There is no need to authenticate anyway to play the game.  I dont need Impulse running to play.  Only for their patches it as been that way as far as I know.  Was there SINS patches on the likes of fileplanet when it was released?  Or it would only eventually creep on there from user added downloads?  The only thing i authenticate for is a free update for my game, proving my purchase.  To get Free updates.  If Stardock and Ironclad gave no support for the game after release, I'm sure they would not have continual sales.  I keep playing because first its a great game, and second the updates give a refresh to fixes, balancing, along with the candy coating they added in 1.1(which is always nice to make it look prettier ). 

If having to install and use Impulse is the price to pay for not having to put the CD in the drive everytime I want to play or for not having to install CDilla or Secururom on my computer, then so be it.  Impulse worked fine for me and I have it set so that it doesn't start when I boot up.  Overall, it seems pretty benign.

See, I don't.  It's because that, given how bloody complicated these damned setups are these days, I've run into cases where everything looks alright, and everything checks out as alright -- but things still don't work.  I, personally, never had a problem until I ran into "Mass Effect" -- and, all of a sudden, I was on the other side looking in, and I was the one being called the idiot.  ("Oh, it's obvious you're running a hacked machine, you don't know anything about computers, blah blah blah.")

Now are there problems that users create for themselves?  Absolutely.  But the moment we dismiss EVERY report as 'idiocy', we're no longer doing our customers a favour. And the moment we dismiss customers as idiots in general (regardless of the actions of the few), we no longer do ourselves a favour.

Now, you don't know me at all.  You can dismiss me as somebody who doesn't know a damn thing about computers, about development, about OSes and system administration -- and I doubt there's anything I can say here that would convince you that I'm not just talking out my butt.    And, I admit, I don't usually follow these message boards (or boards in general) -- I'm only in here because I'm looking for a release date for Entrenchment.  I planned to just play the game, report any bugs I found, and just have fun.  Because, otherwise, it's too damned much like work.  So, for all I know, people here have reached the saturation point with people complaining the software doesn't work and the "Cry Wolf" syndrome is now in play. 

But for somebody like me, looking in from the outside... *shrug*  But feel free to ignore me -- I'm just another bit of random noise, on this crazy thing called the Internet.

JGH

Dear all,

this ***** kind of software isnt working. I still get an exeception after logon to impulse! If i go for send error report i ll get the next failure message "Log execption is not a valid Webservice".

I am really annonyed regarding this stuff here and the stardock company. Complaining users are pirates if they are disagree with the behaivor  around and on the other hand we are beta testers for that stuff. Since the release of 1.1 i can´t play online, cause i dont get this F**** Patch - and wait i have a non english version as well. Damn it.  Thank you Stardock for this really pleasant overture. *hmpf*. It is very customer orientated.

Br

No one said that anyone who has a problem is a pirate. I wrote a post in this very thread explaining that.

If you're not going to bother to read what is written, why on earth should I take time out of my evening to try to help you?

Contact support@stardock.com and they will try to help you I'm sure. But I'm done with you.

Frankly, I hope you never buy anything from us again so you can be assured that the feeling is mutual.

As it is written. As a GENERAL statement, I agree.  General being very different from saying that EVERYONE who complains is a pirate.

Hence, you ignoring the part where I said "No, there are legitimate issues we are working through" in a big long detailed report that covers nearly every reported issue.

Frogboy,

There is no doubt about the deeper motives regarding anti piracy, a legitmate approach. That topic is not the discussed here, neither your support effort and engagement. If you say, i dont read your posts well i have the same feeling with mine.I ll try it with some other words.

You find a lot of users in this forum asking why are they forced to use a new tool without any alternative way. A lot of arguments here around why and how  pretty nice to use it without any further issues. Thats very fine, and everyone who wants to use it, do so. All bugs will seriosly updated - sure.

On the other hand, i payed 50euros for it, have been now forced to use it or leave with arguments like "U must not, can play with 1,05, consequense, but not anymore online", "Works fine on my box", "Warez kiddies" etc. At the end of the day, the customer brings the money. If a lot of customers are frustaded and annonyed with it, Stardock should consider this into his global strategy. Therefore a forum like this is the right platform to announce critic as well. Look into the threads, i am not alone with it.

I understand this general agreement differnt, it may cause i am no native english speaker. Finally i am frustaded and disapointed like others.

Hope this post clarifies it more.

Br

Monk - right on.

One of the issues that keeps poping up is due to the fact that users are disabeling Windows automatic root certificate update.  Is this a standard practice in gaming forums that recommend tuning for performance?  Basically to disable anything that says "automatic update"?  It sounds like that is the case.

So, in response we need to know so we can start programming in checks to Impulse that will "warn" users when important services are disabled.

Over the next month Impulse will become more defensive in nature (to this end) and more robust as a client platform.

Personally, I'm not all that happy about Impulse.  I can understand some of reasons it was implemented, particularly in regards to the bandwidth conservation aspects but my problems with it are as follows:

1)  I have to install yet another application solely to download a patch.  I may not have to run it all the time but it most certainly does take the liberty of installing hooks into the windows startup (check msconfig) and residing in memory in some form.  I need to download a patch once every blue moon yet I have to have just more extra stuff on my PC to do so.  I realize that Impulse is fairly small as things go today but it's the principle of the matter.

2)  Impulse, as it stands right now, forces me to redownload a patch everytime I need it.  There is, as far as I can tell yet, no way to save the patch incase it is needed again at a later date.  I realize that a standalone patch would be much larger and Impulse helps reduce bandwidth usage by allowing smarter, smaller patches but at some point I would rather just have the patch and archive it should I need it again (or for another installation on another PC).

3)  While I wouldn't quite say Impulse is DRM software, it is content management software.  It controls my access to patches or any other additional content released through it for SoaSE (and presumably any other Stardock title that uses it - all from here on out?).  Given how Stardock has made public comments about their stance on content protection for their games and the whole Gamer's Bill of Rights thing, it seems rather two sided to then turn around and release an application that is essentially is mandatory in order to access patches (You trust your customers enough to buy your game that you don't include DRM on the CD, but then you require 'special' software for patches?).  I am sure that Impulse was written and conceived in good faith to Stardock customers but it still most certainly has the power to completely block a user's access to content.

Whoever sited the "bonus" of not needing the CD to play because of Impulse is not quite correct.  Aside from installation, Sins never asked for the CD to be in the drive to play in all the time I've owned it (a few months after release).

Someone also mentioned that as a customer, I have no instrinsic entitlement to a patch after release.  That's true to a degree, but I'd argue that the exception being when there is a flaw (game breaker, missing feature) in the game that breaks good faith of the terms of sale (IE, I am not actually getting what I was promised or advertised when I payed for the software).  I don't think that is the case with the 1.1 patch and I truly do appreciate that the devs have taken the time to continue to support their product even after they've gotten my money.  As this patch is in many ways a bonus, then they do have the right to determine what method is used to aquire it... But I also have the right not to agree with the particular method employed as well.

Yes, I am a paying customer with a valid liscense key.  These are just my personal opinions and preferences, an example of a legit customer who doesn't like it.  I'm sure my preferences won't hold a ton of weight with the devs who are reading this thread but I figured I would share what I consider valid arguments against this new system, even if I hold no illusions of them swaying any opinions in the end.  Consider it customer feedback and do with it as you will.

Regards,

-dolynick

I was personaly a little annoyed when i had to install and use impulse to get patches, not because of any problems with it, just because i didn't want to have to go through downloading something, figuring out how to use it and then installing the patch. Its generaly more work than what i wanted to put in to get a patch, but i am pretty lazy.  Eventualy i moaned and groaned for a while and installed it with no problems, got my patch and even purchased Galactic civ, and have never opened it since.

The point is is that i understand the way people resist that change, i put it off for a while until i descided that i really wanted that patch. Once i went and did it everthing was much nicer. now that it is on my computer i don't care where i get my patches from and it alows me to buy games, it generaly makes my life easier. People resisted things like the microwave, and thats fine, don't use it if you don't want to, but don't complain when you can't cook your hot pockets because they keep burning up in your oven.