hello,

Are you still looking for some help or you gave up and it is too late ?...

I tried support@stardock.com & got redirected back to this Forum

It is normal: in the support site, they clearly say that Stardock is providing direct email support for ONLY the following items
-Refunds
-Potential fraud
-Email changes \ Account merges
-Account closure \ removal
-Corp sales where support was purchased
-Object Desktop subscriptions (support is included)

All other issues need to be posted as new threads in the forums, as you did.

I am always stuck with Retribution on the SAME Medium size galaxy map  -  the same stars, resources and relics are in the same location for 3 consecutive games!  I am Not able to customise the size or other features other than frequency of anomalies.

It sounds exactly as if, for whatever reason, you are always loading a custom map. In this case, it is exactly as you described !

When starting a New Game, after clicking on a civilization you want to play, be sure that you do NOT see something like this :

Next to "Load Map", you should NOT see something. In my picture, the map "Snowflake" is pre-loaded. It means that all my games will be automatically played ONLY on this map... Click on the cross next to the map name for unloading it (it won't delete it, just de-activate it and allow the system to generate random maps again)

Be sure you check this before running any game, or before choosing "Quick Start" in the menu, as it will automatically load this map and you will be stuck with the same environment (position of planets, resources, etc...)

I am always stuck with Retribution (...) I am Not able to launch Intrigue, World in Crisis, Villains/Heroes of Star Control Origin, Mech Parts, Precursor Worlds, or Mega Events....

It is perfectly normal!

When you took all the DLCs, they are automatically embedded into the latest Add-on, in your case (and mine), it is Retribution. You will always start Retribution, and all your DLCs will be part of your Retribution game, improving it with all the features provided with the DLCs !

In Steam, check the properties for the game, then the DLC tab. If it says "Installed" like in my example below, so then you are all clear ! The DLCs you bought are automatically integrated into your game !

It is a difficult question, as I know the answer ... but not the results !

Answer is yes, you can.

It is just a matter of selecting/deselecting which add-on you want. Like above, you need to go to the properties:

From there, go to the DLC tab:

You have all DLCs, the cosmetics DLCs, the tools and gameplay add-ons, and at the bottom of the list (if, like me, you have many/all DLCs, scroll down the list),  the 4 expansions in the order of appearance in the game (Mercenaries, Crusade, then Intrigue, then Retribution)

The mercenaries expansion (for me) is not at the bottom but higher in the list.

Just unselect the expansion you do NOT want to play, and Steam will uninstall it immediately (no warnings!). When deselecting, it is better to do it in the reverse order of installation. 1st Retribution, then Intrigue, then Crusade, then Mercenaries. Wait between each expansion that Steam has finished uninstalling it and then proceed in reverse order to the next one. At the end of this process (it is fast), you are with the original game, almost ...

I just tried deselecting the last 3, and 3.1gb was instantly wiped out (and it is reloading now).

In theory, the game should now launch as it is supposed to be played before you install an expansion.

BUT

What I do NOT know: Will it work? Do you need to unselect also some DLCs not designed for the expansions you just uninstalled. Or the game will automatically select the DLCs playable with your customized configuration ?

I do not know, and don't want to go too far, as I am in the middle of a tough game, and I would not like to destabilise something ... I am not a "pilote d'essai" ...

Don't forget that the game will not re-install automatically a DLC if you have deselected it manually here in Steam. Keep that in mind if you want to retrieve a full version and you forgot that you de-activated things, and feel that something in your DLCs is always missing : go back to this DLC tab, and check carefully that you have selected all boxes. Re-select everything unticked before. Steam will start re downloading again.