Impulse: Updating my retail DVD version of Space Rangers 2

from Stardock Forums

Stardock has consistently given me the worst customer service I've ever experienced from a game company. I long ago gave up any hope they'd get my download of Space Rangers 2: Reboot working on top of my retail version of SR2, let alone give me a refund, and they haven't seen a dime of my money since. (A pity, too, cause I have fond memories of GalCiv 2 / Dark Avatar and definitely would've bought Twilight of the Arnor.) Hell, I remember back when Dark Avatar was coming out, and I had to ask at least four times (with increasing sarcasm) before Frogboy would even tell me how big the download was going to be.

But that was a couple of years ago, so maybe things have changed.

We'll start with a simpler problem this time.

I reinstalled my original retail DVD version of Space Rangers 2, and low and behold, Impulse says you have an update for it... wow, dare I imagine that I might actually be able to replay this classic game (even if it's just the non-expanded version) without having to crack it OR leave Starforce malware on my computer?

But when I try to update it, Impulse asks me to enter the "registration information" and serial number for the game. Unfortunately, as mentioned, my game came out of a box, and there was no serial #.

I have seen OTHER posts in this forum about this exact issue in the past, and you Stardock people said this is just an issue with an "old" version of Impulse, and to just reinstall Impulse. Well, I've done that, even using the "impulse_setup_full" install file you always link to. But it STILL asks me to register the game.

What should I do to fix this and get the update?

4,629 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I reinstalled my original retail DVD version of Space Rangers 2, and low and behold, Impulse says you have an update for it... wow, dare I imagine that I might actually be able to replay this classic game (even if it's just the non-expanded version) without having to crack it OR leave Starforce malware on my computer?

But when I try to update it, Impulse asks me to enter the "registration information" and serial number for the game. Unfortunately, as mentioned, my game came out of a box, and there was no serial #.
End of quote

Yes.  Impulse will only update 3rd party titles purchased through it.  You will not be able to install the updates for your retail copy.

It sounds like your issue is that Impulse wants to update your base game before installing the expansion.  Make sure you have all the latest patches available from the publisher of your retail copy.  You may have to force Impulse to think the game is updated by editing the version number stored in the registry.  The script below should handle this:

http://sd.stardock.com/curthendzell/sr2.reg

Once you run this Impulse should no longer detect and update is available.

Stardock has consistently given me the worst customer service I've ever experienced from a game company.
End of quote

A search through our support system doesn't show any tickets submitted by you (another e-mail address maybe?).  I'm not sure where you were getting support from, but the official channel is through support@stardock.com

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Shirley, reply 1

Yes.  Impulse will only update 3rd party titles purchased through it.  You will not be able to install the updates for your retail copy.
End of Shirley's quote

Bummer. But I appreciate actually getting a straight answer.

A search through our support system doesn't show any tickets submitted by you (another e-mail address maybe?).  I'm not sure where you were getting support from, but the official channel is through support@stardock.com
End of quote

No, I don't imagine you would've found any tickets. The advice I followed back then was posted by Stardock people in this forum, and after I had such frustrating results with that, I wasn't prepared to start over (this time with an extra layer of bureacracy!).

But like I said, that was then.

I went ahead and gave Reboot another chance and redownloaded it. Apparently it actually was updated since then, as amazingly, it works on my machine now. Color me shocked! I'm still not overwhelmingly impressed, but I'll apologize now for my hostile attitude above (and I'll stop telling people you ripped me off, too).

Thank you.

Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

The advice I followed back then was posted by Stardock people in this forum, and after I had such frustrating results with that,
End of quote

I'm sincerely sorry to hear about this unfortunate experience. As Shirley mentioned, the official method of communication for support is through support@stardock.com.

While the community can sometimes provide a quicker response, it may not necessarily always be accurate. For the best-case scenario after encountering future problems, I would suggest submitting an email to support@stardock.com first, posting a reply somewhere in the forums and indicate the ticket# (so we can easily track that) you receive in the autoresponse from support@stardock.com. Finally, reply to that autoresponse and reference the forum thread you created.

Using this method, I'd consider this an ideal approach to finding the best solution to a problem.


Mike