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They have stopped for the holidays, the last update you have should be from the 23rd. Current Version is r18864b, if you have an older, right click of Sots II in your steam library and select properties. Then go to updates and tell it not to automatically download updates, select okay. Repeat this time switching it back to automatic updates. That should force an update, alternatively, make sure steam is not in offline mode, it won't affect running the game but will prevent updates.

Edit: misread you. Depenind on your HDD bandwith the opening menu can take between 10 seconds(Bosses i7 SSD rig) and a few minutes(I've seen some report 5 minutes or more). It takes on average 30-60 seconds for me.
In the in-game options menu you can turn off the menu battle, and this will eliminate the load time.
 
Its not on the Kerberos boards, but I have posted it here in the tech support forum http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?576538-Can-t-get-game-to-start two other people have replied with the same problem.

I'll see about waiting for a long time for it though.

EDIT: Ok it worked after waiting a bit... Additionally the wait wasn't that long, I swore I waited for a longer time in past attempts - so I don't know if it goes faster after multiple attempts?
 
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As far as I know, yes it does. on my Rig ( i7, SSD, 12gb RAM ) it takes approx 5 - 10 secs first start up after a new installation / patch day. After that the launch is a hell'uva lot fast. Sill get a memory leak-esque slowdown after something stupid like 290 turns that requires a re-start of SotS2

Edit: Okay, just thought I'd add my 2pence in here.

I personally am Bored to tears with the game, although I think its a blaintant step-backwards from SotS1. All I heard from SotS1 was that it was -us- that made the game, the stories, the Universe. Thats why we were given all the tools to do so, the universally random map generator, the faction editors etc. However in SotS2 it seems like things have to conform to Kerberos' vision of the game. I can't start off with 1 planet and launch myself into space, stuggling to survive from there, the Tech tree isn't random enough. It seems to conform more to the "storyline" of what race perfers to use what weapon. An for GAWDS sake, don't talk about the religiousness of the game, if theres something I would take out, without question, that would be it.

So far, 298 Turns before I met anyone on an 8 player large map, and untill then its more like watching my accountant add up my yearly savings.

I don't care for the religon of the people, what Govermental sway I'm going. I just wanna forge my own way in the universe, I will usually play defensively and cauciously. The tech tree might sway my hand in technologies but my playstyle rarely changes. It annoys me that I have to build a naval station in -every- system just to station fleets there incase a random Von Neuman ship floats past. I personally think Stations play too big of a part in the game myself. I don't mind them or even using them but unlike SotS1 you cannot get by without using them.

When I bought this game I was expecting SotS1 with multiple planets per system, better graphics and more techs with possibly bigger ships, who knows, something unique too? All I got was a completely different game that concentraits more on the "Empire building" side of things than interaction with other races. ( Yeah I know diplomacy is bugged atm too :p ) Its kinda like when Dawn of War came along and made RTS' more action packed ( Like SotS-Pime did to 4x's ) but then its just settled down to become one.

Faster pace please! Maybe even a "Classic mode" which could be pretty much SotS1 in the SotS2 engine ( With random universe, 1 starter planet, maybe even the started Nuclear techs before Fusion? )
 
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For quite a while I waited for Sword of the Stars 2. Upon the release I decided to postponed buying it for two reasons: one being that I'm a little short on cash at the moment, and two that I read all the reports on the buggy release. So I waited two months, which should be sufficient to patch up the game to playable. And looking at the reports everywhere, it should be. Since it was on sale today, I decided to buy it on Gamersgate, a site which has given me quite a lot of good experiences. I bought it like I'd do with any other game, which went perfectly. Then I went on to install it.

My normal experience on getting a game on Gamersgate:
- I download the installer.
- I let the installer download the game, which might take with my connection maybe 10 minutes.
- I install the game, which may take up to 5 minutes.
- I play the game.

This time it went like this:
- I download the installer.
- I let the installer download the game, which indeed took me 10 minutes or so.
- I clicked to install the game, but then it said: you need Steam to install.
* Wait... I need Steam to install a game bought on Gamersgate? *
- Since I didn't have Steam, I went to the site, and tried in register. Apparently my nickname was already in use.
* Hm... I remember that I tried Steam a few years ago, but apparently I didn't use my normal emailadress, and my standard passwords don't work. How invconvenient. *
- After making up a new nickname, I downloaded that Steam program (why can't they be like Gamersgate?) and installed it.
- The Steam program tried to update itself, but failed because Steam was too busy.
- After 15 minutes of trial and error, that Steam program finally updated itself (why didn't I get the latest version when I downloaded it form their site anyway?) and I was able to start up the SOTS2 installer.
- The the installer connected to Steam, which started to download the entire game, which I had just downloaded via Gamersgate. Unfortunately, the installer could - once again - not connect to Steam, and thus not download the game I had already downloaded form Gamersgate.
- After half an hour or so it finally started to download, which took much longer than via Gamersgate.
* A few hours later I heard from a friend that I could have just put the Gamersgate temp files in the Steam directory and be done with it much faster *
- Then Steam wanted to auto-update the game before allowing me to start it. Ok, I would have patched it anyways if there had been a patch available on Gamersgate (which there wasn't), but the Steam indicator said it would take 2.5 hours to download and update SOTS2. So I decided to cook dinner in the meantime, and read a book.
- After half an hour or so the indicator said that there was 2 hours and 15 minutes left before I could play the game.
- One minute later it was done with updating.
* Apparently Windows is better at estimating how long things take than Steam. Yes, this is a big insult towards Steam. *
- Then I started up the game. I waited for 6 minutes to let it start up. Then I thought that the game had crashed, so I decided to fire up my browser and see if there were issues related to that. Right at the moment I fire it up, I hear the SOTS2 music, and then both my browser and SOTS2 crash. I need to manually reboot my computer.
- I then decide to first seek out the issue. After reading around I learn that after the most recent patch, I need to have patience to start it up.
- Then I start up the game, get my book and start reading while the game starts up.
- After 32 minutes (I am not kidding you!) the game finally loads. I know that I haven't got the best system in the world, but the stuttering in graphics in the main menu can't be good. Apparently the game has used the highest settings, but there's no way to make changes to the graphical settings ingame. So I quit the game.
- I start the game again, set everything to the lowest setting, and let it load again. This time it took only 17 minutes to start the game.
- Finally, after 5 hours of trial and error, and reading half a book, I managed to play.

On a side note... I read a large portion of 'Ringworld' by Larry Niven: it would be cool if it is possible in SOTS2 to build a Ringworld (or even discover one).

You won't hear me complain about long loading times (gives me time to read a book) or bugs (they will be fixed, if they haven't been so far). But my big complaint is that I'm forced into Steam to play this game while I bought it on Gamersgate. I didn't like Steam before, but after this evenigns experience I absolutely don't like it.
 
Hey i just have a (fairly) minor complaint but one that annoys me consistently throughout play. I cant seem to relocate fleets very easily or efficiently, often the relocate mission simply doesn't appear on some of my colonies or when it does appear i am unable to confirm the relocate mission if it's a colony fleet i'm trying to relocate.

i was wondering if i'm possibly just doing something wrong? Such as not building the correct station to move fleet base, even though its a fully developed colony, and if i build new fleets there they adopt the planet as their base no problem. If i do need a station it would be helpful if i could find somewhere exactly what a station does, because even as a sots 1 veteran the entire station system makes no sense whatsoever. I'm playing human and tends to mainly affect fleets with colonisers.
 
Foxhound2zero said:
Faster pace please! Maybe even a "Classic mode" which could be pretty much SotS1 in the SotS2 engine ( With random universe, 1 starter planet, maybe even the started Nuclear techs before Fusion? )
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Oh man, that's what I want to see. Entering the game, the tech seems like I'm already half-way done with the game.

Anyway, now that I got the game to run I guess I do need to complain, sorry:

I think a few too many features were added to the game all at once. I'm suddenly confronted with a variety of space stations, each you can pay to upgrade many features on them. Then there's this admirals panel with a list of admirals, each one has stats which I have no idea what they mean. The tech tree is as deep into the game as about half-way through the original, which gives me a strange sense of urgency to make a huge fleet to make up. The lack of destroyer class ships just seems very odd, why take them out? I also couldn't even figure out how to move and build ships even...

If I had to make a verdict, Sword of the Stars 2 feels like it should be Sword of the Stars 3. I feel there should have been a game before this one where you have space stations - but they can't be customized and have are admirals but they have much less stats. There's just too much being added on all at once. I think what I enjoyed about the original Sword of the Stars is that it was a simple space strategy game. If I wanted something complex I would play Star Ruler or whatever that game is that lets you micro adjust settings on every gun.

Anyway, I'm still going to give hte game a chance by sitting on it waiting for updates. I think most of the problems can be fixed. My complaints above were on more of the features that I don't think could be fixed, namely the complexity and destroyer being left out - those would require some fundamental changes I would think.
 
Foxhound2zero said:
...
I personally am Bored to tears with the game
...
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Just catching up on posts and saw this. Finally getting some time over the holidays to play, and thankful that I can get to over 100 turns without a game stopper.

All in all, the game is ungodly slow.
- I understand missions add a new layer of play, but there has to be a better way to streamline. Like surveying - why can't we have "Hold position for next orders."? Take a real navy that can be order off to one part of the world, do they just turn around and come back to port after arriving? Even an imaginary fleet of a civilization that has stellar travel and multiple star systems colonized, I find it hard to imagine the admiral saying, "well, we just surveyed this system, but we better return to port instead of mapping this other system close by and we have more than enough supplies to do both or even more." Worse yet, a fleet with a colonizer, the admiral saying "wow, what an awesome system with only one planet, but hey, even though we brought those 2 colonizers, we better go back to base instead of colonizing." Just soooo sloooowww....
- Or even base building. Okay, step 1, build base. Depending on closest constructor, some time later your base is built. Now you have to build the modules before it is any good...some time later, you actually get a base that is doing something.
- Research and feasibility - just another roadblock. If a tech was going to be 1% then why bother to put in the tree in the first place? By itself, feasibility is interesting twist to research, but compounded with the molasses of a game already, it becomes frustrating.
- Above all that is the click-fest-athon. Let's build a fleet. Click a planet, click the build icon, click the ships, click the submit, click the invoice name. Oh look ships were build there, let's make a fleet. Click planet, click fleet manager, click create fleet, click the scroll to find an admiral, click the create fleet. Now, click the reserves to expand, click the subgroup (like Armor class cruiser) to expand, now click and drag the ship to the fleet, repeat as needed, and even more clicking to actually place ships in a future patch since setting them up does absolutely nothing in the battle screen. And that is just one planet, one building fleet, one made fleet. I am playing a relatively small map and only 2 opponents. I would hate to see the larger maps.
- The UI. This really is the dealbreaker for me. Bugs aside and the glitzy additions, the UI is so confusing, cluttered, or laggy (I can't count the number of times I clicked the Back button twice only to have the menu popup come up & crash by loosing the cursor). It is hard to figure out information each turn. What fleets have no mission? I can't find a fast way to search. The fleet manager has no button for "No Missions". Sorting through the fleets or bases is slow trying to read what is what, what needs upgrading, or what about a fleet that is dire need of repair? I had a fleet that lost it command ship in a battle. I had to click a bunch of fleets before I could find it.

Anyhow, bug fixing is nice, but I have to ask the devs if they actually asked themselves "would players find this fun?"
 
kinguard said:
But i think you should write them to the kerberus forums too.. i dont think they check here, especially this topic :)
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For me, I had to create a Steam account for this game, then an account for this forum. Not another account for yet another forum. They should take the time to read this forum if we have to watch 2 logos at the start of every game. If anything, they don't have to read every single thread, but a select few like this one.
 
Don't worry they read this forum, One of their team mebers is even a Moderator of this forum.
 
jdezzie said:
Anyhow, bug fixing is nice, but I have to ask the devs if they actually asked themselves "would players find this fun?"
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^^this^^

Everything can be boiled down to this question.
What disturbs me to the deepest level is when all the devs were sitting around their conference table and this question was asked, the consensus answer was..."Yes"
 
I'm certain the most pressing question the devs asked when at that table of wisdom was, "Should we release this game in its unfinished state?"

Fun doesn't keep doors to a business open -- they knew this game would be far from being fun to any degree as released. Aside from delivering a product that customers want (ie an entertaining one; a fun game), reputation plays a huge factor in earning business. Before SOTSII my GG wishlist had about 30 titles, most of the PI releases were in that list. My Steam wishlist had about 3 titles. Since SOTSII release, I deleted both GG and Steam wishlists so those are now empty and in fact I've removed Steam from my HDD since SOTSII was removed.

It is what it is. I might repopulate those lists in the future, but for now it is what it is. :glare:
 
I have read quite a few Posts on this Forum and I am also pretty frustrated with the game. There seem to be understandable gamers and as well as those who are just to picky concerning all these complaints. I do understand all the bugs but have to agree that this game was release too early. I really enjoyed SOTS 1 and spent hours playing it. As such I downloaded SOTS 2 as soon as I could. So I am of the "Disappointed" camp with the game itself. I would have been much happier to have bought the game 6 months from now in a much improved version.

Complaints:
1. The game crashes to often. I have yet to get past 150 turns without a crash.
2. After crashes I cannot play the game again. I ALWAYS have to re-install the game as it simply crashes on start-up. Hence I have never made it past turn 150.
3. The turns take VERY long to complete. Past around 75 turns it can take a full 30 seconds for the turn to process.
- I have a great computer. I have been building PC's since the mid 90's. My current one has a 6 Core Water Cooled and Overclocked Athlon Processor, 8gig of Ram and a great gaming Motherboard. It is fast, very fast. Unless someone is going to spend several thousand dollars building a new PC it will not beat mine. This is my most serious complaint. Those forums that say, "use smaller galaxies and lower numbers of races" to improve performance are nonsense. In all honesty do you expect the average customer to own a mainframe simply to be able to play a large galaxy with 8 races? Because if you honestly feel that way you will be heavily disappointed.

Thank you for listening. I WILL keep the game and will not ask for a refund. I will wait for patches and when the game is "finished" it will be truly enjoyable with some very epic space battles. But until then disappointed will remain how I feel concerning the current release of the game. Simply too early. Far too early for a release that you expect the average gamer to pay for.

Ross
 
Sots ][ seems to me to have been a terribly poorly planned out endeavor.
As several have said: it should have been Sots III, not ][. Too much was attempted for the time & money allotted, and so it was forced out pre-alpha (not even feature complete, let alone in the final debugging phase).

Much of Sots ][ screams "pointless glowing distracting animation here but zero informational content!!!"
The content... the information that allows a player to answer questions like:
* What fleets need orders?
* What fleets are in range to do X at this system?
* How are my finances: where is my money coming from and going to? How will I fare next turn?
* Where is the nearest X-type fleet to system Y?
* Why can't I do Z?

Are all major pains for the player.

Similarly, it's hard to play because you have to be concerned that any time you put into the game, will only lead to a crashed, useless save that won't load or can't end-turn.
Similarly, it's hard to play because you have to be concerned that the AI is so weak that after investing for a hundred turns or more of frustrating play they won't have grown at all, and will still be effectively on turn 1 when you encounter them.

I loved Sots prime. I still play sots prime. I mod sots prime.

But Sots ][ remains in the "maybe in another month or two" category at this time (early January 2012).

Worse, the devs won't even concern themselves with the above issues due to their current policy of banning anyone and everyone with an opinion that doesn't give them a warm & fuzzy.

The game is vacuous at this time. Pretty on only the most superficial level, but utterly unplayable except to a very small cult of players.
 
So having been denied my refund, I've decided to reinstall the game and try it out. I'm pretty disappointed that besides not crashing every three turns, there doesn't really seem to be much difference in the way the game plays.

Maybe I don't really know what I was hoping for but, I guess by this stage I was hoping for at least a resonably fun game. It works now, sorta, but there's a long way to go in my opinion to make this a game actually worth playing.
 
Cpt.Badger said:
That is true. They delete every single post that isn't "yay! great job! can't wait for a new patch and I LOVE SotS II" style.
Click to expand...

Lol, I know you are frustrated with your refund, but that is a pretty obvious lie.
Anyone reading this forum let alone this thread can see that is not the case, by your definition even your post would be deleted. ;)
 
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