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

As mentioned recently, I occasionally get flame mails from people who don’t realize I work at Stardock. They think I’m trolling against Elemental.

So to be clearer, my point is simply that we have all year or years to get this game where we want it. I’m in no hurry.  I bloody want a game that if I hung out with the guys who made Age of Wonders Shadow Magic, Master of Magic or any of the other games of the genre they’d say “That’ll do, Frog, that’ll do.”

As Boogie mentioned, we’re working on the discussion system. Now you might wonder why a strategy game would have such a sophisticated conversation engine under the covers.  Well, for one thing, what if 5 years from now some guy wants to make an RPG that uses the Elemental engine? We need to be ready for that. We need to support that.

Plus, as the AI developer, the AI shouldn’t just play intelligently, it should let players know it’s playing intelligently. Though, admittedly, this time, the text is being written largely by our friends at Del Rey (Random House) rather than my meager abilities.

I don’t want to sound like the game has some sort of utopian vision behind it. I know at some point we’re going to release this game – probably next Summer or Fall but the point is that that is going to based on a consensus of the beta testers.

I look at Elemental at something we’re going to work on for years to come. So yea, I’m saying right now that the release date is a bit arbitrary because I plan to keep working on it years after released. Don’t expect any sequels to it any time soon either.

The engine being made for this game is just such a joy.

Consider this:

From 1997 to 2006 we had one engine called “Pear”.  It was a 2D sprite engine that got updated to support some 3D for Galactic Civilizations II.  Working with Elemental is just ridiculously enjoyable.

Now, for those of you not in the beta program, don’t feel bad. Right now the “game” is so bad that several users have reported hemorrhaging.  We hope they make a full recovery.  If I had had my way, they wouldn’t have gotten the cloth map even but rather an Ultima IV style map.  Green dots on a black background should be more than enough I say.

The next beta, due out the Thursday after Thanksgiving, is the first one with any diplomacy or AI in it.  We’ll see how it goes.  After that, we start supporting multiplayer.

Some users have asked us about a console version. It won’t be happening. I love my Xbox 360 but until 1080p is allowed as a minimum standard and mouse support normal, a game like Elemental won’t be happening on the console.

Have a great weekend.

It’s like being back in Baldur’s Gate except with today’s tech.

If you liked Baldur’s Gate and don’t have Dragon Age I’m not saying you’re a bad person…but I’m not saying you’re not.

I mean seriously, if you’re into RPGs then this is a no brainer.

Years ago I wrote “What if global warming zealots are wrong?”

Will they apologize?

Will they feel any shame for all the bile and nastiness they heaped on those who were merely skeptical?

In the past couple of years, the evidence in favor of manmade global climate change has not worked out so well for the zealots.

This past week saw what may be the beginning of the end for the whole global warming movement with the outting of hundreds of emails that allegedly detail countless examples of global warming advocates manipulating data and silencing dissent as they use the man-made global warming scare to secure lucrative grants and (like Al Gore) get involved in cap and trade ventures.

Here’s some links to follow.

We’ll start with the New York Times, that famously “neo con” journal:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/science/earth/21climate.html?_r=3&hp

The only defense I’ve seen so far is that because so many people accept that the earth is warming due to human produced CO2 that such a scandal will have limited effect.

And I agree with that.  The people who call and email me because they can’t figure out how to use their computer or at a get-together will call me in to settle some scientific dispute on everything from evolution to string theory suddenly are aghast that I’m skeptical on whether humans are having a measurable impact on the earth’s mean temperature.  Suddenly I’m either ignorant or brain-washed or both.

My position on human-caused global warming is much the same as my views on any religion. I’m skeptical and until I see conclusive evidence (and left-wing analysis is not evidence) I’m going to remain skeptical.

That doesn’t mean I don’t think we should reduce our footprint on the world. I absolutely agree we should be doing that.  The house I’m building has geothermal heating, solar panels, etc. I’m eagerly awaiting plug-in Hybrids.  But that’s a matter of personal principle just as I don’t need to believe in a magical super being to keep me from going on a killing spree.

I like people and I like seeing a diversity of opinion. 

I just don’t like it when people try to promote their opinions as fact and then try to get laws passed that take away our choices. I don’t like the government doing something “for our own good” unless it is a 100% thing and even then, I would not necessarily support it.

Here are some other helpful links on this latest blow up.

http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/2009/11/the_cru_hack_wh.html

http://i49.tinypic.com/mk8113.jpg

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2009/11/20/climate-cuttings-33.html

[in flux]

THE RULES

LOG:

MAP CREATION:

The continent of Anthys is broken into two pieces after the climatic battle of the immortal titans shattered the world of Elemental.  For the last one hundred years, the intelligent creatures of the world have subsisted in the vast wastes.

Now, 5 beings have come forward who have the ability to channel the magic that had been trapped by the titans in the 5 elemental shards. Using their life essence, they can begin to bring life back to the world. Each has his own plan for the future of the world. Only one shall unite the world.

STATUS (start of turn 2)

• Magicwillnz: 0 gold. 1 tech points. 12 mana. 12 essence. Researching Warfare (1 point spent) (red)
• Rishkith: 0 gold. 0 tech points. 12 mana. 12 essence. Researching Civilization (1 point spent) (blue)
• Raven X: 0 gold. 0 tech points. 12 mana. 12 essence. Researching Civilization (1 point spent) (black)
• Porernielsen: 0 gold. 0 tech points. 12 mana. 12 essence. Researching Warfare (1 point spent) (green)
• Climber: 0 gold. 0 tech points. 12 mana. 12 essence.  Researching Civilization  (1 point spent) (yellow)

TURN 0:

• Magicwillnz has entered the game
• Rishkith has entered the game
• Raven X has entered the game
• Porternielsen has entered the game
• Climber has entered the game

TURN 1:

• Rishkith moves SW, builds town. Builds university in S. Expends 3 essence. Begins researching Civilization.
• Raven Xaavier. Moves W 1 square. Founds town. Builds university. Researches Civilization. Expends 3 essence
• Magicwillnz builds town, moves north. Builds University. Researches Warfare. Expends 3 essence
• Climber builds town, builds university, researches civilization. Expends 3 essence
• PorterNielsen builds town, builds university, researches warfare, moves east. Expends 3 essence

TURN 2:

• Rishkith: Sovereign moves N. ‘Icon of Iconia’ builds Tower of Sorcery in S. Begins researching Combat.
• Raven Xavier: Moves SW 1 square. Builds Farm on Fertile Land. Continues Civilization. Expends 3 essence
• Magicwillnz moves South, Builds University.
• Climber has not submitted a turn.
• PorterNielsen has not submitted a turn.

Each year, like most companies, Stardock puts together an internal business plan that sets up goals, objectives, and challenges that the company must address.

Part of our internal business plan includes analysis of the state of the products/services we make as well as the results of our customer survey.

Last year, we made this report available to the public and based on the positive response we got for doing so, we’re doing the same again this year.

View: Stardock 2009 Customer Report

Each year, like most companies, Stardock puts together an internal business plan that sets up goals, objectives, and challenges that the company must address.

Part of our internal business plan includes analysis of the state of the products/services we make as well as the results of our customer survey.

Last year, we made this report available to the public and based on the positive response we got for doing so, we’re doing the same again this year.

View: Stardock 2009 Customer Report