Galactic Civilizations III – Battle Formations

Introduction

 
“A Ship’s role defines the behavior of a starship during combat, including its targeting priorities, defending priorities (where applicable), and where it will spawn in battle. The player can specify the role of a ship as part of its design. By default, the role is determined from the ship’s hull and its relative values of Threat, Fortitude, and Value.” 
galciv3.fandom.com – https://galciv3.fandom.com/wiki/Ship_role 
 
Designing ships in Galactic Civilizations 3 is an abstract process. Sure you’re adding lasers, missiles, and big bullets to your ships along with defenses to counter them. This is not meant to be a simple rock, paper, scissors affair. If you see it that way you’ll miss all the fun Galactic Civilizations 3 has to offer. 
 
The attack and defense values for the weapon and defense types are meant to show the relative strength and weaknesses of the Civilizations ships/fleets. The values are what’s important not the specific type of weapon or even the animations. The animations are fun to watch though. 
 
When designing your ships do you have a plan? Do you have a vision of how your conquest will unfold? 
 
Why are you designing that ship? Is it meant to be a lone wolf that can take on any enemy? Is it meant to be part of a team/fleet working together to bring down the evil Empire? Will it work with any fleet? Or will it work better in an attacking or defending fleet? What is its role? Where do you want it to be in the start of the battle? 
 
Setting a ship’s role in the Ship Designer will decide how it behaves in battle and where it is placed in relation to the rest of your fleet. This can make or break the battle or be the reason why you lost ships even though you won; or why you didn’t loose any. 
 
 

Ship Roles And Putting Them Into Practice

 
Go read this web page: https://galciv3.fandom.com/wiki/Ship_role#Starting_location 
 
Notice how the Interceptor role by default will be a*signed to only Tiny ship hulls. But they start in front of the fleet and are for attacking. If a role is meant for defense it means it will attack any enemy targeting the ship it is defending. But you can change the ship’s role from the ship designer. 
 
I designed a Defense Battery for protecting Starbases, planets, and shipyards. It’s not meant to travel the stars so it doesn’t need a drive. It may take a little longer to get to where it needs to go but once there will make things difficult for the enemy. And of course there are modules you can add to ships that will increase the speed of other ships in the fleet. Think about that… You could have some support ships whose only role is to help ferry big orbital defense platforms around to your planets. Are ideas starting to pop in your mind now? You could also have them be part of the fleet where they would hang back like Transports to help fleets move faster. And you might want to have a ship or two that defends supports ships in your fleet in that case. 
 
 
 
My Defense Battery is a large hull type set to be a Interceptor. That will put it right up in front staring down at the enemy. The enemy I’m fighting has a great advantage in beam tech so my Defense Battery has shields and then some. If it was by itself it wouldn’t be a big deal where it’s placed. But with a fleet it makes all the difference. The following battle would most likely still have been a win for me BUT I would have lost my new prize I just built. This ship is meant to be the main a*sault of any fleet. 
 
It’s a Capital ship so it doesn’t defend anything. It’s role is to inflict as much pain as quickly as possible. 
 
The battle that started out like this: 
 
Ended like this: 
 
 
Why? 
 
I’m glad you asked 🙂 
I’ll explain in the next section of this guide. 
 
 

Why Didn’t My Capital Ship Die?

 
First thing to note about my new capital ship, it has a module that increased its missile weapon range. That will increase its threat value to the enemy AI and make it a priority target. Even though it’s behind my Defense Platforms it will fire first. It actually takes out the first enemy ship. The battle commences. 
 
 
 
The Defense Platforms just wiped out a big chunk of the enemy fleet that were gunning for my Capital ship. Resistance Is Futile! As my Defense Platforms have the role of an Interceptor they don’t defend anything and will only attack. Note how the enemy interceptors are not a top priority for the intercept role. However, as the enemy support ships are in the back of the fleet and out of range of my Defense Batteries my intercepting Defense Batteries targeted which ever enemy was closest factoring in the interceptor role’s targeting priority. 
 
At the end of the battle both my Defense Platforms were at full health while my Capital ship was hurting badly but still ticking. 
 
 
Even though a Defense Battery is closing in on the enemy transport the Capital ship’s extended ranged missiles took out the enemy transport. 
 
The battle is over! 
 
 
If my Defense Batteries were not filling the role of the Interceptor it’s a good bet my Capital ship would have been blown out of the stars. It was severely damaged but managed to survive because the Defense Platforms got up front and personal. 
 
Today is Mother’s Day 2021 and the Romulan Star Empire gave the Mother of the Dominion her present by kicking her minion’s butts! Long live the Romulan Star Empire! 
 
I hope this has given you some ideas. If you’ve been thinking Galactic Civilizations 3 is a rock, paper, scissors type game I hope this guide has breathed new life and new possibilities into the game for you. Thanks for checking out this guide. 
 

This is all that we can say about Galactic Civilizations III – Battle Formations for now. I hope this post helped you. If there is anything that we should add, please let us know via comment below. See you soon!