Improvement activation delay

GOD DAMN! They make it really hard just to ASK a question. Must be easier for them that way. Anyway I'm wondering why nothing likes to activate until the next thing is taken. For instance, when I build a research structure it's effects do not register until I take a planet or until I take a resource-which will then also not register until the next one is occupied, which doesn't benefit me until the NEXT planet or resource is taken... and so on. See where I'm going with this? Is it too much to ask for the benefits to come immediately? This may seem a minor inconvenience, but on a tiny or small map it is sometimes several turns before a colony ship or constructor lands; especially later in the game as all planets and resources are occupied. This can cause those benefits to be worthless for a VERY long time. I have circumvented the problem by saving and reloading the game EVERY TURN. It is, however, absolutely ridiculous to have to do this, as it can take a really long time to load the larger, later games. I'm only playing Dread Lords, and I know that's barely worth anyone's time anymore as the money has been made already, but perhaps customer loyalty and repeat business might be motivators as well? I LOVE this game otherwise and look forward to future works from Stardock. So please help, if you're listening, and our love affair shall continue.

 

A distressed customer

65,293 views 15 replies
Reply #1 Top

Works fine for me, even in DL.  What version number are you playing?  Have you tried updating via SDC or Impulse?

 

Reply #2 Top

I have circumvented the problem by saving and reloading the game EVERY TURN.

That's not a good workaround if influence area and/or culture flips are important to you. Because of the way saved games are restored, you only have your "normal" influence after you process the first turn after reloading.

Re your basic problem, I'm not an obssessive numbers watcher but the thing I've seen along these lines just appears to be a minor bug about planet windows not updating after I do something like rush-build an econ or research building. It never bothered me enough to test methodically, but I'm pretty sure the updated production shows correctly if you close and re-open the window.

Reply #3 Top

I check for updates every time I play. I'm running version 1.5

Reply #4 Top

Tried the close, re-open thing. Tried a lot of things. Influence is important to me, but research and morale are more important. When playing a tiny galaxy every change counts with only 12 planets or so and just acouple of resources. I appreciate the responses but how about some help instead of just telling me how obsessive or stupid I am.

 

Reply #5 Top

I appreciate the responses but how about some help instead of just telling me how obsessive or stupid I am

 

Well, we're all stuck with such "situations" and won't be able to help at all unless - SD staff could be convinced to correct these issues by recompiling the code itself.

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Reply #6 Top

I appreciate the responses but how about some help instead of just telling me how obsessive or stupid I am.

I meant no insult; I was just noting that even though I score OK, I'm not one of the folks around here who can quote chapter and verse about the hard numbers. I'm beginning to think one of the reasons I favor the largest maps is that they leave plenty of room for sloppy success. Tiny maps are just too fraught with tension for me ;)

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Reply #7 Top

Quoting Balatar666, reply 3
I check for updates every time I play. I'm running version 1.5

Do me a favor.

I can't see your screen.

Take two screenshots, at 100% research funded.  Homeworld on turn 1 with nothing on it, and homeworld on turn 1 with 1 lab rush bought (not on a bonus tile, please).

Racial points (statistics) screen might be helpful as well if you're running any kind of research bonus, but isn't exactly necessary.

Also, for the sake of this exercise, please limit your difficulty to somewhere between Tough and Normal, regardless of what you usually play.  Subnormal gives the player hidden economics bonuses, while settings above Tough give a hidden bonus research value when a research bonus is used.  The first is irrelevant for our purposes, but the second one could make the numbers difficult to crunch, assuming we don't see the exact same values from one screenshot to the next, which is what your post leads me to believe you're seeing.

This is the problem you're complaining about, yes?  When you build a lab, the additional research doesn't show up until the next improvement is built, etc?  Actually, rereading the above, it seems your complaint is that it doesn't show up until a new -planet- is taken.

 

Also-I'm seeing my installed DL version as 1.50.135 in Impulse, as well as in SDC.  Does that match your 1.5?

One MORE question...is this phenomenon present in newly created games, or are you reloading a game you started some time ago with an older version?  It may be obvious, but most bugfixes don't apply to saves from an older version, only to new games.

For the record: I am not telling you that you are obsessive or stupid.  I am attempting to find the solution to your problem, starting with the most basic possibilities.  It is certainly possible that only Stardock can help you, but we -are- trying.  This is especially confusing to me since, as I have stated, I am running 1.50.135 and I do NOT see this behavior.

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Reply #8 Top


Well, we're all stuck with such "situations" and won't be able to help at all unless - SD staff could be convinced to correct these issues by recompiling the code itself.
[/quote]

 

I think that's the core of the issue, Zyxpsilon, I'll try them.

Reply #9 Top

I've played a number of games and haven't come across the problems mentioned.  Perhaps there's some confusion that we could work through.  Let's use the op's settings and try it out.

Dread Lords 1.5.  A tiny map.  I'm using the Terrans since they're a fairly plain race with nothing special about them.  I'm leaving the sliders at the default settings.  Here's a screen shot of Earth on Turn 0.

As you can see, nothing has been built and it's an unremarkable planet. Maintenance costs are at 1 to maintain the colony.  Research output is at 5 due to the initial colony and bonus from being a civ cap.

I'll buy a Lab without navigating away from the screen or doing anything else...

Still Turn 0.  As we can see, the maintenance cost has risen to 2 and the research output has increased to 6.  I haven't taken any planets ended the turn or done anything other than simply buying the lab.  The effect is immediate.

 

 

Reply #10 Top

In that particular instance what you said is true, MottiKhan. I'm not sure what the criteria are to cause the problem, but I'm not making it up, as you seem to be trying to imply. It only happens sometimes, as I indicated in my initial post. I don't know how to do screenshots, so I can't show you the evidence, but I'll try again to explain. A turn passes. Before the passing of the turn I have a planet with no research academy and a beaker rating of five. After the turn I HAVE a research academy (on a resource or not) and a beaker rating of five still. Those five beakers do not increase to the new level until after the next colony or starbase is built whether in the same turn or not. I have been playind TBS games since they only existed on game boards (you know, board games). This was way back in the Dark Ages before computers had enough memory to even support these kinds of games; before Pong! As such I have much experience at getting the most out of each turn, which often includes multiple calculations and number crunching. I am seeing what I'm seeing. I am not wrong, I am not stupid. I DO need help. I do not need gain saying. Telling me I am wrong does not help, MottiKhan, but thanks for the response.

Reply #11 Top

Edit - My apologies, Zubaz.  I wasn't intending to cause you any discomfort and I don't really need to respond to Balatar666, regardless of the content.

Reply #12 Top

/me shakes his head and walks away.  :\ :S

Reply #13 Top

I also loaded up dread lords and had the same results as Mottican.

 

No one has said you are making up this issue Balatar.  Why don't you try uninstalling the game, deleting the game directories and doing a fresh install as this seems to be only happening to you.

 

And since you are seeing insults in every post, I figure I'll make it easy for you on this one-- You are being a complete JERK.

 

 

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Reply #14 Top

I don't know how to do screenshots,

lol you're so sure you're the one and only that knows it all, yet you don't know how to do a screenshot ?   ^_^'
Please don't mistake me, I'm joking you around, doesn't go any farther than that... ;)
 
Obviously the main problem here is that nobody is able to identify YOUR SPECIFIC PROBLEM WHICH HAPPENS ONLY  TO YOU
But this doesn't mean you're "stupid" or a "liar" or anything else for that matter. And nobody is implying that you are... we're just not seeing what you see ...
So in the end what it all goes down is : You need to help the community, help you

That's all there is to it. As MottiKhan said: "Apparently, you don't wish to work through anything."

 
But to conclude on a positive and constructive note let me give you two tips for taking screenshots :
-1 galciv.wikia.com
-2 http://imageshack.us

I hope you'll be able to solve your problem yourself, wish you a nice & sunny day :sun:

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Reply #15 Top

Edit - My apologies, Zubaz. I wasn't intending to cause you any discomfort and I don't really need to respond to Balatar666, regardless of the content.
Your post was fine as it stood.

Honestly, I was trying to convey the sadness I was feeling that some people can't be helped because they choose not to be helped.  There is only so much teh community can try to do.

Thank you (and everyone else) who tried ot help Balatar.  Youare what makes this community great.  I'm proud to be amonst you.

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