Gal Civ 2: Races vs. Space

[fuzzyslug]

I spent some time with Galactic Civilizations 2 last night and, so far, I'm pretty impressed. That said, I restarted my game a couple of times, searching for the proper balance between the size of the map and the number of races that I wanted to join me in the black void of the universe.

Here's what I'm really looking for:

• I'd like a period of exploration to start the game. I'd really rather not have a whole lot of next door neighbors. I want a little room for a planet grab, where I have a some time to zoom around unmolested. I don't mind noticing other folks attempting to do the same thing.
• I want at least three races to compete with. I like the diplomacy side of these games. I want to interact with other races and be forced into some decisions, even somewhat early in the game (just not right away).
• I don't want a game that will last forever. I'm thinking 4 - 6 hours.

I've taken a few shots at this balance and haven't found it quite yet. On my first shot, I thought I left all the default settings alone (tiny, with 6 races) and that was incredibly crowded, which didn't really surprise me at all.

On my second shot (tiny, with 3 races), it was a little better but, much to my surprise, there was a race I didn't recognize hanging around on a system right next to me. They were within my borders but, for some odd reason, they didn't want to just give me their planet. At least I noticed an uninhabited system reasonably close (but within the borders of another race). It still felt a bit crowded, though. Within 2 turns, I had encountered the borders of two other races. I could be the victim of unfortunate placement or I could have simply missed the balance I desired. There's also a good chance that I just don't really "get" how the borders are drawn just yet (I keep wanting to compare them to Civ 4; that might not be the correct analogy). It'll be hard to tell until I get a little farther along (or bother to read the manual carefully).

So, I'm looking for suggestions. What size/race combo are folks using? How long does your game take with a tiny or medium (or even larger map)? How much does the number of races influence the length a typical game? Does the campaign do a good job of hitting the goals I stated above? I realize that it is a bit early to have so many questions but I'm looking for a good starting point. Help a guy out. Won't you?

[Troy S Goodfellow]

There's also a good chance that I just don't really "get" how the borders are drawn just yet (I keep wanting to compare them to Civ 4; that might not be the correct analogy). It'll be hard to tell until I get a little farther along (or bother to read the manual carefully).

The only true borders are limited to the planets you own. Anything else is merely sphere of influence. Ideally, you want to own everything in your sphere of influence so that an alien planet isn't countering any culture push you are trying to make. But these aren't borders - people can cross through your space at will and even build space stations there.

So the Civ 4 analogy only works regarding it being mapped out to where your influence stretches. You don't have ownership of the space, but the Council of Planets can pass laws that penalize building in territory you don't "control".

Troy