The release of Stardock and GPG's RTS-action title Demigod has been a troubled one. With thousands of players--legitimate users and otherwise--harassing the game's servers, the title was made unplayable online for many.

"Demigod's connectivity problems have basically boiled down to 1 bad design decision and 1 architectural limitation," writes Stardock CEO Brad Wardell in a new blog post that outlines the situation.

Wardell explains, in storybook format, the reason that hypothetical Demigod players "Tom" and "Alice" probably have had issues playing Demigod online. The whole thing has something to do with sockets, and considering I thought the show "24" invented those, it's best left to the technical minded. The short form is that help is on the way.

The current plan includes a patch on Wednesday that will... Read more

The software sales charts are in for the second full week of April, showing a strong debut for the piracy-ridden Demigod at US retailers, with Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor continuing to do well at both retail outlets and digital distributor Direct2Drive.

While NPD's list mostly reorganized that of last week, Direct2Drive saw some more significant changes, with MLB 2K9 and Civ IV charting due to newly lower prices.

NPD's Top Ten (4/12 - 4/18)

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King / Blizzard / $38
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / EA Maxis / $20
3. Demigod / Gas Powered Games / $39
4. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor / Relic / $29
5. Empire: Total War / Creative Assembly / $50... Read more

Update: Stardock has asked the press to clarify that the below figures don't represent overall sales, but simply the breakdown of pirate-to-legitimate users at peak hours.

Original: While around 140K people tried to play Gas Powered Games' Demigod (PC) online Wednesday, only 12% or so were legitimate buyers, claims publisher Stardock.

"We ended up with 140,000 connected users, of which about 12% were actually legitimate customers," reads a status update from Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. An earlier message had put the percentage of pirated users at about 85%.

While pirates are unable to partake in multiplayer, the initial version of Demigod pinged a server for updates when the game started. That was changed in yesterday's patch.

"We spent a lot of time today trying to isolate out the warez users from the legitimate users," Wardell wrote, noting "it would require a lot of surgery to actually break them and even if we did, there'd be no friendly 'ha ha pirate' message which... Read more

An update from publisher Stardock's CEO Brad Wardell details the problems facing Gas Powered Games's RPG-RTS hybrid and the steps being taken to resolve them.

Many players are facing difficulties getting online and connecting to games, issues Stardock--who are responsible for the game's multiplayer backend--are working on.

As penance for the problems, Stardock offers players the opportunity to play Demigod with Stardock employees, receiving tips and advice and enjoying all-round good games.

Demigod's launch got off to a bumpy start when retailer GameStop began selling copies before the release date, sending Stardock staff scrambling into the office over the Easter weekend to set up the matchmaking servers so the game was actually playable.

Gas Powered Games' action RPG/RTS Demigod has gone gold and will arrive April 14 on store shelves and publisher Stardock's Impulse digital distribution platform for $40.

The $50 Collector's Edition sports a pewter figurine of the walking castle Rook demigod, a soundtrack CD and poster, though probably not a sample of the Stardock office carpet.

So you skipped class this Friday to escape into the world of video games--only to find Demigod lead designer Mike Marr pulling you back in for an introductory course on the GPG/Stardock-developed RTS title.

At least it's just a video. And the quiz is still a few weeks off--Demigod stomps onto the PC battleground April 14.

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The talk began with a quiz. On screen, a few colorful pixels and jagged, aliased lines.

"Who can name this game?"

A few murmurs. Finally, one brave answer, in the form of a question: "Loom?"

Correct. Star Control? Yes. Definitely King's Quest. And who doesn't know that's Ultima?

"These games were once mainstream games," said Brad Wardell, CEO of Sins of a Solar Empire publisher Stardock, speaking of them fondly as he cycled through screenshots. "How long has it been since you've seen an adventure game at retail? Exactly."

But the subject of Wardell's GDC lecture was not how low the PC market has sunk, but rather how these sorts of games can still be made--and do very well.

Digital Distribution
As a case study, Wardell released sales statistics of Stardock's latest products as proof that the market for hardcore PC games can be a profitable one.... Read more

Here's another extended look at Demigod, narrated by Stardock CEO Brad Wardell.

Demigod is that game where you control a single, powerful hero in a competitive, match-based RTS setting. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but the video does a decent job of breaking down the basics.

Stardock's latest is coming out April 14 on PC.

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Below is the latest trailer for Gas Powered Games' and Stardock's upcoming PC RTS Demigod. Narrated by Stardock CEO and executive producer Brad Wardell, the trailer attempts to explain the game's basic mechanics--up until Wardell dies, anyways.

The full version of Demigod arrives this April.

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A few new screenshots of Gas Powered Games' and Stardock's upcoming RTS Demigod are copied below.

A hybrid of several genres--and inspired by the Warcraft III mod "Defense of the Ancients"--Demigod allows players to command giant hero units on a field filled with smaller RTS minions. Players level up their heroes, equip them, and do battle with opposing generals, attempting to sway the balance of forces in their team's favor.

Demigod is set for release sometime soon on PC. For more on the game, check out our preview.

Gas Powered Games' and Stardock's new strategy title Demigod is getting closer to completion. As these new screenshots demonstrate, the team has certainly completed the lightning effects.

Demigod is set for release in February 2009 on PC.

Gas Powered Games' strategy RPG Demigod (PC) has gained five new screenshots. Here, the player-controlled giant hero can be seen taking on hordes of enemies just like Defense of the Ancients, the Warcraft III modification said to inspire the game.

Now in beta testing for paying pre-order customers, Demigod is set to land in February 2009.

Demigod, the upcoming gigantic-hero PC RTS-action-RPG hybrid in development at Gas Powered Games, is now playable in beta form, all for the price of a pre-order.

Pre-ordering the game on the Stardock Impulse digital distribution service grants immediate access to the game inspired by the Warcraft III modification Defense of the Ancients, according to an announcement on VE3D.

"This is a limited time offer," reads the announcement. "Signups for this cycle of the beta test close on Friday, September 19th." The beta will continue after signups close.

Need to learn more about Demigod before taking the plunge? Have a look at our hands-on preview of the game to see if it's right for you.

Yesterday we featured the first part of my interview with Brad Wardell, in which the Stardock CEO thoroughly explained his stance on a number of PC gaming-related topics.

In the conclusion, Wardell and I discuss actual PC games--namely Gas Powered Games' Demigod, a game inspired by the Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients.

Demigod challenges players to control massive hero units on an RTS-like field of battle, capturing bases and upgrading their powerful gods between skirmishes. The game will support up to five on five multiplayer battles, with cooperative strategy becoming key to victory over the opposing team's hordes.

In addition to working closely with GPG on the title, Stardock is also plowing away on its own fantasy strategy game, which Wardell describes as "Civilization, with magic."

Brad Wardell: Obviously it's a lot more than just Civ with magic. It has tactical battles. It has multiplayer. Modding is integrated into the game. I mean users can actually submit--I wish we had gotten this game out sooner, because it's going to seem like a Spore rip-off. I mean you can literally add in your own stuff--it goes into the game universe. Read more..

To describe Gas Powered Games' Demigod as a DotA clone is doing a disservice to its target audience. Demigod is DotA for people who think DotA sounds like a division of Homeland Security.

So what is Demigod? Picture a PC RTS where the player controls a single, gigantic hero unit--an RTS/action-RPG hybrid. Each side has an automatically-spawning horde of minor units, with the Demigod's task being to either direct them to a specific location, or impact the battle to the point that your side eventually overtakes the opposing enemy.

As such, Demigods come in two categories: Assassins and Generals. The former are pure warriors, while the latter primarily take command of the minions, ordering them to capture specific control points.

At the beginning of a match, your chosen Demigod begins its life at level one. As you cause havoc, smashing enemy forces and fortresses, your hero unit progresses in level, each milestone granting one point to be spent in a branching talent tree. Talents range from passive bonuses to direct abilities, the skillsets being particular to each Demigod. For instance, the Rook, the game's poster-god, has a talent... Read more

Chris Taylor, designer of classic PC real-time strategy game Total Annihilation and president of Gas Powered Games, thinks that the PC isn't dead, but rather is repositioning itself as a different kind of gaming platform.

"We've pushed the limits of high system requirements, and I think the rate at which people are buying crazy new hardware has slowed," he commented to Gamasutra. "I think we've come out of that turbulent ten years," referring to the ten years since the advent of graphics acceleration hardware in games and its rapid progress since.

Demigod, Gas Powered Games' upcoming RPG

The next Gas Powered Game, Demigod, aims to respect the idea that most game-capable PCs are not high-end. ... Read more

Gas Powered Games has passed in several new screenshots from Demigod, the studio's new RTS-RPG hybrid bound for the PC.

Making use of the Supreme Commander engine, Demigod borrows gameplay elements from Warcraft III's Defense of the Ancients modification, allowing players to control a single hero unit as part of a massive surrounding battle.

Demigod is currently slated to launch February of next year, with a beta test scheduled for late this summer.

Gas Powered Games today released the first official trailer for its RTS-RPG hybrid Demigod on GameSpot.

Using the Supreme Commander engine, Demigod will borrow aspects of gameplay from RTS mods such as Warcraft III's Defense of the Ancients (DotA), allowing players to control a single hero unit within a massive online battle.

Demigod is expected to hit in February 2009 on PC. A beta test is scheduled to begin this summer.

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Gas Powered Games' RTS-RPG hybrid Demigod (PC) has been delayed into 2009 and will be published by digital and retail distributor Stardock, the two companies announced today.

Previously expected to arrive in fall 2008, Demigod was pushed to February 2009 in order to integrate feedback from the forthcoming summer public beta test. The game puts players in control of a massive golem, tasked with destroying an opponents army before the same fate befalls their army.

As with Ironclad Games' Stardock-published RTS Sins of a Solar Empire (PC), Demigod will not sport any type of on-disc copy protection. The companies also noted that the game has been budgeted for "many months of free post-release feature updates."

"Not only do we have a proven retail publisher, but we get to partner with a pioneer in the digital distribution space...a company that totally understands what kind of experience our customer wants and the quality game they demand," said Gas Powered Games founder and CEO Chris Taylor. "The whole proposition is truly refreshing.”

Gas Powered Games' latest project is becoming a little more clear with the release of a few more images.

Using the Supreme Commander engine, Demigod will borrow aspects of gameplay from RTS mods such as Warcraft III's Defense of the Ancients, allowing players to control a single hero unit within a massive online battle.

A release time frame and platform has also been revealed since the initial announcement: Fall 2008, on PC.