Stardock Magazine: February 2019

We just love working on things that show the promise of things to come. There's going to be a new theme with all of Stardock's new endeavors: seamless cloud integration. Stardock Magazine February 2019 By Brad Wardell, CEO (@draginol) Topics: • [Editorial](#editorial) • [DeskScapes 10 Preview](#deskscapes) • [Object Desktop Planning](#odnt) • [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution](#gc3) [Editorial] by Brad Wardell Stardock is hiring engineers and artists. We are moving full-steam ahead on the next version of our Cider engine. Please be sure to check out our job postings: [www.stardock.com/about/careers](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL2Fib3V0L2NhcmVlcnM-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWNhcmVlcnMtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) As many of you know, Stardock has always tried to be on the leading - sometimes bleeding - edge of technology. A quick recap: • ZIP files as folders. We take them for granted now. That was us. • Early adopter of multi-threaded, 32-bit game technology (Galactic Civilizations for OS/2). • Pioneering of digital distribution (Stardock Central and later, Impulse). • More recently, the first core-neutral game and first DirectX 12 game (Ashes of the Singularity). We just love working on things that show the promise of things to come. There is no word coined yet for what's coming next when it comes to the concept of non-prejudicial processing. I know it won't be called non-prejudicial processing. Cloud computing doesn't quite work. It just boils down to the fact that the physical location of processors and memory are becoming less relevant. Right now, do this: ping Google or Bing. What's the access time for you? If you have a good connection, it's probably better than high end hard drives were 10 years ago. Now consider this: SATA 1.0, the hard drive connection protocol, is slower than some people's internet connection these days. In short: it just doesn't matter where the silicon is located anymore. And that'll be doubly true in a few years. This is really good news for users because it means your hardware will get a lot cheaper. Now, people who don't have good access to the Internet will still need to have a really powerful device because they'll need to do most of the computing locally, but everyone else will be able to get by on hardware that will cost next to nothing compared to today. This revolution is going to be a big deal for software and game developers because we can dramatically raise the "hardware requirements" from today because every consumer will, as a practical matter, have almost unlimited computing power. [DeskScapes 10 Preview] There's going to be a new theme with all of Stardock's new endeavors: seamless cloud integration. DeskScapes kicks this trend off. DeskScapes 10 is designed to let users access WinCustomize as if it were their local hard drive. It's actually a little unsettling when you first use it, because that's when it hits you on just how fast Internet access times have gotten. From home, my access to WinCustomize.com is 8ms. That's faster than the fastest hard drives were when WinCustomize.com launched. So essentially, the tens of thousands of wallpapers are effectively local. [DeskScapes](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9mZWIyMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9kZXNrc2NhcGVzLnBuZz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9ZGVza3NjYXBlcy1pbWcmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==) The other major update to DeskScapes 10 is the ability to modify and save wallpapers. So for example, you choose a wallpaper (animated or static), and you can edit it with the built-in DeskScapes tools. Then, from DeskScapes, simply save it off for later use. The DeskScapes 10 beta will be available for Object Desktop users shortly. Visit [www.objectdesktop.com](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL29kbnQvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1vZG50LWxpbmstdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) to get access to our entire suite of desktop enhancement utilities. [Object Desktop Planning] Stardock makes both games and utilities; there is relatively little overlap between the two customer bases. People are often surprised that the same company that released [Sins of a Solar Empire](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2luc29mYXNvbGFyZW1waXJlLmNvbS8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PXNpbnMtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=)® also makes [Groupy](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL2dyb3VweS8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWdyb3VweS10eHQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==). [Object Desktop](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9mZWIyMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9vZG50LnBuZz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9b2RudC1pbWcmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==) [Click image for full-size] Object Desktop's new launcher is in development. Desktop enhancement software has been in a slump in the past few years. First, it had to contend with Windows® Vista, which effectively broke a bunch of our most popular programs (like DesktopX). Then, we had years of splintering -- Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8 -- where each version had its own compatibility challenges. Now, despite Windows 10 becoming fairly standard, we have what amounts to be the "app store-ization" of software. Object Desktop used to be $89.99. Then it settled in for $49.99 for 1-year of access to it. The individual programs like WindowBlinds were $19.99 apiece for years. But now, people expect software to be less than $10, no matter how expensive ongoing development is, or how niche the demand is. People have simply become used to software being inexpensive, which has resulted in fewer developers being able to afford to work on them. For example, we have the program [ObjectDock](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL29iamVjdGRvY2svP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1vYmplY3Rkb2NrLXR4dCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3), which we sell for $4.99. It doesn't work on Windows 10. Despite ObjectDock having been very popular at one time, we can't justify working on it based on the size of the market and the price of $5 per unit. Lastly, the late game grind. Ultimately, for us, it's a matter of figuring out what there is sufficient demand for, the cost of developing and supporting it, and what price it can be sold at. Object Desktop remains our best hope because it's a suite of programs. For 2019, we are focusing the most on these parts: • DeskScapes (which we just discussed) • [Groupy](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL2dyb3VweS8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWdyb3VweS10eHQyJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) (tabbed windows) • [Start10](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL3N0YXJ0MTAvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1zdGFydDEwLXR4dCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) ([next version of Windows 10's start menu](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9tc3Bvd2VydXNlci5jb20vaWxsLWhhdGUtaWYtdGhlLW5ldy13aW5kb3dzLTEwLTE5aDItc3RhcnQtbWVudS1sb29rcy1saWtlLXRoaXMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD13aW4xMC1zdGFydC1tZW51LXR4dCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) may make Start10 v2 very attractive) • SoundPackager (it's coming back!) • [Fences](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL2ZlbmNlcy8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWZlbmNlcy10eHQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==)® (our most popular program) We also have two new programs in development, at least one of which we believe will be released this year. However, the above list has some notable exceptions that we will want to hear from you about: 1. [WindowBlinds](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL3dpbmRvd2JsaW5kcy8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PXdpbmRvd2JsaW5kcy10eHQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==) - Skinning the Windows GUI remains a niche love for some, but in the age of high-DPI displays, we are seeing less interest in it. 2. [IconPackager](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL2ljb25wYWNrYWdlci8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWljb25wYWNrYWdlci10eHQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==) - Similarly, very few people change their icons these days. 3. [WindowFX](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL3dpbmRvd2Z4Lz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9d2luZG93ZngtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) - This utility adds a bunch of cool UX features to windows, but again, people are spending less and less time outside of an app. These programs work fine on Windows 10, but you can probably imagine the specialized engineering talent required to work on these, versus the actual size of the market for them. We'd love to hear from you: [Make your posts here](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3J1bXMuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tLzQ5MzUxMS9vYmplY3QtZGVza3RvcC1pbi0yMDE5P3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1mZWVkYmFjay10eHQmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==)! [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution] Galactic Civilizations® is a space strategy sandbox game that asks you how you would rule your galaxy. You start out at the dawn of faster-than-light technology and are left to make decisions that will form and impact your civilization and its future. Because it's a future-based game, it can't tap into the rich history of the real world like historical strategy games do. Thus, for 25 years, we've made sure there was lore to back up the various alien species that are in the game. And after 25 years, the major story arc that started back in 1993 finally reaches its climax in [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FsY2l2My5jb20vcmV0cmlidXRpb24-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWdjMy1yZXQtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=). To be absolutely clear: Retribution, like the other expansions, focuses on improving the sandbox game. The campaign is strictly optional. You don't need to know the background lore to enjoy the game. So to recap, here's our story so far: [www.galciv3.com/databanks/our-story](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FsY2l2My5jb20vZGF0YWJhbmtzL291ci1zdG9yeT91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9Z2MzLW91cnN0b3J5LXR4dCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution] The short version is that alien civilizations mistakenly thought that the humans were pure diplomats. They didn't realize that if you scratch a human, a pretty lethal warrior bleeds. We're reformed barbarians, and through the course of the past decade-and-a-half of games, we've hinted, including when we introduced the Thalan back in 2006, that it's a really bad idea to push the humans too far. Retribution, campaign-wise, is really the story of whether the humans are ultimately able to hold back their darker impulses, or whether they'll complete what they started in Crusade. You can [read the various journals here](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9mb3J1bXMuZ2FsY2l2My5jb20vNDkzMjQxLz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9Z2MzLWpvdXJuYWxzLXR4dCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3). Retribution comes out at the end of February. We hope to see you then and let us know what you think! Visit [www.galciv.com](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FsY2l2My5jb20vP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1nYzMtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) to keep up on all things Galactic Civilizations. [YouTube](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vdXNlci9zdGFyZG9ja2dhbWVzP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD15b3V0dWJlJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) [Twitch](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudHdpdGNoLnR2L3N0YXJkb2NrP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD10d2l0Y2gmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOS0yMjAyNw==) [Reddit](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkZGl0LmNvbS9yL1N0YXJkb2NrLz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9cmVkZGl0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWZlYjIwMTktMjIwMjc=) [Facebook](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL29mZmljaWFsLnN0YXJkb2NrP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1mYWNlYm9vayZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) [Twitter](=/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9zdGFyZG9jaz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9dHdpdHRlciZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) [Instagram](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zdGFncmFtLmNvbS9vZmZpY2lhbC5zdGFyZG9jay8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWluc3RhZ3JhbSZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) [WinCustomize](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2luY3VzdG9taXplLmNvbS8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PXdpbmN1c3RvbWl6ZSZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249c2RtYWctZmViMjAxOSZ1dG1fdGVybT1zZG1hZy1mZWIyMDE5LTIyMDI3) [View this email in your browser.](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9mZWIyMDE5L2luZGV4Lmh0bWw-ZW1haWw9dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTJAZ21haWwuY29t) Stardock, 15090 Beck Road, Plymouth, MI 48170. 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