In the midst of celebrating 20 years in the game industry as both developer (Galactic Civilizations I & II along with assorted expansions) and publisher (Ironclad Games‘ Sins of a Solar Empire series), Stardock Games just casually slid the above trailer out on to the internet, announcing a new installment of their acclaimed Galactic Civilization series.
The initial press release describes all the classic elements of the 4X genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate), with the player being cast as “an all-powerful leader of a spacefaring civilization”.
However, Stardock are focusing on getting the best out of 64-bit architecture and will be developing Galactic Civilizations III exclusively for 64-bit platforms, allowing for “on-screen activity unprecedented in large scale strategy games.” Neither will they be supporting DirectX 9.
“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 to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate.”
The single-player campaign storyline is slated to begin 5 years after the events of the most recent expansion, Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor. There are few details of multiplayer options thus far, with mention in the FAQ of hotseating and an asynchronous option planned*. For single-player gameplay, an internet connection will only be required to take advantage of “some of the AI learning mechanisms [which] will require access to the Metaverse in order to perform analysis on player strategies.” Very Skynet.
Galactic Civilizations III is currently in active development and Stardock plans to allow Founder’s alpha access in early 2014 with a subsequent public beta.
An assortment of early payment options are available on the official website, including a $99.99 Founder’s Elite pack and a more affordable Founder option available at $39.99. If you prefer to wait for a finished product, the retail price is expected to be $49.99.
No release date has been made public.
Source: Joystiq
*Thanks to Alskari for pointing out the multiplayer info.
