What do like most about Twilight of the Arnor

The AI!

I just played about three hours worth of a Terran game (large map, challenging to start with) and I am quite happy with it. I don't have time to go into much detail, but I had a great experience. If I had to say right off what was my favorite thing, I would go with the Ascension Victory condition, if only because at this point I have three of the crystals and am set to win in about 250 turns.

I like these features: https://forums.galciv2.com/310173

I like to the different tech trees, and how I can make my own (with the support of the editors). I'm currently more focused on making my custom civ, and trying to see what breaks the editors than playing the actual game.

I think it is the different tech trees aswell, it makes each race more unique and encourage me to test different races. The graphical was also very nice, although I see it more as a bonus, I wouldn't have excpected StarDock to make such a overhaul on the graphics, hell, I didn't excpect half the content that was in the expansion .

Now, if only I could play the old campaigns (DL & DA) on TofA like I could with DA.

Yea, Paul Boyer really went to down on the textures. We've gotten so much better with the engine and plus we wanted the graphics to look like a 2008 edition game.

Editors. Since the tech editors, tech tree editors, and improvement editors were announced, I have made detailed plans for my own ten civilization galaxy, based on the ten guilds of Ravnica. SO far there seem to be problems with, among other things, differentiation between military and social production in custom improvements. Still hopeful, despite these occasional problems. Perhaps it is time to learn real modding.

The tech trees, and the resultant improvements and ship components, are probably the single most major new feature IMO. Then again, no feature is worth much of anything if there's not a kick ass AI to play the game with...

The AI. And I love the new flavor text in the dialog. The opponents just keep getting better!

The tech trees (by a vast margin) and the more efficient use of system resources. I've not played enough to notice the new AI improvements yet. I will mention that it's still quite susceptible to an attack in the first 12-13 turns in tiny galaxies, but if you program it to guard against blitz tactics it would probably hurt it against normal approaches I suppose. Great game btw. Thank you.

I'll jump on the bandwagon and praise the new tech trees with the assorted spinoff benefits. Benefits like getting race-appropriate tech descriptions to present the back story of your faction. Benefits like having the races play really, *REALLY* differently in pretty much every aspect of the game. Benefits like confusing the heck out of me as I try to figure out "OK, how is *THIS* race supposed to be played?"

Well, OK, that last one isn't precisely a benefit, but since I seem to be enjoying it, maybe it is.

So far its the new tech trees. The races always played differently, especially since DA, but now I am re-learning how to play the Altarians all over again. And that re-learning is an opportunity to try all of the races in a new light, too.

There's a heaping scoop of replay value right there.

I'll agree with Brad and say the AI. I've been playing the beta for a bit so I might be used to the new tech trees but the AI has improved a lot in the last couple of releases.

They are less gullible and way more opportunistic. One minute everyone is a peace, the next Galactic War I was under way and no one was safe. They seem more likely to come to the aid of like minded civs so plan your wars more carefully

One thing I did notice was that it seems easy to buy AI planets early on. I got... annoyed that the Acreans colonized a class 26 one turn before my Colony ship got there. It cost me the tech 'Alliances' and 126 credits to buy it (!!!)

I can sum it my favorite thing in TA in one word: YES.

I haven't delved into the editors much at all, but in time I will. The rest of the improvements/changes just are THAT much to not have gotten completely moved enough for me to start looking for ways to change the game or make new things.

Trying to relearn all the races since Beta 1 and I'm still reeling. That is a fairly high-content expansion IMHO if...what 7-8 months later I still and trying to wrap my head around the changes?

The New textures and shipyard organization.
I know everything else is awesome, but every thing I found remotely inconveinent or annoying was fixed in the shipyard and new features were added (animation!) that I never though of. Amazing job!

If you can win that easily already then it's not a very good game or very challenging. Yet, another loser because of crappy AI.

Don't beat me but what I like most in TA is that becomes much closer to original MoO
Really the AI is better indeed, separate tech trees "rules" and even while I do not design my own ships look the moving parts rock !


On thing I noticed that while AI become more "logical" it become much easier to play, remember being unable to win in original GalCiv/2 even on easiest settings , now I am not really to challenged on the normal settings.
First I thought it's a bad thing but after some playing I believe it's a good thing - easy levels should be easy and for experienced people you have "insane" setting

Played two games so far, three main things I like are tech trees, ai and ascension.


Tech trees seem to make the races play genuinelly differently, played as the Drengin and Altarians so far .

AI, not sure exactly how different it is but seemed to be playing pretty nice and human, seemed to keep upto pace ok and, best of all, the *spoilers* 'we are going to give you a tech for being such a good friend..... Not really!' *spoilers* message was hilarious first time . Also seemed to deal reasonably with the race-specific techs and new features, which was good.

Finally the ascension crystals really spurred me into being more agressive, hardly ever go for conquest normally, was just happily building defenses while turtling then suddenly the Torians caught several crystals.... ended up getting a conquest victory!

Had the odd crash i've reported but nothing that can't be patched i hope.
So, overall, a big thumbs up .

Rotated parts make me crazy.
Tech trees are so amazing now that I know it will be difficult to me to play another 4x.
I love the AI of Gal Civ 2, for me it's one of the best part of a game : the consequence is TA is on my top list of games I really love to play (small maps because I have not enough time and patience to try immense maps ).
Great job Stardock, you gave me the best expansion I've never played .

I wouldn't be so hasty. First of all, I'm only playing on challenging. Secondly, just because I grabbed a few crystals early on doesn't mean a lot. After I made the above post the Thalans decided my ascension wouldn't be a good thing and attacked me. That brought the Yor in on my side, but I've been pretty focused on economy so the Thalans are winning at the moment.
I would hesitate to call the AI crappy just yet.

I'm sitting hear tonight before hitting the sack, trying to think of when I posted any seriously negative comments about the whole GalCiv "thing". I guess there must have been one sometime, but I cant think of it. Seeing dev team members on the Forum in the middle of the night speaks volumes as to why .....

Then to see an update (V1.91) out so swiftly today ...... other Gaming Houses have to be blind, deaf, dumb or just plain stupid not to understand which side of their P&L their butter is.

Ground Breaking Expansion Pack, at a great Price, with first rate Service. Well Done and heartfelt thanks to the Team who have put this together, helped get it out, and maintain it when its here - in whatever capacity. Great Teams make Great Products, not individuals, and you have shown that timeless principle to be true, yet again.

Regards
Zy

Zy, as an aside, and to add to the awesomeness of Stardock, the community at Dawn of War has been waiting for a hotfix to fix some game breaking bugs for Soulstorm, the third expansion pack, identified from its release date in March. That's two months now...



You can say that again.

I love the rotation animations! I spent 2 hours last night just making a template for my races ship design. Will probably make a new one soon that is far more complex and fun. Now, if we could import our ship creations from GalCiv2 into Sins of a Solar Empire, I'd be all set! I just love making my own look and feel. Customizability FTW!

Definitely the AI and the boost it received between Beta and release.

Tech trees and animated parts rate second.

Did you notice that some default colony ships now have rotating parts? You can see that in the preview when choosing your race style!

As a player who doesn't even get the most mileage from the AI in DL and DA, the AI improvements in TA just don't do much for me. I'll reiterate the tech trees. The AI is a game longevity boost in the long run, since it keeps things challenging when you're really amazingly good at the game. The multiple tech trees are a longevity boost in every term, because they make the game more varied and interesting at every skill level.

In other words, improving the AI only helps people who were able to beat the toughest AI in the first place - varying the races helps anybody who plays more than one race.