As far as PC's go my "new" PC is now over 6 years old. Still running the old Intel Core II Duo with 32 bit XP Pro.

I did have to replace the video card last year with a Radeon HD 5770. I will have to break down and get a new PC someday just don't know when. This PC is still all I really need. If I play my cards right I may be able to skip both Vista and Win 7, who knows?

Ugh...after looking at Win8, i know i'll be using 7 for many...many years to come. Win8 is taking desktop pc's down the tablet ui road.

Every screenshot iv'e seen so far makes it look like exactly like a windows tablet, no taskbar, no start menu...just large apps on a screen.

Maybe you can reactivate those features, i dont know, but i won't be rushing to find out.

Technically anything after about the 8th (I forget exactly) turn decreases your score, given certain assumptions, such as already being at the maximum potential, but since you're still growing that's not true, and in any case it'll get flagged that early.  Not to mention you can't do it before what, the 9th as SD?

I got my copy of 7 when MS did their student deal, so I got 7x64 Pro for $30, and I'll be perfectly content to use it for a number of years.

I was thinking about building a new desktop, but I'm not really liking what I'm seeing as far as performance for the price goes, so I'm just gonna fix my old one (C2Q6600 stock 2.4 OCed 3.6 without a voltage increase, x1950GT) and use it for another year or more.

Ive got a mild OC going, 4.2 with ram left at 1600 (im on water and whilst using prime temp maxed at 55c ). i did OC the ram to 2133, just to run it though prime, and it was sweet. GPU is factory OC, so ill leave it be for now.

My Q6600 was running fine (been OC'd to 3.2 for months), but i only had 4gb ddr2 800 and with my 8800gts it was starting to feel a little slugish. So that rig will become the missus new pc and the one i built for her, core2duo E8500 with a 7600 gpu will be upgraded to 4gb and ill set that up for my boy.

I must say tho, the Q6600 is the best cpu ive ever used so far, 4 years old and still going strong.

I upgraded my vista ultimate to win7 ultimate and i will not be buying win8. And if subsequent versions of windows follow the path being laid out for 8, then me and win7 are going to get to know each other very well!

Nothing wrong with that-7 is quite nice.

Yup; that's why I figured I could hold onto it for a while.  I've only got 2GB in mine, so going to upgrade it to 4GB as well while I'm at it.

I'm still on Vista 64.  I'll probably go to W7 too, but not W8.

Here's the end result of my first game in eons.  It was starting to bog down with all the planet upgrading, but I was only fighting with 1 or 2 warships at a time against fleets.  It only took 1 transport to take down any planet too.  I figured I'd end it before the micromanagement got out of hand.

Who says the ToE is dead..only took us what, 3 years to revive her! LOL

Nice game, yup, i avoided all micro, i didn't use shills to trade or anything. i'll look to start a medium abundant all game in the next day or so.
Did you use ARC Motti? I'm thinking of still using ARC but going in an odd direction. Not sure what that direction is yet, maybe influence, idk.

Oh btw, Demigod installed. Let's rock!

I assume I had the ARC from when we used to play in my games folder.  I didn't ARC specifically, but I didn't change what was there.  TBH, I don't remember all of the settings. 

Good to hear that you have Demigod going again.  I'll try to find you on skype or in the game when I get home tonight if I'm not too tired.  It'll likely be a few hours though.

Must....keep....thread....active......

Disturbingly, that's one of her better pics.     

I thought so too, i saw no need in blinding us so soon in reactivating this thread.

I started a game from my newly transferred account.  I joined it up in TOE as 3vilTwin.  I don't think it'll be a spectacular score or anything.  More like relearning the ropes and all.  I copied the .xml files over from the Mottikhan games folder, so whatever ARCs we used way back when are still in play.  I dumped the ships files and started new there.

Still on long hours and not much gaming time, so it might be a while before anything gets submitted.  That, and I'm playing around with my new Roku streaming device.  Cool stuff.  I could do the same thing on my computer, but the Roku makes it easy.

BTW Neilo...

You mentioned trading shills a few replies back.  Are those the 1/1 tiny fighters?  If so, I found them to be unreliable as trading stock.  Maybe I was doing it wrong.

This game, I'm trading my tech for their transports and using their own hardware/troops against them.  Makes for easy invasion since the transports are parked right next to their planets. 

Yup, me and DJ played around with them trying to hit the sweet spot with them, and i found and used 2/2 tiny's but you had to be real quick with them. Get above the 10 to 1 military ration fast and then use them as trade. You could get about 4 ships per planet...roughly, but as soon as the AI got any form of military, they were useless.

The shills work only when they are an attractive buy to the AI, once they have their own ships rolling off the line, they cease to be of value to them, but then you use them for currency with the minors.

Now, all the above is off my very shody memory of how me and DJ nailed the best use of the shills, which i think Mumble then used to great effect as well, and perhaps the Kzin. Maybe if DJ can be tore away from SCII he may be able to shed some light on the matter, but thats about how i used em, best as i can recall.

Like i mentioned though, i didn't use them in my last game, and nor will i be in the next one (starting in a few days i hope).  I have GC2 installed, and played a loss out on my centurions character so i can get the purple heart medal, something i thought i had done but hadn't, oddly enough.

Remember when trading tech though, don't trade any of your diplo techs, since that lowers your advantage over the AI in trades.