GalCiv II on an Intel Mac? Activation issues.

One more question. What kind of internet activation does you use? If it is the kind used by Adobe and Macromedia (from Macrovision, which writes data to the start of the hard disk, and which may interfere with Boot programs like System Commander 8 which I am using) then I am not going to purchase the game. My System Commander setup is vital to me and I cannot risk any possible interference by other softwares such as the Macrovision activation.

I'm not sure about the type of activation that Stardock uses... but it should work in boot camp with no problem (if you're running XP its the same as just having a native XP machine).

You can play/download the games onto multiple computers - its one of the selling points of Stardock's stuff (I've got all their software running on my desktop and my laptop).

Benjamin Low says: I'm not sure about the type of activation that Stardock uses... but it should work in boot camp with no problem (if you're running XP its the same as just having a native XP machine). You can play/download the games onto multiple computers - its one of the selling points of Stardock's stuff (I've got all their software running on my desktop and my laptop).

Thanks for your answer.

Can any Stardock staff comment on whether the activation scheme may interfere with other softwares, in particular with boot programs like System Commander?

What kind of internet activation does you use?

Checking a specific sig.bin file in the GC2 directory
You can get it through Stardock Central or through e-mail. Look at thread about "activation" for specific details on the use of e-mail to get the sig.bin file when GC2 is on an offline computer.

Ah, no comment from Stardock about the kind of activation used?

As hinted by Peace Phoenix, the activation server simply generates a code based on your serial key, email address, and hardware config (AFAIK SD does not keep or use your hardware info, it is merely used to bind that activation to that machine). It then stores that code in a file called sig.bin, located in the GalCiv2 folder. No risky disk muckery involved at all.

If you install the game via direct download with StarDock Central, the activation is done automatically during install and you never even notice it. If you install from the retail disc, there is no activation (the serial is not even required), but if you then later install a patch you will need to activate the game. In that case it is a simple matter of providing your email address and serial key in a prompt when you run the game the first time after patching. If you're online at the time, it'll grab a sig.bin file from the server and merrily continue, and if not, it'll give you a code you can email in from a computer that is connected in exchange for the sig.bin file you need (some sneakernet transfers may be required!).

As noted above, there is no practical limit to how many computers you can put it on, though obviously if they get activation requests on 100 machines for the same serial, they will start to ask questions

Do note that the sig.bin file generated after you activate is local to that computer only. So if you back it up in SDC and install the game on another machine via that backup, you will need to delete the sig.bin file there and reactivate so it works on that machine.

-DK (official forum moderator)

As hinted by Peace Phoenix, the activation server simply generates a code based on your serial key, email address, and hardware config (AFAIK SD does not keep or use your hardware info, it is merely used to bind that activation to that machine). It then stores that code in a file called sig.bin, located in the GalCiv2 folder. No risky disk muckery involved at all. If you install the game via direct download with StarDock Central, the activation is done automatically during install and you never even notice it. If you install from the retail disc, there is no activation (the serial is not even required), but if you then later install a patch you will need to activate the game. In that case it is a simple matter of providing your email address and serial key in a prompt when you run the game the first time after patching. If you're online at the time, it'll grab a sig.bin file from the server and merrily continue, and if not, it'll give you a code you can email in from a computer that is connected in exchange for the sig.bin file you need (some sneakernet transfers may be required!). As noted above, there is no practical limit to how many computers you can put it on, though obviously if they get activation requests on 100 machines for the same serial, they will start to ask questions Do note that the sig.bin file generated after you activate is local to that computer only. So if you back it up in SDC and install the game on another machine via that backup, you will need to delete the sig.bin file there and reactivate so it works on that machine. -DK (official forum moderator)

Thank you. So apparently it will not affect my multi-boot configuration.