Object Desktop is a suite of desktop enhancement utilities designed to let users turbo-charge Windows. 

The core programs of Object Desktop 2010 include:

WindowBlinds. A program that can customize the look and feel of the entire Windows graphical user interface by applying new “skins” that change title bars, taskbars, scrollbars, and nearly every other part of Windows.

DeskScapes. A program that lets users customize their wallpapers or even apply  animated wallpapers (there are hundreds of free animated wallpapers available to choose from).

Fences PRO. A program that lets users organize the icons on their desktops into groups of easily manageable “fences”.

Tweak. A program designed to make it easy to modify various hard to find Windows settings and control what gets loaded (or not loaded) onto your system.

IconPackager. A program that can apply new icons themes by loading up a package of icons.

SkinStudio. A program that makes it easy for users to create their own user interfaces to apply to Windows.

Theme Manager. A program that ties it all together. Get your desktop just the way you want and save it or apply themes created by others that include WindowBlinds, IconPackager, DeskScapes and other customization program content.

In addition Object Desktop users get a host of other programs to enhance Windows such as DesktopX, WindowFX, IconDeveloper, SoundPackager, Keyboard LaunchPad, RightClick, and more.

Users of Object Desktop don’t just get what is in Object Desktop today but also everything released or updated for it in the year after purchase.  Even now, Stardock’s developers are working on programs that can give new options to Windows 7 users, get the most out of Windows XP, and more.

Object Desktop is only $49.95. For users who want to keep getting updates to the programs after the first year, they can renew their access for only $34.95!

Apparently the Stardock Customer Report 2009 struck a nerve with Direct2Drive’s Sutton Trout who claimed that the report’s findings that Impulse’s market share, at 10% puts it at #2 in market share for digital distribution platforms was “misinformation at best”.

As evidence of Direct2Drive’s superior market share, Mr. Trout points to an NPD report from earlier this year that lists Direct2Drive as one of the leading digital retailers. A report, I might mention, that does not include Impulse, Gamers Gate, Metaboli or other competitors.

This would be akin to Renault accusing Ford of spreading misinformation for saying that it sells more cars than Renault and pointing to an article that lists top car makers in France as proof of Renault’s superiority.

The data on digital platforms (as defined in the report as a digital retailer that allows users to purchase and download third party software that is also available through B&M retailers as well) came from surveying the publishers.

While it is true that if you took out Stardock’s own titles from the mix, Impulse would indeed fall to #3 or even as far as #5 because after Steam, the others are really pretty far behind presently). Then again, if one took Valve’s titles off of Steam, Steam’s total market share would drop drastically as well.

No one ever promised life was fair.

But what I think can be promised is that vendors publicly complaining about the right to claim they’re #2 in getting the scraps Steam leaves behind look silly.

The best thing these services can do is focus on making themselves better. Because they will need to be better if they want to effectively compete with Steam.

Tomorrow is the 20 year class reunion for my high school. I can’t believe it’s been that long.

For me, high school was not fun. Even with the benefit of hindsight the best I could describe the overall high school experience was “horrible”. 

That it was horrible wasn’t due to my classmates (though certain classmates did make a bad situation worse but my main pain from high school is in prison serving a life sentence) but just the situation overall – I was a total nerd and HS isn’t a fun place for nerds. 

I’m finding myself pretty excited though. A lot of the people attending are people I grew up with. Some of them were with me from kindergarten on up and so I’m very excited to see how their lives have gone.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving -- even if you’re not in the United States!

The team has today off.

The team is starting on tactical battle work. We’ll be talking a great deal with you guys on the battle system in the coming weeks.

Here’s an old sketch.

If there was a game called Magic: Total War (request to the Creative Assembly – please make this) this is a bit what I’m picturing the tactical battles being a bit like. Players could zoom in as close as they’d like.

It’s not “real time” per say, it’s continuous turns.  Examples of continuous turn battles would be Baldur’s Gate and more recently Dragon Age: Origins where there are rounds and turns but the game automatically will move it forward but players can pause it at any time and cycle it turn by turn if they’d like.

Costs less than $100. Ink lasts quite a while. WiFi network support (i.e. doesn’t have to be connected to a PC), scanning, printing.

Just a great printer.

Got one for myself and then for my mom.

Canon PIXMA MP560 Wireless Inkjet All-In-One Photo Printer (3747B002)

I really need to make sure that Stardock badge shows up everywhere.  When I am “critiquing” Stardock developed/published games I’m doing so as part of my job AT STARDOCK. I’m not bashing our games. I’m just posting feedback. I’m not an anti-Stardock troll. I work *AT STARDOCK*.

Grr.

The community.

Seriously. While you may find jerks online in Demigod, all in all, it’s a great group.

For gamers willing to brave the beta process, Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy beta 1 is now available to those who have pre-ordered it.  Those who went through the Entrenchment beta can attest that these betas are the real thing and not merely an exercise in marketing.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy builds on what was added in Entrenchment, the first micro-expansion pack to the award-winning PC strategy game.

In Diplomacy, players can give AI players missions, build envoy ships to help set up embassies or destabilize enemy governments and research through the new diplomacy tech tree.

Later this week we expect to go through our own "nit-pick" demo of beta 1 to show where we're at and what we think needs to be done prior to the final release this Winter.

You can still pre-order the beta directly from the website or from Impulse.

I don’t know about you guys but one thing I’ve become obsessed with is being able to change icons in devices and printers. I’ve figured out how to do it using a resource hacker but what I am looking for us to do is figure out a way to add a “change icon” option that lets me simply replace the icon. I’m surprised Microsoft doesn’t just do this.

Stardock and Gas Powered Games are pleased to announce that Demigod v1.2 is now available for download.  The new version includes months worth of improvements based on player feedback and adds a new Demigod to the mix – the Demon Assassin.

Demigod is a real-time strategy game that combines action and role playing elements. In the game, the player takes on the role of a demigod, a single powerful being whose goal is to ascend into the pantheon of the god. The demigod does this by earning favor points with the gods through combat in a series of arenas. 

The single player game includes both a skirmish mode as well as a “pantheon mode”. Online, players can choose to play custom games with an endless combination of options set by the host (with new options added in v1.2) or play in the Pantheon in which the players choose to fight for the forces of light or the forces of darkness in an effort to gain enough favor points to allow their side to win.

Demigod multiplayer “epoch 3” is set to begin next week in which player rankings and records from epoch 2 are added to the pantheon vault and new stats begun from scratch.

Here’s what’s new:

• New Demigod added: The Demon Assassin.
• New AI option in multiplayer: The host can set what the death of an AI player does in terms of how much gold and XP players receive.
• New AI option: How much HP do Demigods get by default (very high, high, normal, low).
• Modding Manager. Demigod now supports modding. We will be releasing mod samples in the next couple of weeks to get the ball rolling.
• Mod System. Mods are treated in the game like options. If all players have a given mod installed and the host of the game has it enabled, it is used in the game.
• Fixes to desync issues (thank you to users who sent in data) and other problems reported.
• Citadel Upgrade: Graveyard Citadel upgrade: increased bonus to 15/30/50%
• Improved Torch Bearer’s attack while moving in fire mode.
• Additional improvements in MP to decrease apparent “lag”. Note to players: ping is not the only measurement of connection. Throughput is an important factor as well. For best online performance, disable background tasks that are consuming your bandwidth.
• Updated favor items:
  • Samm-El's Cloak: Buffed cap from 25% to 15%
  • Dark Crimson Vial: Reduced cast time from 2 to 1 seconds
  • Staff of the Warmage: Increased mana from 700 to 800
  • Magical Coin Pouch: Buffed cost reduction from 10% to 15%
  • Horn of battle effect changed to provide fewer total HP regeneration over a longer period of time.
• Updated items:
  • Hex Scroll: Reduced cost from 500 to 250
  • Capture Lock: Increased cast time from 1 to 2 seconds
  • Duelist Cuirass: Reduced cost from 3000 to 2500. Crit chance increased from 5 to 10%.
  • Gladiator Gloves: Reduced cost from 750 to 450
  • Theurgist's Cap: Reduced cost from 3000 to 2000
  • Hungarling's Crown: Reduced cost from 6500 to 5500
  • Ironwalkers: Reduced cost from 3750 to 2750
  • Desperate Treads: Reduced cost from 5000 to 4000
  • Gauntlet's of Despair: Increased mana drain from 200 to 300
  • Doomspite Grips: Increased weapon damage from 30 to 40
  • Forest Band: Increased minion armor from 200 to 300
  • Warlord's Punisher: Unchanged
  • Ring of the Ancients: Reduced cost from 3500 to 2500
  • Parasite Egg: Reduced cost from 4000 to 3000
• Updated Game mechanics
  • - Dodge Cap increased from 30% to 40%
  • - Interrupts will no longer overwrite stuns
  • - Crit damage calculations fixes
  • - Item cost modifiers will now affect citidel upgrades properly. Previously, a citidel upgrade would charge a player the modified cost, but would not allow you to buy it until you had the full cost gold available.
  • - Improved shamblers to be a bit more capable of pursuit.
  • - Heroes will re-engage their attack target after performing an ability
  • - Fix for all of TB's Rings of Fire going away after the oldest ones time out.
  • - Fixes for demigods chasing after old targets at inappropriate times.
  • - Added support for ignoring players in-game. Supported commands: /ignore /squelch
• Queen of Thorns Buffs
  • - Summon Shambler: Summon Shambler now increases health and damage of Shamblers as you gain new ranks. The values are 5/10/15 damage and 125/250/375 health.
  • - Entourage: Shamber buff decreased to compensate for Summon Shambler's boost. Damage reduced from 10/20/30 to 6/12/18 damage and 250/500/750 health to 165/330/495.

Known issues:

New Demigods voices are in Engllish.

Other notes:

A second new Demigod, Oculus, will be distributed in the coming weeks.

 Screenshots:

Videos in slow motion:

Website: www.demigodthegame.com