Galactic Civilizations 3 updated with ship-building system

Galactic Civilizations 3 needs a few good engineers.

needs a few good engineers. Set to be the next entryin the venerable 4X strategy game series, GC3's ongoing alpha now has a ship-building system. The buy-in for the alpha is still an eye-watering£76 / $100 through Steam Early Access, but developer Stardock Entertainment looks to be sticking to its ethos, with players taking part in the creation of the game.

"The shipyard, like the rest of the game, is in an alpha state," reportsthe Stardock website. "It's undeniably powerful, but we need your feedback on what you'd like to see in the interface, if you'd like different templates, what types of parts you'd like to see us build, and anything else that comes to mind."

There are still a few mechanics yet to be added to the shipyard, such as "particle effects, subsurface materials, and custom parts," according to Stardock. Also, as is expected and common among early access games, old game saves won't be compatible with the ship-building tool. But based on a video walkthough of the new mechanic released this week by the developer, would-be engineers and ship breakersshould have a lot to keep them busy. The video, hosted by GC3 lead designer Paul Boyer, is available here.

Hat tip, Rock, Paper, Shotgun.