(!!!) Sins of a Solar Empire Expansion (Sins-2?) --- ANNOUNCED --- !!!

[WhipperSnapper]

Breaking news! Today Stardock and Ironclad announced plans and minor details about the next Sins of a Solar Empire expansion: Rebellion

They say that it is a "stand alone expansion". It's unclear exactly what that means. It could, in essence, be a "Sins 2" that people can purchase off-the-shelf without having to own the original Sins, or it might just mean that if you own the original Sins you don't need the Entrenchment and Diplomacy expansions to play it.

As I read it, I think it will include all of the material from the original Sins, Entrenchment, and Diplomacy. Modfications to the existing races will be added in the form of "Loyalists" and "Rebels", each of which opens up a new tech tree. There's also a new super-sized capital ship, the Titan, and a new capital ship class will be added along with a couple new light frigates.

There was also some talk about integrating the Online Multiplayer with (the new?) Impulse: Reactor, allowing for chat and multiplayer leagues.

http://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/405917

 

[Elcs]

Single-player Campaign?

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Unfortunately, there wasn't any mention of a campaign. Perhaps if you and others request it loudly enough at the Sins forums they'll make one. They've heard many requests in the past, but I think they've said they don't want to release a traditional cheesey campaign and would like to make a campaign if they could find the right way to do it.

It's really a sandbox game played on a large variety of maps.

Maybe it will have a campaign editor or the capability to have a campaign modded into it.

EDIT: Confirmed, there are currently no plans for a single player campaign.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

well, looks like i jumped in just in time. "stand-alone expansion" means exactly what it says: stands alone, or combined with the previous game.

 

[Elcs]

EDIT: Confirmed, there are currently no plans for a single player campaign.

Then I'll be avoiding this again.

 

[zinfamous]

i barely have any time/brainpower to tolerate a regular single player 4x4 space game. no way in hell I can be pulled into this without that.

:\

 

[Maximilian]

No multi threading :thumbsdown: Sins badly needs it.

 

[lupi]

Came across this release yesterday when looking up something else. Rather sparse info though on what it will actually contain as far as integration with previous titles.

 

[Ross Ridge]

No multi threading :thumbsdown: Sins badly needs it.

Why? It barely puts any load on my system. The CPU fan doesn't even spin up.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Then I'll be avoiding this again.

In terms of game play, what do you hope to get out of a campaign?

Sins really isn't too different in principle from Civilization or Alpha Centauri, neither of which had campaigns. If you want, you could just make your own "campaign" by playing through all of the different maps one-by-one, first as one race, then again and again as the other two.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

No multi threading :thumbsdown: Sins badly needs it.

I think the biggest problem is the 2 GB RAM limit. I have been reading that in the next patch for Diplomacy, they made the game more efficient in terms of CPU and RAM usage. Also, there is a "Sins Optimization Mod" project which reduces the sizes of texture files so that the game runs more smoothly. I'm sure that team will produce an Optimization Mod for Rebellion, too.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

It's really a sandbox game played on a large variety of maps.

Atleast for the original, it was close to a sandbox, but not quite there. It really suffered from not having a campaign on release in my opinion. A lot more people probably would have gotten sucked into it if it did especially since they bothered setting up a decent backstory for it. The Civ/MoO games were fun just playing them, but when I played Sins I always felt it was missing something.

 

[Exterous]

Then I'll be avoiding this again.

I got a ton of enjoyment out of the sandbox games but to each their own.

I am very excited about this. I have a lot of respect for Stardock and the work they do - especially how they treat their customers and their stance on DRM

 

[Maximilian]

Why? It barely puts any load on my system. The CPU fan doesn't even spin up.

Play a huge map, normal/large fleet sizes with 5+ vicious AI's and get back to me, even a large map will bog it down.

I think the biggest problem is the 2 GB RAM limit. I have been reading that in the next patch for Diplomacy, they made the game more efficient in terms of CPU and RAM usage. Also, there is a "Sins Optimization Mod" project which reduces the sizes of texture files so that the game runs more smoothly. I'm sure that team will produce an Optimization Mod for Rebellion, too.

Well the RAM limit may be an additional problem but the game is definately cpu limited on an i7 @ 3.6 with large/huge maps and several vicious AI's even with small fleet sizes it will max out 1 core.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Play a huge map, normal/large fleet sizes with 5+ vicious AI's and get back to me, even a large map will bog it down.

Well the RAM limit may be an additional problem but the game is definately cpu limited on an i7 @ 3.6 with large/huge maps and several vicious AI's even with small fleet sizes it will max out 1 core.

I hear ya. Those Vicious AIs sure can pump out huge fleets pretty quickly.

I play 5 on 5's against human opponents all the time on the Huge Random Single star map and CPU-based lag isn't much of a problem unless a game runs longer than two hours.

BTW, if you are playing against Vicious AIs, why not come online and play in the 4v4's and 5v5's against human players? It sounds like you have the skill level needed to learn the PvP game. Your opponents won't get the monster eco buffs the Vicious AIs get, but they will be much more cunning and capable of real strategic thought. It's a lot of fun and most games only last 1:30.

 

[Ross Ridge]

Play a huge map, normal/large fleet sizes with 5+ vicious AI's and get back to me, even a large map will bog it down.

I've played huge maps with 9 normal AIs a number of times, and I don't see the problem. That includes fleet engagments near the max the game allowed on each side. I don't bother having the game zoomed into see the "action" though, but I don't see why you normally would. You get better view of the situation at a zoom level where everything is displayed as icons.

 

[lupi]

glad I never bought any of the expansion. Seems this will be in effect the third promised but later cancelled expansion released via re-release of the entire game in one package. preorde info is supposed to be up soon with some type of discount for those that did buy the little ones.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

It looks like they will indeed be selling it online at a discount for people who already own the Diplomacy expansion (or Trinity). Some people are pre-ordering it now. (I don't know why anyone would want to pre-order a game so far in advance without a substantial pre-order discount, but some people are absolutely infatuated with the game.)

 

[Maximilian]

I've played huge maps with 9 normal AIs a number of times, and I don't see the problem. That includes fleet engagments near the max the game allowed on each side. I don't bother having the game zoomed into see the "action" though, but I don't see why you normally would. You get better view of the situation at a zoom level where everything is displayed as icons.

Change it to vicious, normal is a pushover and hardly builds any fleets. Fleet engagements and graphics are not the problem its unit count and AI's, no single core can handle a huge map with vicious AI's except perhaps a sandy bridge overclocked.

 

[Ross Ridge]

Change it to vicious, normal is a pushover and hardly builds any fleets. Fleet engagements and graphics are not the problem its unit count and AI's, no single core can handle a huge map with vicious AI's except perhaps a sandy bridge overclocked.

Like, I said, I've fought battles where both sides had maxed out the fleet techs and build all the ships they could and comitted most of their ships to the battle. Unless vicious allows to the AI to cheat and build even bigger fleets than human players possiblly can, it's not going to show me anything I haven't already experienced.

In any case, if huge maps and vicious AIs are the only circumstance that the game needs multithreading, then Sin doesn't badly need it.

 

[obidamnkenobi]

Found the demo I downloaded a year ago (!) and I think I really enjoyed this game! But now I'm confused about this expansion. Will it include Trinity as well, or should I buy that and just get Rebellion later?

I'm also a little worried how hardcore the online play is with a game this old. Comp stomp sounds fun for this game, but I'm worried even then I'd just screw the team over (and I'd stay out of PvP for sure!). With a game this long that can't be much fun, or very popular Is there any point in coming into the MP part of this game this late, unless i have 6 hr/day for a month to practice?

I'd probably be fine messing around in SP, but MP Sins sounds kinda cool! If I'd ever get the time Ironically I prefer strategy games in general but usually only play shooters online, since it's not as "serious", and there are actually other bad players.. hehe

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I hear you Obi, I'm the same shooters= online only for me and RTS(s)=single player. I really enjoyed C&C3 & Supreme Commander but I simply am not good enough to play against other humans.

 

[zinfamous]

yeah, I've been playing this again over the last couple of days, finally trying to get into it.

I've gotten "better," but I still have problems containing the one other AI on my map. I guess I need to figure out the balance between when to pay pirates and when not to, if there is such a thing.

I prefer to spend more time building and researching, then going around wreaking terror, but I can't do that here. The AI are pretty damn vicious. I have them normal size, aggressive. I can wipe out a few of their capital ships in a a small area with my one large fleet, and not hear anything from them for maybe 15-20 minutes while I return to rebuilding and upgrading, creating a new colony or two. ...Just as I'm about to start placing my fleets in strategic points, they've managed to maneuver some fleets--no idea how they can rebuild so fast, with constant pirates on them and all of the colonies I destroy--to several of my planets.

so, one thing...what's the best for general planet defense if I don't want to keep large fleets there? I like to throw in 2 or more hangers, maybe a gauss gun or two, if I can. Not sure which ships are best to leave hanging around to hold off an attack if I need some time to bring my main fleet back.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

yeah, I've been playing this again over the last couple of days, finally trying to get into it.

I've gotten "better," but I still have problems containing the one other AI on my map. I guess I need to figure out the balance between when to pay pirates and when not to, if there is such a thing.

I prefer to spend more time building and researching, then going around wreaking terror, but I can't do that here. The AI are pretty damn vicious. I have them normal size, aggressive. I can wipe out a few of their capital ships in a a small area with my one large fleet, and not hear anything from them for maybe 15-20 minutes while I return to rebuilding and upgrading, creating a new colony or two. ...Just as I'm about to start placing my fleets in strategic points, they've managed to maneuver some fleets--no idea how they can rebuild so fast, with constant pirates on them and all of the colonies I destroy--to several of my planets.

so, one thing...what's the best for general planet defense if I don't want to keep large fleets there? I like to throw in 2 or more hangers, maybe a gauss gun or two, if I can. Not sure which ships are best to leave hanging around to hold off an attack if I need some time to bring my main fleet back.

i turned the pirates off. they are so OP they're broken.

as for defending planets, i take the fight to the enemy. i think the defenses are pretty much a waste of time and money. i notice defenses will slow me down in the middle game, but even in the late game when they're really built up my super-fleets go through them like butter. that's my experience in single player, maybe a human opponent can make them work.

 

[zinfamous]

i turned the pirates off. they are so OP they're broken.

as for defending planets, i take the fight to the enemy. i think the defenses are pretty much a waste of time and money. i notice defenses will slow me down in the middle game, but even in the late game when they're really built up my super-fleets go through them like butter. that's my experience in single player, maybe a human opponent can make them work.

I just have the vanilla game, so, from what I've read, Pirates aren't a problem for me--well they shouldn't be.

I finally figured out how their timer works, and I just bump up the ransom a bit while the skull thingy is flashing. I never really see pirates anymore. Current game, it's gotten to the point where the AI doesn't even try to put out a ransom on me--I think it's at 4k right now for him--so either he's completely broke and I'm seeing the last of his fleet--which is currently spread out all over my planets, lol...or well, I don't know what is going on.

I do leave some of the planets undefended for cost reasons. I don't expect them to deter anything, really. Just to slow the enemy down while I get my over-extended ass back from attack if I have no other options, heh.