The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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JiminyJickers
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by JiminyJickers »

I used to complain about the price too, until I bought it and realised how great it was. Instantly bought the expansion and am thoroughly looking forward to getting deep into this game.
CptDrake
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by CptDrake »

I weigh up a games value as £1/$1 for each hour of entertainment as being a more than reasonable expectation. So when I can easily use up three days playing the latest in-depth, well-planned, well-programmed, well-delivered Distant Worlds release, I consider myself to have received significant value and entertainment. The biggest advantage is it doesn't end after 3 days... it goes on throughout the year.

Oh! and by the way... if you're in the UK, try buying in dollars... I think it works out cheaper... though I've not added the exchange rate charges yet... but I reckon it's still going to be cheaper. (download).

Thanks Erik and the crew for a splendid piece of work. Congratulations on doing what you do best :-)
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demiller
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by demiller »

Graphic performance across the board is much smoother. I notice it particularly when scrolling around the galaxy map. What used to be jerky is now very smooth, almost effortless scrolling. Zooming in and out is the same.

Animations are also much smoother. I'm not noticing combat lagging at all, even in larger fleet engagements.

It probably sounds very minor, but it really is noticeable and makes for a much more immersive experience.
AKA panzerde
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OzoneGrif_slith
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by OzoneGrif_slith »

Where can we report bugs ? Because it's impossible to deploy a resupply ship correctly. as soon as a valid target enters the system, it undeploys and attack. I tried to switch everything to manual, but it keeps undeploying. I tried to change its stance, but it switch back to Attack system targets all the time.

Plus it tries to run after a target which is faster than himself. Duh!

Resupply ships should never quit their position :\


Also, the galatopedia doesn't work anymore. There's a DLL problem.
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Erik Rutins
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Erik Rutins »

The galactopedia works fine here - but please report any bugs along with error message (would love to know what DLL it's saying is a problem) in the Tech Suppoort sub-forum here:

tt.asp?forumid=792
Erik Rutins
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Antiscamp
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Antiscamp »

So far I'm really pleased with the Shadows expansion. It works great after the hotfix. There are no slowdowns although I've been playing it almost non-stop all day; I had some problems with Legends in that department. Scrolling and zooming is really fluid! The game looks better in so many departments too.

The PreWarp Era start is what grabs me the most. It's just fascinating to build an empire from pretty much nothing. I have to admit that I almost (yes, almost) cried when my first little explorer entered another solar system for the first time. Warping around for the first time, setting down your first colony, all those things. Absolutely immersive!

What's best is that my old tricks do not work anymore. In Legends, I had a few things to do to easily make my economy flourish, build mega-fleets and then just go take what I wanted. Within a couple of hours, I could build a huge empire that spanned the galaxy. That is no more. I'm having constant resource shortages, my economy is wracked by complete meltdown and on top of that - pirates interfere with my plans all the time. I have eight colonies after a day's playing and one Main fleet with six good ships and several smaller defense squadrons that constantly fail at keeping pirate raids away. I love it!

Congratulations on an expansion well-done. It was worth the wait, it was worth the fighting with my own computer I had to do before the hotfix, and it was worth the price. Now I need to go back. The Atuuks are way ahead of me and they're winning; something I have never seen before, by the way.
Mac Linehan
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Mac Linehan »

Gents -

I forgot to update DW Legends to 17020a before installing Shadows. Do I need to reinstall and patch DW and each separate expansion again?

Looks great, can't wait to play.

Thank You all in advance,

Mac
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Fetrik
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Fetrik »

No, just update to latest Shadow patch Mac.
Strat_84
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Strat_84 »

ORIGINAL: Antiscamp

The PreWarp Era start is what grabs me the most. It's just fascinating to build an empire from pretty much nothing. I have to admit that I almost (yes, almost) cried when my first little explorer entered another solar system for the first time. Warping around for the first time, setting down your first colony, all those things. Absolutely immersive!

Indeed.

One thing frustrated me heavily thought.

I wanted to travel to the nearest system without having discovered warp engines. Warp engine, WTF is that crap ? Real men use thrusters, they don't read SF books ! [:D]
So I built the most epic prehistoric exploration ship ever. Propelled by ion thrusters, 20 fuels tanks, with a tremendous 430% system diameter range.
The ship leaves with planetary celebrations, laboriously takes away from the sun. It halts to a gas mining station in the outer ring of the system to refill before finally starting its trip in the infinite vaccum.

Things went well. The ship traveled for 8 years, covering almost 2/3 of the distance to its objective.

And something hit the fan ...

Meanwhile I had discovered a damaged ship. I of course repaired it. To finally find that its navigation computer contained the map of the system my exploration ship was aiming for.
No, take back your data, I don't want it ! F*cking electronic sh*t, where is my hammer, I'm going to punch your transistors !
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Erik Rutins
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Erik Rutins »

ORIGINAL: Strat_84
Things went well. The ship traveled for 8 years, covering almost 2/3 of the distance to its objective.

And something hit the fan ...

Meanwhile I had discovered a damaged ship. I of course repaired it. To finally find that its navigation computer contained the map of the system my exploration ship was aiming for.
No, take back your data, I don't want it ! F*cking electronic sh*t, where is my hammer, I'm going to punch your transistors !

Great story. [8D]

I suppose we could in the future add a "no hyperspace option" with a small dense start with systems closer to each other, for folks who want more sub-light gameplay. I think that's probably a pretty small group though. [:)]
Erik Rutins
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Mac Linehan
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Mac Linehan »

ORIGINAL: Fetrik Snubbe

No, just update to latest Shadow patch Mac.

Thank You Sir!

Mac
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Strat_84
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Strat_84 »

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Great story. [8D]

I suppose we could in the future add a "no hyperspace option" with a small dense start with systems closer to each other, for folks who want more sub-light gameplay. I think that's probably a pretty small group though. [:)]

Actually, I tried this partly for role playing purpose, and partly to play a way different from the one suggested (i.e. not rushing the very expensive warp engines but instead developing some cheaper tech so that I could both have more effective ships faster and do some exploration earlier while the warp bubble was being researched).

But the more I think about it, and the more I'm convinced sub-light system to system travel can't work very well in this game, it's just not designed for this.
It would require the thrusters to be handled a completely different way, with no other speed limit than the light speed and a continuous acceleration for half the distance, then a continuous braking for the rest of the trip.
Without this, even with closer stars no other ship than a pretty big explorer would be able to travel and come back from the nearest system, so the sub-light play part is limited to minimal extra-system exploration anyway.

Not even talking about the time and AI factor. I already imagine hundreds of freighters following each others in a several years trip to deliver the goods from a single extra-system mining station. [:D]
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Erik Rutins
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Erik Rutins »

Not to mention building in the asynchronous time effects as various ships travel at various high fractions of light speed. I agree to do it realistically is a bridge too far.
Erik Rutins
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Zombie101
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RE: The Age of Shadows on Distant Worlds starts now!

Post by Zombie101 »

This Expenden is a mess and no real improvements. I even uninstalled it I loved playing legends. You need get head out of the hole between twin moons on your backside. Like Improving Troop management it a still mess. And the game lags it kills my computer and I have Ph2 6x 3.2 chip my computer with 8 1600 gig mem. I Play Legend on it hardest settings and 1400 system war I mean I war alot. But troop management a nightmare in Legend and in this new one and I barely get 20-30 years out and it lags my system like vs 200-250 year 1400 system full of empires all at war that lengend did. You have seriously bogged my machine down. In my Lengend game I use have like 200-400 ships in Escort Frig's cruisers Dreadnouts all running around protacting my empire that just 1000-3000+ ship just Protecting my CIV's. On top that 1400 Systems Each 50%+ condition planet having Medium station that I owned. Yea bogged down but 20-30 years out on newest expanden your looking about the same loading.
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