Offline registration

Yes. To get the download version of the game (or the patch for a retail copy) up and running on an offline machine:

1) Install SDC on an online machine (keep a copy of the SDC installer handy).

2) Log in on SDC, head to the Games section, right click on the game, and choose Archive Application->Download and Archive. If the game is already installed and updated on this machine you can choose Archive Application->Selected Application to pack it up without redownloading.

3) If the game has modules (GalCiv2 does, for example), you'll be prompted to archive them as well. If the media you'll use to transfer the game isn't large enough, you may need to decline and archive each module sparately; otherwise just say yes.

4) When the archive process finishes, you'll find the .sdc file(s) in C:\Program Files\Stardock\Stardock Central\BACKUP (this path is customizable in SDC's settings so it may vary). Copy the .sdc files along with the SDC installer to the portable media of your choice (CDR, DVDR, USB drive, etc).

5) On the offline computer, install SDC, then double-click the .sdc archive files in explorer to unpack them.

6) Run the game; you'll be prompted to activate. Enter the appropriate information and attempt to proceed; it will fail and offer you an option to activate by email. Copy the subject line and mail body it provides and get them back to the connected machine; email them off as directed, and follow the instructions in the reply to complete the activation process.

ok that sounds a little complicated but cool....its easier than my plans of unhooking their computer and transporting it to my place, install all the software they'll need to get online just to register and then unpack it all and send it back to them.

just a quick re-cap to see if i've left anything out.

I've installed Galactic Civilization 2: Dread Lords onto their computer [unregistered]
I've downloaded the 1.6patch [a few MBs] for GalCiv2: Dark Avatar

do i still need to download another full CD/DVD installation directory from stardock to INSTALL "DARK AVATAR" before i can install the patch? or just install the patch, pay for registration codes [and instalation discs so i dont have to re-download them] and do what you just told me up there?

If you're looking to patch an offline machine, the only way to do it is with a full package. SDC doesn't have the ability to package only the changed files for an archive, and there is no standalone patch.

If you already have the latest versions of Dread Lords and Dark Avatar both on your machine though, you just need to archive it. You don't have to redownload.



I'm not sure what you mean by paying for registration codes. If you already have legitimate copies of DL and DA, there's nothing more to buy. Registration/activation of your serials is free.

Yeah, as you can gather - im a little confused. im not too good/familiar with this stuff.

ok, there's a different serial for Dark Avatar right? or does it use the same serial as Dread Lords?


ill just explain whats happened so you have a clearer understanding. i bought the game and installed it onto MY computer last year [havnt deleted it since] -i cant find any trace of it either box, manual or case [thats why]. so i've downloaded a copy and installed it onto my cousin's computer without registering....which im guessing is semi-illegal

now, i would like to purchase the expansion and get it playing. do i need the serial from my 1st purchase or only the serial for dark avatar? im guessing like all expansions, i need to install it before running the patch? THEN updating/registering the serial number to euthenticate the game.

tell me if anything i've said is wrong or confusing and ill clear it up - and dont forget to throw in helpful advice/information too. once everything seems downpat and fine - ill purchase the game and run it through.

i just dont want to spend money and realise i've made a mistake and need to spend more to get it fixed up

DL 1.0 doesn't need any serial Id to be played. But any DL version from 1.1 will trigger an activation process which means owning valid serial id. And DA requires DL to be updated to 1.5.

So in order to play DA, you need 2 serial Ids: one for DL, one for DA.

If you buy only DA, it will be a download only purchase. In that case, you need Stardock Central to download the game. And SDC will allows you to donwload the game only if it detects that you owns both DL and DA. And this requires to have the associated serial Ids.

If you live in North America, you can buy to your cousins GC2:Gold at retail which contains DL and DA. The retail version doesn't have any activation and don't require an Internet access. But patching the game will require an internet access and will trigger the activation process.

Not having registered would indicate that you've downloaded a pirate copy from a third party. And yes, that's illegal. If you register the game you can download it legally through SDC, though you're not allowed to share the game with other people (if you're giving it to your cousins, you'd need to get rid of it yourself, or buy a second copy).


Anyway, first off, you seem to be confusing registration and activation. Registering is a one-time event where you link your serial key to your account so you can get patches, or download the whole game via SDC. Activation is done each time you put a patched copy of the game on a new machine, so it can be played (though if you install via SDC, it's done automatically for you). Unpatched retail copies do not require activation or registration to play, but if you do want to patch, you'll need to do both.

Registration and activation both require your serial key; unless you get GC2 Gold, DL and DA will use different keys.

The first thing you'd need to do, if you haven't already, is register GC2. This allows you to get updates or download the whole game. To do that:



Once that is done, you'll be able to download, patch, and archive (as above) GC2 via SDC. Now, to get DA, you can buy it directly from the Purchase page on the site here if you have a card compatible with the major US credit companies, or if you have a verified paypal account. In that case, just proceed through the store, making sure to give it the same email address as you registered GC2 with when it asks for one.

Once the purchase is completed, DA should be automatically added to your account (if not, you should be provided a serial key for DA by email--you can register it by the same process as above, just pick Dark Avatar in the product list rather than GC2).

Once you've got that done, you'll be able to download both GC2 and DA from your SDC account, and archive them for manual transport elsewhere.





If that's still confusing, there's a simple option. You appear to be in Australia, so you should be able to find GalCiv2 Gold (published there by Auran) in a local game store. GC2 Gold includes both DL and DA, and as above the unpatched retail version doesn't require doing anything with the serial to play. So you could simply give it to your cousins, install it on their machine as any other retail PC game, and they can just play it unpatched until such a time as you're ready to deal with SDC again (or if a standalone 'public' patch is released after the final DA patch).

So far, i cannot find Galactic Civlization or GOLD in any gaming retail store...but ill try again in different locations. Should that fail, then ill purchase it through stardock.

Let me get this straight....to play Galactic Civilization: Dark Avatar, i just need to buy gold...install Dark Avatar on my cousin's computer [hes the intended player] without going through all the trouble of activating it unless i want to patch it [im certain they'll want the updates]

OK....so once i've bought it, i just log into this account, type in the serial number and get REGISTERED....then....try to activate the game on the offline computer which will fail. COPY the subject and body of the failed message then email to who/where? [do i just copy and paste or send an attachment of the subject/body copied onto word/notepad] --- with this method, i get activated/registered online...how does that get the offline computer to work? unless you send me some sort of file to install into the install directory?

its just that, the last time i paid for a game that required registration, my gaming computer which isnt connected to this computer couldnt register it despite hooking the two computers up temporarily, turning off the firewalls etc and doing everything i could. i hope you guys understand, that i just wanna clear things up and not pay for something great but get pissed off later on because my cousins cant play because they're family doesnt have the internet and they need to register etc.

Correct, you can play right out of the box without doing anything at all with the serial or the internet.



I believe it's [email protected], though you'll get the address for sure along with the message to send. You'd just fire off an email with the subject and body you're given, and you'll get back a reply with a file attatched that will need to be put in the install directory on the offline machine.


Of course, if you can't find it locally and don't mind not having a box and paper manual, you can buy the download-only version. The complete install process for a download copy is the same as the patching process (download it in SDC after registering, archive and take to the offline machine).

downloading sounds like a good idea - but with my storage skills and or abilities, ill most likely lose it somewhere with all my music, video and data back-ups like the first copy of Galactic Civilization i've bought.

i'll just buy a box to be safe while downloading it using another cousin's computer. For some reason, i dont know why, but the internet where i live is really crappy. i can only download a maximum of 10kb/sec - maybe because im using ADSL?

recap: if i downloaded the whole thing by choosing the download purchse option, it would be version 1.5 or whatever the lastest version is WITH the non-registering file included and not version 1.0 where i will still need to install a patch and go through the trouble of running back and forth to somehow register offline - then online - then back to the offline system? -----if thats the case, should i wait for the patch 1.7 to come out before purchasing? that way the patch is installed/modified into the downloaded version?

if thats the case, all ill need to do now is find someone with a creditcard to buy it for me and you have another happy GALCIV fan.

No, if you download the game you'll need to perform activation regardless. The ONLY version that does not require it is an unpatched copy installed from retail boxed discs (which you can order and have shipped, or find in a store). As noted previously, if you then choose to update that copy activation will be required.



Activation would be a one-time thing so long as the game isnt removed or windows reinstalled on the machine used to play. So on any later updates, you'd just download and archive from SDC, and take the archive to that computer. You wouldn't need to do a second loop for activation after the first time.

What it all boils down to is that the process for updating an offline machine would be identical to just getting the whole thing by download to start with (just more stuff to download). The only real difference is having the retail discs as a fallback should you find yourself in a position where you want to play, but don't have the game installed and don't have ready internet access.