Marlowe Lawbringer

Reply to Paradox Games come to Impulse in PC Gaming Sins Forums

I've nothing against Impulse. Though I havn't happened to use it to buy any new games, it's worked well to update GCII-ToA and SOASE. I've bought a number of games from GamersGate, several Paradox titles/expansions and some third party games like King's Bounty (great game) and Civ4: Colonization (a surprising mess). I have had minor to moderate technical problems with GG (primarily, it has a habit of timing out a lot, and a large DL often has to be restarted a lot), but overall it seems

Reply to Soren Johnson in the credits in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Sid was one of the founders of Microprose. It was indeed a publisher, but also developed games, including the Sid Meier-developed Civilization. However, the three subsequent Civ games (as well as the classic Civ "sequel" Alpha Centauri) were developed by others, although Meier's name was part of the official title (I believe this is true with the other Firaxis games as well). Judging from press reports over the years, my impression is that Sid serves as an idea man, ultimate pl

Reply to Elemental - War Of Magic (Gamespy Preview) in PC Gaming GalCiv2 Forums

[quote who="WarlokLord" reply="4" id="1925399"]Majesty 2 would be an instant pre-order as well, guaranteed. [/quote] Earlier this year, Swedish developer/publisher Paradox, probably the game company most analogous to Stardock (complete with its own proprietary digital download store), announced that it would publish (though not develop) Majesty 2 next year. I believe the developer is a Russian company. For those unfamiliar with Paradox, they are best known as

Reply to ENTRENCHMENT EXPANSION in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

[quote]Lets see, 9.99 for about 1/3 of what we get in a 29.99 expansion pack at retail[/quote] Well, that's where we disagree. I don't see the tiny amount of announced content as equal to one third of the content of a quality $30 expansion. This is, obviously, a matter of opinion. Compare it to a very good recent expansion--Civ 4's Beyond the Sword. For $30 you got new units, new buildings, new civs, new leaders, new wonders, major new gameplay concepts (corporations, the Ap

Reply to ENTRENCHMENT EXPANSION in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

[quote who="Dargoon999" reply="3" id="1857507"]I am wondering what the other 2 expansions will bring to the game, your thoughts?[/quote] Well, given the announced details of micro expansion one, I'd expect a smidgen of new content (less than Stardock often provided for free in Gal Civ II updates), for an astronomic price (given the new content/value ratio). That this was announced almost simultaneously with the gamer's bill of rights is ironically amusing. I'd

Reply to Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment Announced! in Sins News Sins Forums

Unlike the prevalent kneejerk fanboy reaction here, even $10 for this (assuming the expansion contains no more content than described) is way too much, ditto for triple that described content for $30 (or even if bundled for somewhat less). As another poster noted above, this really has the un-Stardock feel of milking the popularity of this game. Even three of these micro expansions (assuming a similar level of content for each) would offer significantly less than either of the Gal Civ II

Reply to Australia Ratings Board Rejects Fallout 3 in Gaming GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]It should be rejected for being FPS style instead of true to the original games and style that made the series popular! I could stand to see government interaction here - Bethesda should be fined for ruining Fallout.I really can't see myself buying this Oblivion expansion, err, Fallout Abomination.[/quote] My sentiments exactly. Fallout 3 will likely have great graphics and may, or may not be fun to a certain extent. But it is certain that Fallout 3, like Oblivion, will be a shoo

Reply to Any updates on Stardock 4X fantasy game? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I voted for the fantasy TBS a while ago, though a Stardock RPG might also be intriguing, assuming it was in the nature of a "traditional" RPG (e.g., Ultima, Wizardry, Bard's Tale, Might & Magic, Baldur's Gate, Arcanum) and not yet another action game with RPG trappings. From my point of view as a TBS/RPG fan, either of these are far more needed than Gal Civ III, given that Gal Civ II has plenty of life in it at this point. However, from Stardock's financial viewpoint, a Gal Civ III might (probab

Reply to 2k's excuss for not having Civilization Revolution on PC, total BS? in PC Gaming Sins Forums

I'll be blunt--if you really prefer to play Civ Rev than Civ IV, you'll probably prefer console games generally to PC games, so buy a console and play it. I do have a PS3 (bought for and used primarily as a Bluray player) and I have played the demo. Checkers is closer to chess than this mess is to real Civ (admittedly, as a huge Civ fan since Civ II, I've been appalled for months at the mere concept of Civ Rev, so I'm a bit biased). Frankly, I hope Civ Rev is a big bust for Firaxis (and it may b

Reply to DIABLO 3!!!!!!!!!!!!! in PC Gaming Sins Forums

[quote]Only partially agree with Marlowe there, I think Vampire: Bloodlines were extremely good even if it does have a twitch element, but other than that it was a very real RPG.[/quote] Actually, I agree. I forgot about Vampires: The Masqurade--Bloodlines (its full offical title, I think). I liked that game a whole lot, and it was one of the (relatively) few games I even finished. (Then again, I finished Titan Quest even though I despised it. Don't ask me why, I couldn't say.) As I rec

Reply to DIABLO 3!!!!!!!!!!!!! in PC Gaming GalCiv2 Forums

[quote] Wow. In one paragraph you pretty much said that all modern RPGs are bad.[/quote] I guess I was imprecise. I absolutely meant to say that almost all "modern RPGs" are bad. Indeed, almost all "modern RPGs' are not RPGs at all in the sense that term had prior to, say, 2000. A very small number are mediocre (NWN, though it is still pretty much a traditional RPG) or even good (The Witcher, but still too action oriented for my tastes). That's my opinion and I recognize that I am in a

Reply to DIABLO 3!!!!!!!!!!!!! in PC Gaming GalCiv2 Forums

Pardon me if my reaction is less than excitement. Yeah, I've played Diablo 1 and II, they were so-so at best. I particularly remember playing Diablo I, which I bought because it was marketed and reviewed as an RPG, and thinking how in the world anyone could describe this soulless action game as an RPG? While there are certainly other factors (cough, consoles, cough), Diablo is probably as large a factor as any other in destroying real RPGs and turning most of them them into Diablo-like action, l

Reply to How to use Wormholes? in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

First, check you Sins files, you should have a .pdf manual. (At least the digital download version does, and I am pretty sure that I had a .pdf manual included in previous Stardock physical box purchases.) Second, it wouldn't have helped you anyway; I searched the manual in vain early on for this precise information and had to search the forums for the answer (ditto for travelling between multiple suns). A classic illustration of the venerable Stardock tradition of poor, and highly incomplete, m

Reply to Twilight Manual update? in Twilight of the Arnor GalCiv2 Forums

There are plenty of threads on this, a new one was unnecessary, but here is a brief summary of my previous posts on the matter. 1. GeneralEtrius is ncorrect. We have been assured multiple times by Stardock that Brad is working on an updated manual. There is a .pdf maual included with the ToA package entitled Twilight of the Arnor Manual, but it is merely the old Gold Edition manual with a new cover page. This is annoyingly deceptive even if you think, as I do, the deception is not inten

Reply to Way too biased? in Political Machine PolMach Forums

[quote]If you can provide a link to a major poll that shows that 70% (or even 60%) want an immediate (or in the next couple months) withdrawal from Iraq we'll happily update the game. We have no ideological axe to grind.[/quote] First, you (deliberately?) misquote me--I said majorities supported a withdrawal timeline roughly between immediate and two years (though I personanlly incline to the former). In any case, here ya go, took 30 seconds on Google. <a href="URL" title="add

Reply to Steep learning curve in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

Steep learning curve? Compared to what? Are you coming from action/FPS games or grand strategy games? The learning curve of Sins is no worse than the average RTS, possibly easier since the pace of the game is considerably slower. (Admittedly, any learning curve is exacerbated by a poor manual and tutorial.) It is quite a bit harder to learn than, say, Bioshock (which I absolutely loved, it's just not hard to learn). But it is a far easier and less complex game for a newbie to learn then, say, C

Reply to Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor v1.95 coming in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

One thing I'd like to know is how to remove the toolbar Impulse places at the bottom of my screen (and pops up whenever my cursor wanders down there). The program informed me of this after installation, never offered me the option not to install it, and, at first glance, I see no way to remove it. I don't plan on using Impulse very often (only to update GalCiv and Sins) and the icon on my desktop is more than sufficient. I find this most annoying both on principle (no option or readily apparent

Reply to Way too biased? in Political Machine Stardock Forums

[quote]Incidentally, no, 70% of Americans are not in favor of pulling out of Iraq. The issue ratings in the game are purely based on existing polls and exit polling. The game is not biased in favor of either party.[/quote] Ahh, a perfect Bushian response. But we all know that facts are stubborn things and have a liberal bias to boot. Polls consistently show a large majority (generally around 60% or so and clearly not even) favoring various fairly short term withdrawal time tables (

Reply to Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor v1.95 coming in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]We are looking into the ToTA not showing installed issue. We will have a fix shortly. Please do not reinstall/uninstall ToTA.[/quote] Oops, too late, already reinstalled. Would this hurt anything? I did not reinstall the 1.92 alpha though, figure I will just wait for 1.95 rather than introduce any further complications.

Reply to To Anyone Who Plays the Sins of A Solar Empire SP in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

[quote] The general public though? I'd rather not.You make it sound like the "general public" players smell. What exactly are you afraid of? Losing?[/quote] They don't smell, they're just macho jerks who refuse to acknowledge that anyone can have different likes and interests than they have. As you prove with every post in multiple threads. You know, I usually try hard to be civil in my posts, but my patience is really wearing thin with this attitude. I, and many others, have politely p

Reply to To Anyone Who Plays the Sins of A Solar Empire SP in Sins of a Solar Empire Sins Forums

[quote]All i here is whine whine whine. LRM spam doesn't win games. I think some of u just dont want a bruised ego, and the rest are cynical about humanity in general.[/quote] Ok, I could say that it's people like you that keep me from playing online, but that would be untrue. For a number of reasons, I simply have no desire to play any non-MMO online and would not even if every single online player were the salt of the earth. However, if I did have any desire to play online, then it wo

Reply to Update next week in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]... Yeah. I know that post wasn't actually witty enough to be repeated twice.[/quote] Not to worry. Tweaking the pomposity of that poster deserves repeating. BTW, I had no idea what that guy was talking about, what in heaven's name his stated profession is, or what any of his many acronyms stand for. Nevertheless, I still know self-aggrandizing BS when I smell it.

Reply to Update next week in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]The idea wasn't bad, but the implementation was funky. Say I'm researching Tech A and Tech B, Tech A taking 5 turns, and Tech B taking 6 turns. I do Tech A first, and once finished, I notice Tech B now takes 15 turns!! Sure looks like a bug. Now that I know it's not though, it's still a hassle 'cause you can't really predict it (at least not without doing calculations). It would probably be fine if you could keep tabs on the inflation; that way you can plan for it and get your most import

Reply to Update next week in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Seriously, Fluxx? Seriously? After the hellish crunch to get PM2008 done (multiple all nighters - which we've posted about) we decide to spend our first free weekends on 3 months on GC2 bug fixing (bugs that, may I add, can't be that game breaking, with TotA rating an average score of 95%) and you come up with that post? Enough of that brand of trolling will certainly kill our drive to make the game better. Go away before you ruin it for players that appreci

Reply to Is there going to be any hope for TEC in 1.1? in Strategy Sins Forums

[quote]Why would that be a reason not to play online multiplayer? You really have no idea what you're missing. The difference in the amount of challenge that you face playing against a human intelligence as opposed to dumb, unimaginative AI is huge.[/quote] This is exactly the attitude that pisses me off--and its displayed by almost every MP supporter here. People who are only, or primarily, interested in SP are either lying or too stupid to know what we lke. (And speaking of which, si