Just how much flavor text is there left to convert?

And it seems that these funky "new" Thalans-from-some-future still think that "Thala has long been the residence of the Thalan people."

If you are referring to the Colony Details screen, than this is essentially the same text that is used for every race, honestly. It would be nice if the Colony Description text engine got an upgrade with the recent changes, but I'm not going to hold my breath on this matter. Although, it might be easy enough to change the descriptions used for just the Civilization Capitals...

But to go with the flow of the thread... the flavor text regarding the Hyperdrive probably needs to be changed to, given that it has been retconned that it was the Human's invention of the Hyper Fusion Reactor that enabled the support of Stargate-like engines that could be localized on a ship, rather than a massive structure that changed the face of the galaxy, not the invention of the Hyperdrive itself, which was just adapted from the propulsion systems present on the Stargates. (At least, that's how I understand it anyway)

The Paulos's description still refers to the Invention of the Hyperdrive, as does the start-up pop-up window at the beginning of every game/game load.

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I've been pestering the Stardock devs (Kryo and Frogboy) to let me submit my new technology descriptions for review. I've basically made the descriptions much more serious, far more plausible, and even slightly more useful. They're a lot longer and verbose to be sure, but after seeing the new technology descriptions for Hyperfusion / Artificial Gravity, etc. I thought they could all use a redo. Some of them are good, some are just stupid: "Remember Basic Miniaturization? Well now it's better, and stuff, and junk."

Here's a sample of what I've written.

HyperDrive
30
Allows ships to travel interstellar space at a reasonable speed.

It is unanimously accepted that galactic history can be effectively classified into pre- and post-Hyperdrive eras; While every civilization has had their own milestones that separate whole epochs of history, Hyperdrive is the first common point between them all that promises to change the entire galaxy forever. Prior to Hyperdrive, interstellar travel could only be achieved through the use of Star Gates.||Star Gates are effectively massive cities in space - enormous, expensive, and immobile. The system itself is relatively small, as it is the enormous fusion reactor built into the system that occupies the most volume. Star Gates worked by creating a massive fold in space around the ships using them, which could effectively both 'push' the ship towards its destination, which by using a stellar fold, would be physically closer. The limitations were numerous - Two gates were required, so in order to travel anywhere, a gate had to have first made the journey on conventional drives before construction began (this could take thousands of years), the course could not be deviated or interrupted at any time, the efficiency was dubious, and while it was the fastest thing available at the time, their speed was much slower than Hyperdrive. Hyperdrive itself was not a new technology. However, Hyperdrive was the debut of the real miracle created by Humans - it included and was the first system to use Hyperfusion. An entire Star Gate could not only be shrunk a millionfold and mounted locally, but this also meant that because the warping bubble could be altered and maintained instantly, ships could 'steer' through space with the device, and the energy requirements dropped significantly, thereby shrinking the overall size of the device to one easily mountable on almost anything. Most importantly, acceleration and top speed could be maintained as long as the device had energy, and the galaxy adopted a standard of speed measurement. Because the warping effect on space-time did not involve relativistic speeds and physically shortens the distance, time dilation is not an issue.||The original Hyperdrive traveled at one adjusted-parsec (pc) per week (.546 light years per week, or seemingly a blistering 28.4 times the speed of light). Due to the folding of space, ships are actually traveling at well below sublight speeds, but the distance of one light year is reduced significantly, making such perceived speeds possible. For example, the Human star system, Sol, is 8pc (or roughly 4.5 standard light years) away from Alpha Centauri and hence would take eight weeks to reach it.

Universal Translator
50
Enables us to communicate with alien races, taking us down the path of diplomacy and government.

The Universal Translator is a small and extremely complicated watch-sized computer that can offer near-instantaneous translation of any foreign language programmed into it. A centralized database maintained by a team of dedicated military linguists updates new languages as they are encountered, as well as new words and dialects of languages we already know. Since not all languages have the same words, and not all words have directly translatable meanings, the intelligent logic processor will chose the appropriate translation to convey the closest meaning. Universal Translators can translate directly to earpieces or over communication systems, so only one user requires the Universal Translator.||Universal Translators can translate over 43,108 known languages and dialects with a computational processing time of less than a quarter of a second for most languages, and less than one whole second for identification of likely dialect based on affliction of speech. Despite popular belief, Universal Translators do not instantly know any language spoken to them. The languages must be loaded into the database with a known translation. Since most languages of developed cultures exist in a compiled computerized format that is generally available, it can merely take hours of personal and computational power to develop a basic working translation, which is available in real time to all Universal Translators.||In addition, we have now finished designing our first interstellar diplomatic starbase module, the Foreign Relations Center. The Foreign Relations Center is our first step in providing a friendly face to other civilizations. Each Center is well equipped to handle a large amount of space-faring alien traffic, providing them with the comforts of home. In addition, the Centers allow our own people to begin understanding and absorbing alien culture. Local customs, traditions, holidays, and even a brief history is now available as we begin to understand our galactic neighbors.

Impulse Drive
Impulse Drive
400
Provides Impulse Drive propulsion system.

Magnetoplasmadynamic, or 'Impulse' engines, had been a theoretical side-project of the scientific community for centuries. Reaching effective multiples of light speed demanded consistent power reaching nearly into the petawatt range. While sustained fusion could provide this demand, magnetically-bottled fusion reactors were simply too enormous for this use. Trillions of credits had been invested into alternative energy with only matter/antimatter reactors being the promising alternative. However, production of antimatter in sufficient amounts had proven an equally insurmountable issue, as years of manufacturing could only produce relatively minute quantities of antimatter, with the energy input being dramatically more than potential energy output.||When Hyperfusion overcame the energy demands, the Impulse Drive was born. The new fuel Helioide, highly controversial due to its extreme toxicity in minute doses, is the catalyst behind the Impulse Drive. Helioide is extremely dense plasma that is typically stored as a highly-compressed liquid. Using immensely powerful electromagnets, Helioide is slowly vaporized and then accelerated at near-light velocities. Space folding is accomplished through the use of a standard Hyperdrive, while standard drives are replaced with the Impulse Drive. Space is folded no more than a regular Hyperdrive, but standard drive speed is increased significantly resulting in a much higher top speed.

It takes me ages to do this, have a lot more to go. I can't wait to start doing weapon techs

All the technology descriptions are both plausible, canon, and may actually give you a reason to read them again

I PMd both Frogboy and Kryo but neither of them have been responded and it's been two weeks. Guess I'll bother them again.

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In fact, if I knew I wasn't wasting my time and the developers were honestly considering the addition of community input like that, I'd make semi-unique technology descriptions for every race using the new trees.

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Well, I like the idea of more serious descriptions, but there was actually a thread about this some time ago and the majority of people seemed to indicate that they preferred the silly sometimes-funny descriptions rather than 'technobabble'. That being said, these particular descriptions seem rather long; I would suggest condensing them.

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they ought to hire a real writer.

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they ought to hire a real writer.

Speaking of which, how's that endeavor going?

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it's going, but slowly. funny how personal plans always take a back-burner when you meet someone special

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I've been pestering the Stardock devs (Kryo and Frogboy) to let me submit my new technology descriptions for review. I've basically made the descriptions much more serious, far more plausible, and even slightly more useful. They're a lot longer and verbose to be sure, but after seeing the new technology descriptions for Hyperfusion / Artificial Gravity, etc. I thought they could all use a redo. Some of them are good, some are just stupid: "Remember Basic Miniaturization? Well now it's better, and stuff, and junk."

I want you to answer me three questions: Have you ever read the description for a tech more than once, do you make Wikipedia articles, and why do you think the rest of the GalCiv community wants to read Wikipedia-sized articles when they're almost invariably rapidly clicking the "next" button so they can get on with the game rather than reading the text of a tech that they've already read five times, neverminding the fact that they're playing a game and not browsing Wikipedia and hence probably don't care about whatever explanation you give them about why Warp Drive III is better than Warp Drive II?

I, for one, chuckled when I read the various Miniaturization descriptions, because it showed me that the developers understood exactly how much of a crap I gave about their description and plausibility. If I cared about how such a concept would work, I'd go read a book. For now I'm busy trying to slaughter those farking Torians because their ugly green hue annoys me.

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I've been pestering the Stardock devs (Kryo and Frogboy) to let me submit my new technology descriptions for review. I've basically made the descriptions much more serious, far more plausible, and even slightly more useful. They're a lot longer and verbose to be sure, but after seeing the new technology descriptions for Hyperfusion / Artificial Gravity, etc. I thought they could all use a redo. Some of them are good, some are just stupid: "Remember Basic Miniaturization? Well now it's better, and stuff, and junk."

I want you to answer me three questions: Have you ever read the description for a tech more than once, do you make Wikipedia articles, and why do you think the rest of the GalCiv community wants to read Wikipedia-sized articles when they're almost invariably rapidly clicking the "next" button so they can get on with the game rather than reading the text of a tech that they've already read five times, neverminding the fact that they're playing a game and not browsing Wikipedia and hence probably don't care about whatever explanation you give them about why Warp Drive III is better than Warp Drive II?

I, for one, chuckled when I read the various Miniaturization descriptions, because it showed me that the developers understood exactly how much of a crap I gave about their description and plausibility. If I cared about how such a concept would work, I'd go read a book. For now I'm busy trying to slaughter those farking Torians because their ugly green hue annoys me.

While a lot of people couldn't be less bothered by tech description so that as soon as a tech description pop-up, they skip it there are lot of people which are really interested in "flavour" and certainly a more serious and longer tech description would work a lot better than a silly one.
To really understand how much flavour is important take in consideration a mod for Civ4 named FfH2 which success mostly rely on its added flavour.
Text (tech,improvement description, diplomacy dialog) while can be pretty minor compared to other features, adds a lot of atmosphere to a game, and can make the difference between a good game and a great one.

Uranium-235 your tech descriptions are very well written and interesting, hopefully Stardock will add them in the game to create a more unique flavour.

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I think you should go ahead with it Uranium. I'm think with the modding tools it's would be possible to put in your descriptions even if they aren't officially adopted, and I definitely would.

And yeah, the 'start of game' message for the Thalans is still something about how the humans gave them hyperdrive technology and whatnot.

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I've been pestering the Stardock devs (Kryo and Frogboy) to let me submit my new technology descriptions for review. I've basically made the descriptions much more serious, far more plausible, and even slightly more useful. They're a lot longer and verbose to be sure, but after seeing the new technology descriptions for Hyperfusion / Artificial Gravity, etc. I thought they could all use a redo. Some of them are good, some are just stupid: "Remember Basic Miniaturization? Well now it's better, and stuff, and junk."

I want you to answer me three questions: Have you ever read the description for a tech more than once, do you make Wikipedia articles, and why do you think the rest of the GalCiv community wants to read Wikipedia-sized articles when they're almost invariably rapidly clicking the "next" button so they can get on with the game rather than reading the text of a tech that they've already read five times, neverminding the fact that they're playing a game and not browsing Wikipedia and hence probably don't care about whatever explanation you give them about why Warp Drive III is better than Warp Drive II?

I, for one, chuckled when I read the various Miniaturization descriptions, because it showed me that the developers understood exactly how much of a crap I gave about their description and plausibility. If I cared about how such a concept would work, I'd go read a book. For now I'm busy trying to slaughter those farking Torians because their ugly green hue annoys me.

While a lot of people couldn't be less bothered by tech description so that as soon as a tech description pop-up, they skip it there are lot of people which are really interested in "flavour" and certainly a more serious and longer tech description would work a lot better than a silly one.
To really understand how much flavour is important take in consideration a mod for Civ4 named FfH2 which success mostly rely on its added flavour.
Text (tech,improvement description, diplomacy dialog) while can be pretty minor compared to other features, adds a lot of atmosphere to a game, and can make the difference between a good game and a great one.

Uranium-235 your tech descriptions are very well written and interesting, hopefully Stardock will add them in the game to create a more unique flavour.

Unfortunately I lost some of the work I did when I forgot to back it up before the last patch, but most of it's still intact on a different hard drive. Whoops, go me.

Besides, I might wait until TA is mostly done... but then again, I only have a couple months left... hrm.

And the way I see it, if flavor text weren't important, why would they have written a backstory about the game, as well as written such long descriptions about Artificial Gravity and Hyperfusion like they did? Obviously someone is interested in it.

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longer discriptions would r0xorz!

although the tech discriptions are pretty unimportant, the only bad thing I can think of have someone from the community type better ones is that there'll be afew more milli-secounds of loading time for tech pop-ups.

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And the way I see it, if flavor text weren't important, why would they have written a backstory about the game, as well as written such long descriptions about Artificial Gravity and Hyperfusion like they did? Obviously someone is interested in it.

Backstory as flavor for a setting is one thing. Tripping over a wikipedia entry's worth of backstory because you researched "Laser III" is something different entirely.

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And the way I see it, if flavor text weren't important, why would they have written a backstory about the game, as well as written such long descriptions about Artificial Gravity and Hyperfusion like they did? Obviously someone is interested in it.

Backstory as flavor for a setting is one thing. Tripping over a wikipedia entry's worth of backstory because you researched "Laser III" is something different entirely.

So if you don't like it, skip it. Do you also just toss shit onto hull and send it out or do you sit there and design your own look to your ships? Guess what, that's pointless too. Guess you better start skipping over the shipyard.

And to mock your laughable "backstory as flavor for a setting" point, researching technology and advancing your empire is pretty much just establishing historical backstory as well. I think the popularity of a show like Star Trek that is absolutely saturated in plausible science fiction and 'technobabble' every episode pretty much disagrees with your assessment of what people are interested in anyway.

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What makes me think I touched a nerve here? ::/

So if you don't like it, skip it. Do you also just toss shit onto hull and send it out or do you sit there and design your own look to your ships? Guess what, that's pointless too. Guess you better start skipping over the shipyard.

I think you've managed to completely miss my point. Outside of a bit of backstory to give races some flavor, perhaps incorporating such without being verbose into their tech trees (Such as, say, the Drath techs that study the history of the Arnor and Dreadlords) but nonetheless keeping it to a relative minimum, there is no reason to put a series of mini-novels into their tech descriptions. That is best reserved for tiny communities of RP nuts who run the Wikipedia entry on GalCiv 2.

And to mock your laughable "backstory as flavor for a setting" point, researching technology and advancing your empire is pretty much just establishing historical backstory as well. I think the popularity of a show like Star Trek that is absolutely saturated in plausible science fiction and 'technobabble' every episode pretty much disagrees with your assessment of what people are interested in anyway.

You know, there's really no need for me to give any more commentary here. The developers are wisely choosing to ignore you, you're not getting anywhere posting your novels on forums, and my posts apparently offend your delicate senses, so I might as well just give it a rest. As parting advice, however, I would recommend that you just go and start up some kind of tiny community of people who actually care about what makes Ion Drive better than Hyperdrive and go work on a GalCiv 2 wikipedia or something.

Also, listen to this guy:

Well, I like the idea of more serious descriptions, but there was actually a thread about this some time ago and the majority of people seemed to indicate that they preferred the silly sometimes-funny descriptions rather than 'technobabble'. That being said, these particular descriptions seem rather long; I would suggest condensing them.

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Just how much flavor text is there left to convert?

Just how much flavor text is there left to convert?

Or, no wonder the ambitious tech trees have driven sensible schedule changes