Hollow Man

It doesn't matter that it's Collector's Edition. It's the same game. Word to the wise - never buy used games that: 1. Use on-line activation (ex: Stardock or Valve games) 2. You plan to play on-line which require a cd key (just about every modern multiplayer game out there) In case 1 you'll never be able to play the game because it's already been activated by someone else. In case 2 you'll be able to play single player, and you MAY get to play on-line, b

Yes, if the original owner registered it, chances are he's still happily playing it. After all, as Brad loves to point out, you never need the CD again once you buy it. Stardock's database remembers your CD Key, so once registered, that person can go nuts and install it anywhere he wants and play it. The key will be tied to the original owner forever. -HM

The game can still work even if you type the serial number improperly at install. But you have to have it right when updating or else you can't get the patches. So make sure you're typing it properly for the updates, and if so, go back to my advice above. -HM

If you bought it used then chances are the original user already registered it. I don't know if Stardock allows the license to be transferred (Valve, for example, does not allow it, which is why you won't see stores like EB Games and Gamestop selling Half-Life 2 used). You'll have to contact them to see what, if anything, can be done to patch your game. -HM

Quick question: will it cause grief if we still have a saved game in an earlier beta version? Thanks, -HM

The proper file/link still needs to be updated here: https://www.galciv2.com/CollectorsEdition/ Also, will this mess up games with earlier beta versions? -HM

You can download the official patches via the big "Downloads" button there in the upper-left. Beta patches are only available through Stardock Central (to ensure that only people who are willing to jump through hoops can get a product that's possibly unstable). -HM

I'd do it. Going to LAN with friends this weekend, and will probably give Civ IV a shot. If GalCiv2 had MP, you can damn well bet I'd be pushing for it instead! -HM

It doesn't appear to be required, but you can be sure that a lot of people will recommend that you have it (if not for GalCiv2, then just to help squash the bugs and security issues in SP1). -HM

The 1.1 official patch should be available this week, but anything can change depending on how happy Stardock is with the state of it. Keep an eye on the forums for updates, -HM

You are apparently missing the big link in the upper-left that says "Downloads", which will take you here to get the official (non-beta) patch: https://www.galciv2.com/collectorsedition/ -HM

Since most don't have your exact specs, it's difficult to tell what will be acceptable, especially for you. I can only restate what others have: the amount of memory in your system is the minimum for GalCiv2, is low for gaming in general, and will thus make GalCiv2 run a bit slow. I imagine the graphics, especially during the battle scenes, will chug a bit as well. According to Intel's site, your graphics chip is DX9 compatible, but not

Thanks PieBrain. And think about it: $9, and it isn't even really actual content. It's just some pretty stuff, much like the much hated horse armor for Oblivion. I really think that you have to release significant content or else the very websites that helped BRING you customers (because they loved you for the no copy protection) will blast you, resulting in poor PR. The proof is so recent with the horse armor fiasco. I couldn't go to a gaming we

I'm with Ugrok on this. Very poor idea, and it would make me feel differently about the company that until now, I have championed big-time (which has resulted in quite a few extra sales for you guys). This whole concept of releasing bits of things for a small fee, plus the new trend towrads "episodic gaming", are really poor ideas that will only be a lose for the end user after a fashion. What it implies is that a company doesn't have thei

I sadly admit it took me too long to figure out that both Draginol and Frogboy were Brad. -HM

As far as I know id popularized "when it's done" (yes it's a quote, but it's a date too!) when they were repeatedly asked about the release of Quake I (which was eventually June 1996). I'm not quite sure when Blizzard started using it, but it was probably after that. -HM

I'm actually a big champion of "when it's done", being a fan of id Software and all (the guys who made that date famous). -HM

I assume it needs to be installed via the boxed CD-ROM or via Stardock Central's "Restore Archive" menu option - so you can get the proper entries in your Windows registry. -HM

Regardless of what the text says, you can resize the parts to be as large or small as you want within the ship builder. -HM

My understanding is that it has to do with the framerate getting ridiculously high on very fast video cards, so the throttling in the official patch will institute wait states instead of forcing the card to render the same exact thing multiple times in a row. This is apparently more taxing on the card heat-wise then running a motion intense game like Doom 3, which will produce lower framerates. -HM

I assume what Brad meant is that save games from prior versions may not work with 1.1 Beta 4, since the new games no longer hold the influence data. -HM

My simple advice is to play against only ONE opponent (on one of the difficulties below normal, and on one of the two smallest maps). This will allow you to easily apply focus without feeling you're being bombarded on multiple fronts. And a small map means that you will have fewer planets under your control to micromanage. Once you have done some colonization (the link above can help you through that), make a decision as to how you'd like

It can depend on video game drivers, so what may work for one person may not for another. -HM

I know of a number of games that don't support alt-tab (if one bothers reading readme files). The best thing to do is avoid it. Run GalCiv2 in a window, like others have suggested. -HM

I didn't have to use my extra serial either. They enabled the bonus content for all first run copies of the game, which is probably why we didn't get to the point where it would ask us to use the second number. Just download the extra content from the link posted above and enjoy. -HM