Downloadable 1.8?

No.

Actually, maybe...temporarily.

Carielf has an unfinalized version 1.8f zip pinned at the top of Bug Reports forum. It was promulgated on a weekend to fix a particular bug in the current SDC DA v.1.8e, but with the push to beta-test-and-tweak TA, it has languished for a couple of weeks without final in-house approval and scripting as the SDC standard build.

If you have DA already, you should be able to follow Cari's instructions in that post to update your DA to 1.8f test, if you don't mind having her test version. In this case, its pretty safe, because she was just tweaking 1 bug. Also, her instructions tell you to archive the replaced .exe and .dll just in case.

Be advised. Stardock general policy on updates is that the final version (and most betas) will be done via SDC. This is a fluke situation. When 1.8f is finalized and scripted onto SDC, this zip will probably be removed. Also, don't expect to see any future finalized updates as web site downloadables. SDC is the standard Stardock distribution path. You better reconcile your self to using it, or plan to give up on future updates.

drrider

You do need 1.8e before updating to 1.8f, though.

As noted by pndrev, the 1.8f patch is not a way around SDC; you need to have the latest version that *is* on SDC first before using it.

Good.

drrider

This is starting to suck, big time. 
While I respect Stardocks problems with software piracy I didn't count on it leaving me without access to patches ...   

I'm guessing that TotA and their upcoming 'Empires of Magic', or whatever it's going to be called, will probably be updated in similar fashion?

Most likely. However, there will be a free update in a month or so to version 2.0 that I believe you will be able to download without using SDC.

And that should also include some of the 'utility tools' from TA-betas, right?

Cuz, i'm really stuck with a DA version as my low-end PC wouldn't possibly be strong enough to handle even just a slight increase in CPU demands.
What could be VERY interesting to have are the Editors as described in some Journal threads; map, scenarios, campaigns, techno.

At least, it would simplify people's tasks once they plan releasing stuff for the library. Manually editing every single instances of numerous xml to create the X-Worlds & CoSH Mods miscellaneous assets has proven to be somehow tedious and complex. With the proper tools from SD (for DL/DA or TA), i'm sure more players would even be willing to tackle total conversions and share those with the community.

I, for one, could use a new quick access button under "Create new opponent" that provides "USE complete set of MOD races" (With a "Replace Defaults?" Y/N toggle, also)... as just an example for some essential options.

- Zyxpsilon.

[quote However, there will be a free update in a month or so to version 2.0 that I believe you will be able to download without using SDC. [/quote]

That'd be fine if true.   I have no problems with delayed patches.
A complete absence of patches though is something else.

I wouldn't count on GalCiv2 v2.0 until at least a month after final release of TA. Personally, I'd bet on March or April, even May.

Just count up the devs names you see popping in and out of the forums, and look the evidence in their posts of what they are working on. Heck, Carielf has v1.8f ready, except for in-house final test, acceptance and SDC scripting, to fix a fairly major glitch, yet it has languished as a .zip 'test' build in Bug Reports for well over 2 weeks because there hasn't been any time to finalize it.

drrider

We are planning to do a 2.0 update (after TA, as drrider says) which should have a standalone (non-SDC) version.



The editors are "features" of TA. As such they're designed for TA (and the associated changes to the xml formats), and wouldn't be very useful outside that context.



Why can't you use SDC? If you don't have internet at home, you can still use SDC to download the latest versions elsewhere and archive them to take home; all you need is access to a net-connected machine where you have permission to install SDC (friend/family/work/etc), and a USB drive or burner to get the files home with.

My problem with the way you do things is why do I need to go thought extra(not needed) steps to get patches, when you could just have the most recent patch on your website. When the next one comes out, take the last one down and replace it with the new one.(Space Empires 5 dose this already) I realy do not see then need to install SDC just to install patches.

Why can't you use SDC? If you don't have internet at home, you can still use SDC to download the latest versions elsewhere and archive them to take home; all you need is access to a net-connected machine where you have permission to install SDC (friend/family/work/etc), and a USB drive or burner to get the files home with.


[/quote]

Are you sure about this?
I was querying your tech support about it a few months ago and was told that I did need to have SDC and GC2 installed on the same machine ...

You need to have SDC on the machine you play on in order to update it, but you don't need internet there, so long as you have it somewhere else where you can also install SDC and do the downloading.