Players of Galactic Civilizations IV can look forward to a major update coming on 12th June. The Hyperlane Update will overhaul the core game mechanics, map generation and computer opponents, but the main feature of the update is the addition of hyperlanes, which will connect groups of stars and drastically increase travel speed between those stars.
Galactic Civilizations IV has always enabled free-form movement and the addition of hyperlanes maintains this popular feature whilst also allowing a drastic increase of unit speed between stars.
Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock Entertainment said: “The Galactic Civilizations games have always stood out because players can take their fleets and move them freely on the map. However, players have requested having map generation where groups of stars are very distant from each other within a given sector. The challenge there is that players also don’t want to spend dozens of turns moving through the void of deep space. Hyperlanes let us have it both ways.”
The update also decreases micromanagement as well as making starship quality more distinct by adding the concept of a civilisation-wide fleet supply limit which can be increased by technology. This makes it so players have to earn the ability to make more vessels by making it part of their strategy, rather than it being a default.
Players may also notice hundreds of small updates and improvements, including higher-resolution textures for vessels, balance improvements and new Civilisation data screens that provide players with valuable information on their civilisation.
The Hyperlane Update is available now as a Preview build on Steam for those wishing to try it out, however the final release will arrive on 12th June.