I just came across this interview with Ironclad’s Blair Fraser with 1up.com about the next installment in the micro-expansions for Sins of a Solar Empire.
"The second micro expansion is really about both diplomacy and the non-military aspects of the game which will bring it more in line with the RT4X sub-genre we've labeled it as. Certainly, multiple paths to victory, especially non military paths, are part of that," Fraser said, adding that the introduction of additional game modes that will make the game more multiplayer-friendly is also a distinct possibility, pointing to the user-made Sins of a Solar Empire DOME mod as an example.”
Check out the article at 1up.com.
I would like to pick up the idea that changing the impact of diplomacy/culture on the game will dramatically change the way how the game is played.
Entrenchments Starbases will pale in terms of actual gameplay changes.
Then they still plan 2 (?) more micro-expansions, all together will become a full retail expansion. Hum.
I wonder if they really manage to create something "whole" out of 4 different expansion elements, but I would not mind if ONE of the micro expansions would feature a CAMPAIGN a la Homeworld.
That sounds like the game I was expecting when I bought it in the first place. I wish them great success in implementing this, maybe they'll be able to turn Sins into a game I'm interested in going back to.
YOUPI!!!! Tesla and I get our 10 secs of glory.
Really proud to be mentionned in a worldwide interview...feel REALLY honoured! An 18 year old's FIRST REAL moding creation is mentionned (even if it's for a sec) by professionals in the business!!
Unbelievable +_+.
BTW in the works for the DOME, we have 3 new modes. Victory Points (to be specified but in short terms you will have EVERYTHING FREE but longer build times. Extractors, once captured will dish out Points "credits" depending on their distance from your planet (planets further away give more whilst close ones give less...etc). And its either whoever has most points after 30 minutes wins or once you get X amount of points, an ability to wipe opponents planets becomes available (since the planet will hold the Planetary Shield Generator (invulnerable)).
2) Homeworld mode : Won't allow mouvement since this mod is sins v1.15 and not entrenchment but will try to give the same feel as Homeworld had regarding fleets importance and resources rareness.
3) Siege\Assault mode: Which needs futher refinements.
So if ever Stardock\Ironclad want the modes to tweak them out! I'd be more than willing to share .
One of the comments to the article:
Im betting Ironclad was all set to put Advent (Faction) in bikinis. DAMN YOU ESRB DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!
I second this suggestion!
Huzzah!!!!! Im glad they heard our crys for the stuff ESRB didnt like!!!!
Quick comment on adding new races. I feel when new races are added in expasions, it takes away from the current lore. Take for example right now all the races in the current lore are at somewhat of a stalemate. If we were to intoduce a new race it would already destroy the current balance lorewise and gameplay wise. Gameplay wise 99% of the time the 'new' race is some super powerful race that the other races must fight agaisnt together somehow. Its silly, how many RTS do this. If you come from an 4x background then your use to a large selection of races, but this is not a true 4x. The lore has already been set for 3 races. Maybe a 4th. I do hope when IC does add the 4th race they dont go the same path that many RTS do. As I mentioned above.
Congrats on the mention Shadow for the DOME!!!!!
Oh Risk 2210 FTW!!!!!
Sounds cool, can't wait for more intel.
I understand all the concerns with race balance for an RTS, but it just seems a little pointless -- at least thematically -- to be having diplomatic relations with carbon copies of the same 3 races. It hurts the epic vibe of the whole thing.
If they want to add the title 4x along with the RTS moniker, then they better understand all the baggage that comes with that. One of theses bags is definitely more races. 4x games in the past: GalCivII: 10 races and 8 minor races. SEV: 15 races and minor races as well. SOTS: 6 races. So ideally, I'd like to see minor races as well. The Rogues and the Pirates help with that, but they could easily take it further.
Sure, I could roleplay and pretend that TEC version 2 is some sort of human offshoot, but I would rather the devs do that for me. I hope they take a risk -- and I know it's a risk -- and attempt to balance way more than only 3 races.
But I also look forward to the Star Trek and Last Stand mod to fill this gap in the meantime. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, but think this was a perfect time to voice my opinion considering the topic.
I actually checked.
I'm actually a big fan of 2210. I'm curious exactly what they could gleam from the diplomacy of 2210. Hmmm. I'm guessing that you will have access to managers who help you with certain aspects of the non-combat game. A Diplomat, an Admiral, A General, etc. Maybe you can ask them for advice or to handle certain things so you don't have to micromanage them...
Or, they might just be specifically taking things from the Diplomat leader of 2210. Maybe there are ideas in his deck which they like, such as one card giving the player immunity from being attacked, stuff like that.
Sucker.
LOL!
I understand with adding 4x usually means more races. Im fine with more races. I just dont want them radicaly change the lore already created. If IC can add more races that fit within the current lore Im 100% for it!!! I just dont want it fit into that crapy uber race niche. Thats 99% of RTS end up using to add more races.
As for 2210, they might adda unit like the dipolmacy commander that allows certaint abilites.
Why must they do it just because someone else did it? The best games are not those that copy the existing ones. The best ones are the ones that innovate. Hence why Sins is sooo good. It takes RTS to a whole new level....
If they really want to take it to a whole new level, then a dozen perfectly balanced factions would be quite impressive.
Now to mention the 12 different play styles (at 6 for now) for multiplayer
lol!!
I really hope they don't make a bunch of new races. To keep up quality we'd have to wait periods of years, and by then, graphics, gameplay, etc. will be continually upgraded by other developers and this game will be irrelevant. If they sacrifice quality there is no point in playing something terribly balanced, I won't even touch it. If I wanted terrible balance and therefore gameplay with contrived ill thought lore for the sake of more variety I would download mods.
I think they're doing fine with upgrading the depth of the game/interface/game modes while keeping it balanced tbh
I wonder what the new expansion will be called. "Alliance" has already been done. "Unity" is taken as well.
"Universal Exchange"???
"Entrancement"
"Infiltration" sounds about right. Diplomacy and espionage go hand in hand.
Oh now that's just wrong!
I lol'ed pretty hard on this one.
Only if you're not me. Which, I guess you're not. Sucker.
Well, Entrancement is perfectly valid. I mean, just look at those Advent curves. And you just know they'd realize that in the future clothes are a waste of valuable resources. Oh, this isn't the dirty minds thread?
While I agree that the "4x" moniker implies more races (as well as, frankly, a lot of other checks that Sins fails to cash) I'd settle for a greater diversification of the races we have at this point. As it stands now, they play far too similarly to be as diverse in background as they're portrayed. Perhaps, taking that idea further, we could have sub-factions of each race with minor differences, and then major differences between the major races. That way you could get many distinct factions in a game without having to populate the lore in a way that might seem like a forced retcon.
I'm ok with how the races are not completely diverse. In a setting where it's possible for Alliances and trade to be struck up between different factions it's non sensicle to imagine they wouldn't be borrowing/reverse engineering each others technologies to some extent and therefore watering the differences down tactically and technologically.
I'm absolutely dumbfounded though that some people are arguing against extra races. On a game that can be played on the scale Sins can it feels like such a wasted opportunity to only be able to have 10 factions of only 3 races
I'm no Sins lore guru because that sort of thing means very little to me but does the Sins lore really exclude the idea that there are other races living in the Sins galaxy right now? Each game isn't a representation of the beggining of the war to the end of it, each is a battle within the greater war surely? And so the idea that there might be other races involved in these battles isn't crazy. Christ....who would cry about lore being expanded for the sake of a more fun game?
Ya Haree78, the "lore" comments perplex me. Sins doesn't even have a campaign yet. The only lore we've got came from a short cinematic (more like picture-matic) with some voice over. Hopefully, there's a lot more to come.
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