Hi all,Short note: I never, ever intend to flame or merely critisize. I offer the list here to enable Stardock to make their game even better than it is.I will not react to any type of pointless argument and respectfully ask that you only add what is useful to the well-being of the game Sins of a Solar Universe. Please do add any and all bugs or problems you encounter.Problems then.1) Too many warnings; at some point in anything over a medium-sized game there is an avalanche of continuous warnings that really just makes the game sound like a bad radio station. It would be smart to allow peeps to toggle warnings in a comprehensive list I think (reachable from a separate Game Settings menu item). For instance: the game may give me over 10 different warnings all about one single fleet jumping out of a gravity well (‘Jump sequence initiated’). In the meantime, it fails to inform me (the sound is overridden by the jump-warnings I guess?) that a Cap ship elsewhere is 50% health. Also, specifically: I can do without all the ‘discover planet’ warnings (I have eyes); I do not need the jump warnings (I told them what to do); and I most certainly do not want a warning every time a single ‘enemy’ scout enters a system. If it is not attacking me, do not warn me - sound about right? (auto-attack is OFF by default on Scouts & Colony ships right?). (Slight complication here when enemies use non-scout ships to scout…).My basic notion is: the feedback can be very useful, but the useful stuff gets drowned out by superfluous messages. Admittedly, it is fun to hear my friends, over voice chat, commenting ‘whine whine whine’ about the AI’s feedback .2) Impulse. The very first thing it did is: it split my Sunday RP group in two. Do you realize what happens if people who play games online, after years of MMORPG (where this works, no hassle) finally get themselves talked into (by yours unruly ) buying a PC Game again, and the first thing that happens is 3 of them cannot update?We go back to gaming together (other game), and four of them will never (read: another 5 or 10 years probably 8-) ) buy another PC Game. And they are *not* happy with Stardock. Very bad publicity. These folk used to play Stars & MOO2 etc. And now they cannot even update their 2008 game (and no 'revert' option so bye-bye multi).On any given day, if I look at the ‘last 10 posts’, there are an average of 2-3 threads there on Impulse problems. I personally feel you are shoving a mutility down my throat that does 999 things where I only want *one*: update my game with the key I have bought. Like NeverWinter Nights did, perfectly.I think for all your advertisements in Impulse, it very clearly costs you oodles of customers (the word is spreading) and in any case, it is in direct violation of the essential character of your own rather well-conveived Bill of Rights: you force players into using something they never asked for. Just let us update our games, m’kay?
3) Cursor keys seem to mess up other functionality. I hope you forgive me I did not write down which specific interference I got (my bad). It was after 1.095 I think. I do not refer to the fact 1.095 no longer saves key bindings. I mean I had to stop using the cursor keys (which I used for Ally Attack, Defense & Cancel Ping) because they no longer functioned right.NOTE This is an MS Naturalf (split) Multimedia 1.0A keyboard; the cursor keys have their own little pad.4) I often see how ships that are in a gravity well (a fleet that is) end up on the very rim of the well and at that point no longer react to gravity well status changes. Specifically: ships with ‘Colonize’ on AUTO will not use the ability (unless you put them much closer to the planet) - for instance when Culture drops to the point where the planet becomes colonizable. They just hang there (must be a pretty view ).5) Is it realistic to get the ‘Keep spending credits on bounty, fool’ message when pirates are Inactive? I know there are still some dynamics that work in the same way as Pirate Bounty - but must admit I have no real clue as to what still does or does not function (did not find in manual; maybe overlooked it?)6) I get Stardock spam in the mail. I had gotten it before, then unchecked all my ‘notifications’, but still got spam. I have been forced to put Stardock on the Spam list (in fact, you are the only one on that list).Not good. The second I fail to get something that actually matters (key, account info) I will be forced to leave. Please fix this so I can un-spam Stardock with my ISP. It appears as another violation of the intent of your own Bill of Rights: you say one thing, you do another. Bad…Note please that I tried to respond but got an error that said your quotum had been reached.Now that is aggravating: this is like AoC where for a good while I was unable to cancel my account. I fear scary publicity is all what you will get this way - and you mean well so please stick with your own style 8-) .You do realize some types of ‘promotions’ (‘No crying in the red circle’ - PotBS) can actually cost you a lot more than they deliver, right?7) What is the deal with Fabricators and Phase Stabilizers? Maybe someone already mentioned it: I cannot seem to get them to prioritize this. They do a few % then typically get a tea-break; finish it whenever the hell they feel like it. Fabricator Unions hmm?8) The problem I hear from all (!) players I have done this game with that aggravates them most is the sometimes very erratic movement behavior in the game. I have only been able to find that sometimes it is the result of having selected a fleet then clicking in another spot, having forgotten your selection. This is a player’s own fault of course. However, I also notice that when I tell a ship in a fleet to move to a planet (I often have to leave a Col - not Kol…Colonizer Abil - ship behind until culture drops for instance) it will do so, but 5 secs later (without me ordering anyone anywhere) it decides that planet is not cool it feels lonely hey I will follow my buddies after all. Worse: if a ship is Flagship (fleet leader), and I try to save it (severely damaged), I have found no way to make it move out of the gravwell and leave the rest of the fleet behind, other than first peeling it off said fleet (while I really want it to remain in). I cannot seem to find a way to simply promote (I know I can cycle the units) another ship to Flagship. I have lost hundreds of ships due to this 'behavior'.And there appears to be a completely unpredictable movement ‘dynamic’ as well, where too often we see groups of ships moving back to places where they just came from, without being instructed so.I wish I could be more specific on the last one, but it happens a lot and it is not just me - everyone I play with comments on it.9) I like the fact the AI can give me a hard time but some behavior is very erratic - by the time this becomes predictable, it becomes exploitable. Specifically: Allies tend to ask me for help when the planet they need help on is 1 or 2 jumps from the planet they have a really big, completely passive fleet on, and have had there for 30 minutes. They should not need me to go Ally Defense Ping their own darn planet for them .Often baddies have a good fleet hanging in front of my planet and just sit there and do nothing. I think some of it is related to waiting for specific (mostly Planetary Attack Frigs) ships, but often this takes so long any advantage they had will be lost (in fact, their fleet will be MIA ).I see too many instances where fleets hang around doing nothing. Fine (!) for easy or even normal play - on hard no fleet should ever be doing nothing, no? And most definitely not go planet A to B to A to B to A to (etc. ad infinity).Let me stress though that I have quite a decent challenge in the AI and that is meant as a high compliment (since I am really an ‘Atomic: Close Combat’ kinda guy).Well ought to keep you busy for a bit,Thanks for a wonderful game.Lucas aka SinfulPS Edits by me never on content, only style/typo’s etc.
PPS I realize this is too late for the 1.1 but I am guessing and hoping you will keep fixing stuff as the expansions come out. Would have posted in Beta feedback but it is more general than that; hence here.
* Since the more fair and crystal is the sky, * The uglier seem the clouds that in it fly-
* Richard III
Wow you brought up some pretty good points. I completly agree with your first point about the warnings. Lots of times when I play with pirates I want to hear the warning that says "Another Pirate Raid is Imminent" as this means I need to check and see if the raid will be directed toward me so that if it is I can put bounty on someone else. Many times this warning is covered up by things I don't need to know like as you said, warnings about scouts entering my planets, or new planets being discovered (I felt the planet warnings were kind of pointless from day one). Then after missing this pirate warning the raid will be launched and I will get that warning so when I check it turns out yes the raid was directed at me and my fleet is 4 solar systems away. Other times I get the first warning and then put bounty on another empire, but I don't get the message "The bounty on our empire has increased" because it is covered up by things mentioned above. It can definitly be annoying.
To answer your 5th point though, yes it is actually realistic. Many people get the idea that placing bounty on another race is only meant to attract pirates, but other races can get the money you place on an empire by attacking that empire's planets and ships. So bounty is also a tool to get other empires to attack someone who you don't want to deal with yourself.
I don't have anything to add to this list though, other people probably know of some bugs that still need attention.
Thank you Ironclad for making a game that I've spent entire days sitting in front of enjoying myself as I nuke a planet into submission!
In regards to any bugs that invlove ships moving without being asked, moving to the wrong places, not doing the tasks assigned, or any other possible thing a ship can do wrong... it never bothers me. To me, those add to the realism of SINS. Those ships just have unruly, young-gun pilots in them. They're only human, right? Well... at least I like to thnk so.
See, its not a bug, its a feature.
omg finaly someone who thinks my way
thx unisin, thats +1 karma for you for posting the major and most annoying bugs annoyances in sins
only comment i got here is #1: the Warnings
first of all, i totally agree on the fact that warnings should be heard, so many times a more important warning is skipped becuase a simple "jump in progress" warning is already playing..., the warnings should add up, being given 1 after another, not just skip em...
however i do "personally" feel that the "new planet discovered" and "phase jump in progress" are small.. but very important messages.. especially in large maps (and VERY especialy the phase jump in progress) cuase often i order a super-size fleet to jump then move on to other matters.. like economy, then im practicly waiting for the phase jump in prgoress taunt (or any other major warning) so i can move my cam back to the battlefield.... not hearing this taunt is VERY annoying (and can reuslt in me losing a battle since im not present to micro commands the SECOND it arrives)
so added up and back ot my previous statement... warnings should add up, being given 1 after another, not just skip em becuase another is already "taunting"
hehe, well u can look at it that way... but then lets look deeper... would u .. as a greenhorn pilot move all alone .. 1 vs 50 to the enemy then the next frigate, and the next.. in a vertical line so they have easy pickings???
cmm they dont even do that in the movie.. anyone with a lil normal sense of reality stays in formation -.- trying NOT to die.... atleast.. i were the pilot on say... a cobalt, i wouldnt dare moving up fast in front of the fleet playing target practice me being the target
That pilot was asleep at the helm. He died a peaceful death dreaming of last years Galactic Sports Illustrated Spacesuit Edition.
bah i guess i cant argue with that
LOL that must have been a good dream.
Excellent list.
#1 is very irritating, as you said, in the larger scale games when scout ships jump into systems alone and the warning makes you think that an assault fleet has come for one of your core planets. There is also the added danger that you might miss the important messages, such as an endangered capital ship. I have played several games that give you intuitive control over what warnings you recieve (Rise of Nations comes immediatly to mind) and it's an excellent (and I would hope, fairly simple) feature.
#2: I try to avoid politics of any kind (including gaming), but it does seem odd to me that the same company that released the Gamer's Bill of Rights would require the use of Impulse to recieve updates for the game. I'm not saying it's bad software (though it might be, I'm simply not qualified to make that statement), and it honestly doesn't bother me personally all that much, but it does seem to be a peculiar sort of contradiction.
#8 infuriates me. I've poked around on the technical forums and I believe at least some of that is a 'known issue,' specifically the ships attempting to leave a system in which they just arrived. It has something to do with ships autojoining fleets straight out of the shipyard and getting hung up on their rally point orders. The most recent Beta claimed to have resolved the issue, but as far as I can tell it did not. The only fix I've found is cancelling all move orders, then disbanding and immediatly reconstituting the fleet.
On a related note: your issue with flagship reassignment can be resolved by using tab to select the new ship, then hitting the gold fleet button under the orders command. It changes the emblem, but that's about it.
Hopefully some of these might see built-in fixes in Entrenchment?
Hi all,
I mistyped the title of the game, should be 'Empire' not 'Universe'. Did not dare try 'edit' .
Jetheren: good one I sit corrected on point 5; I do now recall the manual said that was the way to indirectly harass an ally. I guess it is just the 'bounty' word that I relate to Pirates. Please feel free to Ignore #5.
Shadow, and others: I think everyone will have their own preferences when it comes to vocal feedback. Atomic's Close Combat series is quite good (once you knew what each message means...takes a bit). It also has great 'priority' lists of Feedback messages (different colors). I would guesstimate Sins can have a similar system built in, without structurally changing the interface. For the record: I always promote 'more choice' - options, and the more the better. Just because I do not like a certain message should not mean you cannot hear it, and vice versa.
And that is also true for Impulse, I think, purply: I think peeps who want it should of course use it. There are many of those around. Those who do not want it (plentiful too), should not be forced to run it just to update a game. It *really* annoys nearly everyone in my Sins friends list. (Call their comments 'lively debate' shall we 8-) )
Thanks for the karma and most of all, the reactions. I may be off for a week or so but will check back after that. Keep the other bugs/problems coming and let us, indeed, hope this will be fixed in Entrenchment (at the very latest).
One real question is: should the game, having regular updates (which I applaud), not simply allow us a choice between the following three options?
1) update the game to the latest version automagically for me
2) (DEFAULT) update the game only to the latest *official* (non-beta) version for me automagically
3) let me update it myself when I choose to.
That would fix the vast majority of my (and my friends') problems with current update system.
Anyway, that's a respectful suggestion - if I get around to it I will make a 'Sinful Suggestions' list in a few weeks
Thanks again all,
Lucas aka Sinful
Stardock has made it clear they have no intention of releasing standalone updates and that Impulse is here to stay. There's a lot of reasoning behind it that I'm not going to repeat here unless someone actually wants to hear it all, but it has been discussed at great length
Aloha,
Annatar: I did not say 'standalone' - I mean an auto-update system, plain and simple. Easy enough to implement; every single MMORPG (have tested/played 40+) does it (out of need, of course).
Experience and logic tell me Stardock will not keep Impulse as a no-choice option if enough people protest - not unless they want to be known as 'ignoring the community'. It does not, of course, make them 'bad people' to invent Impulse. It would however give them a bad reputation to enforce it's use against popular demand (in fact I think that is what is happening; I write commercially, game material too, and would not be able to exclude the 'Impulse issues' from any review *if* I wrote one, which btw at this moment I have no request for).
At least that is my, perhaps-insufficiently-humble but nonetheless respectful, personal view
PS I have seen many things 'here to stay' go up in smoke in anything from 'no time flat' to 'excruciatingly slow'. I playfully suggest this is not always a bad thing. Check Wall Street this upcoming week...Impulse Shares down 20%!
But they're not going to spend considerable resources changing something they don't need to, and it's not as easy as you think because the installation does not require a serial and so it is not stored anywhere, which means there will be no way for the auto-patcher to check for a valid registration, which is why Impulse is used.
Stardock is a private company, they have no shareholders - which is why whatever Brad/Frogboy says goes. And his stance on this is quite firm
I sincerely doubt you can quantify that Impulse is against popular demand. Especially since the only reason Impulse (and its predecessor, Stardock Central) came about is from customer demand for an easy update tool for the multitude of products Stardock offers The Sins population is only a part of their user base, after all.
What you have to understand is that they've been doing this for a while. Before Impulse, they used SDC to patch their software. GalCiv, GalCiv 2, their apps. Sins is unique because it had to be released in a gap. It was supposed to launch alongside Impulse, but Impulse had to be delayed so Stardock had to release separate patches. But they always planned to have patching integrated as they have with all their other software.
And, their user base is still growing - not shrinking
Well,
When 3 out of the 7 peeps I got to be Sinners stopped playing it and the other 4 have not contacted me *once* for over 3 weeks for a game, and the issue at heart was Impulse, it means 7 out of 8 no matter which way you turn it. I doubt more than 2 of them - excluding myself btw; for now - will get 'Entrenchment' or anything else if Impulse stays.
I am never - correction: rarely suprised by unintelligent decisions it may well be they keep it this way. That is their prerogative. Ours is to say 'no thanks'. As you may have noticed, I try to offer solutions. You seem a smart person Annatar - how about you give us one too?
Annatar I appreciate your comments but like I said, the thread is not really for longer discussions. I register a problem, I try to help by offering an alternative. Some agree, some do not: an opt-out would be wise in my view.
Can we leave it at this?
Sure Wasn't my intention to start an argument, only to explain that Stardock is quite firm on this.
Adding one issue, not making new post since this is MOTS. Using number only as ref. help.
10) If I am not mistaken, an 'allied success' (nothing left but allies in a game) should result in Victory? I have played all scenarios (and many randoms but that's beside the point...) at least once up until 'Large'. Have many times won a game with - either locked or not; in the following case it was unlocked - some (AI; non-human that is) Allies. However in 'Large Single' random scenario the other day I had nothing left but 2 allies and got no victory screen (not that I mind - but it seems an odd bug).
The only thing I can think of that *may* have been different from other times: I am pretty sure I had 2 Allies left (and most other times, just 1).
Related: when I finish an allied-victory scenario, I think I *always* get the message (from my, mostly one, ally) that they declare war on me (as the victory screen pops up). The victory still counts (and I can 'PLAY ON' of course) but it seems odd any (mostly 100% at that point in the game) ally just turns mental because I defeated another player (more often than not, one they were at war with 8-) ).
I see no reason a player should not be able to 'PLAY ON' then decide themselves to alter the diplomatic standing? Would appear more in-style to me.
Good luck,
Lucas
I think I can answer some of that.
I'm going to assume that by "ally" you mean "have a peace treaty with", simple cease fires don't work for allied victory, as far as I know.
If you have more than one ally, it's possible that they might not be allied with each other and that's why you don't get the victory screen? I'm not sure how the game treats this, to be honest.
As for the "keep playing" scenario, that's normal, sort of. The AI needs at least one enemy, so if it's only the two of you left it will break the peace treaty so it has someone to fight. This is also noticeable if you are an AI's only enemy, it will refuse even cease fires even if you are at 100% happiness with that AI.
Hello,
Quothe the 'Tar:
> If you have more than one ally, it's possible that they might not be allied with each other and that's why you don't get the victory screen?
Well, that is quite possible, but either way (whether they are allied or not), one cannot currently determine why the Victory is not given so it should either be an addendum (epxlaining how this defaults) or, more logical in my view, an Option where you decide whose part you will be on in the continuing conflict (although I would prefer that option to include 'forget it I'm done since I'm not at war anymore'). In my view, a few more options in Diplomacy and a bit more structure are a good thing.
And I know the aggro-after-victory is the current dynamic; I listed it 8-). I just do not think it is logical. Anything that breaks my game immersion usually comes down to bugs or illogical decisions. Although the latter also appear - too often - in life; maybe I expect more logic in a game .
Let us leave it at that again then, since I really just want a LIST here of bugs/issues, with minimal embellishment and/or circumlocution.
Hi all, two more issues I found. Using continued numbering (please do same in refs but I much prefer you to add issues, not argue about them - let Stardock make up their own mind...):
11) In multi-slayer, the Pause no longer functions. If this is by mistake, can stop reading here (on point 11).
If it is on purpose, I respectfully suggest you put it back in as an option, at the very least, because my friends all agree it is unlikely to the point of impossible to not take a bio for 8 hours. Not healthy either . And sometimes there will be home emergencies - I noticed not having pause may result in some serious Family Aggro.
I know of several games that switched from 'Pause option' to 'No pause option' (MP only) but while under circumstances I understand it can be mis-used, it does not make any sense at all to make the majority of adult players pay for the misbehavior of a minority.
I would like that option back: if you want to you can put it there as an Option not a default setting, after all? Just put it under Game Settings - Sins is not the type of game where peeps will likely complain about a few more settings - in fact I think most will applaud it.
Novel idea: you could make a page with a few such options and have peeps in MP games vote on them. Whichever option gets a more than 50% vote, that's the way it's set in the ensuing game. And for stalemates (hope that's the right word): let the app do a RAND* and let peeps decide to either go with the outcome *or* enter a chat screen to argue on it?
* RANDom 'die throw' - not really random since I if I recall correctly it's based on the Clock setting but...it does the job.
12) In the department of Minor Inconveniences: why does the Pause key only work if I turn OFF my F-keys? Do not most people have their F-keys (and their Numpad) turned to ON by default these days? I know I do
I also dislike that all capital ships turn out the same at level 10. The game says "customize your capital ships", but at level 10, every single ship in the game is 3/3/3/1. There should either be more than 4 abilities, or we should be able to put more than 3 points into some abilities, so at level 10 it could be 5/2/2/1 or some other variation.
yeah, thats a bit disappointing. I'd say if the balance allows, the latter option would be nice. and if you don't exaggerate the values for the 4th level, it should work.
Agree, would be a pretty nice thing to have. Perhaps one of the mini expansions could add one additional ability for each capital ship... (dream, dream)
Hi all, new one,
#13) At the end of an MP game just now, checking the Stats, 'User Actions' (I think it's under Empire) showed as some vertical lines shooting straight out of the diagram-window into the black of the screen and after that, probably into the sky (I think I saw them hit Saturn's rings ). It is not restricted to my resolution; friend had same thing on smaller monitor.
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