Install both vanilla and expansion

but still play vanilla campaign

from GalCiv2 Forums
I purchased Galactic Civilization II: The Dread Lords quite a while ago (over a year or so I think), but honestly I never really got into it or played it. I'll be honest, I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options and information in this game. And not being familiar with grand scale turn based games, I was completely lost as to what I should have been doing each turn. Especially in the beginning. I know there was/is a tutorial, but it wasn't a playable tutorial, just videos, and it wasn't very helpful for me. (a side note to scenario designers, a playable walkthru or tutorial would be great, instead of a static video... retention rates would be higher with participation instead of static viewing... just a thought)

Regardless, I've decided to give it another whirl. Am I just kidding myself? Possibly, but I keep hearing so many good things about this game, I'm still just dying to know if I can finally get my head around it. And this time I will persist... It offers me the chance to play the role I've always wanted to play, where I'm a vicious ruler out to enslave everyone under my dominion... muuuuaaaaahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa...

Ok, sorry, got side-tracked there for a bit...

Ok, so here's the deal. I'm compulsive enough to want the expansion pack even though I'm not completely sure I'll play it. It's a small behaviour trait of mine to just own it regardless... Believe me, my OCD tendancies will not allow me to install just the vanilla, I must install the expansion pack as well.

With that said though, can I still play the vanillla campaign and then the expansion's campaign with both of them installed? Or will I have to install The Dread Lords, play it's campaign, then install Dark Avator to play that, or can I just install both of them at once... Please tell me I can just install all at once, but still play them seperately (without swapping CDs back and forth)... This will make my OCD very very very happy....
7,031 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
After installing expansion packs you have the ability to easily go back and forth playing any episode that you wish. If your OCD gets the best of you then you can even have multiple games going at the same time. (Meaning that you can play one to a point, save it, then play another episode for a while, save it, then switch back.)
I will warn you though... With all of the great changes being made in TA, I am having a hard time going back to finish my last saved Dark Avatar game. I am just having too much fun with all of the new techs and strategies!

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
So I can then install both vanilla and the expansion, click the expansion's desktop icon, and still be able to play the vanilla campaign?
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Clicking the startup icon for Dark Avatar (DA) brings up a small window that contains a button named "Switch Chapter". This button switches the game from Dread Lords (DL) (vanilla GCII) to the Dark Avatar expansion. If you are thinking of pre-ordering Twilight of the Arnor and joining the beta then you will need to back out of the previous games and click the separate startup icon for TA. AFAIK there is not a "Switch Chapter" button for this expansion.
For the original DL campaign and the DA campaign you can switch back and forth all you like. Installing DA doesn't overwrite DL. For that matter, installing TA doesn't overwrite the original either. It just gives you another icon to click to start it up.

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
without swapping CDs back and forth


Once you have the games installed you don't need the cd in the drive. Just another great thing about GCII :) .
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks... I ordered and downloaded DA, and when I get home I'll try this whole epic turn based universal domination thing another crack... Too bad it wont run on my laptop, now I gotta wait til 10:30 PM... ARGH!
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
While I know this is not an RTS game, the campaign of most of them (RTS) are sort of an introduction to concepts and how certain things in the game works. Can this be said of the campaign of GalCiv2? Or are we purely at the mercy of ignorance in regards to what's available to us in the gmae?