Irritating updates, poor support

from Stardock Forums
After over two weeks of posting, e-mailing with no response from Stardock and trying home remedies, such as re-registering in the Metaverse and elsewhere, I decided to re-install GC (previously updated to 1.03) in a last ditch effort to get my third game (with a whopping score of 700) score submitted. So, I did the uninstall and then deleted the directory, just to make sure that everything was clean. After doing the re-install I went to SDC to get updated and immediately ran into new problems.

First of all, just updating from 1.00 to 1.03A is a 5.17 meg update, which takes me about 45 minutes. Very unpleasant. Then I get to do the multimedia update. OK. THEN I see that SDC says I already have the latest Bonuspak (1.0.006) Installed !!???!!

HOW?

Please, Frogboy or whoever is official, what is going on? Do I really have the Bonuspak loaded before logging on to the net after a new install? If so, how can it be the latest version? If not, how can I get the latest version since SDC says I already have it and I cannot "force" it to let me do an update?

And will this FINALLY let me submit my score to the Metaverse, since I preserved the saved games?
631 views 19 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I think you are being a bit harsh.
Personally, I never had any problems with galciv or SDC. But I wouldn't know why :p (I'm not very computer litterate).
I remember in the begining, some people had problems with the installation. Maybe it was not cpmpletely unistalled (key registry, etc) and this is making SDC think you are up to date.

Anyway, what is it going on?! Two people complaining about too many updates :sniff!:

I'll leave now, go play & create a better world in galciv, where custumers are happy when the game they paid for has the support it deserves. :CONGRAT:

As for your problem Solops, after you've redownloaded all game parts, you should archive it and burn it to a cd. Then you download the patchs. This will avoid your having to do it all over again next time ;)

~SDC~
Curtains - Customize Windows with additional styles
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
My title was too harsh. I would dearly love an edit function on this board. I LIKE all of the updates, even more would be good. I do not like having to download them ALL whenever I re-install; having the updates archived in some way seems a better answer.

Nor do I like the fact that there has been no answer to my repeated requests for assistance with this problem, and the requests of other, for several weeks. No "we're looking at it" or "do this'....nothing. Burning a cd is not the answer. I don't know if it is legal and any such copy my include an error or corruption that contributes to the problem.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
That is intresting, is there no way to backup all the patches? Quite awful. I must say I do feel sorry for you especially since 5 megs is like 5 secodns of d/l for me :( I guess dial-up users are people too. One day we'll live in a society where people arent looked down upon becuase of their slow bandwith. ONE DAY
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Solops,
Have you tried writing to one of the emails Frogboy gave in various sticky threads?
Maybe he/his team can directly help you. :)
As for burning a CD I don't think it would pose a problem. I got the game through stardock, downloaded it, and burnt it to a cd. There are no legal issues that I can think of, considering I downloaded it and therefore must save it to some reliable media. If I remember correctly, this was expected so should work fine. Maybe someone more infformed can confirm this?

And Astax since the patches are also in a standalone form, you can probably save them as well.


~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I did e-mail directly. No joy, though I did get a message back that my mail had been forwarded to someone. that was 10 days or two weeks ago.

I bought the game on CD at EB the day it was available and I update on a daily basis. I really like the game, but I am getting chapped at the inability to continue growing my Metaverse score. Actually the lack of support is more upsetting than the problem itself.

I finished my re-install and will try playing without ANY add-ons to muddy the test. If I cannot upload then I am going to be seriously irritated.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmmm, if posting a score to the metaverse is your biggest problem then I'd say that really isn't a problem. Who really cares about scores in the metaverse for cying out loud, it's the game itself that matters. Geeezeee.....

Troubleshooting tip:
Sounds like you are on dial-up. Make sure you are connected to the Internet *before* you submit a game to the Metaverse. Sounds obvious I know but Frogboy has posted that the vast majority of problems with scores posting has been that. Also, make sure you have any firewall software/hardware configured to let the score posting go through.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
please get broadband! its so cheap! A cable modem and a cell phone is less than local phone service and an ISP. there is no reason to have a 45 minute DL.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I am always online when I try to upload scores.

Broadband is not available where I live. It is not available in a lot of places. Those of you in college or living in large cities take this for granted. Moving from a large city to a small town can be a shock in more than one way. I cannot even get broadband via satellite right now. Also, $50/month is not "cheap" for a lot of people. Dial-up over my phone is a lot cheaper - $17/month. A survey last year indicated that broadband was losing home users who had the service longer than 12 months at a significant rate. New sign-ups as the service moved into new areas is driving their expansion, but retention is apparently poor. When costs come down, this trend will probably reverse itself.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
IMO dialup isnt cheaper becuase you need to have a phone line. Sure it may be that you get both total under $50 but think about what else comes with having a phone line? Endless telemarketing calls :/ Im a lot happier with a cellphone and I can call all I want on weekends to anywhere in the country and unlimited mobile to mobile minutes are sweet. I can talk forever!
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
There's an archive function built into SDC, which as I understand it, is how you're supposed to back up GalCiv and any other Drengin.net stuff you've installed.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
Drengkiller: That was rather snobbish of you. ;) I also live in a small community where there is no DSL.


(thank you VERY much Qwest you totally SUCK! Since you are a stinking $21 billion in debt anyway why not spend a measly $150k for a DSLAM at the local CO, huh? :P~~~~
:D

If my employer didn't pay for ISDN for me (128 kbps ~= 16kBs) at a cost of $75 per month for phone line + my ISP fee, I would be stuck with dialup as well. We have a local phone monopoly and a local cable monopoly (as many places do) and Comcast has no interest in putting in cable IS since they don't have any competition to force them to do so.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
"Dial-up over my phone is a lot cheaper - $17/month". Might be, but it is a fact that heavy users (lots of DL etc) finally pay much less with an (A)DSL connection, since they don't have to pay the normal telephone per second ticks. I have my own company and when I still was hooked up on ISDN I paid 5X (yes, really true!) more per month than I do now. It is sad, however, that (A)DSL or Cable connections are not available everywhere. I live in The Netherlands, and here 99,5% of us can get either (A)DSL, Cable or Satellite broadband connections.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
"IMO dialup isnt cheaper becuase you need to have a phone line. Sure it may be that you get both total under $50 but think about what else comes with having a phone line? Endless telemarketing calls :/ Im a lot happier with a cellphone and I can call all I want on weekends to anywhere in the country and unlimited mobile to mobile minutes are sweet. I can talk forever!"

Obviously you are not Married with Children :)
We have to have a phone line. It often doubles for the internet. Most of my town and many others across the USA are still this way.

I still want to know if my Metaverse score upload problem has been recognised by Stardock. Yes, the game is still fun, but the scorekeeping adds a lot to the lure.
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
solops of the yarba, post your problem in the Bug Thread, if not yet answered. The Devs are doing an incredible job in finding out and fixing problems. :)

But they can't look at every thread posted by one of us. ;)
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
Guys, you should get DirecPC. It's from the sattelite people. You can get cable-modem type speed anywhere that has a clear shot to the south. And it's not prohibitively expensive . . .

Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
Solops, I've sent you an e-mail and I'll see if I can help you.
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
Incidentally, if Stardock's is poor service, then there is no such thing as good service.
Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top
Well, as CariElf said, she has contacted me and was so nice that I am almost embarrassed that I ever complained. No doubt I will be disgustingly happy in short measure.