FarAway Galciv

Reply to patch 1.8.1 in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

I'm pretty sure this isn't a patch formally developed by the game's original design team (Elemental Games filed for bankruptcy a while back)--it's an ad hoc programming effort from a few former devs who worked on the game and some passionate fans. Because of this, I doubt Stardock has any kind of contractual access to the code or the use of the code. I could be wrong. Let's wait for a StarDock employee to chime in... <img src="http://images.stardock.com/sd_com/smiles/Smile.gif" borde

Reply to Recommend me some books please! in Galactic Civilizations II Stardock Forums

If you want a whole different kind of bad guys--bad guys that make most of the other sci-fi bad guys look kind of timid and whimpy--go with Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series. To get it started off right, you might as well begin with his prequel to all the others, Bersker Prime . You might not view humanity quite so unsympathetically after you read some of those books. StarHammer is an oldie but a goody. David Brin's original Uplift works were great-- S

Reply to What I'd Like to See in Gal Civ 3 in Game Ideas GalCiv2 Forums

Hmmm... Sounds like you're designing a Starship Designer simulation game? It would be an interesting dimension to add to the game, but I wonder if it wouldn't end up in a micromanagement fest for anybody who wanted to build a new ship type? I'm not sure what I'd love to see in GC3 just yet. The best sequels are those that make tweaks to gameplay that are subtle, yet profound. Some e

Reply to Is Stardock making a Fantasy TBS game? in Strategy GalCiv2 Forums

I read in a recent Dark Avator interview where Brad (aka "Draginol", "Frogboy", and "the guy who signs my paycheck" to the Stardock employees who show up on the forum) confirmed that they were working on a fantasy 4x game now. I'm VERY stoked about that! The GalCiv experience has been nothing but first class--game design done for the sake of a great gaming experience. I love the design and development philosophy that Stardock emphasizes, and I think it runs counter to a lot of

Reply to Is gaming really evolving? in PC Gaming GalCiv2 Forums

Game design is first and foremost an art--not a science. Innovation in game design is driven by designers trying to make new games within the confines of the free market. A lot of things about games are changing: graphics and computational power first and foremost. But gameplay --the way a game plays, the way a game feels, the kinds of things it challenges a gamer to do--hasn't seen much innovation in the last 5 years. Mainstream publishers seldom welcome innovation

Reply to Invasion cheese in Dark Avatar Stardock Forums

I don't yet have DA, so I'll have to see how it plays out. However, from a gameplay standpoint, it does seem to do an end-run on the whole purpose of having environments. Arguing "reality considerations" in a science-fiction computer game is a bit far-fetched in any event, so the way it affects gameplay should really be key. Given that a planetary invasion force tends to be 1M people or more, I find it a little difficult to believe that you could logistically support s

Reply to Video Card for 300 Watt Power Supply? in Off-Topic GalCiv2 Forums

This whole debate gets really convoluted in a hurry. You can get to the bottom of it, but it takes a fair amount of time and a certain tolerance for ambiguity. I just got done doing a bunch of research on how to replace my 250W Dell PSU, after I wanted to upgrade my PSU, so here's what I learned... If you want to estimate power consumption for a card, I'd just go to a good product site with lots of informed customer reviews (I found www.newegg.com to be the best site) and see what com

Reply to Why don't my Dominator materials stay in the Lab? in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

Good to know. Thanks for the explanation--that's a lot more research than I was ever able to do. One of the things I love about the game is how you're left to puzzle out how the various pieces fit together. But on the research, it's a shame that a little more of that wasn't explained, or at least hinted at, in the game. Or maybe it was and I just plain missed it? In any event, it's good to have some idea what's going on!

Reply to missing codes in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

That makes sense to me. StarDock only acquired the online distribution rights after the initial push out to retail shelves had died down--despite much critical acclaim, that initial push wasn't very big and it's unclear to me just how many hard copies were even manufactured. It's a little unclear to me what the financial situation for this game is. The Russian developers, Elemental Games, went bankrupt a while back, but obviously Cineware Marquee is the publisher who owns the game, an

Reply to Why don't my Dominator materials stay in the Lab? in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

Yeah, I guess it makes sense that, one way or another, the submitted materials get "Used up" through the course of research. Still, I'm surprised at how QUICKLY they get used up. Combine that with the fact that research by different bases doesn't seem to be additive, and the research angle seems pretty weak (selling the Dominator parts still represents the best way to cover at least many of the expenses incurred in blowing up the Dominators in the first place!). I don't know

Reply to Increasing Node Count in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

This is one of the key ways to upgrade your ship, especially later in the game!

Why don't my Dominator materials stay in the Lab? in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

When I sell my Dominator parts to Science stations, I see the number of "tons avaiable for research" goes up, the Research Efficiency goes up, and the Time to Complete Research comes down. Unfortunately, when I go back later on, the materials seem to be gone, and the research doesn't seem to be sped up more than a hair. Anybody else notice this? Am I missing something, or is this a bug? I can't duplicate the error every time, but I've seen it most times, even when I've dona

Reply to SR2 Manual in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

You can actually read the Manual (online version, identical content to the PDF) at www.SpaceRangers2.com. Just click on the "Game Info" button near the top of the screen, and it walks you through all the details. The manual has been updated in a few places, and doesn't answer EVERY question. For folks who want all the details for what's under the hood of a program, it's only vaguely satisfying. For folks who are happy to understand the high-level mechanics, and then figure ou

Reply to Space Rangers 2 in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

This is an awesome game. I've had a lot of luck reading the news clips--if you find yourself somewhere very near a system that has a sudden "demand spike" (e.g., "Planning for an upcoming festival on Venus, the price of alcohol has soared"), you may be in luck. You can often make 2 or 3 round-trips "in-system" and turn a decent profit each time. This is MUCH easier with a large hull than with a small one. That can be very helpful foro building up CR. Scavenging Dominator par

Reply to Suggestions for New Players? in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

Don't take on the Dominators too early. They're dangerous, and if they don't kill you AND you're lucky enough to be part of a successful attack force, you'll still pay plenty of CR repairing all the damage. Oh, yeah, don't be afraid to check out the Med Stations to get beefed up before going into a major battle. It's much cheaper to spend the money beforehand on drugs to make you a better fighter, as opposed to later on repairing your ship!! <img src="http://images.stardock.com/tgNET

Reply to Space Rangers 2 Discussion in Space Rangers 2 Stardock Forums

I've been playing it for about a month now, and I'm firmly convinced this is a GREAT game! Certainly the best turn-based role-playing game I've found in a long time (and that includes NWN, although each has its strong spots). It's just very enjoyable. My understanding from browsing various forums (mostly www.spacerangers2.com) is that the developer, Elemental Games in Russia, went belly-up and filed for bankruptcy recently. I've also read that some of the most recent patch work is be

Reply to Eliminating the forums in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Brad, these forums are kinda rambunctious as forums go, and I can imagine it would be a pain to have somebody moderate them more aggressively. I think that's why most game companies don't have their own forums, and/or police them so aggressively that very little discussion happens on those forums. That said, I definitely think that the freewheeling nature of this forum--sanctioned as it is by StarDock--really helps to set the game and the company apart. The fact that you all have a

Reply to Abhorent technology details / descriptions in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I enjoy 'em myself. Not in a class with Shakespeare's comedy, but it's an entertaining change of pace. And, frankly, it helps to keep the game light-hearted. I guess it's just a stylistic thing. Who's to say that the media on 26th Century Earth don't have a smart-aleck, tongue-in-cheek style? I mean, really now, if we can suspend disbelief around FTL travel and the proximity of life forms in such a small volume of space... <img src="http://images.stardock.co

Reply to So what features in sequels? in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

We all know that StarDock is a gaming company, and they make games for clients. Most of us here happen to be clientswhic gives us some right to ask for new products/features. That said, I'm kind of astonished at how bitter some of you guys are getting on this multiplayer thing. The Internet is a crappy medium for these kind of discussions, but at this point you guys are arguing w/Frogboy like this were a football message board and we were all 17-year olds. Can't we all ju

Reply to Ethical Choices in Ideas GalCiv2 Forums

I think the different alignment bonuses come into play at different times of the game, and in differing levels of intensity. For the Good alignment, I definitely enjoy the Arnorian Battle Armor!!

Reply to Combat idea for smaller ships. in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Smaller ships might survive longer, but it's unlikely that they'd be able to punch through the Defenses of significantly larger ships often enough to make this work particularly well (especially after 1.2 gives players even more incentive to build Defenses). One possible alternative would be a one-shot or two-shot weapon that could be mounted only on Tiny Ships (think a torpedo bomber). Rather than having an endless number of 1- or 2-strength attacks, allow one or two 6- or 8-strengt

Reply to Newbie thoughts on Galciv (long) in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

Well thought-out original post, and good responses. If the AI can handle terrain, I'd love to see it! I agree that the UP is perhaps the least successful part of the game. It's more like a random event than an active ingredient in strategy. I'm not sure how to get AI to handle a revised UP, but I never noticed the AI doing dumb stuff in SMAC, and if Sid Meiers' team can pull it off ~7 years ago, I'm sure the StarDock guys & gals can come up with something cool h

Reply to Stardock: PLEASE allow for automatic launch from planets in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

There's also a "Set Rally Point" option from the Shipyard, so you can not only automatically launch ships from a specific planet, but have them go to a set location anywhere on the map and then take a specific action (i.e., "Wait", "Assemble into a Fleet", or "Auto Attack"). Very useful for assembling strike fleets without the micromanagement.

Reply to Any chance for tactical combat? in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

I thinkest the biggest problem is getting an AI that could handle tactical combat. Brad is the lead guy on Galciv and for all of Stardock, and it's the AI that is his biggest passion. I simply haven't seen many tactical combats that were fun to play, where the AI was very competent once things got interesting. To make battles interesting, you need to introduce something to the combat resolution besides straight math (e.g., the special abilities for units in Heroes), but it's very

Reply to Cari makes the news in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

Congrats on the recognition, Cari! Sorry those congrats seem to get sidetracked on explorations of gender and identity in the American workplace... Seriously, it's good to see the recognition and the promoting awareness around women active in the gaming industry. For whatever it's worth, one of the most notable examples that I know of goes back a few years: Frog City based here i