Not non-Stardock purchases.

Sounds good!

So it's a new Stardock Central? Again? Well, at least I can close my Impulse account since I only have Stardock games on it anyway. Not having an extra bloat-ware program running in the background, no matter how invisible, would still be preferable though.

I'm suspicious that they will use subliminal messages in-game to mind control us--they're clever buggers over there.  Unpacking my tinfoil hats now.

@Kodiak888 : Still You never needed to have Impulse running in the background. Only needed to start it at need and then close it.

I don't care about boring as long as it works.

I hear that rubber scuba diving hats also work well... even better if your under water goggles happen to be rose coloured.

This is all I need.

What....

...a manicure? ....;p

I'm happy with this.  I will likely move my current Stardock stuff over to Stardock Central (I'd like you to keep that name), provided GCII and Elemental keys work on SDC.   Will keys work on SDC and Impulse, or will new keys be issued just for SDC?

I do wonder if you'll have problems with SDC if you try to get on Steam, given the issues EA went through.  Then again, you generally don't offer DLC, so I don't think Steam will care if you give SDC away with purchases.

That said, for beta purposes, having a system you can use yourself is crucial, since you can't rely on Steam/Impulse folks to update stuff 24/7 whenever you feel like it.  Even if those days are gone, you never know when inspiration hits.   Also, this might give me a little kick in the pants to try your non-game stuff.

I think you are a little bit ahead of what's going on.

 Granted, it's not nearly as annoying as Steam; Yet, Impulse is indeed bloat ware for me. It is just another program I have to install to run a game. I don't need a program from every developer. If it is indeed a necessary evil, then please keep it small, simple, and leave out every feature that isn't clearly seated as a "need."

 Hopefully we will be able to download and update our games via Stardock directly again and leave Gamestop/Impulse to sink down to the depths of obscurity.

Ahhhh.... In between thi and FE, the old Stardock is back!

Will it require .Net ?   Java ?   Anything else I'd rather not have on my computer because of all the security updates ??????????

  What he said.

Simple means having a choice of where to shop and being able to buy from a handful of sources. I don't want to have an account with each developer just because they want to cut out the middle man.

So, is there an ETA on this successor... even a tentative one?

More importantly, will we be able to use our current archives to restore apps... or will we be forced to create new ones?

The reason I'm asking is that I'd rather ditch Impulse sooner rather than later, but until I have a reliable app to restore archives I'm going to have to hang onto Impulse, like it or not.

As for needing a program for every developer- you're right- I don't.   I do want one for Stardock stuff though.

The reason I want it is simple: Steam is something that can go wrong- so it's not my first option, and Impulse just doesn't have anything I really want anymore: the quality of their game selection has gone down heavily since the Impulse takeover.  Also, I may pick up some of the Stardock non-game stuff, and the lack of an updater for those things turns me off of doing that right now.

My guess is Stardock is doing this for the reason I mentioned above: that it hurts to not have an update program for their application side.  They are putting the games on there because there is a minimal cost in doing so, and because there is a hardcore anti-Gamestop element in the Stardock fanbase who wishes this.  They're probably a small minority, and I'm not hardcore anti-Gamestop, but I'm more likely to buy Object Desktop in the next year then a game on Impulse (and I can buy any Impulse game on Gamersgate or Steam instead, which is a better deal)   Also, ultimately, doing it yourself means that if something goes wrong, you've got a failsafe.  What if Impulse got hacked PSN style (very unlikely, but no system is 100% secure)?  Having a failsafe is a good thing.

I seriously doubt Stardock will abandon Impulse, so if you don't want to buy your games separately, you won't have to.  I expect the next non-Elemental Stardock game to be on Steam/Impulse/SDC, which will be even better for consumers.  

Our games will continue to be on Impulse as well. You won't need an app for every developer. And if we eventually put our games and apps on other services you can do that too.

It's worth remembering that we kind of invented this "buy your game and download it right then" thing. So when we started making this, we didn't have a choice.  Back then you either bought it in a box at the store, or you downloaded it via (at the time) Stardock Central. Services like Steam, D2D or whatever didn't exist. 

In the future, we are free to release our software anywhere we want. But for users who just want to get it directly from us we will provide that as well.  Plus, some things won't make sense anywhere but direct (for example, I have no idea at this point whether the Windows 8 store will let us sell WindowBlinds on it).

Wondering why so many people have an issue with Gamestop. I never have. Great place to find games for my PSP.

Not every program needs to be flashy.  When it comes to updater software, Functionality>Aesthetics.  I only use Impulse for purchasing and updating Stardock software anyway.

Small Memory Footprint FTW!

P.S. Does this mean Fallen Enchantress is going to be on the new Stardock specific program or will we get it through Impulse?

I'm suspecting Impulse, but I'd be really happy if you could use your serial on the new Stardock client when you release it.

That's pretty much what I was thinking as well. Always good to get some info in advanced though. Thank you my friend.

I always saw Impulse as both....functional AND aesthetic ...;)

[of course I come from a vintage of Architecture student where we adopted "black is Architectural" as an ethos]....;)