i like the game and i have no problems, therefore i will support their service they provide  .

Or just get the update from Gamespot? Some people...

[email protected] for website/patching/serial issues.

But yeah. There are 4 different ways to get the patch. SDC, Impulse beta client, site, and Fileplanet/Gamespot/you name it.

It's not a non-issue, it's just an annoyance. Just like having to refresh the 'join games' screen manually, just like not having a ladder system for auto-matching games online and having to find them manually, just like not having a proper win/loss reporting system online, just like having the occasional minidump, just like having a system that requires everyone to manually open their ports without any guidance, just like the cumbersome in-game communication system (e.g. lack of hotkeys for allied chat), just like how the 'join game' screen lists scenario names without saying numbers of planets so you dont even always know what size game you are joining, and just like a hundred other small things.

They do add up though, and they are annoying. Overall, I agree, the gameplay online should be much more user-friendly. And yes, these numerous "insignificant" things do matter. I think that the fact that there are so many is the reason why there are currently only 142 people playing online, despite strong sales of the game overall.

Oh, and I am not stupid. I am a smart guy. If there are solutions to the above-mentioned annoyances that I haven't found, then that means they are not "user-friendly" solutions. Hey, I am a user, right? If they exist, they have obviously eluded me.

Since they can afford a 24/7 downloading server that can't go down (or feel the pain of the community wondering why userX can't sync in games).

Stardock is really rich! They've released many games before sins too! They just don't know what to do with the money.

Well, the goofup with 1.04 was largely caused by a bug found in the Impulse beta client that didn't properly patch so people ended up with version mismatches and such - 'tis the nature of betas, I guess.

But getting the patch itself is pretty simple, 1.03 and 1.04 have both been posted stand-alone and mirrored on plenty of sites. Fairly few games actually do in-game update downloads, and most of them are pretty heavily MP-focused which one could argue Sins is less so

Wow... you failed to mention that the updates have made it to where some of us can't play with others without it crashing with a minidump error.
We used to play every weekend with no problems but since two updates ago we can't.

I think most of my frustration comes from the fact that this game seems so popular, and it was not cheap, so the budget to make it run well ought to be there. To be honest, I pirate most software I use. In this case, though, I bought it at full price, expecting it to be a big-name fully streamlined game. Sins is not some bargain-bin game you can pick up for $5 at Target. In fact, since this is the first new game I've bought in two years, I expected it to be even better-designed.

Well, it is an awesome game. Thanks for that. I just don't get why it can't be easier to use...

The lack of a single player game (which I don't mind at all, BTW) also made me expect this game to have a huge online focus. After all, if you can't play alone, you will play online right? So why isn't the online hub easy to use, fun, and jam-packed full of satisfied customers?

With no plot or storyline to follow, there is only one reason to play single player: you just bought the game and have no idea yet how anything works. That's perfectly reasonable, but playing against the AI gets really really really easy after a 10 games or so. Hell, you can beat an insance computer opponent using nothing but cap ships.

I doubt there are that many people out there satisfied to challenge themselves by resorting to playing against more and more and more (3v1, 4v1, 5v1, etc) "insane" comp opponents.

Well, maybe I'm wrong. I was just explaining my thought process. I figured most people would agree that playing humans is more fun than the same AI over and over.

i never have problem with the update system. And please clonehigh, have some manners, stop making yourself sound like a 10 year old. If you have a complaint, do so in a polite fashion. Don't need to cause a scene on the forum.

I have a question: If, let's say, your a pirate, and you want to update this game, you just download the patch, right? You don't need a the serial # to do it? I'm 1.4, but I always wondered if it read my email/computer/reistration code before I could download the patch?

It's not every time, but when they modify the user.setting file (in this case, they used it to fix the particle bug, and add some more logging options for those who wanted them), the new file overwrites your old one, so you have to re-do settings.

To the OP: would you like some cheese with your whine?