My first thoughts on GC2, and the horridness of SDC

from GalCiv2 Forums
So I decide to download the demo of GC2 and give it a whirl. Sure, the UI needs a bit of helps (lots of visual anomalies and 'stuck' graphics eg. buttons that do not correctly update their visual state when changing between races). I found the game initially overwhelming and the tutorial PDF a bit lacklustre - it would have been better to have built the tutorial into the game proper - I'm not sure the video tutorials will be of much worth. I'd rather play and be taught as I play.

But after a few goes, I found the game to be really good. Hard, but very good. Good enough that I got out my credit card and bought it. "No CD requirements", I thought - a big plus. I'm not a fan of CD-as-dongle and will happily use no-CD cracks for games that I buy.

What isn't said though, is that the download version relies on StarDock Central, an application I've never seen or used before... and it's the most woeful, horrid application I've seen in a very, very long time. I tolerate Valve's Steam, but SDC is a hideous mess of nightmarish proportions.

To witness: First, the UI. It looks as if it was designed by someone who has just learnt to use Visual Basic - control layout is poor, scaling is dreadful, resizable panes are irksome. It's initially cluttered with icons for crap that I simply don't want to use - I want to play GalCiv 2, not have a billion links for other crap that I have no interest in.

Next I turn off as much crap as I can (the right-click context menu seems inaccessible any other way - that's bad UI design again, functionality should never be hidden in right-clicks, ever), and go into the game area. OH. MY. GOD. It's full of crap, presumably in a lame attempt to get me to purchase more stuff using some obscure "credit" system. Next stop, unticking every game's checkbox except GalCiv 2. I should not have to do this! If I want to find out more about what's on offer, it should not be mashed in with things I've purchased. Again, my focus is trying to get GalCiv 2 so I can play it but SDC is intent on heaping mounds of other crap in my face. I can't turn that web pane off either - I don't want to read about GC2! I've already bought it!

Finally I get to the stage of installing it, again a very unappealing process to initiate with that button that appears when clicked. It starts downloading, with progress mashed up the top. Oddly, the Download Manager shows estimated time remaining but the part at the top of the SDC window does not - why not? I don't know. Given that if you minimise the SDC application the Download Manager disappears, rendering its purpose entirely pointless.

Now all of this hideous UI would be vaguely forgivable if it had've worked as intended. However upon reaching 100% of the main application, SDC promptly states that the installation has failed and then crashes. Well, that's just abso-effing-lutely wonderful. Time to download the GC2 files *all over again*.

You know, things would be so much easier if GC2 was distributed as a single file which could be downloaded, then perhaps asks for its key, validates online and plays. Forcing it through the crap that is SDC has just drastically dropped my happiness with having done the right thing by buying the game. I'm now feeling bad at having spent $50-odd AUD on something which has now done nothing but waste time and get me all frustrated.

I'm regretting not getting the CD now, because if I have to put up with SDC if I ever want to reinstall the game in the future, I'm going to remember these experiences, probably think to myself "Nah, it's too painful to go through that trauma again" and then not play GC2, effectively meaning that I've wasted my money.

So all up, whilst I still have some faith in looking forward to playing GC2, SDC has totally ruined any faith that I had in the game, or in Stardock as a company based on the enjoyable, hassle-free demo. I can only hope that SDC is somehow pulled apart and rewritten to be less cluttered, and better at handling errors than it is in its current state.

Thanks for reading.

Update: Well, it doesn't get any better. It downloads the first file, uncompresses it, goes to download the second file (video tutorials) and freezes. Then I close it and it crashes. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

Update 2: The link to GalCiv 2 from within SDC - http://totalgaming.stardock.com/games/?ID=GC2 - "Server Error in '/' Application. Object reference not set to an instance of an object.". It just gets better all the time...
8,281 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I feel bad for you and all the problems you've had but I've never experienced them. I just payed for GC2 and downloaded it - no problems what so ever. As for SDC I think it looks quite basic but I find it easy to use and easy to find things. The only problem I have is that SDC keeps asking me to update to windows blinds 4.60 but never does .

As I don't know much about your problem I hope you get it fixed soon.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SDC Isn't useless, it's easy to use, smooth, and works. If it fails, then the problem is with your computer, since I download from there just fine. The UI is fine. The thing with windowsblinds is annoying, but other than that it is just you.
I hope your problem is fixed, and you can have the CDs delivered to you if you bought the download edition.
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sorry for your problems Citizen dthought. You're not the only one having problems with SDC. Check out the following link and see what some of us have had to deal with.

BTW, I'm been wating 44 hours for the email activation file. So much for the 1 hour weekday / 24 hour weekend response. Stardock, you should be ashamed of yourself, but if you did have any pride in yourself or product we wouldn't be in this situation would we?

Link
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You don't have to use SDC. The updates are available on the Download page here.

What email activation file? All you do is put in your serial number. There is no email validation that I remember. you cna have your serial number emailed to you after you register if you lose it - is that what you mean? I have tested that out - and for me I get it instantly. Several times.

I have never had an issue figuring out SDC - it is a simple, clean interface. My only issue is my firewall does not let the discussion threads update there - so I use my browser instead. But that is a problem on my end, not with SDC.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I had similar problems when I got the game too. My excitement turned into complete frustration when my e-mail accounts were mixed up, SDC kept crashing, correct validation number was incorrect, etc. I have a brand new computer too so all of these issues can't be blamed on my own hardware. Gal Civ 2 was the third program that I added to it after my anti-virus software. RIDICULOUS; I thought. But less than a day later Frogboy had my e-mail accounts fixed (which were my fault) and I learned that most of the downloading problems were from busy servers. While I found that the problems were very frustrating, I also discovered that such prompt and efficient customer service, frequent updates and patches, and access to user mods were what set this company apart from the others. Stardock isn't perfect. But their customer service won me over when it came to fixing the flaws in both their software and my own mistakes when I tried to download this game. Furthermore, Gal Civ 2 is a brilliant game that just keeps getting better and better. While I am not a patient person, its worth the wait to solve these issues. I suggest that you check some of the developer journals where you can see that Stardock both openly admits to having growing pains and asks for patience while these problems are corrected. Based on my experience, this company has earned my trust and respect.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
i had heard that the downloaded version was a chore to setup, so i opted to wait for the special metallic box and bypassed all the pain.

sorry to hear about your probs though, send them an email as i'm sure they want to help you.

good luck, init
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
First impression was OMG (or G-- D---) this person is too picky OR a troll. Overly so, this was a painful read. Granted, the OP had some problems with SDC and downloading, a rarity. However, It does suck to be you if it happens.

I'm not sure the video tutorials will be of much worth. I'd rather play and be taught as I play.


This is an example of many comments made by the OP. It borders on being trollish, haughty, and arrogant. Also the way the OP does things or wants things done is the best in his/her view any other way is "wrong". This is silly. If you really need help learning the game and getting over the learning curve, those tutorials are priceless.

SDC works. It works great in fact. The attacks on it ramp up the arrogance/trollishness. Again the OP having problems but it in no way as bad as it is made out to be.




Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This is an example of many comments made by the OP. It borders on being trollish, haughty, and arrogant.


I watched all the video tutorials, and I agree with his comments. They just weren't terribly helpful.

After reading the .pdf manual and watching the tutorials I felt in no way prepared to play the game. Oh, I knew what to click, but I never felt truly prepared for the game. And I wasn't.

One thing that StarDock isn't good at is documentation (BTW, a community-driven Wiki doesn't count as documentation. That's like relying on GameFaqs for a game's manual).
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've had zero (0) problems with any of it.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SDC gave me some serious problems at first; turns out it doesn't like Firefox. After I re-installed MSIE (gack) the problems went away.

And I agree that a play-as-you-learn tutorial is superior to a .PDF or a movie, but GC2 is still a relatively low-budget title, so they couldn't afford some of the AAA amenities. Once you get over the initial learning curve (a not inconsiderable task), it doesn't matter though.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SDC helped me with my problems. My PC isn't connected to the net, and when I tried to get the 1.0x update, the game started a registry fight with me. Mike H from SDC walked me through it, via e-mail on one of my many connected macs. He sent me a file, and boom.... it works, and it is magically delicious. The 1.1 update was flawless, and the game is replaced all other games that I have played.

my .02 cents
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This is an example of many comments made by the OP. It borders on being trollish, haughty, and arrogant. Also the way the OP does things or wants things done is the best in his/her view any other way is "wrong". This is silly. If you really need help learning the game and getting over the learning curve, those tutorials are priceless.


So you know what you're doing, I'm sure that's good for you. I merely stated that I'm not sure that a video tutorial is going to be the best thing to help learn the game. There's no way that you can tell me that it's just as easy to watch one hour of recorded video and then try to replicate all the steps, versus actually jumping straight in and just *doing* things and having them pointed out along the way. I did read in the features (1.1 patch? Not sure) that there are helpful hints so perhaps it will all be okay.

Take StarScape by MoonPod for example... rather than throwing you straight in, it starts you off by teaching you how to move, mine, shoot, collect and allocate resources, etc... - and you learn by doing. Nothing can beat that

Now as for my rant, yes - I did write it whilst I was in a state of frustration. Consider my position; I've just played and enjoyed the demo. Enjoyed so much, that I purchased the game online *the very same day*. Let me tell you that this is highly unusual for me.

Next consider my experience of having purchased this; I have to create a *separate* account, validate that, log in, download SDC and install it and then figure out how the hell to get SDC to do ONE TASK: Let me play the game that I just downloaded.

However, SDC initially starts off full of crap and options that do nothing but get in your way. My mind is set on playing GC2, not on being upsold a million other bits of crap. If this were in an accessible but *out of the way* area of the application and everything worked as expected, then perhaps at a future time I might be inclined to explore; you can't just dangle a hundred carrots in front of a donkey, you have to give the donkey a very good carrot to begin with so that it wants to seek out more. However, SDC is very much a poisoned carrot.

As I said, it crashed and froze on me, frequently. Perhaps it didn't like that I was playing TrackMania Nations whilst it downloaded and the task-switch when it reached 100% made it crash? I don't know. But it crashed, I had to start downloading again and it frequently fails to start downloading. Maybe it's the fact that I live in Australia and not the US, I don't know.

But there are two thoughts that have gone through my mind over this debacle:

1. If I had've bought the boxed edition as well, I wouldn't have to go through this crap (albeit I'd be up for a wait of a few weeks whilst it works its way through the postal system). But I thought that $45USD was slightly higher than I'd normally be willing to shell out, so if I added P&P on to that I would not be willing to spend that much in one hit.

2. If I had decided to not reward StarDock for their work and acquired it by illegal means, I wouldn't have to deal with this SDC nonsense and it would have been a much more painless - albeit unethical - install.

So if everything works for you, that's lovely. But your glowing experience does not reflect my pained experience. I also cannot see the mythical whole-game download of which you speak, because if I could get a copy of GC2 without all this SDC bollocks I'd jump on it quicker than a very quick thing indeed.

Finally, don't dismiss someone who's just shelled out hard cash for nothing but bad experiences as a "troll". If I'd just come in and hurled abuse then yes, that would be justified. However, I articulated my problems and experiences. This is what has happened to me, this is why I am upset. Okay?

I'm sure that when I get to play GC2 I'll have a great time - as I said I really enjoyed the demo. It's just the "getting there" that is driving me up the wall. I'm downloading the ~500MB of movies at the moment. If SDC crashes at 100% again, well... it'll make me want to cry :/
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I downloaded everything through SDC. Game, movies, tutorials, updates. Didn't have any trouble. Easy to use.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've read enough posts about SDC to be glad I never wasted my time with it. It's odd that it's so poorly designed, when arguably Stardocks greatest experience is in UI development!
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
SDC is about as easy as you can get to use.
Click on Tools | Register products.
Plop in your GC2 code.
Click on games, locate GC2 in games and click the *install* button. Not too hard.

As for all the "crap" of other games in there. You must not be aware that SDC is how Stardock delivers *all* of their software to their customers. GC2 is just a small part of their business. So while it may all be clutter to you, you must realize there is more to Stardock then just GC2. In fact, the game separate easily into purchased and non-purchased so GC2 will simply be up at the top of that list all the time.

Sorry you had trouble figuring it out.