I just spent $99.99 of the allowance my Wife gives me on the founder edition for two reasons..... One, I've enjoy 4x TBS games, going back to when the term was first coined with MOO (and before with CIV 1), including Galciv 1 & 2.... But mostly, two, I trust StarDock. I don't know the last time I could actually say that about a company, but I trust StarDock to make an enjoyable game to play. I bought Elemental when it first came out due to my trust in Stardock with GalCiv 2, and even thought the game wasn't that good at first, they stuck with it, fulfilled their promise, and created a good game with fallen enchantress, which I got for free.
I don't know any other company that I would gladly give money too just based on their name alone. Normally I would wait for the actual release and reviews, but StarDock has proven that they want to produce a quality product, and also that they will actually support their early adopters. They have never given me a reason NOT to give them money, and they always make it worth it in the long run....
BTW, Frogboy, When will you give me a chance to give your company money for the new Star Control game? (I'm so glad you won that auction! I wouldn't trust any other company to do the IP right!)
In conclusion, Give STARDOCK YOUR MONEY! Lets make some records in pre sales, and show those other companies that there is value if supporting your customers over time. Treat your customers right, and your name alone will sell games.
I'm holding out because I want more information. I don't like Steam, I don't trust it, and Stardock has been using it exclusively recently. As such, I want to hold off until I have more information as to what the game will use and what options I have. I may end up buying with the intent to hack things so I could play the game without using Steam (and download by using an old PC so I don't need to install Steam on my primary rig).
Stardock's honestly lost a few points in my eyes over the years. However, it isn't as though other publishers haven't miffed me ... I'm underwater at the moment unfortunately, but I expect to start a new job next month and hopefully will have some splurge money come December. If the discount is still available then, I probably will splurge for the cheaper beta buy-in. I still enjoy GalCiv II. Whatever differences I've been developing, Brad has earned my trust for doing the right thing when a launch gets flubbed such as happened with War of Magic so I trust that if GC3 flubs at launch, he will do the right thing again. I do not lightly give such trust.
I do have my own distrust with Steam. I'm willing to use it, and I have it on my computer, however I don't know if they will still be around in 10 years. I won't buy something at full retail on Steam, however I'm willing to use them as a distribution source. Honestly, I wouldn't have payed $100 directly to steam, but I'm willing to pay it since it was through the Stardock store, and if something happens to Steam they'll take care of me (I believe)..... Though, I will say, I still would rather have a disk mailed to me like I did with Galciv 2, then I could put the game safely in my closet and if something happened to the company I know there would be third party websites hosted patches and updates, just like my old Microprose games...
Though, if something ever happened to StarDock, I would hope Frogboy in his dying breath, would do something to release the patches into the wild, so we could always re-update from the base game that we backup (you do backup right?)
Elemental had eroded some of my trust, too, but the way FE was handled pretty much restored it again. I've played Brad's stuff since the OS/2 version of GalCiv and always enjoyed the games (Elemental aside). He's also one of the few who care about the quality of the AI. Sure, he's not always consistent with his views (e.g. re: Steam), but heck, I'm not, either. A thinking man changes his mind, after all. Gotta adapt to new developments and insights.
Steam's owned by one of the most profitable gaming companies out there, and nothing short of an utter catastrophe could cause them to fail. Like maybe if Gabe Newell died there might be a slight hiccup, but as I understand it, their management is so decentralized I'm sure they could recover. Steam has such an enormous market share, at this point it's impossible for any other digital vendor to overtake them. It's why Stardock abandoned Impulse, why Origin needs to give away their AAA games to get people even considering their service. Literally their only 'competitor' is GOG and they can coexist peacefully because GOG serves a niche.
To be completely frank -- if Galciv 3 wasn't going to be on Steam, I wouldn't have preordered. Steam makes everything so simple to manage, and all of my friends use it. Is it perfect? No, it isn't -- but it's made PC gaming a far more enjoyable experience for me. I literally cannot remember the last time I bought a physical copy of a PC game. It might've even been Galciv 2 back in 2006. I haven't even had a CD drive in my computer since 2008.
I have never been left out in the cold with a Stardock Game.
Can't remember my old account So I created a new one and Bought the founders edition... Why? Because GalCiv III.
GalCiv II is one of my favourite games ever. And basically, the team that made I and II is doing the III.
Right now the only thing to think about for me is: do I go to Win7 64 or to Win8 64? I'm quite happy with my Win7 32 but I suppose that GalCiv III is as good as any other reason to "upgrade".
Just buy.
and get badges. and pray and talk.
when do I get to name my star? I want "Annomandaris"
also,
we want some other stuff out...
Also,
can we have lifetime Founders Edition. I want to get a loan to pay to stardock for everything they will ever prodce out of games...
that simple.
Yep, I did the $99 as well. Only because it is Stardock and my experience has been that they make good stuff. Even when they screwed up they took steps to make it right for the customer. I would not have done this for any other game company.
I just wanted the $10 off for a game I was going to buy anyway.Multiplayer TBS from a reputable company? Auto-purchased.
So true. I wouldn't have given $99.00 to any other company for a preorder. Stardock has earned a lot of trust and I'm sure it hasn't been an easy road. Sure, there have been hiccups along the way. But in the end, it stands alone for loyalty to its customers.
Pretty much my feelings exactly. When I bought Elemental, they ponied up Fallen Enchantress. So my faith in them warranted the $99.00. Besides, going to play this game for a very long time, I hope!
I would not have preordered this game if it wasn't on Steam.
Hell, all these people who "don't trust Steam" seem to be forgetting they had no issue using Impulse.
I have no problem giving Stardock ninety nine sheckels for this; I have a lot of faith in this dev team based on over a decade of enjoying their games. Yes, Elemental was a blemish, but they more than made up for it with how they handled FE. And as a personal bonus I grew up in the Detroit area, where Stardock is based, so I feel doubly good about support a Michigan based software developer.
I agree as, I have nothing but the best customer service with stardock, I have had to combine accounts and change emails and login's due to moving with work and unable to continue the ones i had and they were amazing....I bought the 99.00 package as well.....
I never use impulse anymore
I preordered Elemental and it was a great disapointment at release.
But Stardock turned it to the good and delivered absolutely great reparation for me.
So i'm sure that 99$ will be a good investment. Especially when future content is for free.
I totally agree with the sentiments of the original poster. I wouldn't be pre-ordering a game and all future expansions (whatever they may be) from any other company, but Stardock has certainly earned that trust. I'm happy to express my loyalty to Stardock based on their commitment to delivering a stellar gaming experience to their customers.
I am currently unsure if I will buy a founders pack. On one hand. I have objections to buying any game before it's released. On the other, boy that is a nice shiny badge.
I would never have said Impulse was better than Steam. The available library of games alone proved that.
I personally had no issue with Steam so far. I purchased many-many games on Steam and Impulse a.k.a. GameStop with no trouble what so ever. But I did purchase the game the next day I got the newsletter from StarDock because They really make quality game and I have trust in them that they will do the very same thing with Galactic Civilizations III.
BTW, I am pretty sure that they will sell their future game not only on Steam but on GameStop (Impulse before) and at even more online retailers as well. So people, just buy it from those who you trust the most (when it will be available), if not directly from StarDock. Just please make sure that YOU WILL BUY IT!!!
FWIW, Stardock stands by its policy that we will make our games available to anyone who bought them if anything happens to Valve or Steam. For that matter, Valve has long said that if it has to shut Steam down for any reason, people who own Steam games will be taken care of.
I understand the reluctance some people have regarding Steam, but those reassurances are all I can give you right now.
Really though, our job is to make the game so irresistible that even the hardest-core haters find themselves buying it. So that's what we focus on.
Steam is fine. Problems start if the game uses another DRM with the Steam, like Flashback does.
People keep repeating this, but I've never seen a link to where Gabe Newell actually said that.
Ahhhh .... the old Steam argument...
Do you really believe Brad would leave his Gamer Base out in the Cold just because Steam Collapsed? That's just insane ....
On Day 2 of a Steam Collapse I guarantee Brad will be either Posting, or rapidly working on a Stardock facility to get us all back on line.
Some people just make a life's work of moaning, its astonishing....
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