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Sins of a Solar Empire v1.03 preview

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Sins of a Solar Empire v1.03 preview

A sneak peek!

from Sins Forums

Sins of a Solar Empire is the highest rated new PC game of 2008 as well as the best selling new PC game of 2008 but we're not resting on our laurels. 

Even now, version 1.03 of Sins of a Solar Empire is in internal beta. Stardock and Ironclad are working through the features and testing the new updates based on player feedback.  Once that's done we'll get a demo version out and then move on to 1.04.

Here are some of the new features going into v1.03:

1) Significantly updated computer AI.  The AI is substantially better than in the current game. We're also evaluating whether to put in a difficulty level that gives the AI added bonuses since, in any RTS, a top human player will always be able to out think a computer AI. 

2) LOTS of new game setup options including:

+ Pirates or no pirates in a given game
+ Fleet size
+ Income rate speed
+ Build Speed
+ Ship speed
+ Research Speed
+ Culture Speed

3) The open market for buying and selling of resources has been altered so that there are random fluctuations in pricing and can crash or boom based on player behavior.

4) Imrpoved group phase jumping for large fleets of ships.

5) AI will surrender if situation is hopeless rather than drag the game out.

6) AI players will replace humans in multiplayer if a player drops.

7) Defeated players who are observing can no longer give resources or place bounties (bit of an exploit there).

8) Lots of tweaks to Ironclad Online for messaging users.

9) Improvements to network coding for multiplayer play.

This is by no means a complete list. There's dozens of small changes based on player feedback (we'll give a complete list when we release the update).

Our ETA for this release is late next week or the week after depending on testing.  We want to make sure the AI updates work pretty well (and that means, ahem, lots of play testing!) and lots of network testing.

We also have a pretty large list of things to do for a future 1.04 so if your own personal wishlist isn't fulfilled here, there's always 1.04 to look forward to. :)

156,398 views 187 replies
Reply #76 from Sins Forums Top
So what kind of AI will take over after an player drops to match his/the other players skills? :)

And what does it mean that you don´t have to kill every planet now to win? How do you win then?

Have you also made a switch button to make planets appear in aplhabetic order/explored order, so that there is sense in using the empire tree with maps with more than 40 planets? ^^

Or can we expect something like that for 1.04. ;p I can´t distinguish the planet names from each other as it is now(I also think that there was some kind of messages you could get with planet names, but with no "jump screen to location" shortcut).

Otherwise, great super duper job! ^.^
Reply #77 from Sins Forums Top
And finally, any mention about using default files that are not in a mod folder to save space? Namely the 1.07Gb Textures folder?


Yes yes yes :P I've tried to post this in threads where it's come up, but supposedly we will only need the mod-specific files in the mod folders, rather than the whole deal.

That's the intention anyway, I know psugar (I believe :P) posted that a while ago. I think it was slated to go in with 1.03.
Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #78 from Sins Forums Top
Q: Does this upcoming patch fix the disappearing weapon effects when playing as Vasari, that some members here have been experiencing?


I was wondering about this, too. The proposed fix in the tech support area didn't seem to help me much and, for me at least, this more or less neuters the excitement in late-game battles with the Vasari.

Also, I don't mind the surrender thing being an option but thinking back to games like Rise of Legends and the like, nothing irritated me more than the computer simply giving up whenever it arbitrarily decides that I have the upper hand (and while the option to let it continue sounds nice, letting it continue but only playing half-assedly doesn't make me feel much better).

Beyond that, I like what I see. Looking forward to it.
Reply #79 from Sins Forums Top
Wow am I glad I supported you guys in the early days by purchasing the beta version of your game, I must admit I was very weary of paying for a game that was still in development but you certainly turned out to be a company of your word and definitely aren't slacking off with the post release support of the game :D
Reply #80 from Sins Forums Top
Need sploits AI. Wee. xD
Reply #81 from Sins Forums Top
Nice list. Albeit there is no mention of faster option for MP - I thought that was promised by devs.

And no PJI fix? Come on ... - game is pretty pointless to play ATM (well unless you like the idea of siege frig spam and nothing else)
Reply #82 from Sins Forums Top
Like, perhaps, a single player campaign?The balances and updates are awesome, but the game isn't complete until a campaign is issued. I really hope one is in the works.
As a counter-opinion, I'll just say that I think a single player campaign would be a complete waste of time.

Some of the greatest space games of all time, like Master of Orion II, didn't have a campaign, and nobody missed it.

I think all of the professional reviewers should be ashamed of themselves for constantly complaining about the lack of a campaign... "Ironclad has made a perfectly beautiful red ball, with no flaws whatsoever. However, since all balls these days are blue, we're going to subtract a point because this one is red, even though it's perfect."

Heck, I already think Sins has too much story.

Some of us actually like to roleplay a bit in a game, and every time I play a game with multiple opponents, I have trouble figuring out why in the world Vasari would be fighting each other, or the Advent would become best friends with the TEC.

Exercise that imagination! Make your own story!

On-topic, YAY! The patch sounds fantastic.


Reply #83 from Sins Forums Top
Nice list. Albeit there is no mention of faster option for MP - I thought that was promised by devs.And no PJI fix? Come on ... - game is pretty pointless to play ATM (well unless you like the idea of siege frig spam and nothing else)


Those aren't the complete patch notes, by the way, and Frogboy mentioned that. Those are just the major points.

Like, perhaps, a single player campaign?The balances and updates are awesome, but the game isn't complete until a campaign is issued. I really hope one is in the works.


Ironclad has said numerous times that a campaign will not come in a patch, but an expansion.
Reply #85 from Sins Forums Top
As a counter-opinion, I'll just say that I think a single player campaign would be a complete waste of time.


I agree 100%. I never played the campaign in GalCiv II, or very many other TBS or RTSs. There are exceptions, like Starcraft or Homeworld, but an incredible amount of work went into those stories, and really, their replayability suffered as a result. I would far prefer a detailed and enhanced sandbox mode (more control over a generated universe) than a linear, scripted story.

Reply #87 from Sins Forums Top
This sounds great, really looking forward to the 1.03 release.
Reply #88 from Sins Forums Top
fantastic list, I havent played in a month waiting for this patch, hope to see it in a week or so :)))
Reply #89 from Sins Forums Top

And finally, any mention about using default files that are not in a mod folder to save space? Namely the 1.07Gb Textures folder?

This is fixed in 1.03.

Reply #90 from Sins Forums Top
Looking forward to 1.03. I know the list is only partial - but I hope that there will be adjustable cost settings as well as just speed. I would love to see a way to increase the initial cost of getting a new colony going that way there would be more of a strategy decision required about what planets to colonize and when.
Reply #91 from Sins Forums Top
Please do add the Much harder AI... the current AI even if re-done in the new patch will most likley still not be very good and still play the cat and mouse game. I want an AI that will slug it out to the end. Hey thats what rebuilding fleets is all about.
Reply #92 from Sins Forums Top
There needs to be a random map for 6 player games... My personal favorite size thats not too big and not too small is misisng.
Reply #93 from Sins Forums Top
People are always talking about the AI not being hard enough? Has anyone tried something along the lines of a 6-10 (all set to AGGRESSISOR) player map with you Versus all the AI's. You on 1 team and the AI's are all Allies against you. That should make for one heck of a fight, I'd think. I've only had 4-5 versus me that way and for about an hour and a half it seemed a stale mate. When I'd get the upper hand the devils ganged up on me and mopped the floor with me  :SNIFF!: , it took me a long time to recover and eventually win. Indeed a very very long game. I usually dont play with LOTS of resources to start or fast research, etc.
Reply #94 from Sins Forums Top
I noticed that even playing a hard AI, he'll make a huge armada of light frigates and then run away at the first sign of trouble. My solution has been to put a secondary fleet at the planet the AI tends to run away to. Then they just keep jumping back and forth from those two planets until they're dead..

Even if that other planet is one of theirs, they'll keep jumping between the planets. I hope the new patch fixes that with the new AI.

The one thing I wish for is diplomacy that is closer to the Civ (and related) games. Which means starting with a neutral stance to all the empires on the map until relations change that. It would also be nice if the missions were more varied, and perhaps not so focused on destroying one of the other empires. Some times I'm just too lazy to go out and do that, or I dont feel comfortable enough to move my fleet from where its parked off to some far off place to maintain good standing with another empire.

What's in store for 1.04 :)
Reply #95 from Sins Forums Top
one problem i keep having in the game is my huge armada's will not attack a player i was allied with before... it seems to be humans.... anytime im in system as advent i have to manually select them to fire at each target if i dont they will just sit there and let the opposing tech forces attack while doing nothing to retaliate...


Is anyone else having this bug?


id also like to see the supply and capital ship limits increased... 16 capital ships is a small armada.... id like to have 2 or 3 fleets with 20 capital ships each... especially for the bigger maps (anyone played more than 10 stars) ..



Another suggestion how about adding some technology that make the ships faster and better navigation in combat... I agree with one of the earlier comments that its very similar to watching reruns of civil war battles where two lines shoot at each other...

But im so happy 1.03 is coming out...


Any odds we are going to get another race or two?
Reply #96 from Sins Forums Top
Looking forward to 1.03. I know the list is only partial - but I hope that there will be adjustable cost settings as well as just speed. I would love to see a way to increase the initial cost of getting a new colony going that way there would be more of a strategy decision required about what planets to colonize and when.
Just turn your resources down, which you can already do.

Having less money gives the exact same effect of things costing more.

I'm in the middle of a game with low resources, and you have to make some serious decisions in the early game.

There needs to be a random map for 6 player games... My personal favorite size thats not too big and not too small is misisng.
You do know there's this unbelievably cool in-game map editor for making random maps, right?
Reply #97 from Sins Forums Top
And finally, any mention about using default files that are not in a mod folder to save space? Namely the 1.07Gb Textures folder?

This is fixed in 1.03.


You sir, and your team, are God's among men, I cannot thank you enough. :LOL:

Reply #98 from Sins Forums Top
Yes, thanks for these updates. They will really help a ton with current game play.

Maybe a suggestion for future updates, would be a few more races. I know you all are working your tiny little selves to the bone to help make our gameplay more enjoyable, but some new races would really go over well I think.

Also, many of the members have introduced some wonderful mods. Maybe incorporate them into the actual game, would help us to cut down on some space too. IE, Uzil and his wonderful new planets should be fairly easy to incorporate into the actual game.
Reply #99 from Sins Forums Top
Yes, thanks for these updates. They will really help a ton with current game play.Maybe a suggestion for future updates, would be a few more races. I know you all are working your tiny little selves to the bone to help make our gameplay more enjoyable, but some new races would really go over well I think.Also, many of the members have introduced some wonderful mods. Maybe incorporate them into the actual game, would help us to cut down on some space too. IE, Uzil and his wonderful new planets should be fairly easy to incorporate into the actual game.


Perhaps whole new races ships/techs may be a bit much on the work side, how about modify the racial stats? Something like in Master of Orion II?
Reply #100 from Sins Forums Top
one problem i keep having in the game is my huge armada's will not attack a player i was allied with before.

I encountered something like this last night. I was playing Tec and I allied myself with a Tec normal AI. The other teams were 2 Advents, 2 Vasari, and 2 Random (Vasari and Advent it turned out to be). My AI ally failed to attack the dark blue Advent attacking his planets. When I attempted to tell the AI to defend its own planet and attack the enemy's ships it told me that it didn't want to attack an ally. The dark blue team had no problem steamrolling my AI ally player. They were supposed to be enemies, but for some reason my ally thought it was allied with the enemy dark blue team, which was definitely an enemy. My ships instantly engaged any dark blue intruders. I've caught the AI coming up with strange alliances in the past, but this one was extremely obvious. It's very rare that this pops up though.