So with Impulse over to Gamestop and the digital distribution competition no longer something we’re participating in we’ve developed a new digital updating client – Stardock Central (what’s old is new again).
But unlike the old “big” client, the new one is very…very simple.
(sorry for the lame screenshot, I’m caught up on my games on this new machine and haven’t installed any apps yet).
Your Stardock purchases will show up here once you login. Just pick what you want to install (or update) and press a button and it’ll use our massively fast CDN to install it (we have a long-term agreement with our CDN except now the only thing using its bandwidth is our stuff so the download speeds are kind of ridiculous – it’s like being the only guy on a 1 gigabyte line).
The new settings includes an option to have it simply update your software automatically. So you can either choose to stick with older versions or always have it up to date.
..
OK, let’s say you don’t like to have to install a client at all. That’s fine too. You can update your software and games via the web as well:
Pick whether it’s software or games and it’ll look at your account, when you last updated, and off you go. The installer will figure out what you need to install (i.e. if you have multiple machines with different versions) and off you go.
It’s designed to be as streamlined as possible.
UPDATE: TRY THE LATEST VERSION HERE:
https://www.stardock.com/products/stardockcentral/
Impulse was definitely the most profitable part of Stardock. And if my goal was to get up each day to sell other people's stuff, we would have stuck with it.
If we hadn't sold Impulse, by this Christmas, it would have likely represented over 75% of Stardock's revenue and roughly an equal share of its profits. But I didn't start a company so I could be a retailer. I started a company to WRITE software.
We developed Impulse so that we could continue to be able to sell our software independently and allow others to make use of what we built. I believed, wrongly, that every significant developer would have their own digital client.
As a result of my error, Impulse, being one of the few options, grew massively in business very quickly. That quick growth resulted in my time being increasingly spent running Impulse with less and less time spent on our software and games (which I would think our customers would be the first to attest to -- look at Demigod and Elemental's launch on the games and the relative slowness of Object Desktop updates since Impulse came out).
At that point, I could either spend the time and effort to try to recruit the right talent to run Impulse for us OR find an experienced retailer to acquire it. We chose the latter and I'm glad we did.
Gamestop's Impulse steam are good people -- I would know, I hired a lot of them. They're talented, dedicated, and honorable. The biggest difference people are seeing in terms of cultures is that Gamestop doesn't release lots of incremental updates but rather fewer major ones. They've got some major plans for the Impulse technology coming up which you'll see more of at GDC.
But in the meantime, not having Impulse allows us to get back to selling OUR stuff on our own channel plus being able to sell our stuff anywhere else we'd like without any conflict of interest. This is a win-win for everyone I'd think.
I generally agree. If anyone is losing out, its Stardock, imo. I really think it must have been a tough decision, though... akin to someone winning the lottery (where you actually had to bust your ass to win it) and choosing a lump sum at a smaller amount than a full payout over the years. I'm sure you were well compensated by gamestop for the sale. I'm also sure that you didn't want to be in the business to primarily act as a distributor. But frankly, if you are still maintaining that impulse has been highly profitable for the company, then I'd consider just keeping it going, hiring additional people to maintain it, and simply distancing yourself from that aspect of the business if its not your bag. I'd assume it would still be a steady flow of income that would allow you to write software to your hearts content. That comes down to hiring the appropriate amount of staff AND SEGREGATING DUTIES (so you don't have a software coder for object desktop spending all of their time on impulse). Obviously I don't get to see all the details though... maybe that lottery analogy is crap and you were actually overcompensated substantially and it was a no brainer.
Anyway, if I was in your shoes, I'd probably have done the same thing even after everything I just said. Really looking forward to seeing elemental FE and other future SD games. Looking forward to seeing your new store in action. And also really happy to see your stuff on steam. Pacov wonders if Demigod will move over there.
It takes management hours to do that, hours I believe Brad would rather spend making things then being a boss. Ultimately, isn't that what wealth is for- the freedom to pursue what you wish?
It's more about being 'a Jack of all trades and a master of none'. 'Tis better to be really good at 'a few things' than be passably OK at 'many'.
Frogboy's interests [software/computer-wise] has always been with Gaming and GUI modding [skinning]. Both are graphic-centric programming.... Impulse's digital distribution is really neither.
Stardock's known for making some pretty good games and some kick-arse GUI software. Creating an online alternative to Steam [Impulse] is something to put on a resume ... but it's time to focus on [continuing to] being good at what they're known for....
....and THAT's the "win-win" for all their customers/user base ....
ayup.
A return to Stardock Central - everything old is new again.
As a user back from the Object Desktop for OS/2 days I'm happy to see that GameStop didn't completely take over the business from you. Hopefully I can use this instead of the old Impulse/GameStop Now application when my Object Desktop comes up for renewal. Will I have to maintain both accounts in order to have the games I originally purchased on Impulse (Galactic Civ I & II, Sins of a Solar Empire, DemiGod, etc,) or will everything be under Stardock Central?
The only thing I HATE since the new management is they keep updating the client and not updating the History.
wtf, I do want to know what's being updated ya know?
I haven't really bought anything from it since the sale. I do like Impulse but until the major upgrades I think I'm sticking with Steam, Origin and retail.
O M G yes!
That looks amazing. Please, please, and PLEASE once more, keep it simple and minimal like shown in the screen shots.
Secondly, will this potentially be a early Christmas present for us?
p.s. to Santa: a free gift for the holidays to both Wincustomize and Object Desktop subcribers? My vote: a Windows 7 update and offering of a post-MyColors Winter Wonderland Christmas premium theme.
I apologize if my thought came out in a way that may seems too harsh, sometimes writing late at night and not being too proficient in the language is a bad combination.
I still counting myself as part of Stardock's User Base, but I think is right to express my opinion, that indeed could be shared with few.
My point was that Impulse start was great, with many ideas and feature in the coming that was never seen and really good. Even Valve had to react to that. But then at a certain point I felt a sense of giving up. And maybe that's because simply two thing can hardly be done both good than doing one thing alone. And fact could state that that jeopardized both Impulse and Stardock software developement.
I feel more sorry for what Impulse could have been, and was in part promised along the way. I think that was more interesting about Impulse was not the platform itself but the ideas behind it, even if most of them never saw the light.
So I'm good with the fact that Impulse is gone and Stardock can go back doing its things in the way it always have, using a minimal download manager which developement shouldn't impact its works.
I think I partly explained myself in the above reply, but I would comment here.
Maybe Impulse was profitable, I won't argue that. But I don't think that could be the only way to measure success.
But you admit that doing both things (selling and developing) somehow impacted both of them in negative way and the situation became out of control. So I'm truly happy that you could go back at doing things the way you did before and I believe that's the reason Stardock earned its success and it is know for.
I was one of the many who was unhappy about Demigod and Elemental, who believed in them but turned down by how the things come out and how the situation was handled. So I think I understand.
So again, I'm sorry for the way I explained myself earlier.
I would ask another question, without the intention of complain.
What's about the Gamers Bill of Right, at least from Stardock perspective, now? I would like to know you position about that, if I may ask.
Though, for customers subscribing to Object Desktop, the contract, agreement, licence, (nevermind how you call it) was supposed to let archive AND RESTORE any application downloaded during a subscribing period (generally one year, but generally renewed year after year) AND was supposed to let user ALSO RESTORE these apps AFTER the end of subscribing period ...
How will Stardock manage to let customers do what they should be able to ? Did i pay for (i don't know how many years the system worked withe Impulse ...) nothing ? - well not nothing but half part of what i was supposed to get -
N.B: Because YES i want to be able to restore when i'll want, specially IconPackager, Icondevelopper, SkinStudio, WindowBlinds, CursorFX Plus older versions even in beta
Cheers
You can use Impulse to archive and restore whatever you have there. You will use SDC to download, archive, and install the apps you get after it's available.
What more do you need?
Neo -
With respect, please go to the MyAccount page and download all the installers. Stick them on a thumb drive, whatever. Then you're done, good to go. All the old versions of apps you paid for are there for you, too. Mine still has WB 1.3. Obsessing over Impulse is way past pointless.
If you are married to Impulse, make a bunch of archives, test restoring them. If they don't work, contact support. If your sub has expired and you can't get a previously created archive you wish to restore to properly install using Impulse, contact support & they'll make sure you get what you need. Multiple people have told you repeatedly - you will 'get what you paid for'. It might not be as convenient as you'd like but your complaints got old a long time ago.
No, it's not the 'only way' to measure success... but it's a valid [and in this case significant] one....
Re the 'Gamers Bill Of Rights" I'd defer to a response from Frogboy. [I'm not 'directly' connected to SD's gaming] ...
Neophil please remember to make a set of Impulse archives using the right-click "download and archive" function which downloads and archives a fresh archive. "Archive" just backs up what's installed on your machine in its current state. I did both.
He already said the GBOR wasn't an attempt to force other publishers to comply, and did not have anything to do with Impulse.
So that would be more of a Stardock failure than an Impulse failure, if indeed it can be called a failure at all.
I choose to think it created some serious discussion in an industry entirely too prone to listening to noone at all.
I must disagree.
There are several apps missing from my account page that I would like to have available. They were either available at the time of my first ODNT sub through SDC or later through Impulse. I have mentioned these in the forums before and never got a satisfactory reply as to how to obtain them. I don't want to e-mail sales or support over apps I haven't installed or used if I don't have to. I just want them to be easily obtainable by whatever method I get all my ODNT apps through if I decide to use them later.
I would greatly appreciate advice on this.
What I'm really not liking is the apparent fact that every single one of my apps MUST be uninstalled by Impulse before they can be reinstalled by the new full installers. Can't this new updater be made to detect Impulse installs and handle uninstalling them? Please?
[quote who="Daiwa" reply="113"
If you are married to Impulse, make a bunch of archives, test restoring them. If they don't work, contact support. If your sub has expired and you can't get a previously created archive you wish to restore to properly install using Impulse, contact support & they'll make sure you get what you need. Multiple people have told you repeatedly - you will 'get what you paid for'. [/quote]
Of course i understand what you mean, but i'm not married with Impulse, and would be really happy to uninstall that (silly) installer (apart of the hundred archives i get of course ) and i just think that if Stardock is developping a new SDC, it should be a minimum that they bring in it a way to restore archives (well a module, plug-in to convert .impulse archives in .SDC new ?? )
P.S: my sub has not expired because i renewed it, but using it through Impulse has expired yes. Once again you'll see what i mean when you'll reach that point ...
I totally agree with that too
[quote who="Wizard1956" reply="118")
What I'm really not liking is the apparent fact that every single one of my apps MUST be uninstalled by Impulse before they can be reinstalled by the new full installers.
[/quote]
Didn't know about that
I've got to admit, that would be a great idea and a real timesaver.
You make a good point here. Seems like that would be doable. Or include the ODNT_zapper utility in SDC.
LOL. I have just to opposite problem. Like I'm going to need WB 1.3.
I could be wrong, but as I understood it, the MyAccount page is supposed to include everything you've ever purchased under that account. The MyAccount page is tied to only 1 email address, however, and only includes what was purchased using that particular email address & login, so if you were using a different email address at the time of some of the purchases, they'll be on another account page. You'd need to log in using the 'other' email address to see them.
Unless you have had your acconts merged.
I was but that has been merged long ago and can no longer be logged into under that e-mail address.
My point is, if it shows in Impulse, it should show in MyAccount.
These do not:
SKS 5 ProfessionalWFX 3IconXRightClickFences (free)ObjectBarSD Virtual Desktops
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