Topic: Stardock Central revived and now in BETA

[idolminds]

Other than the branding, how can you tell Gamestop is running the show?

They now sell Magicka. A Steamworks game.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This game requires a 3rd party client to download, install and play.

[MysterD]

GameStop has always pretty much sold Steam games - so, this does makes sense for them.
What's important is they let the buyer know that Steam is required - which they did do in the game's requirements.

[scottws]

I suppose it was a matter of time:

Dear Impulse Subscriber,
It's been an amazing five months since Impulse joined the GameStop digital family. When we first started talking about combining forces, we were thinking of all the great ways we could work together to bring more power to PC gamers throughout the world.

In this short period, we were thrilled to bring you in-store download purchases and then add online payment options including GameStop gift cards and trade-in credits. That's right, you can now turn that old console game that's been collecting dust into fresh, downloadable PC games by trading it in at your local GameStop and using the trade credit online.

The team has also added more than 200 downloadable titles to the catalog with more coming every week. We'll still be carrying your favorite indie titles, as well as hot new releases from major developers and publishers. Being GameStop also means many of these titles will come with awesome pre-purchase exclusives and bonus offers! For the 13 million GameStop® + PowerUp Rewards™ members out there, we also recently announced double points for every PC Download purchase online or in stores until the end of the year!

The Impulse client has a new look and a new name as the GameStop PC App. Starting tomorrow, you'll see these changes start to take effect in the application itself. This update is only the beginning of more upgrades we are working on. We are really looking forward to sharing information on the next application update which will be the first major upgrade from the newly expanded and renovated digital workshop.
Many, many thanks for your past and future support from both Impulse and GameStop.
Now let's play!

Steve Nix
GM, Digital Distribution
GameStop

The e-mail had a mailing address at the bottom for Impulse, Inc.  I think I'm going to send a letter telling Gamestop/Impulse, Inc. why I won't be purchasing any games off of Impulse/Gamestop PC App.

[idolminds]

Im having a hard time coming up with a worse name for the client.

[idolminds]

I guess I missed this before, but Stardock will offer their games/software on their own DD thingy, though they stress it won't be anything expansive like Steam or Impulse GameStop PC App. Basically a downloader/updated specifically for Stardock games and software. Which is the majority of the titles I have on Impulse GameStop PC App, so I can probably drop it when that happens.

[MysterD]

Im having a hard time coming up with a worse name for the client.

I thought it was fine named as GameStop Impulse... 

[sirean_syan]

I guess I missed this before, but Stardock will offer their games/software on their own DD thingy, though they stress it won't be anything expansive like Steam or Impulse GameStop PC App. Basically a downloader/updated specifically for Stardock games and software. Which is the majority of the titles I have on Impulse GameStop PC App, so I can probably drop it when that happens.

Oh nice. I thought I had lost Sins of a Solar Empire forever/

[MysterD]

I guess I missed this before, but Stardock will offer their games/software on their own DD thingy, though they stress it won't be anything expansive like Steam or Impulse GameStop PC App. Basically a downloader/updated specifically for Stardock games and software. Which is the majority of the titles I have on Impulse GameStop PC App, so I can probably drop it when that happens.

Excellent news!

[Xessive]

Stardock Central revived by Stardock in a Beta!

The new look adheres to the Windows Metro style but it looks like STardock have taken this step since the buyout of Impulse by GameStop. So yay! I don't need GameStop's software to access my Stardock stuff!

[MysterD]

Stardock Central revived by Stardock in a Beta!

The new look adheres to the Windows Metro style but it looks like STardock have taken this step since the buyout of Impulse by GameStop. So yay! I don't need GameStop's software to access my Stardock stuff!

Very cool!
And thanks for the update!

[scottws]

The new SDC looks a lot better than the old one.  I'm still kinda miffed at them for selling Impulse to Gamestop.  Impulse was a nice client.

[Xessive]

Yeah, shame but I still have faith in Stardock.

[scottws]

So I just downloaded SDC.  Why in the heck do I only see Sins of a Solar Empire in there?  I also own GalCiv2 and GalCiv2:TotA from Stardock.  And I bought the original ME, FO3 GOTY, and Red Faction Guerrilla through Impulse before GameStop bought it.

[Quemaqua]

Stardock Central isn't a replacement for Impulse.

[MysterD]

Demigod is the ONLY game showing for me through Stardock Central program, oddly enough.

Though, if I sign into the Stardock Store, it shows me what Stardock-published games (Non-Steam Versions) that I own...
...it shows my copies listed for:

Demigod + its extra DLC content (Demon Assassin & Oculus) - which I can DL right from there;
Gal Civ 1: Ultimate - which I can DL right from there;

AND Gal Civ 2 and Sins of a Solar Empire - which I can't DL from there.
For Sins and Gal Civ 2, it suggests right there to USE GameStop PC App instead.


EDIT:

Stardock Central isn't a replacement for Impulse.

Looks that way - yep.

[scottws]

I get that but why does SDC show Sins but not GalCiv2. Doesn't make much sense.

[idolminds]

That bugs me too, especially since pretty much all my Impulse games were from Stardock. So why can't they offer me all of them? Its not like I have any plan to reinstall Impulse.

[MysterD]

I get that but why does SDC show Sins but not GalCiv2. Doesn't make much sense.

I don't know...maybe b/c SDC is still in Beta?
Hey, your guess is as good as mine here.
[shrug]

EDIT:
Did you sign into Stardock Store and see if they still have Stardock Games tied to your account?
Not all my stuff from Stardock Store is showing in SDC - only DemiGod
Most of my Stardock games show in Stardock Store - regardless if they tell me I can download it from there OR if they are forcing me currently to use GameStop PC App.

[scottws]

I just remembered that I got the disc copies of GalCiv2 but the digital download for Sins. Maybe that's it.

[MysterD]

I just remembered that I got the disc copies of GalCiv2 but the digital download for Sins. Maybe that's it.

I bought Sins from Retail; and also Gal Civ 1: Ultimate from Retail.
I bought GalCiv 2 digitally through Impulse.
None of those show up in SDC.

Demigod, I bought from Impulse as a digital download. That shows in my SDC.

ALL of those games show in my Stardock Store.

[Quemaqua]

I thought with GalCiv you could do both... but maybe I paid for a disc copy that gave the option for download. I don't remember. Either way, I haven't looked at what's in SDC in a while. I don't remember, but don't think it was my whole catalogue. Though that's all available via Stardock's website without issue.

[idolminds]

I bought Demigod retail and I can just straight up download it from Stardock. Its a weird game-by-game thing and I dont know why some are and some aren't.

[scottws]

I thought with GalCiv you could do both... but maybe I paid for a disc copy that gave the option for download. I don't remember. Either way, I haven't looked at what's in SDC in a while. I don't remember, but don't think it was my whole catalogue. Though that's all available via Stardock's website without issue.

Yeah. I could do both for GalCiv2.  All my Stardock and Impulse purchases show in GameStop PC App.

I only mentioned it because I thought maybe the reason it didn't show in SDC was because I ordered the disc version. Apparently that's not the issue though.

[MysterD]

All my Stardock and Impulse purchases show in GameStop PC App.

Same here.
GameStop PC App STILL has ALL of my Stardock AND Non-Stardock purchase from back when they still owned Impulse.

[scottws]

I sent an e-mail to Stardock to see what their explanation why some Stardock games show up in SDC and some don't, so we should find out what is going on soon enough.

[scottws]

And here is their response:

Hello,

That is because we do not have standalone installers for all of our games, older games do not have standalone installers such as Twilight of the Arnor, Gold Edition, the seperate Sins games.

Although Galciv II Ultimate Edition and Sins Trinity do have standalone installers, that is why they work on our Stardock Central app, I have issued you a copy of Galciv II Ultimate Edition so that you can download it from our Stardock Central app.

Let me know if that resolves your problem or if you have any further questions.

Cool they were so helpful.  I didn't expect that.

[idolminds]

Huh, well that was nice of them.

[Xessive]

Sweet! Incidentally, I think Stardock Central has been updated, I saw a notification before I stepped out for work but I'll confirm it when I get back home.

[Xessive]

Stardock Central getting replaced by Object Desktop Manager.

They just can't seem to decide on a name or software suite.