CLEARLY, Stardock is going to end the world in 2012.

Or something.

I dunno.

He's cracked that codec, the final piece before the end of all things, as prophecied in Revelations, the tale of Ragnarok, Nostrademus, ancient Indian tales, and Battlestar Galactica 1980 - Now, only now will the four Dread Lords of the Apocalypse ride in their fully customized Precursor Rangers, with custom Corinthian Leather (TM) interior.

Woe unto us all for the Dreadlords have returned!

{G} - Jonnan

Cool as that would be, I'm 'fraid it was but a typo...beta is this wed

Beta on Weds... SWEET!

Bah - I care not for your 'logic' and 'factual accuracy' - it is a *sign* I tell you, a sign that the dreadlords walk among us, even now, planning their attacks for the end of all, as was foretold!

In a completely unrelated event, I happen to have four Precursor Rangers, recently refurbished, leather interior, mini-bar, only 1,000,000 lightyears on the engine, have everything a dreadlord would need.

You'd normally pay 4,000 bc for this kind of luxury, but under a special commission from the Psilon senate, I am entitled to sell you four, count'em four Precursor Rangers for the bargain price of 1995bc(*). Imagine the awe from your neighbors as you and your spouse cruise around the galaxy at high speed (**) in one of the ships that rained death over the enemies of the glorious and advanced Psilon Federation(***)!

J'nan Precursor Ranger sales - one stop shopping for your planetary devastation (****) needs.

(* Some taxes and shipping fee's may apply)

(** Anti-matter and Dilithium not included)

(*** Doom-Ray laser fuses and focus crystals removed, 5mW targeting lasers only)

(**** Planetary Devastation to non-class 0 worlds requires additional licensing and fees)

Cool i'll pay for them with a post dated cheque!

Our apologies, in accordance with the Psilon 'Bias against the temporary temporally displaced' and 'TARDIS technical teleportation taxation termination' acts, Post Dated Cheques only accepted from Gallifrey Residents, with three forms of ID. (*)(**)

All others please pay by cash, wire bank transfer (***), cashier's cheque (***), or major Credit Card (****).

Thank You for your interest in our product line.

 J'nan Precursor Ranger Sales.

(*) citizens not yet born at time of purchase may not be eligible.

(**) Telepathic Paper is not considered a valid ID in Psilon space.

(***) Bank Deposits confirmed with hyperlink and transferred to escrow before delivery.

(****) 'Dilithium Black' Line of Credit Required.

I have some questions about that...

What do you need to take one on a "test flight"?

Can you rent 1, I have one of those pesky reunions coming up. 

I think pulling up in one of these would do just fine.

Does it come with a pilot? I wouldn't want to scratch the paint coming out of spacedock.

So far there have been three attempts to informally schedule 'test flights'. These coincided with similarly unscheduled tests, for marketing purposes, of the Dirac nine targetting computers and the supercharged dilithium foci test of the central doom ray core system. While we feel that the high performance of these marketing tests speak well for the high quality and craftsmanship of these fine and well maintained Ranger class vessels, Commodore J'nan feels strongly that the antique nature of these vessels, the youngest of which is older than the dreadlord/arnor conflict, would render our allowing casual test flights of these to be lacking in the respect owed the fine craftsmen that built them.

Accordingly, no formal mechanism for scheduling 'test flights' has been put in place, although the Commodore happily encourages informal, friendly attempts to do so, as Admiral Tokas, late of the Drengin Imperial Navy, would surely attest should sufficient portions of his molecular structure be separated from the expanding vapor of the Dreadnought Chartung for deathscans to be effective.

There is a substantial deposit required.

Anyone wishing to purchase or rent one of these fine antiques should acquire an experienced shipmaster and crew for handling the day to day operations of a vessel of this type. The Commodore is particularly effusive in praising veterans of the Psilon Deep Space Survey as being quite capable of handling the occasionally strange logic with which the Arnorians designed certain portions of the ship, as well as having the sense of humor for dealing with Arnorian Artificial Intelligences which are themselves known for having personalities best described as . . . quirky.

Although it should be noted the Commodore, being just such a veteran, may be biased in his opinions.

As always, Thank You for your interest in our product line.

J'nan Precursor Ranger Sales.

So, it's Wednesday - I guess you had a major problem?

Maybe someone stole those focusing crystals and laser fuses that you pulled out of your Precursor Rangers and built their own Doom Ray, then nuked Plymouth Michigan with it.

You really should keep tighter security around those things J'nan, I mean, they might steal the whole thing next time, Corinthian Leather (TM) interior and all!  Can you imagine what they would do with one of those?

They normally release around 6pm EST or so.

Alas, Doom Rays are no use for orbital bombardment...

Who said anything about 'from orbit'?  Prop that sucker up on a building out of town, point and click...

Awww.  But I've learned a long time ago to not expect your betas on time.    That's not an angry dig at you, I still Stardock more than any other game company.  You guys just always seem to have an issue coming up that pushes release of a beta patch of the major kind back a day or so.

Such is the business when working with computers, which, while they do not do anything you don't "tell" them to do, thier language for interpreting simple instructions often translates that into "crash and burn".

Still looking forward to that update, SD!