Long-standing bugs

from GalCiv2 Forums

Why didn't they fix Drengin/Yor/Korath expansion problem (they colonize only inside their infuelnce sphere) or AI starbase module problem (AI cannot use modules after 100th in module list) or Torian/Iconian improvement problem (they often don't build anything on their planets) or non-functioning improvements (like gaia vortex or cathedral of valor) or inconsinstencies in tech categorization for AI or aquatic colonization giving courage? It's been years and years and the problems were found when the game was still young and they just left the game to be half-broken. It's dissapointing and I'm not sure I'll be buying GalCiv3 when it's possible that it will be left in such unpolished shape. It can't be that hard to fix this that it hadn't been done in years.

Dissapointed customer.

PS: Obviously some method of chaning "hard-coded" things in game would be sufficient to deal with bugs if that thing is possible when it's obvious StarDock will never deal with it. I've seen the mods for aleviating such problems, but they have to do unacceptable things like taking away sporeships from korath to give them fully functional AI so I don't welcome such approach.

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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Well from what I remember, one of the problems with continuing to write updates for GalCiv 2 was that it would need to be migrated to a newer version of Visual Studio or it would be necessary to install an older version of VS and run it in a virtual machine and, well, imagine trying to test and debug the game inside a virtual machine and you get the picture.

I have no idea if the code was ever migrated or how the virtual programming went, we got a 2.04 update since then but it only altered the game's registration process and metaverse login.  And that was a bit of a pain to get working.  Elemental didn't do as well as it should have, which meant there was probably more pressure to salvage something from that than keep putting out updates for a game that sold units a while back but has only recently had a resurgence thanks to Steam.

Stardock is working on Fallen Enchantress and something else that probably isn't GalCiv but it's not like they've forgotten about GalCiv, despite the absence of exciting announcements every few months.  It's just... life sucks and Drengin descend from the skies demanding that we hand over someone called MacNeil.  There are some things that you just can't change, no matter how much you would like to.

I mean sure, there are mods to get around the AI problems, and they give the game a lot more long-term playability factor but I wish the same thing, that the guys who actually developed it were finessing these fixes into the game so that it plays as it was intended to immediately after installing.

Nothing raises the ire of your customers quite like having to try and install one of several mods to get the best out of a game.  Especially when those mods are made by a bunch of different people with different ideas about what the intended game experience should be, and none of them are compatible with each other.

I'm actually amazed that the game manages to sell in its vanilla condition, but I'm happy that new players do come by the forums.  Just goes to show, there's life in the old game yet. :)