14 DAY TRIAL // I have some experience with the Galactic Civilizations series so I initially opted to play on medium and on large maps, with only 3 or 4 opposing factions, in order to take my time understanding the changes of the third title in the franchise.
I got so accustomed to these matches that I forgot that the true character of the strategy series tends to reveal itself when playing on the largest possible map, even if that tends to lead to campaigns that never actually get completed.
So I set up a match that uses a huge galaxy, features all the core races that Stardock has created and one customized by me and also includes an abundance of minor races, who provide new options for interactions but do not expand in any way.
I also made sure that the stars in the galaxy are clustered, to introduce an extra layer of strategic concerns to Galactic Civilizations III on both attack and defense.
Finally I made sure that the galaxy features a lot of anomalies and plenty of random events that have the potential to change the course of a campaign in unexpected ways.
Turn time can become a problem in Galactic Civilizations III
The start of a massive galaxy game can be a bit lonely, because home systems for the factions are placed far apart, but minor civs soon appear and the search for planets and resources tends to be very intense.
I tend to try and grab as many of the level 10 or over worlds as soon as possible and then to switch to constructor creation to make sure that I have a solid network of support from space stations.
In the mid-game, once other civilizations are present the focus shifts to the creation of alliances and decisions about where to place big fleets and how to use influence to limit their options for expansion.
In the late game, once the inevitable wars break out, Galactic Civilizations III becomes all about taking core worlds from the enemy while making sure that you keep home systems safe.
The only problem is that the biggest of galaxies tend to take a lot of time to process in the game, something that Stardock has already addressed in the first patch and should continue to work on.
