Commander FAQ -- Read me

[Lightsleeper]

Commander FAQ

FAQ List:

• Q1: Will my computer handle Commander?
• Q2: There is problems with graphics / I have graphical glitches!
• Q3: Lack of landbattles?
• Q4: How do I disband a colony?
• Q5: I can’t build a ship!
• Q6: Coastal ships. What? Why?
• Q7: Pact – Alliance – what’s the difference?
• Q8: Where’s tutorial?
• Q9: Are there cheats?
• Q10: I Found a bug!
• Q11: Game won't start: "side-by-side configuration"
• Q12: "I get the message "Commander.exe - system error" The program cannot start because d3dx9_43.dll is missing..."
• Q13: Advisors, what are they, can I turn them off?
• Q14: Updates?
• Q15: I bought the game from Steam, will I also get an icon to the forums?
• Q16: What are the EXACT bonuses from ship upgrades?
• Q17: How do I increase production? Why there’s no population growth?
• Q18: I have an awesome feature idea, how do I make Nitro implement it?
• Q19: Is there DRM / Copy protection?

if there's something missing, that should be here, feel free to post it.

Q1: Will my computer handle Commander?
A1: If your computer meets the minimum system requirements you should be able to play with ease.

If you are having problems running the game and you have graphics glitches, you should install latest directx and graphics card drivers, please check Q number 2

Minimun req’s:

• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Video card: A card with 256 MB of dedicated memory with support for pixel shader 3.0.
• NVIDIA 7800 or equivalent.
• Laptop versions of these minimum video requirements may work but are not officially supported.
• Processor: 2.0 GHz Core Duo or equivalent
• Hard drive: 4.0 GB
• Sound card: DirectX 9.0c
• OS: XP / Vista / Windows 7

If you are unsure about your system, you can always download our demo and check if the game runs, just to be sure.
The demo is found here: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d.php?t=487665

Q2: There is problems with graphics / I have graphical glitches!
A2: Please install latest graphics drivers and directx.

Do not trust your windows to update drivers.

Always install latest drivers from your hardware manufacturers site:

• NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
• ATI: http://www.amd.com/se/Pages/AMDHomePage.aspx
• DIRECTX: http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-us...s/directx.aspx

If that does not help, please contact us and we’ll try to sort it out.

Q3: Lack of landbattles?
A3: “The most unique thing in Commander is still the same as in EIC: It's first and foremost a trading game (now also a management game) and then a naval war game.”
– Kim Soares, http://www.cota-game.com/?page=blog_5

Q4: How do I disband a colony?
A4: Enter peoples window in the colony interface and remove all your colonists. You need ships to ship them away.
You can always set taxes to 100% and watch the colonists leave.

Q5: I can’t build a ship!
A5: More modern ships are enabled at later dates. Here’s a list of dates and shipyard levels:

• Carrack: year 1500, shipyard level 1
• Caravel: year 1500, shipyard level 1
• Cutter: year 1500, shipyard level 1
• Sloop: year 1500, shipyard level 1
• Cog: year 1505, shipyard level 1*
• Flute: year 1525, shipyard level 1
• Galleon: year 1530, shipyard level 2
• Barque: year 1540, shipyard level 2
• Xebec: year 1545, shipyard level 1
• Lugger: year 1545, shipyard level 1*
• Snow: year 1550, shipyard level 1*
• Schooner: year 1560, shipyard level 3
• Brig: year 1570, shipyard level 3
• Frigate: year 1580, shipyard level 2
• Ship of the Line Light: year 1595, shipyard level 3
• East Indiaman: year 1600, shipyard level 2
• Ship of the Line: year 1615, shipyard level 3

(*)Only available in DLC

Q6: Coastal ships. What? Why?
A6: They are cheaper and faster type of ships used to move cargo in the New World and for piracy. The tradeoff is they can’t cross the ocean.

Q7: Pact – Alliance – what’s the difference?
A7: Pact allows your coastal ships to resupply in their ports.
Alliance allows repairing also. And with Alliance they will also help you in your wars - and you will be tasked with missions to help them in theirs.

Q8: Where’s tutorial?
A8: It’s built in in the game, you will get “black” tutorial right away after you start in top-right corner of the screen. Then a number of messages will be sent to you explaining core game concepts. Finally you can always go to your Advisors for guidance if in doubt what to do next.

Q9: Are there cheats?
A9: Good question. ;-)

Q10: I Found a bug!
A10: Tell us exact actions you took to produce the bug.
Here is few tips for bug reporting:

• Tell us the steps you took to produce the bug
• Provide us with screenshot of the bug, if you think it’ll help
• If the bug is reproducible and you can provide a save game of it, please do

This will allow us to fix it much sooner.

Q11: Game won't start: "side-by-side configuration"
A11: It might be that Visual C++ Redistributable -package didn't install correctly when you installed the game (or you might have checked not to install it).
You can find it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

If this doesn't help, then you should try reinstalling the game.

check thread: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d.php?t=489323

Q12: "I get the message "Commander.exe - system error" The program cannot start because d3dx9_43.dll is missing..."
A12: You haven't got the latest DirectX, which you can repair by going to DX site and download it, or install the game again and let the game install latest DX drivers.
Check Thread: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d.php?t=489088


Q13: Advisors, what are they, can I turn them off?
A13:
They are just people, you can either ignore them, or choose to please them.
There's always an option to play Free Campaign mode and ignore them.
Third option, stated here : http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...d.php?t=489328 is modifying the game files:

Originally Posted by Dasajev

Open Data\AI\misc.txt

And change max_active_triggers_per_advisor_start & max_active_triggers_per_advisor to 0.

That should keep the advisors very quiet. If you want to miss out on all the fun

Q14: Updates?
A14: There will be updates to the game, we will announce about them. Do not trust any 3rd party files.


Q15: I bought the game from Steam, will I also get an icon to the paradox forums?
A15: Yes.

Q16: What are the EXACT bonuses from ship upgrades?
A16: Here's a full list of upgrades in Commander with exact bonuses that should be in tooltips:

• IMPROVED RIGGING: +5% speed, +5% Sail HP.
• HEAVIER CANNONS: +1 month construction, +1 cannon level ( being fixed )
• HULL STRENGTH: +5% Hull HP, +5% upkeep cost, -3% speed.
• SAILS MANEUVERABILITY: Minimal crew -5%, Max Crew +15%, upkeep -5%.
• CANNON ACCURACY: Upkeep +3%, +25% long distance accuracy.
• BATTLE DECK IMPROVEMENTS: Sail HP +5%, crew damage -15%, maneuverability -5%, boarding bonus +5%, cargo space -10t.
• CARGO SPACE INCREASE: Cargo +10%, Hull HP -5%, Maneuvrability -5%, Speed -5%.
• BETTER HANDLING: Min crew +10%, Maneuverability +10%, Speed +5%, Upkeep +5%.

Q17: How do I increase production? Why there’s no population growth?
A17: Increase morale and population of your colony (with buildings and low taxes). Both production and pop growth will increase.

Q18: I have an awesome feature idea, how do I make Nitro implement it?
A18: Post it to forums, there should be a thread about those already: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...php?p=11444419
We check the forums often and always listen to what people have to say, and with luck some of the ideas may come up in future dlc's or patches.
Please be descriptive!

Q19: Is there DRM / Copy protection?
A19: No.
Steam version of the game has its Steam wrapper, which is kindof like copy protection. Other versions, like from GamersGate and Impulse have none.

[Lightsleeper]

Fixing the links asap.

And yeah, if you have something to add to the list, please contact me or post to this thread.

[acare84]

I bought the game from GamersGate, can I activate my game on Steam with my GamersGate serial? Or is there a way to do it?

[Lightsleeper]

Originally Posted by acare84

I bought the game from GamersGate, can I activate my game on Steam with my GamersGate serial? Or is there a way to do it?

No,
sorry,

Only boxed version and Steam-bought can be activated on Steam, afaik.