STICKY: Getting the game Downloaded!

Need help? Here's the place

By Frogboy Posted February 21, 2006 17:20:29

Hopefully things will go smoothly for you to get the game. But if not, here's a guide to help you..

First Steps..
When you purchase the game you will receive a link to Stardock Central. Download that.

Make sure you are running 2.29 or later (if you've been running Stardock Central for awhile, double check in the about box that you're not using an old version like 2.24).

Downloading
If you're downloading the game and it's slow, you can try a different server. From Stardock Central go to tools->Settings and the server is in the "Internet" area. We have several different servers.

Account Problems
If you used a different email address to purchase the game direct than what you used to create an account here, Stardock Central may get confused. If that happens, email support@stardock.com with the subject "GalCiv Account Issue" and they'll take care of you. If you receive no response within 1 hour, post here and someone from Stardock will likely see it and take care of you here.

Download Speeds
The core game download speed will be slower than the multimedia/movies/tutorials because those are mirrored. The core game is regularly updated so we aren't able to mirror it as much. You should still get pretty decent speeds (and a reminder: try a different server if you find downloading too slow or if you get a time out -- bear in mind, there's a LOT of people downloading the game).

If you have problems related to actually obtaining/installing the game, post them HERE in this thread.

NOTE: Some anti-virus software will cause the installer not to work (i.e. it'll block Stardock Central from extracting/installing the game). If you run into an installation problem, try disabling some of your anti-virus setup temporarily to see if that resolves it.

+382 Karma 339 Replies 47 Referrals

The launchers can have issues for a variety or reasons (over-protective anti-virus, etc). Try just browsing to where you installed at via explorer and running the game exe's directly (if that works, change your shortcuts to those).

Hi. Please tell me how I can download only those files I need to update? I have TotA 1.91 and I want to update to 1.96. Yes, in Stardock Central I can click "Update" button and game gets all what it needs, but for future I want updated files separately out of game (if reinstall appears I wont connect to Stardock Central and download update again - just extract those files from HDD to the game directory). If I choose "Download and Archive" it tries to download WHOLE game, not only modified in 1.96 as compared to 1.91 files. Please tell me is it possible to do how I want. Thanks and sorry for my bad English

There is no sandalone patch download, if that's waht you're looking for. Updating via SDC/Impulse will only download the files you need; once you have the game up to date, you can archive your installation from disk (no redownload) and store that away, then use it at a later time to reinstall directly to the latest version.

I registered at Stardock quite a while ago, and that email addy is now outdated. I can't gind a way to change iy in my account settings, however.

I then ordered the GalCiv2 bundle, and inadvertently gave my new email addy. So now I'm stuck with wanting to play a game I have paid for and can't get. I get a "Download problem" when trying to get the game. And the support system has an expected response time of "up to two business days" - and this is a Saturday. Grrr. I should have known better than to use a direct download purchase, but it appeared that Stardock had given it some serious thought. It takes a lot to get a positive experience with a support system like that.

I really don't know why the download of the game is tied to the email that gets the serial number. I log onto Impulse using the old email addy, not the new one. And the serial numbers appears to be available within Inpulse itself, so it appears I don't really need the emailed serial numbers for an install via Impulse. But then, I haven't gotten that far in the process. And why is the download and the activation connected? I can't even get past the download, and I do have a serial number.

And the purchase system really ought to have warned me - it does have my login info and I was logged in when ordering, so it could have compared the two email addresses and either warned me or taken note of the fact. This is a stupid way to get dissatisfied customers.

Sigh.

Edit: Just in case someone reads this and can do something, which I wouldn't expect (but there's always hope), the new email addy is robert.olesen at alivenow.dk

Edit again: I now managed to download, only to disciver that I got GalCiv1 (which I bought a long time ago and lost in a harddisk crash). GalCiv2 and the addons do not even appear in the MyGames tab in Impulse. Weird. The only download link I got in my confirmation email was through Impulse, so it appears that I have to run Impulse to download the games. Yet it doesn't work. This stuff isn't too well explained.

Edit again again: So, I have to click that tiny key icon in the top right corner of Impulse to add my registrations, and then the downloads become available. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT???????? The email addy problem was solved by simply changing the email specified in the registration dialog. A good guess took care of that. It's working now.

What a mess.

Hi there,

I just purchased GAlCIV2 for download. I have the latest version of impulse. If I look in the register a product list, the serial # is there.

So... how do I download the game? I don't see a link anywhere.

Thanks in advance for a reply.

Greg Gervais

As in the email you should have received after purchase, you need to download Impulse and log in with your account. There you will find a My Games section with GC2 on it; simply select GC2 and click Install.

So every time I buy a game from Stardock I have to redownload impulse again? That is kind of weird don't you think. What is the logic behind that.

Thanks for the quick response though.

EDIT: Ok... umm... I downloaded and reinstalled impulse, still no sign of the game anywhere. Am I missing some vital step here. Shouldn't it be as easy as buy the game, update impulse, download the game? *sigh* I'm a little confused here.

Edit: Nevermind, I found it. If was that easy. thanks again Kryo. [e digicons]:thumbsup:[/e] [e digicons]:thumbsup:[/e]

How and where do I find the function that updates this game? I have looked online, around impulse, but I might as well ask for directions before I go nowhere too fast. Also, how do I find out which version of the game I have?

In Impulse when you click on the game title the version of the game you have installed is displayed on the right hand window. If you are behind in versions when you click on the game title an update button will show in the bottom right corner of Impulse.

I just bought the expansion bundle but I can't seem to find the file anywhere on Impulse or even on my computer. Where do I need to go?

I'm having a similar problem to Robert Oleson's, post from November of 2008. Did the digital download as well as a CD copy. Can see the game under the My Games tab, and try to download it. Then it says the game is not registered, and I can register it under a different tab. Yet, I've already registered the serial number, and have tried updating it etc, but still cannot download the expansion. I don't know if this is some email thing (GCII under a different email address from a year or 2 ago) but I just want to download it, but am getting thwarted by this odd system.

I'm confused, and a little frustrated. This Impulse system seems like a great idea, but seems very difficult to navigate and does not appear user-friendly. I've sent in an email for help, but as its a Friday afternoon, I assume I won't hear back until the beginning of next week. Maybe I'm just missing something here....but I'm just glad I have a CD on the way.

Sigh...I'll keep playing with it, but if anyone has a simple thing I can try, I'd love to hear it.

-Ted

Sigh...I'll keep playing with it, but if anyone has a simple thing I can try, I'd love to hear it.

Best bet if you're having strange issues is to contact support@stardock.com.

Okay, I installed GalCiv2:Dreadlords from a german retail CD on my PC, installed Impulse, patched the Game. Everything worked fine. Great game, lots of fun..until the moment I tried to install it on my Notebook which is for some reasons not connected to the internet...and then the mess began...

1. From what I read here in one of the sticky FAQs (and please correct me if I´m wrong) I understand that I have to download the patch on my pc, take it to my notebook, install it and then activate the software via mail. Okay, fine, but HOW can I download the patch? When I use Impulse to download the patch it just says the game is already patched and that´s it. But where does it store this patch file on my pc (if it´s actually there at all), so I can store it to a disc oder memory stick or whatever?

2. Then (in another FAQ) I read something about using Impulse to archive the patched game on my pc, save a copy of the whole archive to my notebook and extract it there. If this is correct: Do I have to install GalCiv from my retail cd on my notebook at first before using the archive (for doing the necessary registry changes, creating porgram icons etc.) or is it sufficient just to extract the archive?

You see, it´s obvious, the more I read on this website the more confused I get. I would appreciate if you could clarify some of my questions.

Thanks in advance from Germany and (even if I´m two years too late...) thank you very much for a great RTS game. When I´m through I will definitely buy the expansion pack via Impulse.

I keep getting a "decompression error" when i try to instal the game!?

All the frustration im getting isnt worth the 20$ i had to pay for this game ..

How can i fix this?