New galciv component appears on stardock - "heightmaps", what is it?

This is CariElf's explaination in a different thread:

GalCiv2: Dread Lords and Dark Avatar will both attempt to find pre-generated heightmaps for a given class (and type) of planet. If it can't find one, then it will generate one randomly. So just by downloading the heightmaps module, you will be reducing load time and the amount of memory used because the game will not have to randomly generate as many maps. The Planet Surface variety slider on the Video Tab of the Options Menu will further reduce the number of heightmaps that are used. If it is at 100%, it randomly chooses between all the heightmaps available for that class and type. If it is at 50%, it will only choose among the first half of the heightmaps available for that class and type. So you may find that just downloading the heightmaps module is enough, but if you're still having memory issues on gigantic galaxies, try turning down the Planet Surface variety.




WWW Link

mmm, nice. So sacrifice a little HDD space for better performance... and amazingly enough, this comes out THIS long after the game was first released. Kudos to the galciv team

Yes, it is a nice addition. The games load faster, and if you lower the slider to between 10% and 50% you can save a lot of ram for actual gameplay.

I did a test that you might be interested in, in that thread I linked to.

It seems to be taking forever to download and install, or it seems to want to downloadd itself twice through Stardock. Granted it is a 250MB file but what are the components in the file so I can double check it is not repeating itself?

having the same issue. I sat through it downloading the file 4 times before canceling it. Each time the status meter would get all the way to 100% and then it would just start over. The program never did install. All the other updates downloaded without a problem. I think something is messed up on the auto-install for this one.

having the same issue. I sat through it downloading the file 4 times before canceling it. Each time the status meter would get all the way to 100% and then it would just start over. The program never did install. All the other updates downloaded without a problem. I think something is messed up on the auto-install for this one.

Heh, funny enough, I just bought the game last night and was downloading it for the first time. Got stuck on this part, it ran through 3 or 4 times before I cancelled it.

Hopefully it works OK without it, so I can play the game tonight!

The heightmaps are not at all required, they just help the game use less memory (especially if you turn down the planet surface variety in the video options).

For those with the ever-repeating download issue, please contact [email protected].

Had the neverending download problem last night, but it worked fine today.

Is it necessary for my pc ?

e6600 duo core 2
2048 ddr2 800mhz
bfg geforce 7950 GT OC 512gddr3

I had gc2 collector edition, now I just ordered a Dark Avatar expansion CD and while I still wait the CD I downloaded the game to test it

So do I need that new module ??

It's not necessary for anyone, but it can improve performance and/or memory usage, regardless of your system specs. So it's your choice to get it or not.

I wonder will this download fix the buildable squares on the planets so they match the terrain they are actually on?

?

No, the heightmap download isn't related to that. It just saves the game from having to generate the maps at runtime.

The issue you describe is more likely that the color bands aren't accurately matched to the 'altitude levels' that the terrain types are based on.

I'm trying to catch up... so if anyone is still watching this thread - if you download the heightmaps file does that mean the potential variety is automatically reduced since it's accessing from a set list instead of generating infinite possabilities?

Potentially, yes. I imagine if you play with a bazillion planets there will be some repeats even at max variety when you're using the heightmap package.

Maybe my eyes but the planet surfaces look more "pixelated" after installing heightmaps. Is the mod supossed to make any visual changes?

If you can't complete the download of the Heightmaps;

Please try the following from within Stardock Central:

-Go to Tools->Settings
-Click the Internet section
-Click the "Refresh XML Data" button

Run this program: http://sd.stardock.com/mike/apps/clear_cache_sdc.bat