SanChonino

[quote]What makes Dark Avatar so much better?[/quote] The depth, man, the depth. I, too, purchased and played GalCivI first. And it's a pretty okay game. Nothing to write home about, but certainly not the waste of money some games I've played have been. But then I bought the Gold Edition version of GalCivII. And it's a night and day difference. The AI is [B]so[/B] much more intelligent, you can choose to be other races besides the Terrans ('cuz let's be straight -

Just tell her how the price has dropped since it first came out. Think about it - 40 for Dread Lords, 30 for Dark Avatar, another 30 for Twilight of the Arnor and it would've been a hundred bucks! You can get it all for just sixty - the base game and both expansions. And if all else fails, just tell her that [I]is[/I] the sale price. :CONGRAT:

The graphics, while nice, are not the reason to get the expansion packs. It's the gameplay. Dark Avatar plays a million times better than the original GalCivII. From the super abilities to the better defined tech tree to the asteroid fields to the enhanced AI to the addition of two races that are absolutely necessary for a good game to the mega events to . . . You get the idea. And from what I've read, Twilight of the Arnor is going to make it even more varied and g

[quote]They know a LOT more about the game balance then some random people you just had your 5 hour game with (that probably only lasted 5 hours because most of the participants didn't know about the balance problems).[/quote] :LOL: Never mind the fact that that 5-hour, 7-player game was probably with Stardock or Ironclad employees, who either helped design the game or test it for months. ;)

[quote]What are the expansions called, and are they worth the price?[/quote] The first is called Dark Avatar, and it's been out a little over a year. It's well worth the price to get the 'Gold' edition which has both DL (the short-hand version of the original, Dread Lords) and DA. Frankly, I rarely fire up DL because I prefer the added customization, 'super abilities' and mega events (plus, I just really, really like the Korath - spore ships FTW!) Twilight of the Arnor (usual

[quote]Newer versions do say "needs more miniaturization" on that list, IIRC.[/quote] You do remember correctly. ;)

[quote]Excellent then I will be buying this as soon as my next pay check. Thanks for the help kryo![/quote] As one who lurked for a long time on these forums (as a Stardock customer of other products - their desktop enhancement suite and as a blogger on JU), I can promise that once you take the plunge and pick up GCII and its packs, you won't regret it for a moment. :CONGRAT:

[quote]Then just use an external media player and turn off music in the game.[/quote] It's not that hard, guys. If you're worried about wasting processor on a music program, download VU Player which takes next to nothing to run in the background and you're set. Trust me, if my ancient laptop can handle it, your rig can too. :CONGRAT:

[quote]this security tape is certainly a pain in the ass.[/quote] Yay for all that junk on a new DVD!

[quote]I have a particularly good quote in mind for "Low Relations". Something to do with Alan Bradley's "Little Problem"..............[/quote] Brilliant, I tell you, brilliant. :D

I want to download this. I will make her marry me. ;)

Secret of life, Seth - all those people that seem so happy, that seem like they belong and fit in - guess what? They feel the EXACT SAME WAY YOU DO most of the time. So don't fret it. It's a phase that all of us have (or had) to pass through, but we turn out okay! I'm sure you will too, little buddy. :CONGRAT:

That's priceless. Zoomba said they had a fun time writing new error messages for all the sites. Almost makes me want to screw up so I can see them! :D

Salivating at the thought of the Fantasy game . . . Oops, made a mess on the keyboard. Lemme wipe that up. ;)

[quote]if i may ask whats the quickest way to have a close relashump with another race[/quote] Give them crap. Get some proprietary goodness and share the love - new technologies or new research you've completed. Opening up trade routes with them certainly doesn't hurt, either.

I suck at designing, but I sure have one hell of a fun time trying! ;)

I'm not an owner of GalCivII right now, because I rarely if ever use a Windows computer, but I have been a customer of StarDock's before, and I'm a frequent user of their blog site, JoeUser. StarDock is ridiculously customer-oriented. And I love them for it. And customers like you probably make it all the better for them, I'm sure.