Today Stardock & Ironclad Games are proud to announce the first of several micro-expansion packs, for the award-winning Sins of a Solar Empire. The first micro-expansion Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment is currently in development and will be released late 2008 for $9.95 via Stardock’s Impulse digital distribution platform (www.impulsedriven.com).
Developed by Ironclad Games, Sins of a Solar Empire is a real-time strategy game that adds an extreme amount of depth normally only seen in turn-based releases. One of the highest ranking real-time strategy games of 2008, the title has sold over half a million copies and won several Editor’s Choice awards.
Specifically, Entrenchment promises to bring fans a Starbase defense platform for each race (extremely powerful and armored bases housing a variety of weapons and other upgrades capable of defending an entire planet), turret upgrades for each race to make them more powerful (not only stronger than the current versions, but also upgradable with long-range weapons), mine fields and a Subspace Inhibitor platform that will slow enemy ships within its range.
Ironclad has two additional micro-expansions in development as well. One of which adds new diplomacy features to the game and another that will add new technologies and ships.
The expansions are being developed to prevent fracturing of the multiplayer community. If both players have a given expansion pack installed, the features are available, but if one does not, the expansion pack features are disabled for that particular game.
You can pre-order the micro-expansion now for $9.95 directly from the Impulse Store. Entrenchment is only available through Impulse.
No. We have no plans to do any work on Impulse to make it work with Linux (even in emulation).
All of the micro-expansions will be rolled-up into the big full expansion pack we've been talking about since launch. You know, the one with the campaign and all of that good stuff? The only thing is, you'll be waiting until late next year for that.
probably you guys haven't decided yet, but it doesnt hurt to ask: for which pack is said campaign planned? since the press release didnt mention it.
I believe that would be the one after all the mini-expansions.
Wait! So we buy all three expansions and then have to buy them all again in the summer release as it has additional stuff?
No I don't know how exactly it's going to work (if it's these 3 making up the whole big expansion, or 3+something else), but I can guarantee with absolute certainty we're not going to have to re-buy anything
Silly fox, only I have such power!
... want some?
Stolen a long time ago. Fox, remember?
Now I just have to get the hang of it...
Anyways, when can we get more detail on the expansions?
I've been thinking about the possibility of fracturing as a result of these mini-expansion packs. The main cause of fracturing (if it happens) will be that people’s play style/strategies will adapt to which expansion packs they have. For example, a person with Entrenchment will be accustomed to having powerful defensive structures and thus be unprepared and unwilling to play a game in which they cannot access those structures. .
A good player can adapt to (almost) any situation.
Will you guys at Stardock show us what these new defences look like?
Will users recieve a discount off the expansion in that case then? If they've already purchased the 3 addons that is.
Damn,i only can get my full expansion next year.
Noooooo...
Yep, I'm pretty sure they won't do that.
Still I would like a clarification. Because the problem is imho the following. If one of the mini-expansions is adding a campaign, you would need all the other mini-expansions (or the campaign would only include vanilla Sins?). Or the campaign would only arrive with the bundled expansion set, thus if you've bought one or two mini-expansions you have to buy the bundled expansion set and you would get a dicsount?
Also how is balance handled when one doesn't have the defene expansion for example, and not the new super duper planet attack expansion?
Inquiring minds want to know.
1. I don´t like micro Expansions. I never liked them and never will. This is just my opinion, I´m fine with others.
2. For 10$ it´s just to few content. For me 10$ is a lot of money. Actually I can buy a full Game for 10$. Even if you look at big bad EA. For 30$ you get kane´s wrath. A full blown Expansion with a 13 mission campaign with different difficulties, bonus objectives and over 30 minutes of cinematics with real actors. Additinally you get loads of new units and tech upgrades, sub factions with their own special units and techs and a crapload of new multiplayer maps. This micro expansion is 10$ for three defense buldings? Sorry Ironclad, but even big bad EA offers a better deal for my money.
3. When I bought Sins I thought small content updates like "Entrenchment" will be free. And no, 1.10 isn´t a content patch, it´s pure bugfixing. A long changelist doesn´t imply a content Patch. Espacially when some parts of the game like the network code are screwed up in the first place.
4. Have you ever thought about the balancing? Now the game must be balanced with keeping every shitty micro expansion, the big expansion and all included combinations in mind. It is almost impossible to get a balanced game now. This will be the dead of multiplayer.
5. Have you ever thought of the modding community? They could extract all the meshes and Textures from the expansion and can build a mod that could easily include all the features of the micro expansion and everyone can download it for free. At least this will work for singleplayer.
Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today 1-4 aren't worth responding to, however:
5) Would not be a smart thing to do, considering all those assets are Ironclad's property. Furthermore, a mesh won't do you any good if the non-expansioned game doesn't have the code support to know what a space station is.
This Company is doing it all right IMO I Love the way they are making thngs happen and the way they are saying F U to the other companys that are going rediculiously overboard with copy protection and crap. They have my support!!
this seems cool but if im going 2 pay $10 than im going 2 need more than new defences
Also remember, its 4 things for each race. So you are getting 12 new things.
Starbase defense platform for each race
turret upgrades for each race
mine fields and a Subspace Inhibitor platform for each race
I myself am still a bit iffy on the 10 bucks, but I usually waste more on fast food and mp3s in a day, so I guess its no big deal.
Considering the original game doesn't have a campaign, and the three packs add up to a rather beefy expansion pack, minus the whole campaign bit, I'm lost on why 30 bucks for an expansion pack in three parts is a problem?
Unless of course, buying all the micropacks doesn't get you everything that's in the main expansion and don't count for anything. In which case it's marketing homo tactics.
Ehehehe, I got 1 question. Any signs of any lunar activity?
And will there be more planetary bonuses / planet types, like in the Uzi PLUS mod?
And probally the 'overthetop' request would be asking for planets, that rotate around the suns, in a speed that's rational to the speed of time in the game.
The way this is currently sounding is that the expansions are a compelte no no for multiplayer. The fragmentation will be extreme, either that or everyone will just have to be content playing unexpanded.
If the three micro-expansions only form part of a rollup expansion, then they represent remarkably bad value for money when you have to buy them all again in the real expansion just to get the campaign. So all you are really getting is a sneak peek at the final expansion at $10 a pop to play purely in single player mode.
This all looks extremely poorly thought out to me. I think if this is to work at all then they need to release a lot more specifics as to how its going to work. I have no problem with £10 micro-payments, but Iwould like to see a lot more than four new buttons to press when I am playing a game.
Except you won't need to buy them all again.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for this, its just that as thing stand there are problems.
My point is, this is unclear and unknown. And the suspicion is, unthought of. If the full expansion contains extra stuff then there is a problem. All I would like is some clarity. This was supposed to be an announcement to provide us information, there are some pretty big questions over this that remain unanswered, both in content/value for money, and in community fragmentation. Despite what is said, there will be a really big problem there, backward compatibility only solves the technical problem, it does nothing to address the playerbase/community problem.
Tsh, I'm hopefully looking forward to moons & what I mentioned above (in addition to what has been stated, of course).. The only good RTS campaigns I have played was C&C 1, C&C Red Alert 1, Myth 1 and some in HOM&M 4...
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