Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar 1.6 Change Log

What's new in 1.6 over the release

Published on June 7, 2007 By Draginol In GalCiv Journals

It's time for another update for Galactic Civilizations II and this time we've put our energy into not just adding new features, fixing various reported issues, and tweaking game balance. This time we integrated in a new graphics engine for the ship rendering that should result in a performance boost of 10X to 15X depending on your setup and what is happening on the screen.

This update should be available via Stardock Central by around 5PM EST on June 7, 2007.

Here's a complete list of what's been changed:

+ NEW: New Graphics Engine for ships which should result in a 10X to 15X performance improvement for most players

+ NEW: Computer AI updated to be better in diplomacy

+ NEW: AI ship design more optimized

+ NEW: More differentiation between alien races on what technologies they research

+ NEW: The popup for adding money to negotiations on the trade screen will now open with the value needed to make the AI accept the offer (or the total amount in your treasury if they won't accept it).

+ NEW: Graphs and mini-map rewritten using Direct3D instead of GDI

+ NEW: 3 New Custom Maps

+ NEW: Galaxies tend to have more stars and planets

+ NEW: Stacked ships will only show one ship in the tile

+ The ship that is displayed is chosen like so:

+ If a ship is the galaxy’s selected ship it is always shown

+ Otherwise, the toughest selected ship is shown

+ If no ship in the stack is selected, the toughest ship is shown

+ An icon appears next to ships that are in a stack

+ when you move a ship off of a stack, it will show the next ship in that stack

+ This significantly increases performance in my tests. I had a stack of about 50 ships and no major hit to frame rate.

+ NEW: Added code to save score data for non-metaverse games locally in the My Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar folder

+ NEW: You can now change the social project (if there is stuff in the queue) from the colony list in the civ manager

+ NEW: Some additional dialog (but no new trees) for computer players

+ NEW: Added Starbase module to repair the starbase with Tech Requirement Advanced Hulls. Will only show up if the starbase is missing HP, and can be 'installed' multiple times. This module should not count towards the total modules.

+ NEW: Option to use old graphics engine for users of video cards that don't support the DirectX features we're using

+ FIX: Fixed bug where non-optimal defenses were never decreased as the defenses absorbed damage during a battle round

+ FIX: Fixed end of turn crash that happened if you had the Force AI to use Max CPU option ON.

+ FIX: Made Build Menu update after a project is decomissioned. 1 per planet improvements like Orbital Terraformers will now show up in the build list again if you remove them from the queue or destroy an existing one. 1 per civ and 1

per galaxy improvements may not be destroyed and rebuilt - this is by design.

+ FIX: Fixed bug where if you changed the settings for a custom opponent's Natural Abilities and/or Financial Resources, the values would not remain the same after leaving the tab.

+ FIX: Fixed error where invalid information was being returned by the activation code in Win98 and Windows ME by adding alternate code if the first instance failed.

+ FIX: Fixed bug where save game was not saving the campaign file name and added code to fix save games currently exhibiting this bug (should fix problem with people continuing their campaigns)

+ FIX: Fixed crash bug where if the random event that creates a new minor race happened mulitple times, the minor races would end up with the same name and then delete each other's ship designs, causing a crash on the end of a turn

+ FIX: Fixed bug where the turn a ship was created was not saved/restored when loading a save game, which could cause a ship design to be deleted too early

+ FIX: Fixed bug with loading height maps for planet surfaces

+ FIX: Fixed bug where ending the game from the planet screen resulted in a crash because the planet screen was not hidden before the end game screen was unhidden

+ FIX: Added strings that were not being saved to scenario save game code

+ FIX: Made it so that your allies won't declare war on you in the mega event Allied War where the good races gang up on you.

+ FIX: Minimap and line graphs now uses Direct3D for drawing, which should show an increase in framerate.

+ FIX: Updated the QUICKSTART command line parameter code to work with DarkAvatar's settings

+ FIX: The minimap scrolling lag on Vista should be resolved, and scrolling in general should be smoother with better frame rates.

+ FIX: On Vista PCs, the debug.err will now be saved in the Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar folder. (This will not work if you run the exe in WInXP compatibility mode.)

+ FIX: Fixed a minor bug with the money popup in the tradewnd if you were in debt.

+ FIX: Fixed bug where the influence and morale bonuses did not show up correctly on the summary screen (from the planet screen) if there was a influence or morale bonus (respectively) on that tile.

+ FIX: Flushes resource manager’s resources when game exits

+ FIX: Fixed crash in invasion ground units

+ FIX: Fixed crash if memory does not allocate in ResourceGraphic

+ FIX: Fixed crash in ship design code if hardpoint data failed to load

+ FIX: Fixed bug where minimaps were not refreshing immediately when you started a new game

+ FIX: Added code to handle if you or your trading partner are in debt to fix flakiness with the money popup in the TradeWnd.

+ FIX: Fixed bug in the function that calculates the morale of a colony to fix a longtime bug where your morale could permanently drop to 1%

+ FIX: Made it so that ships on the Governor minimap should show up larger when they are affected by the switch. Also made starbases not show up on this minimap to reduce clutter.

+ FIX: Fixed typo in XML files that caused land and background textures in Invasion window to be black

+ FIX: Added code for the super hive to adjust the costs of factories in the queue when they take over another colony.

+ FIX: Fixed a lockup on Trade screen when you have a huge amount of money in the treasury and you try to offer money.

+ FIX: Fixed lockup on Governor screen when you click on the Starship rallypoint governor

+ FIX: Found a solution for the graphical glitches on AMD machines.

+ FIX: Optimized new batch renderer so that ship instances of the same type will share the same vertex and index buffers. This will save memory over the previous implementation where each instance had its own vert and index buffers.

This should also fix the where ship parts sometimes would not show textures in the designer.

+ FIX: Fixed some alt-tab crashes present in 1.6 beta 5.

+ FIX: Added code to remove AI ship designs from the graphics cache when they are no longer being used

+ FIX: Fixed bug where, in 1 on 1 battles, if both ships kill each other, the stronger surviving ship would have hp restored instead of receiving 1 hp.

+ FIX: Added support for mixed vertex processing which should help some people with older video cards who would normally be running in software vertex processing mode.

+ FIX: Changed the way that vertex and index buffers are created to help framerates for cards running in software or mixed vp mode.

+ FIX: Fixed bug with loading save games that could cause the cheater flag to be tripped

+ FIX: Fixed bug where you could change AI mining bases to send to your planet

+ FIX: Fixed bug where the repair starbase module was showing up as a bonus in the starbase details screen after it was applied

+ FIX: Fixed bug where the repair starbase module was being counted as one of the available modules even when the starbase didn't need repair, which threw off the total count by 1.

+ FIX: Memory leak in ship gfx when you alt-tab out of the game

+ FIX: Fixed the “Missing Mining Base Graphics” bug

+ TWEAK : Turned off some debug strings to try and improve loading time

+ TWEAK: Added dialog to warn you if you start/load a metaverse game with a cheater flag

+ TWEAK: Pirates event less common, somewhat less lethal

+ TWEAK: AI deals with Disease event better

+ TWEAK: Various tweaks to AI behavior

+ TWEAK: Extreme Colonization more expensive

+ TWEAK: Visual updates to some planetary improvements

+ TWEAK: AI more focused on what it builds on planets (long story)

+ TWEAK: AI tweaks to tech tree

+ TWEAK: In the Ship Designer, when using auto-place to place a component, the component will use the current scale and rotation settings

+ TWEAK: You are no longer permitted to change your capital to another world, and bonuses for the capital city have been increased.

+ TWEAK: The display of stars on the minimaps should now be more visible on large and gigantic galaxies.

+ TWEAK: Made a slight change to the code that starts the AI threads which may help with the AI seeming to get a free turn at the start of a new game or when loading a save game.

+ TWEAK: Planet Surface Variety Option now defaults to 50%

+ TWEAK: Converted star box to use vertex buffer for point sprites and optimized it for point sprites, and optimized it for software vp if running in software vp mode

+ TWEAK: Added option for “Enhanced Ship Rendering” - if you are running in software vp mode, turning this off may increase your performance

+ TWEAK: Added option to allow the game to start in mixed vp mode when it would normally start in software vp mode. Turn this off if you encounter problems in mixed vp mode to start in software vp mode.

Comments (Page 5)

D@ywalk3er

on Sep 07, 2007

Hello all.
New to the game.
I have Galactic Civ 2 ver 1.5, how do i update to 1.6, 7 etc?
Created an acct, just need to know exactly where i need to go or what link to go to in order to update my game.

Thanks!

kryo

on Sep 07, 2007

If you only have the base game (Dread Lords), then you're already at the latest version--1.6 is only for Dark Avatar. If you do have DA, you'll need to grab Stardock Central from the downloads page, log in with your forum account, register the game if you haven't already, then just pick the game and hit the update button.

Manaburn

on May 29, 2008

I´m searching the Patch 1.6 for this Game in German. But the Patch is included to the Add-On Dark Avatar.

Can I download this Patch without buying the Add-On or without costs? If I get the Patch only with buying the Add-On may I get it in a German Gamesmarket like Media Markt?
The Original Program (Galactic Civilizations II) you can get in this Market.

kryo

on May 29, 2008

The latest version of the base game is 1.5. Higher versions are only available for Dark Avatar (up to 1.8) and Twilight of the Arnor (1.9). All of the updates since 1.4 are only available via Stardock Central or Impulse (in English, though there are fan translations available for German).

Unfortunately neither of the expansions is available at retail in Europe. You would need to import the combined base+DA (GC2 Gold), or order them direct from us.

Manaburn

on May 29, 2008

Thats bad. If I download the Add-Ons with the Stardock Software, how is the Payment? Don´t say with Credit Card!

kryo

on May 29, 2008

Payment is via Paypal, or one of the major credit/debit cards. We can also accept payments by mail, though you'd need to contact sales@stardock.com for details on that.

Manaburn

on May 30, 2008

I read, that the Translation Team (I-Mod Produktion) found an German Publisher for the Second Add-On (Twilight of the Anor). Is it Possible that the first Add-On (Dark Avatar) come back to the German games Market?

I ask, because the second Add-On can be Published in Germany like the Orignal Version (Galactic Civilizations II) and the first Add-On is only downloadable.

kryo

on May 30, 2008

I don't know what all they've contracted to do (you'd need to talk to I-Mod), but that would at least make sense since TA requires DA. It's hard to say when that would arrive in German stores, though.

Manaburn

on May 30, 2008

If TA needs DA to run, I think I-Mod makes an Double Add-On Package. The Problem is that the most Europeans have only the Galactic Civilizations II Box with Patch 1.5. The most European People didn´t trust the payment(bad Experience) or the Parents say no to that Updates, so the European Gamers only have the normal Boxed Editon.

gbmami

on Jun 08, 2008

I´ve bought galciv2 "german version" and it worked fine until i changed the resolution. Now it starts with a black screen. Updating and re-installing the game wont solve the problem. So, here´s the debug file. i hope you can help me

Debug Message: Version v1.5 last updated on: Thu Jan 11 13:39:19 2007
Debug Message: GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message: Checking DX Version.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 6/8/2008, 12:09:38
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: MUTTI
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
Languages: German (Regional Setting: German)
System Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
System Model: ALiveSATA2-GLAN
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.0GHz
Physical Memory: 3072MB RAM
Page File: 473MB used, 3972MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS

Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 7600 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0391&SUBSYS_C6153842&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Plug und Play-Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.6921
Driver Date: 12/5/2007 02:41:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes

Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_18491E01&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RtkHDAud.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5582
Driver Date: 3/11/2008 19:54:14
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

kryo

on Jun 09, 2008

Please post the entire debug, that's only the first page.

gbmami

on Jun 09, 2008

sorry

here´s the missing part.

Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message: Could not create the render device using default format. Switching to 16bit
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_NONE
Debug Message: Could not create the render device.
Debug Message: InitializeDirect3D Failed.
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: WM_CLOSE message received.
Debug Message: GameUninitialize start

Manaburn

on Jun 10, 2008

I have Problems with the Original Game too. I been waiting for the 2 Add-On´s in German. I think thats Boxed Versions. If there no Boxed Versions it will be the same Problem like here (gbmami you know what I mean). If not, look at my third entry here.

kryo

on Jun 10, 2008

I´ve bought galciv2 "german version" and it worked fine until i changed the resolution. Now it starts with a black screen.

Go to My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2, open the file prefs.ini, and make the following changes:

Change
DisplayWidth=1024
DisplayHeight=768
ColorDepth=32
Fullscreen=1

To
DisplayWidth=(Your desktop width)
DisplayHeight=(Your desktop height)
ColorDepth=32
Fullscreen=0

Then save the file and start the game.

gbmami

on Jun 11, 2008

Ok, thanks for the support.

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