Why Stardock and the GalCiv series have earned my trust and patronage
(A thank-you, for whatever it's worth.)
from 
GalCiv2 Forums
GalCiv2 Forums
Stardock Central and GalCiv II have been nothing but a delight and a borderline obsession for me since the day I installed their software, but there are reasons above and beyond that which have earned them a special place in my game collection and future purchasing plans. I'm sure there are already too many "dev love" threads around here, but I would be remiss not to speak on Stardock's increasingly rare business ethic when it has been a real diamond in the rough as far as my personal experience goes.
Reason #1:
The frequency with which Stardock updates GalCiv II and the quality and value of these updates, going far beyond simple big fixes, tweaks, and behind the scenes balancing, are an exception to the standard update model that I have experienced at the hands of other (equally high quality and worthy of respect) developers.
Reason #2:
Expansions have not, in my opinion, been afterthoughts or insubstantial. Dark Avatar fundamentally changed and expanded upon the way I played this game, and there is every indication that Twilight of the Arnor will do the same.
Reason #3:
Stardock appears committed to fulfilling their creative vision as well as giving customers something genuinely improved with regard to sequels, rather than rehashing the same game with better graphics and a hand full of new features. Case in point...
"...I would prefer to wait quite awhile to do a sequel to Galactic Civilizations II. I'd like to wait long enough for another generation of hardware to come into play. For example, by waiting as long as we did to make Galactic Civilizations II after the original Galactic Civilizations, we were able to transition to a full 3D engine with seamless zooming, 3D ship design, and so on. If we had made the sequel sooner, we would have had to compromise on the concepts we had." - From a recent Gamespot preview of the forthcoming expansion
Reason #4:
Stardock appears to respect its customers' input, and to value its customers' past and future time investment in their software. For example...
"We are actually working on Galactic Civilizations II v2.0, which will be free and released shortly before Twilight of the Arnor. It will include improvements in diplomacy and espionage based on player feedback. There was a lot of discussion at Stardock about whether such features should be given away, but we felt that Dark Avatar players had already paid for enhancements in those areas and, hence, we should continue to evolve those features as part of their purchase." (From the same article linked to above.)
Reason #5:
Stardock is one of an exceedingly short list of developers who allocate sufficient staff, often including actual software devs, to respond to and interact with customers and fans on its forums. I hope people realize how rare this is becoming and duly appreciate it.
Reason #6:
While I love multiplayer, and would LOVE to play this game online with friends, Stardock seems to value and validate the time honored single player gaming experience. Too often in recent years and months, game reviews and previews include statements like, "Feature-rich multiplayer modes make up for a lack-luster core game," or "While the campaign itself is too brief and run of the mill to be worth the trip, who cares about that when multiplayer is this fun?" That wouldn't be a problem in a purely multiplayer focused game, but in many instances those statements appear in publications pertaining to games that are intended for single and multiplayer gaming. Stardock isn't anti-multiplayer, but they appear to know that there are still people who want to sit down and immerse themselves is a quality single player experience. For example, in response to a question regarding the inclusion of multiplayer functionality in GalCiv II, Brad Wardell had this to say to Gamespot:
"None at all. If we do a sequel, we would likely incorporate it there, using a shared multiplayer library we're developing. But there hasn't been the kind of demand for multiplayer that would urge us to focus on that at the expense of features that users have been really looking for." (Again from the same article above.)
So, for whatever it's worth, what all of this boils down to is this. Stardock is one of only a small handful of developers (I can count them on one hand) that I routinely tell friends and acquaintances that they can trust. That isn't a word I use much anymore when it comes to developers, and it isn't for personal reasons, but because of business practices and policies totally contrary to the spirit in which companies like Stardock conduct themselves. So, for whatever it's worth: Thank-you, Stardock. And please keep it up. In my humble opinion, it is the biggest, most important investment you can make in your future affairs.
Reason #1:
The frequency with which Stardock updates GalCiv II and the quality and value of these updates, going far beyond simple big fixes, tweaks, and behind the scenes balancing, are an exception to the standard update model that I have experienced at the hands of other (equally high quality and worthy of respect) developers.
Reason #2:
Expansions have not, in my opinion, been afterthoughts or insubstantial. Dark Avatar fundamentally changed and expanded upon the way I played this game, and there is every indication that Twilight of the Arnor will do the same.
Reason #3:
Stardock appears committed to fulfilling their creative vision as well as giving customers something genuinely improved with regard to sequels, rather than rehashing the same game with better graphics and a hand full of new features. Case in point...
"...I would prefer to wait quite awhile to do a sequel to Galactic Civilizations II. I'd like to wait long enough for another generation of hardware to come into play. For example, by waiting as long as we did to make Galactic Civilizations II after the original Galactic Civilizations, we were able to transition to a full 3D engine with seamless zooming, 3D ship design, and so on. If we had made the sequel sooner, we would have had to compromise on the concepts we had." - From a recent Gamespot preview of the forthcoming expansion
Reason #4:
Stardock appears to respect its customers' input, and to value its customers' past and future time investment in their software. For example...
"We are actually working on Galactic Civilizations II v2.0, which will be free and released shortly before Twilight of the Arnor. It will include improvements in diplomacy and espionage based on player feedback. There was a lot of discussion at Stardock about whether such features should be given away, but we felt that Dark Avatar players had already paid for enhancements in those areas and, hence, we should continue to evolve those features as part of their purchase." (From the same article linked to above.)
Reason #5:
Stardock is one of an exceedingly short list of developers who allocate sufficient staff, often including actual software devs, to respond to and interact with customers and fans on its forums. I hope people realize how rare this is becoming and duly appreciate it.
Reason #6:
While I love multiplayer, and would LOVE to play this game online with friends, Stardock seems to value and validate the time honored single player gaming experience. Too often in recent years and months, game reviews and previews include statements like, "Feature-rich multiplayer modes make up for a lack-luster core game," or "While the campaign itself is too brief and run of the mill to be worth the trip, who cares about that when multiplayer is this fun?" That wouldn't be a problem in a purely multiplayer focused game, but in many instances those statements appear in publications pertaining to games that are intended for single and multiplayer gaming. Stardock isn't anti-multiplayer, but they appear to know that there are still people who want to sit down and immerse themselves is a quality single player experience. For example, in response to a question regarding the inclusion of multiplayer functionality in GalCiv II, Brad Wardell had this to say to Gamespot:
"None at all. If we do a sequel, we would likely incorporate it there, using a shared multiplayer library we're developing. But there hasn't been the kind of demand for multiplayer that would urge us to focus on that at the expense of features that users have been really looking for." (Again from the same article above.)
So, for whatever it's worth, what all of this boils down to is this. Stardock is one of only a small handful of developers (I can count them on one hand) that I routinely tell friends and acquaintances that they can trust. That isn't a word I use much anymore when it comes to developers, and it isn't for personal reasons, but because of business practices and policies totally contrary to the spirit in which companies like Stardock conduct themselves. So, for whatever it's worth: Thank-you, Stardock. And please keep it up. In my humble opinion, it is the biggest, most important investment you can make in your future affairs.
