Crucible of Empires

Turn-based 4X Strategy Sci-Fi Game Fully Mod-able
Explore, conquer, or make allegiances as you journey among foreign stars

EXPLORE, EXPAND, EXPLOIT, EXTERMINATE

Game Setup

Here is an overview of types of things that can be changed per game play-through (without mods).

On release, CoE will provide many ways to customize how you play 4x. And with the inclusion of mods we want to make sure that every player has an option for them. Below is a list of all the available settings and how they affect the game.

These settings affect the entire game.

  1. Allow Cheats:

    • Toggle that turns on the developer menu allowing for cheat dev commands.

  2. Empire Score View:

    • Choose who can see the scores of all players in the game.

      1. All

      2. Allies Only

      3. Never

  3. Turn Processing Method:

    • Choose how turns are taken during a game.

      1. Simultaneous

      2. Turn-Based

  4. Empire Budget:

    • Choose how many design points are given to create and customize races/empires.

      1. Small

      2. Medium

      3. Large

      4. Extreme

      5. Custom

  5. AI Empire Budget:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  6. Max Traits:

    • Choose how many maximum positive traits a created empire can have.

      1. Small

      2. Medium

      3. Large

      4. Extreme

      5. Custom

  7. AI Max Traits:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  8. Max Limitations:

    • Choose how many maximum negative traits a created empire can have.

      1. Small

      2. Medium

      3. Large

      4. Extreme

      5. Custom

  9. AI Max Limitations:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  10. Technology Cost:

    • Choose if there will be multiplayer to base cost of technology research.

      1. None

      2. Custom

  11. AI Technology Cost:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  12. Starting Research Points:

    • How many bonus research points an empire gets on turn 1 (one-time bonus only).

      1. Small

      2. Medium

      3. Large

      4. Extreme

      5. Custom

  13. AI Starting Research Points:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  14. Starting Resources:

    • How many resources an empire starts with in their storage.

      1. Small

      2. Medium

      3. Large

      4. Extreme

      5. Custom

  15. AI Starting Resources:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  1. 8 Default Empires:

    • Choose between 8 unique empires all with different play styles.

  2. Custom Empires:

    • Can’t decide? Then make your own custom empire to either play as or play against when controlled by the AI.

  3. AI difficulty:

    • Set the difficulty of all the AI empires in game. This setting can also be changed during play.

  4. AI Mega Empire:

    • A real challenge! Toggle that makes all AI empires allied with one another and will always be at war with the players.

  5. Advanced Surrender:

    • Normally when a player surrenders (or abandons) the AI will control their empire. The player or host has other options if this option is toggled on.

      1. Default

      2. Specific empire takes over

      3. Total annihilation

  6. Allow Diplomacy:

    • Toggle that turns on/off diplomacy.

  7. Allow Gifting:

    • Multiple toggles that turn on/off what type of gifts empires can give and receive.

      1. Resources

      2. Technology

      3. Real estate

  • Name:

    • The name of your empire!

  • Icon:

    • Set an icon for your empire using our default list or design one you like and upload it.

  • General Info:

    • List any information about your empire that you deem important.

  • Ship Type:

    • Pick the style/look of your ships from our 8 default races.

  • Life Basis:

    • Select the genetic makeup of your race. This choice will not only provide pros/cons but also lock you into certain habitability types, traits, technologies, and more.

      1. Carbon

      2. Silicon

      3. Nitrogen

      4. Mechanical

      5. Energy

  • Habitability:

    • Pick the starting habitability of your race from select options.

      • Planet Type:

        1. Gas giant

        2. Rock

        3. Iron

        4. Star

      • Atmosphere:

        1. None

        2. Oxygen

        3. Hydrogen

        4. Methane

        5. Ammonia

        6. Carbon Dioxide

        7. Sulfur Dioxide

  • Traits:

    • Pick which positive/negative traits to include through the use of cp (customization points).

      • Racial Traits: Traits that affect the race of your empire. These can be changed later in game through certain genetic technologies.

      • Empire Traits: Traits that affect your starting technologies and empire-wide buffs/debuffs. These can NOT be changed once game start.

  • Society:

    • Choose the type of your society your empire follows. Each society comes with it’s own set of passive pros/cons.

  • Government:
    • Decide on the type of government your empire follows. This can be changed in-game but can be quite difficult depending on the starting choice.
  1. Inter-system Teleport:

    • Control which inter-system travel is permitted.
      1. Warp Points
        • Natural
        • Created
      2. Stargates
      3. Jump Drives

  2. Inter-system Warp Lines:

    • Toggle that controls inter-system travel permissions (including any speed increases) via warp lines.

  3. Inter-system FTL:

    • Toggle that controls inter-system travel permissions via FTL.

  4. Technology Permissions:

    • Control which types of technology are allowed in a game:
      1. Warp Point Creation
      2. Warp Point Destruction
      3. Warp Line Creation
      4. Warp Line Destruction
      5. Star Creation
      6. Star Destruction
      7. Planet Creation
      8. Planer Destruction
      9. Storm Creation
      10. Storm Destruction
      11. Mega Projects
      12. Terraforming
      13. Jump/Skip Drives
      14. Stutter Drives
      15. Stargates
      16. Facility Miniaturization
      17. Component Miniaturization
      18. Bio Plagues

  5. Tech Tree View:

    • Toggle whether the entirety of the tech tree (including hidden branches) can be viewed regardless of available options.

  6. Build Queue Multiple Items:

    • Toggle that controls if build queues can create multiple items if extra resources are available. If toggled off, only 1 item will be created per turn regardless of available extra resources.

  7. Build Queue Maximize Spending:

    • Toggle that allows all available resources to be spent on items in a queue starting from the top.

  8. Randomize Technology:

    • Toggle that enables marked technologies to be rolled for at start of game. If roll fails, that empire can not research said technology.

  9. Only Colonize Compatible Planets:

    • Toggle that only allows empires to colonize their perfect composition. When disabled all planet types can be colonized when meeting certain tech requirements.

  10. Maximum Units in Space:

    • Set the maximum number of units that an empire can have in space (not counting units in storage) at one time.
      1. Small
      2. Medium
      3. Large
      4. Extreme
      5. Custom

  11. Maximum Mines Per Sector:

    • Set the maximum number of mines that can be placed in a single sector
      1. Small
      2. Medium
      3. Large
      4. Extreme
      5. Custom

  12. Maximum Ships:

    • Set the maximum number of ships that an empire can own.
      1. Small
      2. Medium
      3. Large
      4. Extreme
      5. Custom

  13. Max Ships Per Battle:

    • Set the maximum number of ships that can take part in a single battle.
      1. Small
      2. Medium
      3. Large
      4. Extreme
      5. Custom

  14. Max Ship Tonnage Per Battle:

    • Set the maximum number of ship tonnage that can take part in a single battle.
      1. Small
      2. Medium
      3. Large
      4. Extreme
      5. Custom
  1. Seed Number:

    • Determines the layout of the galaxy. 0 means the seed is randomly determined while any number >0 generates that same galaxy every time.

  2. Galaxy Shape:

    • Change the overall shape of the galaxy from select options.

      1. Ring

      2. Sphere

      3. Helix

  3. Number of AI Empires:

    • Choose the number of enemy AI for the game. The default will match the size of the galaxy but can be custom-changed.

  4. AI Races:

    • Choose which races the AI will be.

  5. Watcher Influence:

    • Decide if and how the watchers will influence the game along with the available options at their disposal.

  6. Finite Resources:

    • Toggle that makes all standard and special resources finite and will run out over time.

  7. Homeworld Resources:

    • Decide how rich or poor a homeworld’s resource values are.

  8. AI Homeworld Resources:

    • Same as above but for AI.

  9. Game Start Year:

    • Choose what year the game will start.

  10. Years per Turn:

    • Decide how many years pass per turn.

  11. Anomaly Frequency:

    • How often the galaxy creates anomalies in a sector.

  12. Anomaly Severity Range:

    • Range of how severe the effects of anomalies can be.

  13. Random Event Frequency:

    • The chance for random events (empire of global) each turn.

  14. Random Event Severity Range:

    • Range of how severe the effects of random events can be.

  15. Starting Planets:

    • How many extra colonies beyond the initial homeworld empires can start with.

      1. None

      2. Custom

  16. AI Starting Planets:

    • Same as above but for AI.