Guide to newcomers, and others
Please read this, it even teaches use of SDC! wooo!
from 
GalCiv2 Forums
GalCiv2 Forums
WARNING: LONG POST
Ok, I've seen quite a lot in the forums now, because I comment a lot. In fact, the sad thing is I'm actually on these forums more than the game (Because forums require five minutes whereas games require a few hours, and I don't get free time in huge amounts, some work occasionally happens)
So, the main things I've seen are people posting multiple posts, reporting the same thing over and over again, and bemoaning the lack of a search. So, I'm going to do my best to clear things up. Feel free to flame me at the end for wasting your time if you know this, but some people don't know the ins and outs of stuff that can seem obvious to people who understand computers naturally.
First, there is a forum search. It's above the reviews, and only works if you click search. Please use this before posting, as someone will inevitably link you towards it. Search some keywords, but not crash (unless you have a few hours to sift through), because someone has probably come across it before, and it's probably been answered.
Multiple posts/comments: This forum is slow occasionally, but if you click create/ post comment twice, then It'll happen twice. If it times out, refresh.
Forum complaints: Yes, I know this forum lags a bit, (a lot) during times of heavy use, I just said that. Yes, as a consumer you have a right to feel annoyed by this, but as a developer stardock have a right to release the game and say "HA! screw you guys, we aren't releasing bug fixes until the expansion in six months, which will contain yet more bugs, and that'll cost you another $20/£15/30 euros etc!". They don't do it, they stay awake all night fixing by the look of things. Frogboy seems to enjoy posting at 2:30am. Give them a break.
Saying the AI cheats: This can be "OMG UR GAME IZ TEH GHEI, IT HAXX0RZ!!!" or a simple "I am disappointed with the game, with such high reviews I didn't expect it to cheat". Ok fine whatever, we all live in free countries and can say what we like, even if it is total BS. The AI doesn't cheat until intelligent, it uses human strategies like rush colonizing at planets. It knows how to play the game, if you start trolling with the first variety of post, expect a harsh putdown, if not flaming. We can respond happily to the second variety, explaining why it doesn't, and frogboy has it posted in the journals how it does what it does.
Slagging off stardock/ SDC: Just happened, and no, don't do it. If you have a reasonable complaint go ahead, no abuse. Frankly, call me a fanboy all you like, Stardock are brilliant. They are dedicated to their fans, and work hard to do these free updates. Don't call SDC spyware or anything, if your comp says it's spyware get a new damn firewall already.
WOW, USEFUL BIT HERE: Bug reports: Please, please, please give us your debug.err file. Here's how to get it: launch the galciv2 client, and go to update game, this takes you to SDC. From here, click "free stuff" and download smartexception. This creates a debug.err file at all crashes. If a crash happens, post the final line of the crash, the first page, and the last few pages. This allows stardock, and anyone else, to see what happened when you crashed.
Response to bug reports that annoy you: Right, I'm going to admit to hypocrisy for doing this. When people post a bitchy rant about how crap the game is, without details, I do leave a nice, well thought out, sarcastic response. It's human nature. BUT, these people are just gamers like the rest of us, but they can't understand why their computer is doing this to them. Often people with no driver updates, or the heat crash people, who got an uber-omega-super-l33t machine, and don't really know how to use it. So, give them advice, ask them to post a debug.err file, and not to troll, or people will flame back. Yes, Im guilty of this. But I try not to be.
Beta bugs: Alright, here's an example. A beta is a work-in-progress, and is guaranteed to be buggy. If there were no bugs, it would be a final version, and a damn good final at that. There is a thread for beta bug reports, but please don't complain about the latest update screwing up your comp. On the download section, there is a disclaimer telling people that this is a beta, if you don't know what that means or don't like crashes, don't touch it. This evidently isn't on the SDC version. To you I say, turn off the option of "Show pre-release versions" (It really shouldn't be on by default now stardock are mainstream), and re-install 1.0x. Hey, it's not as good, but it's less crashes.
People who complain about ANYTHING and say "I haven't reset the comp yet": Go reset it, and now.
Obvious trolls, or people you suspect of being plants: Be nice, be polite, but do try and ridicule their point of view. Sure, they have free speech, and so do you. If they're wasting your time with pointless crap (whereas my crap has something of a point) about how Stardock is TEH SUXX0R, explain to them they're wrong. Don't feed them, don't rise, put them down and make them look like idiots, people can see they're trolls.
Racism: I think I only encountered it once (someone made a racist response to a posted request to get the German version fixed), but let's get things clear. It's not acceptable. Foreign nationals have every right to play the game you do, and don't label them. This is childish when young, and downright illegal im sure when older. EG, the German gamers. Yes, they made multiple posts, but as I understand it, the patches they got were wrong and corrupted their files because Stardock and Paradox were confused as to which version was being put out. Some very helpful people fixed this (I think) by posting the translated files. However, if they wish to play a game they paid for in their own language, they can damn well do so.
Just my two cents, as they say. Or perhaps, judging by the size, quite a lot more than two cents.
My God, you seem to have read it all! woo!
Ok, I've seen quite a lot in the forums now, because I comment a lot. In fact, the sad thing is I'm actually on these forums more than the game (Because forums require five minutes whereas games require a few hours, and I don't get free time in huge amounts, some work occasionally happens)
So, the main things I've seen are people posting multiple posts, reporting the same thing over and over again, and bemoaning the lack of a search. So, I'm going to do my best to clear things up. Feel free to flame me at the end for wasting your time if you know this, but some people don't know the ins and outs of stuff that can seem obvious to people who understand computers naturally.
First, there is a forum search. It's above the reviews, and only works if you click search. Please use this before posting, as someone will inevitably link you towards it. Search some keywords, but not crash (unless you have a few hours to sift through), because someone has probably come across it before, and it's probably been answered.
Multiple posts/comments: This forum is slow occasionally, but if you click create/ post comment twice, then It'll happen twice. If it times out, refresh.
Forum complaints: Yes, I know this forum lags a bit, (a lot) during times of heavy use, I just said that. Yes, as a consumer you have a right to feel annoyed by this, but as a developer stardock have a right to release the game and say "HA! screw you guys, we aren't releasing bug fixes until the expansion in six months, which will contain yet more bugs, and that'll cost you another $20/£15/30 euros etc!". They don't do it, they stay awake all night fixing by the look of things. Frogboy seems to enjoy posting at 2:30am. Give them a break.
Saying the AI cheats: This can be "OMG UR GAME IZ TEH GHEI, IT HAXX0RZ!!!" or a simple "I am disappointed with the game, with such high reviews I didn't expect it to cheat". Ok fine whatever, we all live in free countries and can say what we like, even if it is total BS. The AI doesn't cheat until intelligent, it uses human strategies like rush colonizing at planets. It knows how to play the game, if you start trolling with the first variety of post, expect a harsh putdown, if not flaming. We can respond happily to the second variety, explaining why it doesn't, and frogboy has it posted in the journals how it does what it does.
Slagging off stardock/ SDC: Just happened, and no, don't do it. If you have a reasonable complaint go ahead, no abuse. Frankly, call me a fanboy all you like, Stardock are brilliant. They are dedicated to their fans, and work hard to do these free updates. Don't call SDC spyware or anything, if your comp says it's spyware get a new damn firewall already.
WOW, USEFUL BIT HERE: Bug reports: Please, please, please give us your debug.err file. Here's how to get it: launch the galciv2 client, and go to update game, this takes you to SDC. From here, click "free stuff" and download smartexception. This creates a debug.err file at all crashes. If a crash happens, post the final line of the crash, the first page, and the last few pages. This allows stardock, and anyone else, to see what happened when you crashed.
Response to bug reports that annoy you: Right, I'm going to admit to hypocrisy for doing this. When people post a bitchy rant about how crap the game is, without details, I do leave a nice, well thought out, sarcastic response. It's human nature. BUT, these people are just gamers like the rest of us, but they can't understand why their computer is doing this to them. Often people with no driver updates, or the heat crash people, who got an uber-omega-super-l33t machine, and don't really know how to use it. So, give them advice, ask them to post a debug.err file, and not to troll, or people will flame back. Yes, Im guilty of this. But I try not to be.
Beta bugs: Alright, here's an example. A beta is a work-in-progress, and is guaranteed to be buggy. If there were no bugs, it would be a final version, and a damn good final at that. There is a thread for beta bug reports, but please don't complain about the latest update screwing up your comp. On the download section, there is a disclaimer telling people that this is a beta, if you don't know what that means or don't like crashes, don't touch it. This evidently isn't on the SDC version. To you I say, turn off the option of "Show pre-release versions" (It really shouldn't be on by default now stardock are mainstream), and re-install 1.0x. Hey, it's not as good, but it's less crashes.
People who complain about ANYTHING and say "I haven't reset the comp yet": Go reset it, and now.
Obvious trolls, or people you suspect of being plants: Be nice, be polite, but do try and ridicule their point of view. Sure, they have free speech, and so do you. If they're wasting your time with pointless crap (whereas my crap has something of a point) about how Stardock is TEH SUXX0R, explain to them they're wrong. Don't feed them, don't rise, put them down and make them look like idiots, people can see they're trolls.
Racism: I think I only encountered it once (someone made a racist response to a posted request to get the German version fixed), but let's get things clear. It's not acceptable. Foreign nationals have every right to play the game you do, and don't label them. This is childish when young, and downright illegal im sure when older. EG, the German gamers. Yes, they made multiple posts, but as I understand it, the patches they got were wrong and corrupted their files because Stardock and Paradox were confused as to which version was being put out. Some very helpful people fixed this (I think) by posting the translated files. However, if they wish to play a game they paid for in their own language, they can damn well do so.
Just my two cents, as they say. Or perhaps, judging by the size, quite a lot more than two cents.
My God, you seem to have read it all! woo!
