Galactic Civilizations III News

Language Hotfix Released

This small update resolves some issues with using non-English versions of the game not displaying characters properly. It also updates the in-game version string.

Galactic Civilizations III v4.2 Change Log

Stardock released a v4.2 update today for Galactic Civilizations III, its massive space sandbox 4X strategy game. The update has taken a large amount of community feedback into account as it works to address the game’s balance.

The version 4.2 update focuses on balancing several existing elements within the game, including planet classes, resource requirements for certain Starbase modules, habitable planet counts in each map size, and more.

“This update wouldn't have been possible without our community,” said Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. “Without their feedback and their sharing of saved games, it would have been much more difficult for us to take a look at some of the more specific balance issue within various play scenarios.”

Some adjustments have been made to values granted by certain technologies, and the default player count on each map size has also been increased. The AI has been updated to be more generous when trading tech, and an AI player will no longer rush a ship when it doesn’t need to.

Since Galactic Civilizations III released in 2015, Stardock has made frequent updates while taking player feedback into account. Because of this, the game has continued to improve throughout the years, ensuring that even long-time players have something new or interesting to look forward to when an update is released.

The v4.2 update is now available. Make sure to check out the full changelog down below!

[h2]Change Log[/h2]

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

Typo Fixes
Fixed an initialization bug

[h3]Balance[/h3]

Planet class 26 added
General balance of planets classes moved down some.
Players can start slightly closer together.
Starbase particle beam support weapon no longer requires Elerium
Starbase Stinger missile support weapon no longer requires anti-matter
Starbase Shield Generator support module no l,onger requires Elerium
Starbase Point defense support module no longer requires Elerium
Starbase Titanium plate module no longer requires Durantium
Starbase perimeter Scanner no longer requires Durantium
Starbase sector scanner Durantium cost reduced from 2 to 1
Starbase modules resource cost reduced by 1
Starbase Archeology module benefits increased
Starbase level 1 economic modules no longer require special resources
Content approval threshold reduced from 45% to 40%
Starting year increased from 2242 to 2243 for Retribution
Tiny map habitable planet count increased from 32 to 36
Small map habitable planet count increased from 40 to 48
Medium map habitable planet count increased from 100 to 120
Large map habitable planet count increased from 200 to 250
Huge map habitable planet count increased from 300 to 320
Gigantic map habitable planet count increased from 400 to 450
Immense map habitable planet count increased from 500 to 550
Planetary Improvement tech increases admin points +1
Colonial Engineering tech increases admin points +1
Artificial Gravity tech increases admin points +1
Interstellar Resupply tech increases admin points +1
Xeno Commerce tech increases admin points +1
Xeno Entertainment tech increases admin points +1
Retribution: Star distance reduced from 7 tiles to 5 tiles.
Default player count per map size increased:
- Small: 3 to 5
- Medium: 6 to 9
- Large: 8 to 11
- Huge: 12 to 17
- Gigantic: 16 to 21
Colony ships cost more
Prototype hyperdrive requires anti-matter instead of Promethion
Slight bump to improvement costs.
Tiny hull receives +2 speed buff
Small hull receives +1 speed buff
Cargo hull cost increased.
Capital world now provides +5 Credits per turn.
Capital production bonus increased from 2 to 3.

[h3]AI[/h3]

AI more generous in tech trading
Fixed bug that could cause an AI player to rush a ship when it didn't want to.
AI will no longer overwrite its current improvement project.

Galactic Civilizations III v.Next - Beta Now Available

Galactic Civilizations III's next update is now in opt-in and ready to test out! Players can expect tons of improvements and user requested changes, check them out below:

[h2]GalCiv III v.Next[/h2]

Tiny hull receives +2 speed buff
Small hull receives +1 speed buff
Cargo hull cost increased
Slight bump to improvement costs.
Colony ships cost more
Prototype hyperdrive requires anti-matter instead of Promethion
Fixed bug that could cause an AI player to rush a ship when it didn't want to.
Easier difficulty levels made easier with "dumber" AI.
Default player count per map size increased:
- Small: 3 to 5
- Medium: 6 to 9
- Large: 8 to 11
- Huge: 12 to 17
- Gigantic: 16 to 21
Star distance reduced from 7 tiles to 5 tiles.
AI more reasonable in tech trading
Planetary Improvement tech increases admin points +1
Colonial Engineering tech increases admin points +1
Artificial Gravity tech increases admin points +1
Interstellar Resupply tech increases admin points +1
Xeno Commerce tech increases admin points +1
Xeno Entertainment tech increases admin points +1
Maps given more habitable planets:
- Tiny map habitable planet count increased from 32 to 36
- Small map habitable planet count increased from 40 to 48
- Medium map habitable planet count increased from 100 to 120
- Large map habitable planet count increased from 200 to 250
- Huge map habitable planet count increased from 300 to 320
- Gigantic map habitable planet count increased from 400 to 450
- Immense map habitable planet count increased from 500 to 550
Content approval threshold reduced from 45% to 40%
Starting year increased from 2242 to 2243 for Retribution
Starbase particle beam support weapon no longer requires Elerium
Starbase Stinger missile support eapon no longer requires anti-matter
Starbase Shield Generator support module no l,onger requires Elerium
Starbase Point defense support module no longer requires Elerium
Starbase Titanium plate module no longer requires Durantium
Starbase perimeter Scanner no longer requires Durantium
Starbase sector scanner Durantium cost reduced from 2 to 1
Starbase modules resource cost reduced by 1
Starbase Archeology module benefits increased
Starbase level 1 economic modules no longer require special resources
Planet class 26 added
General balance of planets classes moved down some.
Players can start slightly closer together.

We'll be updating this list as we put out new updates. We have a lot of plans for this Summer.

[h2]To Access[/h2]
Go to Steam, go to the properties, go to Betas and choose the Opt-in (regardless of what it's labeled).

Notes for March 17, 2021 Update

Small hotfix to correct installation errors for users who don't own the Crusade expansion.

Galactic Civilizations 3 DLC guide

Galactic Civilizations is a pretty iconic series of sci-fi 4X games that can be succinctly summarised as "Civilization in space". Developed and published by Stardock, it's never really had the same mass appeal as Firaxis' staple turn-based strategy games, but they're still pretty good for what they and offer an excellent interstellar romp.

Galactic Civilizations III was released in 2015 - a year before Civilization VI -although it had been in a state of kind-of early access as early as 2014. In the years since its full release it's been supported by plenty of expansions and smaller DLC packs. The bigger ones offer the most in terms of new content, but some of the smaller ones are worth looking into.

As we've done for other strategy games, we've put some time into sorting through all of the available expansion options so you know what's worth buying, and what's not. We've not bothered to include the two tie-in Star Control: Origins expansions, but commentary on everything else released for the game to date can be found below.

Read the rest of the story...