(EXPANSION) Warlords Changelog - Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova

[RammaStardock]

Hello all,

Today marks the release of the highly anticipated Warlords expansion, redefining and introducing a variety of new mechanics and features, bringing with it the Free Major v2.5 Ares Update and plenty of new content to explore and take advantage of!

We also have a detailed Guided Tour [forums.galciv4.com] of the Warlords expansion as well!
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Hot Patch 4/19/24
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• Operational Abilities are now being added to stat calculations

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2.5 Major Updates
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Battle Viewer
The Battle Viewer received a significant visual upgrade for all players. This update focuses on providing a cleaner view with more options to show/hide UI elements and ensure each UI element provides more detail on combat interactions. Updates include:

• Players can toggle Show Ship HUDs to get HP Bars, Shield Bars, and combat text, including damage numbers. This is off by default.
  
  
• Selecting a Ship now provides a detailed tooltip that includes a Battle Log specific to that ship. It can be toggled open.
  
  
• The full Battle Log and ship-specific Battle Logs have been updated to include more information with an attack and defense breakdown for increased visibility.

Trade Route Screen
A new screen which allows players to see a detailed breakdown of trade. The screen indicates the Trade Route between Planets and who initiated each route. It is now accessible from the Action Bar and the Civilization Screen.

Fleet Wide Commands Screen
A new screen was implemented for an improved automation experience. It is accessible through the Civilization Screen

Tech Tree Update
The Tech Tree received a major update with the Warfare tree being divided into three categories to provide more focused trees and new technologies added. This update now arranges the Tech Tree into six categories. The division makes the branches more readable and provides players with more options early on.

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Warlords Changelog
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Ship Components
Several new defense and weapon components are now available. More complex and unique components were introduced for owners of Warlords, including components that can increase the damage done to ships operated by species of specific biology, a component that uses damage done to repair itself, and Stellar Marines that can be deployed to take over a ship.


Exclusive Ship Components available to owners of Warlords

• Ion Cannon: Fires an ionized blast of energy to disable a target’s Evasion capabilities
  
  
• E-Web: Reduces the damage done by Kinetic attacks.
  
  
• Time Dilator: Uses intense bursts of gravitation to warp time dilation in a localized area to halt the cooldown of a target’s weapons.
  
  
• Assault Shuttles: Short-range transport shuttles that allow Assault Marines to board hostile vessels.
  
  
• Cloaking Device: Deploys a combination of visual and instrument manipulation to cloak the equipped ship, rendering the ship un-targetable by enemy weapons.
  
  
• Theron Ray: Radiates a beam that disorients targets to such a degree it causes them to take increased damage.
  
  
• Shattering Pulse: Emits signals that disorient targets to such a degree that it causes them to take increased damage.
  
  
• UV Field: Produces emissions that disorient targets to such a degree that it causes them to take increased damage.
  
  
• Vampire Module: Enhances the functionality of all weapons on the equipped ship, allowing damage done to targets to be absorbed and converted into repairs for the equipped ship.
  
  
• Neutron Scrambler: Excites the particles around a target to reduce the target’s accuracy.
  
  
• Marine Berthing: Berthing units give housing and space to Defense Marines which helps resist the boarding actions of hostile units.
  
  
• Repair Nanite Cloud: A housing unit that produces a dense grouping of nanite drones that will repair structural damage.
  
  
• Shield Bubble: Provides additional shielding to the equipped ship and its allies.

Invasion Tactics
Invasion Tactics allow the player more control over the nature of Planetary Invasions. They allow the player to make interesting choices at the start of an invasion for Core Worlds that affects casualties, planetary destruction, and the duration of the Invasion.

Exclusive Tactics available to owners of Warlords

• Orbital Bombardment: Use ship-mounted artillery to wreak havoc and destruction across the planet. The devastation caused by an orbital bombardment makes a world easier to conquer at the cost of favor and infrastructure.
  
  
• Surface Invasions: Put units on the planet's surface to conduct an invasion. Units can minimize infrastructure damage, but the ensuing battles will cost some lives and those that survive will take longer to adapt to new authority.
  
  
• Propaganda: Employ psychological and media tactics to win the hearts and minds of the populace. Slowly bring the citizenry to accept their change in ownership, preserving morale, life, and infrastructure.
  
  
• Biological Attacks: Use genetically engineered pathogens targeted at the citizenry. Facilitate a faster invasion without damaging the existing infrastructure but make the planet less inhabitable by organic life.
  
  
• EMP Attacks: Use targeted EMP bursts to disrupt production and damage synthetic citizens. Facilitate a faster invasion without damaging the existing infrastructure but slow down manufacturing and damage tech.
  
  
• Shatter Attacks: Use target frequencies that cause physical damage to silicon-based lifeforms. Facilitate a faster invasion without damaging the existing infrastructure but damaging the planet's raw materials.
  
  
• Annihilate Targets: Show no mercy. Unleash all havoc upon the planet. Bombard it with artillery and send in the troops to eliminate resistance. Use efficiency and brutality to ensure nothing of the enemy remains at the end of the siege.
  
  
• Liberate: Bring freedom to the people. Carefully choose targets and utilize propaganda tactics to revoke the authority of the current owner. The planet will not be conquered but instead will be allowed to become its own faction.

Ship Types
Ship Types represent a ship's combat specialization based on hull size. Tiny-hull combat ships can have a Fighter or Bomber type, each with a different benefit. We have introduced new types for Small, Medium, Large, and Huge hull-sized ships.

Exclusive Ship types available to owners of Warlords

• Corvette: Small combat ships with +25% Hit Points
  
  
• Destroyer: Medium combat ship with -10% Weapon Cooldown
  
  
• Command Ship: Large capital ship with -10% Weapon Cooldown for Allies in Fleet and -50% Hit Points

Operational Abilities
Operational Abilities is a new feature that is part of a ship's design. Operational Abilities give specific benefits such as boosting fire rate, increasing speed, and more. Existing ships start with a default operational ability. Players can assign a new operational ability when editing a Ship class with Warlords.

Exclusive Operational Abilities available to owners of Warlords

• Ace: +75% Accuracy against Fighters
  
• Assassin: +50% Attack and +50% Weapon Cooldown
  
• Blitz: +50% Tactical Speed, -15% Accuracy
  
• Ghost: +25% Evasion
  
• Hunter: +25 Attack and +25% Accuracy against Frigates and Corvettes
  
• Skirmisher: -75% Weapon Cooldown and -25% Weapon Range
  
• Sniper: +50% Accuracy
  
• Assault: -50% Weapon Cooldown
  
• Sentinel: +75% Attack against Bombers
  
• Rush: +25% Tactical Speed
  
• Focus Fire: +10 Attack
  
• Command: Allies +10% Accuracy and -25% HP
  
• Fortress: +100% HP and –75% Tactical Speed

Targeting Priorities
Targeting Priorities is a new feature that affects how ships behave in combat. Targeting Priorities updates the Ship combat AI to go after ships in a specific order so ships can better take advantage of their innate bonuses and focus on their combat role. While all ships are getting a default Targeting Priority based on their size as part of the 2.5 Release, those with Warlords will be able to change Targeting Priorities in the Ship Designer.

Exclusive Targeting Priorities available to owners of Warlords

• Capital Ships: Cruiser > Destroyer > Battleship
  
• Support Ships: Unclassified > Cruiser > Fighter
  
• Gunships: Frigate > Corvette > Cruiser
  
• Frontline Combatants: Frigate > Corvette > Fighter

Edit Ship Class
Ship Classes are a new way of thinking about Ship Designs. A Ship Class is the Ship Type plus the Operational Ability and Targeting Priority. The Ship Designer is updated to focus on the Ship Class, each with a default Operational Ability and Targeting Priority. Those with Warlords will be able to edit Classes to change the Targeting Priority and Operational Ability before designing a new ship.

War Aims
When a war is declared, the aggressor civilization will declare a specific War Aim, which determines the scale of the war. This helps give wars focus and decreases the frequency of wars that drag on till one civilization is destroyed. War Aims can encompass minor skirmishes, taking a planet or two, and scaling up to more destructive conflicts.

• War of Defense: A short-term war with the intent to preempt aggression and protect borders.
  
  
• War of Expansion: A moderate-length war with the intent to expand borders and spread influence
  
  
• War of Conquest: A long-term war with the intent to claim vast expanses of enemy territory.
  
  
• War of Annihilation: A prolonged war with the intent to wipe out the enemy civilization.

Capturing Starbases
Owners of Warlords will be able to capture Starbases rather than destroy them. To capture a Starbase, a player must engage the Starbase in a fight and win.