View source for Galactic Civilizations

{{Short description|2003 video game}}
{{About|the video game|the type of civilization|Type III Civilization}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Galactic Civilizations
|image = GalacticCivilizationsBox.jpg
|developer = [[Stardock]]
|publisher = {{vgrelease|NA|[[Strategy First]]|UK|[[Empire Interactive]]}}
|designer = [[Brad Wardell]]
|programmer = Cari Begle<br />Scott Tykoski<br />Brad Wardell<br />Michael Duffy<br />Ian Hanschen
|artist = Alex Gounaropoulos<br />Scott Tykoski<br />Russ Schwenkler
|writer = Brad Wardell<br />Scott Tykoski<br />Alexander Antoniades
|composer = Eric Heberling<br />Eric Johnson
|engine = 
|series = 
|released = {{vgrelease|NA|March 25, 2003<ref>{{Cite web |author=I. G. N. Staff |date=2003-03-03 |title=Galactic Civilizations Gold |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/03/03/galactic-civilizations-gold |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>|EU|September 12, 2003}}'''Altarian Prophecy'''<br />{{vgrelease|NA|November 12, 2004|EU|February 4, 2005}}
|genre = [[Turn-based strategy]], [[4X]]
|modes = [[Single player]]
|platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]]
}}

'''''Galactic Civilizations''''' is a [[turn-based strategy]] [[video game]] developed by [[Stardock]] and released in March 2003. The game is a remake of an [[OS/2]] series of the same name.  An expansion pack entitled ''Altarian Prophecy'' was released in 2004. A sequel, ''[[Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords]]'', was released February 21, 2006. On May 14, 2015, Stardock released ''[[Galactic Civilizations III]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=October 15, 2013 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/galactic-civilizations-iii-revealed-for-64-bit-pcs/1100-6415595/ |title=Galactic Civilizations III revealed for 64-bit PCs |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 18, 2013}}</ref> On April 26, 2022, Stardock released ''[[Galactic Civilizations IV]]''.

==Gameplay==
The goal of the game is to eventually dominate the galaxy.  It is possible to achieve victory through war, cultural domination, diplomacy or by developing overwhelming advanced technology.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}

===Story===
The game is set in the future.  Humankind has made contact with the 5 other major alien races.  Space travel is risky and expensive, requiring huge jump gates which only permit travel between two specific points.  Because space travel is so difficult, the galaxy remains mostly uncolonized.  The humans make a great discovery&mdash;hyperdrive.  It permits fast travel between any two stars.  The humans share their discovery with the other five major races.  All communication stops.  The humans consider that sharing their discovery may have been a mistake.  Now that the galaxy is open for exploration, there's going to be a rush to claim all the uncolonized worlds.

==Development==
[[File:Galactic Civilizations OS2 screenshot.PNG|right|thumb|256px|GalCiv for OS/2]]
''Galactic Civilizations'' was first developed for OS/2 in April 1993 by [[Brad Wardell]]. Although revenue from the initial OS/2 release was never paid by the bankrupt publisher,<ref>{{cite web |last=Wardell |first=Brad |date=April 5, 2006 |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2653/postmortem_stardocks_galactic_.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204221012/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2653/postmortem_stardocks_galactic_.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 4, 2007 |title=Postmortem: Stardock's Galactic Civilizations 2: Dread Lords |website=[[Gamasutra]] |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref> popular support encouraged Stardock to release ''Shipyards'', an add-on pack that allowed users to design their own starships, and this provided enough revenue to support further development, with a simplified version being sold to [[IBM]] in 1995 as ''Star Emperor''.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} The game sold above 30,000 units for OS/2.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/history_spaceempire/p3_01.html |title=GameSpot Presents: A History of Space Empire Games |website=gamespot.com |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020202163117/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/history_spaceempire/p3_01.html |archive-date=2 February 2002 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Galactic Civilizations II'' was released later that year, adding several new concepts and tweaks. It was followed by another version of ''Shipyards'' (which added both the ship design feature and improved governors/AI), and an expansion pack in April 1997, before Stardock was forced to withdraw from significant OS/2 development with the loss of their market.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} It is possible to run OS/2 versions of the game under emulation using [[Virtual PC]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Benjamin |date=May 25, 2005 |url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/virtual_pc_guy/2005/05/25/galactic-civilizations-for-os2-under-virtual-pc/ |title=Galactic Civilizations for OS/2 (under Virtual PC) |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>

==Expansion pack==
{{Expand section|date=April 2025}}
An expansion pack, called '''''Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy''''', was released in 2004.

{{Clear}}

==Reception==
===''Galactic Civilizations''===
{{Video game reviews
| title = Galactic Civilizations
| MC = 83/100<ref name=MC1>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/galactic-civilizations/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Galactic Civilizations for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| CGW = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Geryk |first=Bruce |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_227.pdf |title=Galactic Civilizations |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=227 |date=June 2003 |page=99 |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103031622/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_227.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpot = 8.4/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Parker |first=Sam |date=March 26, 2003 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/galactic-civilizations-review/1900-6023968/ |title=Galactic Civilizations Review |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-date=April 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419105247/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/galactic-civilizations-review/1900-6023968/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpy = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Rausch |first=Allen |date=March 28, 2003 |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/galactic-civilizations/5720p1.html |title=GameSpy: Galactic Civilizations |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| GameZone = 7.5/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Schutz |first=Jake |date=April 16, 2003 |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/galactic_civilizations_pc_review |title=Galactic Civilizations - PC - Review |publisher=GameZone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224184016/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r18100.htm |archive-date=December 24, 2008 |url-status=live |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| IGN = 8.2/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Brenesal |first=Barry |date=April 8, 2003 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/04/08/galactic-civilizations-review |title=Galactic Civilizations Review |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| PCF = 86%<ref>{{cite journal |last=Griliopoulos |first=Dan |url=http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=19541&subsectionid=680 |title=Galactic Civilizations |journal=[[PC Format]] |issue=154 |date=November 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040818053735/http://www.pcformat.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=19541&subsectionid=680 |archive-date=August 18, 2004 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| PCGUK = 88%<ref>{{cite journal |title=Galactic Civilizations |journal=[[PC Gamer|PC Gamer UK]] |year=2003}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 82%<ref>{{cite journal |last=Peckham |first=Matthew |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/galactic_civili.html |title=Galactic Civilizations |journal=[[PC Gamer]] |date=June 2003 |page=82 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315144440/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/galactic_civili.html |archive-date=March 15, 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| XPlay = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Jonah |date=June 4, 2003 |url=http://www.techtv.com/xplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3439185,00.html |title='Galactic Civilizations' (PC) Review |publisher=[[X-Play]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030608093724/http://www.techtv.com/xplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3439185,00.html |archive-date=June 8, 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
}}

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[Metacritic]].<ref name=MC1/> By December 2005, the game had sold 75,000 copies, which ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'}}s Bruce Geryk called "impressive" for its genre.<ref name=sales2>{{cite magazine |title=''Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords'' | author=Geryk, Bruce |issue=263 |date=June 2006 |pages=86–89 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] }}</ref> According to writer [[Greg Costikyan]], the game's sales had surpassed 100,000 units by 2008.<ref name=costikyan>{{cite conference | author=Costikyan, Greg | author-link=Greg Costikyan |title=The Independent Developer Shall Rise Again! |format=PPT |conference=SCAD Game Developers Exchange 2008 |pages=64 |date=October 21, 2008 |location=[[Atlanta, Georgia]] |url=http://www.costik.com/presentations/The_Independent_Developer_Shall_Rise_Again.ppt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306112653/http://www.costik.com/presentations/The_Independent_Developer_Shall_Rise_Again.ppt |archive-date=March 6, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref>

''Galactic Civilizations'' was named the ninth-best computer game of 2003 by ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]'', and it won the publication's "Best AI" award, tying with ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''. A writer for the magazine called it "the sort of game that will still be on your hard drive when all the other games you are playing right now are gathering dust on a shelf."<ref name=cgm13th>{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | title=Best of 2003; The 13th Annual Awards |date=March 2004 | issue=160 | pages=58–62 }}</ref> The editors of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' nominated ''Galactic Civilizations'' for their 2003 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to ''[[Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic]]''. They wrote that they "found it impossible to ignore the [game's] almost overwhelming depth of strategy".<ref name=cgwpremier2003>{{cite magazine | author=((Editors of ''CGW'' ))| magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | title=''Computer Gaming World''{{'}}s 2003 Games of the Year |date=March 2004 | issue=236 | pages=57–60, 62–69 }}</ref>

{{Clear}}

===''Altarian Prophecy''===
{{Video game reviews
| title = Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy
| MC = 77/100<ref name=MC2>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/galactic-civilizations-altarian-prophecy/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy for PC Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| CGW = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Geryk |first=Bruce |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_245.pdf |title=Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy |magazine=Computer Gaming World |issue=245 |date=December 2004 |page=99 |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| GameZone = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Lafferty |first=Michael |date=January 16, 2005 |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/galactic_civilizations_altarian_prophecy_pc_review |title=Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy - PC - Review |publisher=GameZone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331210817/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r23712.htm |archive-date=March 31, 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| IGN = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Butts |first=Steve |date=January 12, 2005 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/01/12/galactic-civilizations-altarian-prophecy |title=Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy |website=IGN |access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 62%<ref>{{cite journal |title=Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy |journal=PC Gamer |date=March 2005 |page=71}}</ref>
}}

The ''Altarian Prophecy'' expansion pack received "favorable" reviews, although slightly less than the original, according to Metacritic.<ref name=MC2/>
{{Expand section|date=April 2025}}{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://www.stardock.com/stardock/articles/article_sdos2.html Stardock's OS/2 history] by Brad Wardell

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.galciv1.com}}
* {{moby game|id=/windows/galactic-civilizations}}
* {{moby game|id=/windows/galactic-civilizations-altarian-prophecy|name=''Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy''}}

{{Stardock}}

[[Category:2003 video games]]
[[Category:4X video games]]
[[Category:Fictional civilizations]]
[[Category:Indie games]]
[[Category:Milky Way in fiction]]
[[Category:OS/2 games]]
[[Category:Science fiction video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Space opera video games]]
[[Category:Stardock games]]
[[Category:Strategy First games]]
[[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games with terraforming]]
[[Category:Windows games]]