal, we're diving deep into one of the expansion's titular Megastructures: The Stellar Nexus.



[h2]Stellar Nexus[/h2]
Stellar Nexuses are colossal, versatile Megastructures constructed around stars. Each Nexus offers incredible bonuses to fleets and colonies across your civilization, tailored to your chosen Nexus Augment.


Unlocking Stellar Nexuses requires the “Megastructure Nexi” technology.


Once researched, your Stellar Architect ships can build Stellar Nexuses around Yellow, Red, Blue, or Purple stars. The color of your Nexus' host star matters as it will dictate the type of bonuses your Stellar Nexus can provide.


Building a base Stellar Nexus demands 50 Gigamass and takes your Architect 12 turns to complete.


Upon completion, you can manage your Stellar Nexus by double-clicking the Nexus or by clicking the “Manage Megastructure” button from the Nexus Context Window.

From the management screen, you can view the effects of the base Stellar Nexus and explore the list of available Nexus Augments. At its base level, the Stellar Nexus provides a not-insubstantial 5% boost to approval, research, and manufacturing for all colonies across your civilization.


In addition to enabling the construction of Stellar Nexuses, the Megastructure Nexi technology unlocks 16 base-level Nexus Augments—four for each star color. The list of Available Augments can be located beneath the Nexus' current effects in the bottom right portion of the Nexus screen.


Even at the base level, Nexus Augments provide substantial bonuses. An upgraded Stellar Nexus can significantly accelerate the development of your empire.

The cost of installing a base-level Nexus Augment is 15 Gigamass and 10 Energy, with the installation process taking 4 turns to complete.





There are 48 total Nexus Augments—12 per star color and 16 per tier. The Augments available to a Stellar Nexus are determined by the color of the star it's built on, with each star focusing on a different kind of bonus.



[h2]Here is a full list of all Nexus Augments:[/h2]









A unique feature of the Stellar Nexus is the ability to change the installed Augment at any time by choosing an Augment to Retrofit. This process takes the same amount of time as the initial installation, but you'll be refunded the Gigamass cost of the original Augment, ensuring you only sacrifice time, not resources.


[h2]Potential Uses[/h2]
Stellar Nexuses are designed to be flexible, adapting to your civilization's evolving needs as the game progresses. For instance, a civilization focused on colonizing new planets might prioritize the additional Food and accelerated Growth from the Flourishing Garden Augment. Conversely, a civilization engaged in warfare might opt for the Twilight Engine to expedite fleet production.


With sufficient Gigamass, players can construct multiple Stellar Nexuses for compounding or synergistic effects. Augments on stars of the same color often complement each other, such as the Subspace Lens and Galactic Gateway Augments on Purple stars, which can significantly boost your civilization’s tourism revenue.


Critically, bonuses from Nexuses can stack, allowing a focused player to construct multiple Nexuses with the same Augment. This can be a compelling strategy with a steep opportunity cost: requiring you to ignore other powerful Augments.


Finally, Stellar Nexuses are crafted to seamlessly fit into your preferred playstyle. Civilizations like the Phalenoids, who leverage Influence, can greatly benefit from the Subspace Lens. Research-focused civilizations like the Yor might favor the Quantum Mirror or Neoteric Spire, while the Mimot, reliant on rapid Growth, would find the additional Population Capacity from the Celestial Garden advantageous.

As you explore the new features of Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures, consider the strategic possibilities offered by the Stellar Nexus. Whether you're expanding your empire, bolstering your defenses, or advancing your technological prowess, the Stellar Nexus provides a versatile tool to enhance your civilization's strengths.

We invite you to share your favorite new combinations and strategies with us. How will you leverage the power of the Stellar Nexus to shape your galactic empire? Will you focus on rapid expansion, military dominance, or perhaps a thriving economy? The choice is yours, and we can't wait to see the creative ways you'll use these Megastructures to achieve victory.

Stay tuned for more insights and updates in our future dev journals. Until then, may your civilizations prosper and your stars shine brightly!

[h2]Acclaimed 4X strategy title adds colossal structures that create new conflict and diplomatic opportunities for late-game empires [/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2671160/Galactic_Civilizations_IV__Megastructures/

The next technological leap for galactic empires is here. Today, Stardock officially releases Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures, bringing new opportunities for players to harness the power of stars and create powerful late-game structures.

“Megastructures brings powerful new late-game options that we think players will really enjoy,” said Brad Wardell, CEO, Stardock Entertainment. “Too often in 4X strategy games, trailing players have their fate set near the end of the game; but with Megastructures we give players the opportunity to turn the tables on those sitting comfortably in first.”

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

While Megastructures can be beneficial, they will present their own challenges with resource management and political situations to navigate. Savvy players who are able to effectively allocate their materials will be able to harness the full potential of Dyson Spheres, Ringworlds, the Stellar Nexus, and Stellar Gateways to achieve ultimate victory!

[h2]Megastructures[/h2]
The pinnacle of technology, Megastructures are powerful structures capable of tipping the cosmic scales in your favor. Each Megastructure has something unique to offer and your decision on which to build can have drastic implications.

[h3]Power your Megastructure Ambitions with Dyson Spheres[/h3]
Dyson Spheres are the ultimate energy engines that drive your civilization’s evolution through fueling massive Megastructures that redefine your empire. The color of a Dyson Sphere’s host star dictates its potential Energy Output making Energy-rich white stars a valuable resource.

[h3]The Stellar Nexus: The Ultimate Megastructure[/h3]
The Stellar Nexus will be the core of your civilization and can be customized to become a Megastructure with many possible powerful benefits. A Stellar Nexus can be upgraded into a powerful new form by installing a Nexus Augment. These Nexus Augments provide various potent effects based on the color of the Nexus' host star and are divided into three tiers denoting the strength and range of their effects.

[h3]Transform Galactic Travel with Stellar Gateways[/h3]
Instantly link distant black holes to revolutionize travel. These powerful Megastructures develop new avenues for military maneuvering, rapid expansion, and even extended trade routes. Additionally, civilizations with Stellar Gateways can forge greater alliances with the Open Gateways Treaty which will allow fleets from either faction to utilize their respective Gateways.

[h3]Build Ringworlds to Ensure your Civilization's Legacy[/h3]
Build colossal, Class 39 artificial ring planets to house immense populations and secure your civilization’s future. Much like the Stellar Nexus, Ringworlds are influenced by the color of their host stars and provide different tile bonuses accordingly. By constructing these gigantic habitable rings, you can ensure that your civilization will never run out of planets to inhabit and forever make your mark on the galaxy.

[h2]All New Quests and Events[/h2]
Uncover cosmic secrets with all new quests and events designed to introduce the awesome features of Galactic Civilizations IV’s latest expansion. Discover Ruined Ringworlds and use their ancient technology to make powerful breakthroughs in Megastructure engineering.

• New Improvements: Harness ancient Ringworld technology to create powerful new Improvements to enhance your colonies and outpace the competition.
  
• New Orbitals: Further utilize the technology found in Ruined Ringworlds to extend the reach of your colonies beyond by building new Orbital Improvements. Additionally, the same technology can now be used to upgrade existing Orbital Improvements to create unstoppable colonies and core worlds.
  
• New Ship Components: Build bigger, more powerful ships using cutting-edge technologies inspired by this ancient race of builders.
  

Each megastructure presents unique benefits and challenges, requiring careful planning and resource management to meet your empire's needs. As your influence grows, rival empires will take notice, leading to new diplomatic interactions, potential alliances, or conflicts. The Megastructures expansion invites players to think bigger and bolder, redefining the scale and scope of their galactic ambitions in Galactic Civilizations IV.












Full Changelog

• Enhanced Galaxy Map Experience: Enjoy a more immersive journey with our revamped Galaxy Maps, designed to deliver captivating layouts and optimize player positioning for strategic gameplay.
  
• Stunning Visual Upgrades: Dive into a breathtaking galaxy view with our enhanced graphics, featuring vibrant nebulas and twinkling stars that bring the cosmos to life.
  
• Balanced Gameplay Enhancements: We've fine-tuned various elements, including technologies, ship ranges, pirate encounters, and the “Invite Leader” Executive Order, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience.
  
• Revitalized Lighting Effects: Explore the game like never before with our comprehensive lighting improvements, which elevate the visual appeal across key areas, creating a more atmospheric and engaging environment.
  

Megastructures is Stardock’s latest expansion for Galactic Civlizations IV: Supernova and boy is there a lot to cover! I have to keep things brief in these developer journals so today so I’ll be providing an overview of the core features that Megastructures brings to the game, with the intention to further deep dive into its various components later on.


Megastructures adds a new branch to the Engineering Tech tree, with a sequence of new Techs unlocking access to a new resource called Gigamass and all that can be made from it.


Gigamass is harvested from Dead Worlds (those with a Class of 0), by the new Planet Harvester ship.



One crucial point to note: Gigamass is a highly limited resource and once all the Dead Worlds on the map have been harvested, aside from some very small amounts generated through Events, that’s all there is. Gigamass is valuable but the AI may be willing to trade their own stocks if you have something they want in return, but generally speaking, it would be wise to carefully examine your own Gigamass stocks and the costs of each Megastructure (or other feature) when planning what you want to spend it on.

Gigamass isn’t the only new resource added: the enormous Megastructures and a whole host of new Civilization Achievements will require a constant power supply to run, which we’ve simply called Energy.


The maximum value here represents how many Energy points worth of Megastructure and Improvement can be run on a turn-by-turn basis. Exceeding this has maximum has severe consequences, so ensure you have enough Energy before you build Energy-sucking construction projects!

So how do you generate Energy? The first is with the new Solar Farm Improvement.


This requires a small amount of Gigamass to build and provides a small amount of Energy: perhaps best used for powering the other new Civilization Achievements requiring Gigamass to construct, such as this Precious Gem Synthesiser, an example of the new Civilization Achievements added with this expansion.


These might be helpful for civilizations that don’t want or need to build the Megastructures themselves, and to give players some powerful tools and fun tools to help kickstart their campaign a little earlier.

For greater power generation, you’ll need the first of our titular Megastructures: the Dyson Sphere!


First though we need a new type of construction ship to build Megastructures: the Stellar Architect.


Wrapped neatly around a star, the Dyson Sphere is a titanic construction that harnesses enough energy from its host to power your other Megastructure projects. Different star types will generate different levels of power.

Later on, the mighty Stellar Nexus become available for construction too. On their own these provide an impressive boost Civilization-wide boost to Approval, Manufacturing and Research, and this alone is worthy of the Gigamass investment.


That’s just the start though! They can be further extended with Augments, which require further Gigamass and Energy investment, and are available in three tiers, with later tiers unlocked later in the Tech tree. The type of Augments available for each Stellar Nexus is dependent upon the colour of its hosting star.


Above you can see the Cosmic Mirror Augment, which grants a huge +3 Technology to all your Core Worlds and Colonies, which will dramatically improve your overall Research.


For those more war-focused players, the Daybreak Engine provides a huge permanent boost to your Military output, speeding the creation of fleets, and providing every ship with increased Armor Rating and Shield Strength too. This makes smaller ships like Fighters, Bombers and Frigates very dangerous, and is perfect for when you need a lot of deadly ships constructed in a short space of time.


The current Augment can be upgraded for even better performance with later tier unlocks, or they can swapped out for a different Augment type completely whenever you like, although you will pay the Gigamass and Energy upkeep costs for this. Here we see the third tier Eclipse Engine and the improvement it gives to your Military, Armor Rating and Shield Strength. This is powerful stuff!

With the star classification affecting both Energy output for Dyson Spheres, and the kind of Augments available for a Stellar Nexus, and considering Dead Worlds are a source of the most precious resource in the game, there’s now more excitement in the discovery of star systems in the early phase of the game. We encourage you to carefully plan which stars to use for which Megastructures to achieve your goals of galactic domination!


Stellar Gateways are the next Megastructure type and must be constructed on the hexes surrounding a Black Hole.


When paired together, these epic-scale portals allow instantaneous travel from one to another, with the ability to link and unlink Stellar Gateways as needed, in the case that you’ve got an odd number of Gates, or you want to alter the destination of one of them.


The final Megastructure is the mighty Ringworld, the culmination of all the research you’ve put into these technological marvels. A gigantic ring is constructed to circle a star, with the inner edge made available for colonisation and the construction of many planetary Districts and Improvements.


This creates a perfect artificial Core World large enough to house many Citizens. It provides the very best tiles with space enough to construct your dream world. Fill it with factories, credit generating districts or farms, or build something even more exotic and specialised. Your imagination is the limit, and this Megastructure is perfect for Civilizations looking to peacefully expand the size of their empire in the mid and late game.


There are also some very powerful Ship Components for players to spend their precious Gigamass on too, and it may be that a war-like Civilizations such as the Korath Clan might prefer to direct this precious resource into their most favoured pastime instead of messing around with all that Megastructure stuff.


As you’d expect from a GalCiv expansion, Megastructures adds new in-game Events too.

This is just a very quick overview of the main features of Megastructures, and I hope this gives you some ideas for incorporating them into your playstyle!

Cheers!

[h2]Join us for a livestream event featuring the launch of the Megastructures Expansion![/h2]

[h3]Megastructures:[/h3]

• Dyson Spheres: These ultimate energy engines drive your civilization's growth, with energy output influenced by their host stars, making energy-rich white stars particularly valuable.
  
• Stellar Nexus: The customizable core of your civilization, the Stellar Nexus can be upgraded with Nexus Augments that provide powerful effects based on its host star's color.
  
• Stellar Gateways: Revolutionize travel by linking distant black holes, enabling rapid military maneuvering and trade. Form alliances through the Open Gateways Treaty to enhance cooperation.
  
• Ringworlds: Construct colossal Class 39 artificial planets to support vast populations and ensure your civilization's legacy. These structures provide tile bonuses influenced by their host stars.
  

[h3]New Quests and Events: [/h3]
Discover cosmic secrets through quests that unveil Ruined Ringworlds and ancient technologies, allowing you to create powerful Improvements and upgrade Orbital Improvements for extended reach.


[h3]📍Location: Right here on Steam![/h3]
[h3]📅 Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024[/h3]
[h3]🕐Time: 1pm - 3pm ET[/h3]


Don't miss out on exclusive gameplay and developer insights. Set your reminders and join us for an exciting afternoon!