Where do I get a refund?

Before getting all worked up, why not try emailing [email protected] with your problem?

Update your drivers. That's all there is to it.

OK, Marc, please tell me where the latest drivers are.

Microsoft has no new drivers. Intel has no new drivers. So let me know where to get these magic drivers. That's all there is to it.

p.s. Jeff, I'm emailing them too right now. But I figured I would post first because I think this is really, really lame... the box I bought indicates that my computer is fine, and then the game tells me to update my drivers (latest available already) so it can display a font.

Well it'll run. Microsoft and Intel are totally unreliable and useless when it comes to drivers. But if there were anyway, that would be all it needs.

FWIW, it runs with dx7, albeit badly. Does it crash? If not, you can still play it. It should be playable anyway on a 2 year old laptop.

Did you actually try to play it? Driver messages dont stop you playing, IIRC.

The box says "32MB DirectX 9.0c card". I know my video is wimpy - just the built-in 64MB (shared) Intel in this laptop. But dxdiag reports the version as "DirectX 9.0c" on the very first screen. Since dxdiag thinks I have 9.0c and 64MB of vid ram (which is a tiny bit more than the min requirements printed on the box), how am I supposed to figure out that I lack support for a damn font???

Most intel chipsets from the past few years can run the game. If your system is based on the 82800 series or better (incl. Intel Extreme Graphics 1 and 2, GMA 900/950/3000), it should only need a driver update. The exceptions to this are the 82815 and 82810E, which will absolutely NOT run the game properly no matter what. But as I said, the game requires recent drivers (no older than mid-2005 in most cases) to run even on hardware which does meet the requirements.

FYI, 'DirectX9 video card' does not mean any card on a computer with DX9 installed, but rather a card designed to the DX9 specifications with support for DX9 features in hardware. In practical terms this means most cards first launched in 2003 and later (of course older cards were and still are manufactured). Among the features new in DirectX9 is the ability to render truetype fonts in Direct3D (not at all the same as using them in a normal application), and the game will not work properly without both hardware and drivers that can do that.

OK, sorry if I got all worked up about wanting a refund.

I should have gotten all worked up about this:

I install, update, and launch. A dialog tells me that GC2 will not work because my drivers are too old. The FIRST thing I do (before I even acknowledged the dialog) is check drivers and dxdiag. The second thing is to come here and read the posts. All I found was a thread showing that other people use this video just fine. The third thing I do is post here and go on a rant. By then, I had forgotten the dialog was sitting behind other windows.

Silly me... the first thing I should have done is say, "Yeah, right, whatever" to that lame dialog. All I had to do was click OK, and the game launches just fine.

Devs: If you are going to pop up a warning but launch the game anyway, please word the dialog so that does not seem fatal. Better still, have a Exit and Continue Anyway button.

Saying, "You must update drivers before.. " is confusing. What does the OK button mean in this context? I assumed it meant "OK, I will let you exit and then I will go update my drivers and reboot." I never assumed it meant, "OK, just launch the game and I will update later."

how am I supposed to figure out that I lack support for a damn font???

Extensive research. Really, I'm not joking. When I bought this game, my computer was running a 128 MB Graphics card. The game didn't work very well and I thought, "What gives? The GC2 box says 32 MB and this card is 128 MB. Why is it not working well?" So I did some research and found that the graphics card I had was a really poor card. So then I did more research as to what a "good" card is, bought one, and the game works fine.

Now that I think of it, when the minimum requirements say something like xx MB graphics card what does that mean? Does it mean, "Yeah, the game will work fine if your graphics card has xx MB," or does it mean "Well, the game will work if you have xx MB, it just won't work very well"?

So many details.

Thanks for the reply. As you can see from my recent post, the game works. I think that is one of the worst dialogs I've seen though.

Maybe I should be ranting at MS instead. (Although everybody does that.) If dxdiag says 9.0c, I think most people would assume that means their system (including video) supports 9.0c. Some cards won't allow for the installation of DX9 and are limited to older DX or none at all.

But we are reaching the point where you need an IT degree to understand the different levels and parts of DX and what supports what (for example, T&L hardware support, which the Intel lacks.) Even GC2 cannot figure out if enough of DX9 is present to run the game - hence the initial dialog I was presented with.

I have found that minimum requirements are just that. You can run the engine without most the graphical bells and whistles. It'll run, but look like crap. This is games in general btw not just GCII. Recommended requirements are what I try to shoot for when choosing games like FPSs, because gameplay is directly linked to speed and graphics. 4x Strat games on the other hand gameplay is more surreal and less dependant on graphics. In GCII on gigantic maps, I'll at times disable most the textures for a slight speed boost on turn changes and such. It doesn't hurt the gameplay IMO.

Extensive research. Really, I'm not joking. When I bought this game, my computer was running a 128 MB Graphics card. The game didn't work very well and I thought, "What gives? The GC2 box says 32 MB and this card is 128 MB. Why is it not working well?" So I did some research and found that the graphics card I had was a really poor card.

Many graphics manufacturers like to pair loads of slow ram with crappy graphics chips for that reason.

The GC2 box says 32 MB and this card is 128 MB. Why is it not working well?" So I did some research and found that the graphics card I had was a really poor card.

GeForce MX, anyone?

FYI, I've put in my two cents for a specific list of supported cards on the next retail box, rather than something that, while accurate, is easily misunderstood by too many and completely meaningless to the non-technical. That would certainly save a lot of trouble for customers like koffee, and for me

Well, I just started a game (all defaults - just click next and done) with CHEAT and did a Ctrl-U after a few turns of nothing but End Turn.

Map scrolling and display is fine, although the fog behaves a bit oddly. (Of course, I won't be using CHEAT/Ctrl-U in normal games, so that's not an issue.)

I turned off Hardware T&L of course. I may have to turn off more once I play a real game with lots of ships and stuff.

I even did all this in windowed mode (1024x768 dual monitor display). Doing something outside of the window is painfully slow, but that's also to be expected giving how much I am pushing my wimpy little Intel built-in video.

When playing games, sometimes I like to have tips, a forum post, a list of commands (or ships, etc.), or whatever on the second display. If the game gets sluggish, I can just disable the second display.

TIP: This even works for full-screen games if they don't turn off the second display. Although I have to alt-tab to access this screen, I can read whatever is currently displayed while I am in the game.

(I still wish the game told me "you may experience problems" instead of "you can NOT run it" the first time it launched.)

What is this clocktime and updated drivers you speak of?
ADD MORE MEMORY!
But hey, what do you expect from a walmart customer?

also wanted to point out that with the integrated chip in your laptop, you don't really have a card with 64mb of ram; it's borrowing 64mb from the system ram itself.

n0v: I shopped at WalMart because they had the CE (with tech poster) for < $30. A five to ten dollar savings is money in my pocket. If you just throw money around, throw some my way.

ax: My very first post said 64MB shared. Doesn't anyone read posts? At least you were polite about it, unlike the idiot before you.

Idiot? This be grounds fer some flamin...

Did you buy you little laptop with integrated graphics card where you found the cheapest price? How cute, good, some money in your pocket... and tons of wasted time because you have the ishiest support on the planet (or any planet you can't conquer because you can't get your graphics card to function). Ever hear the expression you get what you pay for? I guarantee you if you bought that game at a gaming store, you could have asked somebody who works there if it would run/how to fix it. And there would be no questions about return to boot.

If you're going to buy things at "Retards push out big discounts" R' US, then you better know how to fix things yourself...

Or know how to email support...

Or how to update your graphic drivers...

Or how to google a problem...

Nublet

Knock it off. There's no need to be flaming someone just for being frugal.

Not to stray too far off course here but just as an aside, I did some research into my "integrated" NVIDIA 6150 LE and actually, to my surprise, it isn't a bad graphics set up after all. Finding exact system specs is somewhat difficult as it tends to just give numbers related to the motherboard end, and nothing really comparable to actual graphics cards spec sheets. Not that I know much but it is PCI-e capable, which I assume is the next level of graphics cards being made, and therefore is a solid "integrated" system for gaming. How true this is remains to be seen I guess, but the reason for my post was just to defend the lowly "integrated video" crowd.  
P.S.: 256mb shared.

actually, to my surprise, it isn't a bad graphics set up after all. Finding exact system specs is somewhat difficult

Actually, no. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_Graphics_Processing_Units. The fillrate on a 6150LE chipset is less than every other nVidia card since the GeForce2 MX, and it's got the bare minimum number of pipelines. About its only redeeming feature is DX9 support, really. Excepting that and its lone vertex unit, it is inferior even to the oft-maligned GeForce 4 MX series in its entirety 

I find that wikipedia page to be a *very* handy reference for video card specs. There's a similar page for ATI also here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_Graphics_Processing_Units. They're both great to check on when comparing cards/chipsets, particularly if you're looking to buy a new one in the absence of real benchmarks between the cards you're comparing.

kryo: That's a flame? How come I still feel chilly?

n0v:
----
Nope. I spent a fortune on this laptop a few years ago because it had tons of ram, HD, CPU, etc. (for the time) and was a killer development machine. What did I need with high-end graphics? The only games I played were TBS like MOO2, SMACX, and GC1. The graphics were more than enough. More importantly, the laptop could handle Visual Studio and other tools I used in my job. The laptop SAVED time (and money) because it was perfect for my WORK, not because of GAMES.

Why is it, that in another post, you mention how a GC2 strategy is stressing your overclocked CPU? My "little laptop" CPU handles GC2 just fine without overclocking. Only the graphics are an issue. And, since I am willing to turn off a lot of the glitter, it turns out that the graphics are no longer an issue. Buy a new CPU if your "little CPU" cannot handle GC2.

Oh, and this strategy of yours? You complain about bad AI gifting algorithms, and then call it a "strategy" to gift them with lame ships. If you found an AI problem, point it out so they can fix it. Maybe even complain that you cannot gift until it is fixed. But why complain that it is a problem, and then explain over and over how the "strategy" (cheese) works.

But you cannot just talk about the game or game issues. For some reason, you must dis anyone who tries to save a few bucks shopping at WalMart. Maybe you can afford to throw money around because you live with your mommy or something. I have a wife, kids, rent, car payments, and so on. Saving $5 is a big deal.

You also feel the need to bring up the Special Olympics and other things that have nothing to do with the game or issue at hand. You've resorted to leet-speak more than once. And I still cannot figure out what the hell "Efrum the retarded rabbit and his army of illegitimate inbred offspring" means.

You accuse me of not knowing (or trying) to email support, update drivers, searching for answers, and so on, even though my posts above explain how I did all that.

If you're going to dis people for saving a few bucks, then you better be prepared to be called an idiot.

If n0v is not part of the WalMart crowd, then I am PROUD to be a WalMart customer.

p.s. Flame away, n0v, although I haven't seen anything that indicates you can write a thoughtful flame. But hey, I'm just WalMart trash. You don't have to climb very high to reach my level.

Well Kryo, I appreciate the link!  As stated, NVIDIA's website, which was the one I went to looking for specs, had no specs listed for their integrated graphics set up. Since you know so much, could you touch on the PCIe a little bit? I am really trying to get the most bang for my buck with respect to upgrading my PC to a decent graphics card and am trying to stay at the 250.00 or less range.
Now as far as laying the smack down on me...   Just kidding.  

1)If you have something to say about another thread please say it in that thread
2)Anything that sparks that sort of in-depth counter response was obviously effective as a flame, so kryo is right, i needed to stop
3)No, I don't live with mommy, nor do the rents pay for my college education, i do with my job as a web developer
4)I overuse 1337 speak when I use it, to make fun of it. There are two types of 1337, people who think it's awesome, and people who can mock it while making a valid point
5)

My very first post said 64MB shared. Doesn't anyone read posts?

All I have to say about your post commenting
6)My CPU completely owns this game when played properly. Obviously you've never spawned over 5000 ships in focus .
7)

You accuse me of not knowing (or trying) to email support, update drivers, searching for answers, and so on, even though my posts above explain how I did all that.

You had to be told
8)I could go on, but i'm sure Kryo has my ban button underfingertip, and will probably press it by the end of this post

I have a laptop with an Intel 82852/82855 GM/GME integrated video chip. I know that this is very-low end, but it turns out that the game will run mostly fine as long as I turn down many of the graphic options. (I didn't buy GC2 because it looks pretty. I bought it because of good strategy game-play and AI.) However, when I first installed and updated, I was presented with a seemingly fatal error about DirectX and true-type fonts. I didn't write down the exact text, but it said that I must update my drivers for GC2 to work (display true-type fonts). There was one OK button. In context, it seemed like OK would exit the dialog so that I could go update my drivers. But I never bothered to click OK. While the dialog was still open, I went to look for drivers (I keep them updated - there were none newer) and search the forums for answers (found a long post from people that run fine with this video). Then I went on a little rant about a refund (sorry, I was really mad at the time). I forgot about the dialog that was hidden behind other windows. It turns out that clicking OK launched the game anyway. Yes, there are some graphic glitches, but nothing that prevents me from playing GC2 and nothing that crashes the game. And once the game launched the first time, the DX warning/error never came back. (Btw, I see fonts just fine.) So, I think it is a bug (or just a design flaw) to present a warning that seems to be fatal. At the very least, my suggestion would be to warn that there MIGHT be problems unless the code can determine for certain that there WILL be problems. Instead of just one "OK" button , perhaps have "Exit" and "Continue Anyway" buttons. Thanks.

So embarrassed he creates a new thread... had enough caffeine there koffee?

Are you sure you're a developer? You didn't read the dialog... sounds a lil enduserish to me.

Embarrased?

I think I found a bug. I am making a bug report. Is that not the appropriate forum for it?

I'm sorry I don't have a photographic memory so that I can recall the dialog text word for word.

Btw, what happened to you rule/suggestion #1? I'm supposed to revive your old thread to respond to you, but you are free to quote an entire post from another thread here?

could you touch on the PCIe a little bit? I am really trying to get the most bang for my buck with respect to upgrading my PC to a decent graphics card and am trying to stay at the 250.00 or less range.

PCIe vs AGPx8 is basically meaningless for integrated video chipsets--none of them are even going to come close to using all the bandwidth AGP can offer in the first place. If however you're looking at a new card or a whole new computer, PCIe is an easy choice if you can afford it. If your current motherboard only has an AGP slot, not to fret--you can still get some decent cards in AGP flavors, just not the very latest (definitely better than your onboard video, though). A Radeon x850 is an excellent value for those looking to get a little more life out of an AGP based system on the cheap (~$130), but if your computer has PCIe already or you can afford one that does, you have a lot more options in the high-end range.