Cool, just tried the update. Some very nice stuff, but a couple things I noticed.

1) When you turn on Auto-Launch Ships on one planet, it turns it on for every planet in that system (and vice versa). If possible, it would be much better to have each planet settable.

2) I was hoping the Disable Event Music bug fix might make it so that Event Music (ie, speaking to another race in Diplomacy screen, another race introducing themselves, elections, and other things with their own special music) would not override the game's integrated MP3 Player. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case. That's really the main downfall of the MP3 player is that every time one of these things happens or I go to negotiate with an alien race, whatever music I was grooving along to cuts out and is replaced by that event's music. Then, about a second or less after I leave that screen, my song cuts back in. Really kind of annoying. Still love that it's in there, I just wish you could fix this niggle. I imagine I can go into the .ini file and edit it so that it doesn't play event music at all, but when I'm actually listening to the game's music (as I do 50-75% of the time) I definitely want to hear the event music.

3) Toggling on the minimap in Planet view is great and I can see how it will definitely be useful. The only flaw I can see is that, unlike the Tactical Map (F9), it doesn't highlight what system you're looking at. Hmm, I just realized I didn't test it to see if when the game is cycling you through the planets that just built something it updates the square showing what sector the minimap is focused on. But regardless, if you control multiple systems in a sector, the minimap isn't going to tell you which one you're actually looking at. Still, the minimap doesn't normally do that, anyway, and we can still just flip on the Tactical Map so it's probably not really a big deal. Just thought I'd mention it, though.

Thanks again for the impressive amount of updates and all the hard work *and* for hanging out here and listening to all of us. Again, you guys rock!

~SDC~

The work you are doing here is just amazing. I never saw this type of support before and am just amazed that you can do so much so fast. A great game and fast updates who could ask for more?



~SDC~

Strike me if I'm dense, but where is v1.02 located? It ain't listed at Stardock or the GalCiv site...

Elf

...and Stardock claims I have v1.01.029 and lists it as the latest v. I hate that update system a lot, frankly.

Elf

too bad we can't simply edit our posts, it would save making two or three posts to get it all down since I ain't a good typist nohow.

Nope, I couldn't find it either. And I'm also one of those who doesn't like the present system of upgrades. It makes the game unusable if, for some reason, one uninstalls and then (time down the road) re-installs. By the time one gets around to it again, the company is no longer supporting the game. Usually the web site is long gone. Has happened to me several times. Nice games but the updates are gone.

~SDC~

Great I woke up this morning and blam!... another update

Thanks Stardockians. And now it's back to the game where me and the other evil bastards are currently wiping out the goodies of the galaxy!

~SDC~

Grond,

Feadhel listed something that Brad (at least I never found it stated by him) didn't list that worked for me. Right-click on Drengin.net, click edit account, enter your serial # yet again (damn tedious friggin' system), click update, and for me at least, it listed v1.02.036 as available. I abhor this miserable, unfriendly, unwielding updating system one hell of a lot.

Elf

Edit #32:

er, all that within stardock central and Drengin.net should be that particular tab of Drengin.net.

Please grant us edit ability.

Elf

OK, I guess I should own up. I hadn't registered for Drengin Net so I couldn't see the update. When I regged I found it right away. Be advised; it's 85 meg in size. I STILL don't like this method of updating.

~SDC~

Hm, your SC is doing something wrong then. The update is about 4 MB in size. Yours looks like the updater is trying to dl the complete basic installation package....

I've to say that SC works like a charm here, so far. DL speed could be better, though (getting about 25 kB/s on a 95 kB/s pipe).

~SDC~

Where is that 4 MB file?

I went to Drengin.net, is the file you're talking about the top one? The one called Galactic Civilization 1.02.036? I tried that one and it was going to take hours to download. I already have the game, I purchased it from EB, I only want the update. Help, please.

"The one called Galactic Civilization 1.02.036?"

Yep, that one. If it's appearing as 85MB, you've got a problem. Have you tried Tools --> Refresh Application Data?

- Ash

~SDC~

"Refresh application data" did it!

I'm downloading the file as I write this.

Thanks much.

Guess now I have to go start a new game! Yippeee!

Hey Frogboy, what is the calculation for determining how many colonists will be loaded onto an autolauched transport or colony ship?

"Great I woke up this morning and blam!... another update"
You mean you actually had time to sleep? Jeez, how lucky... I was just wrapping up a game (where the Drengins pounded me to jelly) and I logged on and, there it was.

"-moved calc abilities for humans to make sure that ships will get bonuses calculated in"
I'm guessing that the subroutine for the bonus calculation happened before the subroutine for the actual bonus, so it took a turn before you had that bonus apply to your ships.


"There is a bug with the new update. If you click on the system you want, then click on the planet you want. Now check the Auto launch check box for the ships to leave orbit. Now click another planet on the right side. The X isn't switching to the new planet's preferences. Extremly confusing."
I think it's a "feature," and not a "bug." I believe that this was done so that you can control the auto-launch for each planet. I don't really want a colony ship launched without me checking it out, first.

Bill


~SDC~

The colony ships and the transports automatically load 25% of your planet (or system) population on board when they are auto-launched.

~SDC~

I think we have figured out most of the reasons that people have trouble with STC. It is either this:

1. registration is lost: to fix right click on the Drengin.net tab and select "account" and fill in the missing serial number.

Or

2. The STC system doesn't have your current application data correct. To fix select the pulldown menu Tools --> Refresh Application Data.

These two items need to go into some kind of faq or sticky post, because this is the source of maybe half the frustration some people are having with the game. I think..

If you don't like Stardock Central: Don't use it.

I swear, some of you seem to have this fantasy of us building Wise installers 3 times a week, uploading it to the website, modifying the website.

There will be stand alone updates that you can donwload, they just won't be as often as the SDCentral updates. We get it: Some of you don't like SDCentral. Message received. Understood. Gotcha. You hate SDCentral. You don't like entering in a serial #. You don't like having to click on the Drengin.net tab. Very clear, we hear you. My response: Don't use it then. You don't have to. You have the option of waiting for the build team to put together a stand alone installer.

~SDC~

Heh,

Trust me Brad, no matter how much you tell people "if you dont like it, dont use it" and no matter how logical that is, people will still whine..Just ignore them, and listen to all your adoring fans:)

You guys have done a great job so far, and it's your teams responsiveness that have helped make this game and its community as good as it is. You guys deserve a huge vacation..and if you guys are at E3 this year, i'll be sure to buy you a round:)

~SDC~

I don't have a problem with SDC, except that it makes me shut down SETI. If you guys could fix the issue with SETI, or set up an option to automatically reopen SETI if SDC closes it, I'd be thrilled.

Regardless, the game itself is great!

I couldn't see the updates either, but just had to enter my serial # again, and it seems to be keeping it. Didn't have a problem after that. Even if it didn't keep it, I don't see what the hassle is. If that's all I have to do to get almost daily updates, it's a bargain!! Keep up the great work, and don't let a few grumbles wear you down.

~SDC~

I have never said, anywhere, that I didn't like SDC. Maybe you weren't replying to me, Frogboy, but there's enough time between our two posts that you ought to have had a chance to read mine. You leave the impression that you are responding to me and I'm not happy not happy not happy! You must have seen that I'm only being helpful. It's suddenly like a paintball war around here, and I'm caught in the crossfire.. Poing! Ouch.

Two things:

1) What is the 'show all' button on the trade tab of the domestic advisor screen supposed to do? It does nothing for me.

2) Are you guys working on the issue where multiple wonders/tradegoods can be built?

Thanks for all the hard work
olaf

"If you don't like Stardock Central: Don't use it."

Good advice, Brad, except that it creates a two-tier customer system. Those that get thrice-weekly updates, and those that get monthly (maybe?) updates. Given that every customer bought the same product, that's hardly fair.

And the problem isn't the people don't "like" SDC (well, OK, that's part of the problem, but it's by no means all of it), it's that people are UNABLE to use SDC. Is that because they just don't understand the program, or is it because the program is excessively confusing? I'm sure there is some end-user stupidity involved (there always is), but really, a program that seems to require people to re-enter serial numbers every time they try to update, and that can't seem to remember that the game has been downloaded and installed, and consequently tries to re-download 85MB every time the user tries to get a patch... well, such a program has problems.

I haven't personally had any issues with it since the initial download, but with this many people having this diverse a set of problems with an equally diverse set of solutions, I have a hard time believing it's simply users not "getting it" or simply not "liking" Stardock Central.

I'm happy, but I can understand why others aren't, and it has nothing to do with their personal taste in update programs. This program has layers within layers, serial numbers within registration codes. For a functionality that most games can manage with about 2 or 3 clicks (website --> download section --> select patch), SDC is enormously complicated (load SDC --> Software --> Dregnin.net --> GalCiv --> Update) and seemingly unreliable.

My rather longwinded point: it isn't fair of you to simply say "don't use it". People are making VALIANT efforts to try to use it, and the sheer quantity and variety of those efforts suggests that it something on the program's end, not the user's, that is the problem. I have no idea how hard it is to build a Wise installer, but if this program can't be made functionally reliable to all your equally-paying customers, you might want to look into hiring someone who can make them quickly.

"You have the option of waiting" simply isn't a legitimate response, unless you're planning on providing a partial refund to each customer who would get such comparatively inferior service.

- Ash, who is still quite happy, despite the harsh tone of this post.

~SDC~