Dev Journal
GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #72 - Control
4X games are fun because you take the role of a great leader of a great nation, civilization or tribe and then lord it over them as you see fit. You call the shots, and nobody else. Sure, some games have more or less simulation aspects to them that interfere in various ways with your top-down decision making process, but usually, as the head honcho, what you say goes. Of course, this isn’t particularly realistic when it comes to certain aspects of an empire’s management: President BATTLEMODE ... [read more]
Dev Journal
GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #71 - Diving into the Ship Designer
Hello everyone! This week, I wanted to talk to you all about the GalCiv IV’s Ship Designer. As a feature, the Ship Designer allows players to do two important things: Create custom ships specially tailored to their needs Create really, really cool designs In this Dev Journal, I am going to focus on the latter. As you might guess from my username, I am a big fan of all things dragons - therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Drath are my favorite civilization. ... [read more]
Announcements
C-Suite Perspectives On AI: Authority Magazine Q&A with Brad Wardell
Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to advance and integrate into various aspects of business, decision-makers at the highest levels face the complex task of determining where AI can be most effectively utilized and where the human touch remains irreplaceable. This series seeks to explore the nuanced decisions made by C-Suite executives regarding the implementation of AI in their operations. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Brad Wardell. by Kieran Powell, EVP o... [read more]
Dev Journal
GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #70 - Cultural Progression
In Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova the beliefs, customs and social dynamics of your civilisation are determined by your Culture, consisting of an amalgamation of eight different in-game Ideologies. These aren’t just there for flavour, they can bestow powerful benefits and abilities for your fledgling empire. Let’s take a look at how Culture and Ideology works together! Each Ideology is comprised of a tree of linked bonuses, known as Ideological Traits, which can be unlocked by sp... [read more]
Dev Journal
GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #69 - Who's a Bad Influence?
Hello everyone, nice to meet you! I am DraconicDesign, the new Associate Game Designer on Galactic Civilizations IV. Moving forward, I will be making periodic contributions to the GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journals. I hope you’ll look forward to hearing more from Battlemode and myself as we continue spotlighting GalCiv's various systems! In Galactic Civilizations IV, Influence is a powerful (and often overlooked) tool in many players’ arsenals. Influence controls the spread of your civilizatio... [read more]
Dev Journal
GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #68 - Economy Primer
Building a strong economy is a foundational aspect of all 4X games, regardless of your overarching aims in that particular campaign: whether you’re racing for a technological victory by researching the most advanced technologies, or raising an unstoppable military juggernaut to crush your enemies with, “the sinews of war are infinite gold” to quote Cicero. Or, in the case of Galactic Civilization’s IV: Supernova, infinite credits. And even that timeless wisdom doesn’t quite do things justice ... [read more]
Announcements
Digital Unicorn: DBusiness talks Stardock System's history and growth
As a developer of productivity software and video games inPlymouth Township, Stardock Systems Inc. is no longer ‘themost famous company you’ve never heard of. by Ronald Ahrens One day last spring, Brad Wardell found himself in suburban Baltimore for some meetings when he joked about video conferencing being bad for his step count. Wardell, founder, president, and CEO of Stardock Systems Inc. in Plymouth Township, was visiting Oxide Games, a Stardock subsidiary in Timonium, M... [read more]