GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #85 - Megastructures: Stellar Nexus Deep Dive

Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 By DraconicDesign In GalCiv IV Dev Journals

Megastructures is Here!

The long-awaited DLC for Galactic Civilizations IV has arrived, bringing with it a plethora of powerful new Megastructures. In this week's dev journal, we're diving deep into one of the expansion's titular Megastructures: The Stellar Nexus.

Stellar Nexus

Stellar Nexuses are colossal, versatile Megastructures constructed around stars. Each Nexus offers incredible bonuses to fleets and colonies across your civilization, tailored to your chosen Nexus Augment.

Unlocking Stellar Nexuses requires the “Megastructure Nexi” technology.

Once researched, your Stellar Architect ships can build Stellar Nexuses around Yellow, Red, Blue, or Purple stars. The color of your Nexus' host star matters as it will dictate the type of bonuses your Stellar Nexus can provide.

Building a base Stellar Nexus demands 50 Gigamass and takes your Architect 12 turns to complete.

Upon completion, you can manage your Stellar Nexus by double-clicking the Nexus or by clicking the “Manage Megastructure” button from the Nexus Context Window.

From the management screen, you can view the effects of the base Stellar Nexus and explore the list of available Nexus Augments. At its base level, the Stellar Nexus provides a not-insubstantial 5% boost to approval, research, and manufacturing for all colonies across your civilization.

In addition to enabling the construction of Stellar Nexuses, the Megastructure Nexi technology unlocks 16 base-level Nexus Augments—four for each star color. The list of Available Augments can be located beneath the Nexus' current effects in the bottom right portion of the Nexus screen.

Even at the base level, Nexus Augments provide substantial bonuses. An upgraded Stellar Nexus can significantly accelerate the development of your empire.

The cost of installing a base-level Nexus Augment is 15 Gigamass and 10 Energy, with the installation process taking 4 turns to complete.

Nexus Augments

Augments increase in cost, installation time, and power at each tier:

Tier	Gigamass	Energy	Install Time (In Turns)
Tier 1	15	10	4
Tier 2	30	15	8
Tier 3	45	20	12

There are 48 total Nexus Augments—12 per star color and 16 per tier. The Augments available to a Stellar Nexus are determined by the color of the star it's built on, with each star focusing on a different kind of bonus.

Yellow Stars	Food and Growth, Citizen Stats, Culture, and Control
Purple Stars	Wealth, Influence, Tourism, and Diplomacy
Red Stars	Military Strength and Defense
Blue Stars	Manufacturing, Research, and Leaders

Here is a full list of all Nexus Augments:

Yellow Star Augments
Tier	Augment	Effect
1	Nascent Garden	+3 Farming, +30% Growth, +3 Pop cap
2	Flourishing Garden	+6 Farming, +60% Growth, +6 Pop cap
3	Celestial Garden	+10 Farming, +100% Growth, +10 Pop cap
1	Focus Origin	+3 Citizen Stats
2	Focus Amplifier	+6 Citizen Stats
3	Focus Generator	+10 Citizen Stats
1	Stratus Cycler	-30% Pollution, +10% Approval
2	Nimbus Cycler	-40% Pollution, +15% Approval
3	Celestial Cloud Cycler	-75% Pollution, +25% Approval
1	Core Authority	5 Control per Turn, +3 Culture Points, -25% Crime
2	Unified Authority	10 Control per Turn, +5 Culture Points, -50% Crime
3	Central System Authority	20 Control per Turn, +7 Culture Points, -75% Crime

Purple Star Augments
Tier	Augment	Effect
1	Proto Lens	+25 Planetary Influence, +20% Planetary Influence
2	Astral Lens	+50 Planetary Influence, +30% Planetary Influence
3	Subspace Lens	+75 Planetary Influence, +40% Planetary Influence
1	Starry Retreat	+3 Tourism, +50% Tourism
2	Cosmic Getaway	+4 Tourism, +75% Tourism
3	Galactic Resort	+5 Tourism, +150% Tourism
1	Colossal Market	+50% Trade Route Value, +3 Trade Licenses
2	Monumental Exchange	+100% Trade Route Value, +6 Trade Licenses
3	Megalithic Trade Center	+200% Trade Route Value, +9 Trade Licenses
1	Cosmic Courthouse	+15 Diplomacy, +50 Diplomatic Capital Income
2	Interstellar Consulate	+30 Diplomacy, +100 Diplomatic Capital Income
3	Galactic Embassy	+45 Diplomacy, +200 Diplomatic Capital Income

Red Star Augments
Tier	Augment	Effect
1	Daybreak Engine	+50% Military, +2 Armor, +2 Shield
2	Twilight Engine	+75% Military, +4 Armor, +4 Shield
3	Eclipse Engine	+100% Military, +8 Armor, +8 Shield
1	Impulse Matrix	+25% Moves, +25% Tactical Speed
2	Surge Matrix	+33% Moves, +33% Tactical Speed
3	Acceleration Matrix	+50% Moves, +50% Tactical Speed
1	Shield Coordinator	+35% Planetary Defenses
2	Guardian Coordinator	+50% Planetary Defenses
3	Defense Coordinator	+75% Planetary Defenses
1	Hunter's Gaze	+20% Weapon Attack
2	Orion's Watch	+33% Weapon Attack
3	Orion's Eye	+50% Weapon Attack

Blue Star Augments
Tier	Augment	Effect
1	Cosmic Mirror	+3 Technology
2	Astral Mirror	+5 Technology
3	Quantum Mirror	+10 Technology
1	Stellar Smithy	+3 Minerals
2	Astral Forge	+5 Minerals
3	Cosmic Foundry	+10 Minerals
1	Trust Engine	+15% Recruit Discount, +15 Loyalty
2	Loyalty Engine	+30% Recruit Discount, +30 Loyalty
3	Allegiance Engine	+45% Recruit Discount, +45 Loyalty
1	Proto Spire	+10% Random Tech Discount
2	Emergent Spire	+15% Random Tech Discount
3	Neoteric Spire	+20% Random Tech Discount

A unique feature of the Stellar Nexus is the ability to change the installed Augment at any time by choosing an Augment to Retrofit. This process takes the same amount of time as the initial installation, but you'll be refunded the Gigamass cost of the original Augment, ensuring you only sacrifice time, not resources.

Potential Uses

Stellar Nexuses are designed to be flexible, adapting to your civilization's evolving needs as the game progresses. For instance, a civilization focused on colonizing new planets might prioritize the additional Food and accelerated Growth from the Flourishing Garden Augment. Conversely, a civilization engaged in warfare might opt for the Twilight Engine to expedite fleet production.

With sufficient Gigamass, players can construct multiple Stellar Nexuses for compounding or synergistic effects. Augments on stars of the same color often complement each other, such as the Subspace Lens and Galactic Gateway Augments on Purple stars, which can significantly boost your civilization’s tourism revenue.

Critically, bonuses from Nexuses can stack, allowing a focused player to construct multiple Nexuses with the same Augment. This can be a compelling strategy with a steep opportunity cost: requiring you to ignore other powerful Augments.

Finally, Stellar Nexuses are crafted to seamlessly fit into your preferred playstyle. Civilizations like the Phalenoids, who leverage Influence, can greatly benefit from the Subspace Lens. Research-focused civilizations like the Yor might favor the Quantum Mirror or Neoteric Spire, while the Mimot, reliant on rapid Growth, would find the additional Population Capacity from the Celestial Garden advantageous.

As you explore the new features of Galactic Civilizations IV: Megastructures, consider the strategic possibilities offered by the Stellar Nexus. Whether you're expanding your empire, bolstering your defenses, or advancing your technological prowess, the Stellar Nexus provides a versatile tool to enhance your civilization's strengths.

We invite you to share your favorite new combinations and strategies with us. How will you leverage the power of the Stellar Nexus to shape your galactic empire? Will you focus on rapid expansion, military dominance, or perhaps a thriving economy? The choice is yours, and we can't wait to see the creative ways you'll use these Megastructures to achieve victory.

Stay tuned for more insights and updates in our future dev journals. Until then, may your civilizations prosper and your stars shine brightly!