Imperium Galactum

[Lord Thag]

I just did a search and was surprised to discover that there has never been a dedicated thread for this excellent SSI title.

 

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, Imperium Galactum is/was one of the early 4x games, later made famous by the Master of Orion series. You're basically tasked with developing your burgeoning spacefaring race into a galaxy spanning empire, generally crushing everything else in your wake.

 

While not terribly stunning in the looks department, this game had all kinds of features that much later games took credit for 'inventing' such as economy, tradeing, ship design, diplomacy, and even stand alone unaffiliated planets with non-player races.

 

Combat and ship design are pretty deep, forcing you to have to decide between missiles and beam weaponry, as well as the proper defenses and what not, as well as military production points, sizes of ships and all kinds of other cool stuff like planetary invasions and whatnot. Not to shabby for an early 80s game no one seems to remember.

 

It's a great game if you've never had the pleasure. There didn't seem to be a manual anywhere, but I found a rough text dump on an obscure site, and I reformatted it into a nice, readable .pdf file. If you've never played it, the manual is essential. Rom Hunter, you're welcome to add this to Atarimania, it's an exact text duplicate, if not an actual scan, seeing as I snagged the box scan for the title page

 

Anyone here a fan? There have been some great threads on Alternate Reality and such (which are well deserved), but this was/is truly a great strategy game. Anyone still play it? Any good stores about it? I'd love to hear them.

Imperium Galactum Manual.pdf

[Tanman]

Loved the game! Spent a lot of time playing it!

[ledzep]

That brings back memories, for sure. I remember really liking that game. I was always a fan of the old Traveller role-playing game so Imperium Galactum felt similar in style to that game.

[ilmenit]

I played the game a lot hot-seat with my brother years ago.

Currently the user interface is too repulsive for me to enjoy it.

[Heaven/TQA]

loved the game... or better love the game...

[Lord Thag]

That brings back memories, for sure. I remember really liking that game. I was always a fan of the old Traveller role-playing game so Imperium Galactum felt similar in style to that game.

 

Good lord, Traveller? I just found all of my original books and manuals. Great 'hard science' sci fi game, for sure. Always reminded me of the Asimov Empire books. You're the only other person I've ever heard mention it. Props!

 

Currently the user interface is too repulsive for me to enjoy it.

 

Yeah, SSI was an amazing company, but they had that weird obsession with using the number keys for movement. All of their best games (like Kamfgruupe, Mech Brigade, Wizard's Crown etc) used it. Once you get used to it, it's fine, but yeah, not exactly friendly to the uninitiated.

 

Still fun as hell though. I just started a game I plan to finish this weekend.

 

I'd really like to get a boxed version again. Anyone have one for sale. by chance?

[+MrFish]

Currently the user interface is too repulsive for me to enjoy it.

Yeah, SSI was an amazing company, but they had that weird obsession with using the number keys for movement. All of their best games (like Kamfgruupe, Mech Brigade, Wizard's Crown etc) used it. Once you get used to it, it's fine, but yeah, not exactly friendly to the uninitiated.

 

Ever seen this before?

SSI Joystick Commander.zip

 

I forget where I got it from, and I haven't tested it out yet... but, it sounds like it would make things a little more enjoyable. I used to play them in emulation with redefined keys, and it was a big help.

[Lord Thag]

 

You sir, are my hero. Just tried that thing out. Thirty years of crappy controls ... are now gone.

 

Skip using the DOS 2.0 method. Use MakeATR, open the disk image, rename Autorun.sys to DUP.SYS, then insert the correct driver file named as 'Autorun.sys' and you get instant joystick control like it was built into the game(s) like it should have been.

 

Outstanding! You made my whole weekend

[+MrFish]

 

You sir, are my hero. Just tried that thing out. Thirty years of crappy controls ... are now gone.

 

Skip using the DOS 2.0 method. Use MakeATR, open the disk image, rename Autorun.sys to DUP.SYS, then insert the correct driver file named as 'Autorun.sys' and you get instant joystick control like it was built into the game(s) like it should have been.

 

Outstanding! You made my whole weekend

I found the original article, which was in Antic. It includes a couple of files that I didn't, which may be useful. The two BASIC programs create the driver files and can be altered to change the repeat rate. There are also MAC/65 source files available.

[Lord Thag]

Here's a patched version of the boot disk modded to use joystick input, for any of you who mare care to give this excellent game a go. Navigation is now VASTLY easier!

 

Enjoy

Imperium Galactum - Disk 1.atr

[Christophero Sly]

That brings back memories, for sure. I remember really liking that game. I was always a fan of the old Traveller role-playing game so Imperium Galactum felt similar in style to that game.

 

Good lord, Traveller? I just found all of my original books and manuals. Great 'hard science' sci fi game, for sure. Always reminded me of the Asimov Empire books. You're the only other person I've ever heard mention it. Props!

I'm also surprised to hear someone on AA mention Traveller--my second favorite P&P RPG. Cool!

[Kylev]

Just so you know, I am another who used to dabble in the Traveller universe. I was never a game director (or whatever the leader of the sessions was called back then) just a player. Had a few very entertaining evenings rolling dice and letting the imagination run wild.

[Lord Thag]

Just so you know, I am another who used to dabble in the Traveller universe. I was never a game director (or whatever the leader of the sessions was called back then) just a player. Had a few very entertaining evenings rolling dice and letting the imagination run wild.

 

Nice to know that there are a few of us. I read more than I played, mainly due to most of my pen and paper buddies being far more into fantasy than Sci FI.

 

Always liked Traveller though. It reminded me more of something out of an Isaac Asimov or Greg Bear novel than the usual space opera stuff that TSR Or Steve Jackson released. Space travel, in particular, was particularly detailed.

 

I actually still have all of my traveller and mega traveller stuff (recently liberated from my parents garage). Might even give it a whirl again sometime.

 

Pretty hard to convince people these days with stuff like Mass Effect and Avatar around though. Most people seem to forget that the best special effects have always been (and always will be) between your ears.

 

I guess that's why I still like many of these old games. All the challenge and fun, with a hell of a lot more room for imagination.

[ledzep]

Hahaha, good to know that Traveller isn't completely forgotten. I have (I think) all the books for the original game, including all the FASA and Paranoia Press stuff. Great game. Maybe the rules are too simple compared to modern games but I loved Traveller's feel.

 

I always liked GDW, I thought they had a good approach to games and rules. Getting back to Imperium Galactum, it also reminds me of, coincidence coincidence, Imperium, the old GDW boardgame. Maybe a few of their other boardgames, too.

 

I agree, very Asimov in feel, that game. But I think the military aspect of Traveller was reflected best in Jerry Pournelle's Future History. Especially the formation of the Marine regiments along with the descriptions of ship battles in the later War World series short stories as written by Don Hawthorne that were later collected into a hardcover book. I wish more computer games would use space battle physics like the way Hawthorne writes, much cooler and more realistic than Star Wars/Star Trek type copies of atmospheric dogfighting.

[+remowilliams]

I really liked the MegaTraveller games, have both of them complete and boxed here along with a whole lot of SSI games.

 

Speaking of SSI, if looking for manuals for some games you might want to check out my SSI Collection on Scribd.

[Kylev]

Remowilliams,

I did not know there were two Megatraveller games. I only know about the Zodani Conspiracy. What is the other one? These would be ST games, would they not?