Stardock, are you listening?

from Sins Forums

For the record I like this game alot.  Here is my rant:

I love Galactic Civs.  It is an amazing game.  I recently purchased Sins of a Solar Empire to see what Stardock can produce in a RTS space based game.  I'm impressed with the execution of the game and game engine, but completely disgusted with the lack of Galatic Civs like features.  I want to build my own custom ships and races.  I want to save those custom races + custom ships and then set those profles as opposing AI.  I created over a dozen races with their uniqe ship designs and abilites.  I had "the federation" from the star trek type race/ships all the way to organic looking ships designs and races.  I could set everything to random and go set off in a new galaxy of a random size with an unknown number of AI with race/ship profiles I had created.  The game is awesome.  It had nearly infinite replay value.

Unfortunately the visuals of the game and combat were a let down.  After a climatic buildup of forces against uniqe races and ships, I recive a cut sceen of the battle.  Lame, but such is the nature of turned based strategy. 

OK I understand it is difficult to build ships in real time in a RTS strategy game.  This is still no excuse for the lack of content found in Sins of a Solar Empire.  I'm curious to know the answers to the following questions.

 

Why only 3 ship designs?  It can't be that hard to say, have 30 or so different skins for the ships?

Why so few race images? 

Why is one image only available with TEC ship designs, but not with another?  I like the Advant ship design, but I do not like the Advant race pictures.  This is bittersweet.

I understand this game is not Galactic Civs and does not have the ability to create your own race and ships designs, but can we at least have more ship styles and race images to select from to get some of that "custom" ability into the game by having a greater number of preset content (ship styles, races ect) options?  I don't care about the story.  It doesn't matter. 

This I am very curious about:

Why not blend the Galactic Civs turn based engine with the RTS engine of Sins of a Solar Empire?  Essentially you have a turn based game (Galatic Civs) with the ability to create your own custom ships and races, but upon contact, or battle, of any of the races/players the turn based game goes into RTS al la Sins of a Solar Empire by selecting an option in a pop-up window?  This replaces the lameness of cut sceens found in Galactic Civs.  Prehaps every time the player enters a solar system the engine switches over to the RTS and exits into turn based?

This has already been done with Clash of Nations: Leaders of WWII.  It is a turn based strategy game with the ability to be "present in the battle" where the game then switches into RTS.  Unfortunately this game is set in the very lame and overly boring WWII genre.  I'm done with WWII games.  I've been done with WWII games.

Sins of a Solar Empire has a great RTS game engine.  I eagerly await more content.  Galactic Civs has a great turn based engine, loads of content and in game modding.  I would really like to see Stardock blend the two game engines together to produce a Clash of Nations: Leaders of WWII style space combat strategy game.  Why not?   

        

15,766 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

I don't really get some of this like: "only 3 ship designs" huh?

Well as an advent fanboi, err that's what they look like, they are like psychic monks, so they are never gonna look like the 'imperial soldier' TEC or the 'oppressive bugmen' Vasari.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

I understand this game is not Galactic Civs and does not have the ability to create your own race and ships designs,...

 

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/306277/page/134

 

11 playable races, 11 new planet, 2 black hole, 5 new star, 80 new planetory bonus, 2 nebulae, 3 moons types, custom research, etc ...

 

And more to come in the next version... join our team and create your own race if you wish !!!

Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Simple answer,

Sins is NOT GALACTIC CIVS.  If you want a game that plays like galactic civs, then play galactic civs.  Anyways, Sins is a bit more a strategy than galactic civs.  There is no need in Sins to have such a story plot like galactic civs.  You can't complain about a game you just bought and expect it to be like the game you already know and love.  I think stardock does a pretty good job of coming up with different games for different people.  If you like to build customs races and all that kind of stuff, then play galactic civs.  If you want a real RTS and involves extreme strategy and very challenging players, then play Sins.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

I, too, enjoy Galciv 2 and its expansions. I am not a big RTS player, but have found the use of the Pause button to be very helpful in keeping Sins more to my speed preference. 

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

/facepalm.

 

Because its a different game?

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Also Ironclad made Sins not Stardock.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Thomas45567, reply 6
Also Ironclad made Sins not Stardock.

That.

It'd be nice to understand that little important fact before launching on a rant.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

It'd be nice to understand that little important fact before launching on a rant.
Good rants need no understanding.  In fact, they may be better without.  ;)

+1 Loading…
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

Good humor restored!

 

Well, till the next political/economical comment by some retard with a frontal lobotomy...

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

TheDreaming24,

It sounds like you want a slightly different game.  However, some of the changes you want may be satisfied by the mods that are floating around, specifically the access to additional races.  I'd check on the Modding section of the forum.  Also, if you just want a lot of races to play with, 7 Deadly Sins is probably a good option.

Unfortunately, a lot of the other changes you want sound like a major change to the game architecture - which is very unlikely 15 months after Sins' release.  You may want to start suggesting the idea to IC and SD for a new game with these kinds of features.  Personally, I'm incredibly happy with Sins the way it is.

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

I want to build my own custom ships and races.  I want to save those custom races + custom ships and then set those profles as opposing AI.

One part of the problem is that the real Sins game--where you get the real challenge--playing humans and not feckless AI--is online multiplayer, and designing your own custom ships just isn't really practical for that.

Online multiplayer is part of what makes Sins, Sins, and custom ship design is part of what makes Gal Civ, Gal Civ.

It had nearly infinite replay value.

Sins has excellent replay value also--if you play it in online multiplayer.

Unfortunately the visuals of the game and combat were a let down.  After a climatic buildup of forces against uniqe races and ships, I recive a cut sceen of the battle.  Lame, but such is the nature of turned based strategy.

I'm not sure that there would be room to improve the Sins graphics while still offering people good frame rates and low lag in online multiplayer.  My understanding of Sins is that it was designed with the intention that people who only possess modest computers would still be able to play it.

This is still no excuse for the lack of content found in Sins of a Solar Empire.

I agree with that, but probably in very different ways.  The game needs to have auto-download for custom (Galaxy Forge-made) maps, it needs to allow dropped players to rejoin games in progress, and Entrenchment players should be able to see and join regular Sins games flawlessly.  Integrated voice comm would also be a plus.

Why so few race images?

The race images are fluff that don't add much to the game.  I do agree that it would be nice to have some more.  That would probably be one of the easiest things for them to add to the game.  Also, I'd like to be able to pick one image for each race and not have to pick from a slate of three.

 

Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top

@CenturionJ

Unfortunately the visuals of the game and combat were a let down. After a climatic buildup of forces against uniqe races and ships, I recive a cut sceen of the battle. Lame, but such is the nature of turned based strategy.

I'm not sure that there would be room to improve the Sins graphics while still offering people good frame rates and low lag in online multiplayer. My understanding of Sins is that it was designed with the intention that people who only possess modest computers would still be able to play it.

I think that was towards Gal Civ

Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top

Yes that was directed towards galactic civs.  The visuals are very good in Sins, although the TEC ships are a little bit disappointing.

That mod sounds great!  Unfortunately I'm deployed to Iraq so I won't be giving it a try any time soon, as I do not have internet.  Sins is a great game.  I got a few friends hooked on it and am passing around the game in the room.  Trying to get a lan party going on in the room.

Rant or not, I look forward to added content in the Sins game.  It's a great RTS.  The game mechanics are well done.  There simply needs to be more than 3 ship styles.  I want to purchase entrenchment, but I have yet to make the decision as the game will offer only 3 races and ship designs.  I'm sure that in time, Sins will feature more and more content (ships, races ect) as expansion packs are released.  Is there any word out yet on the next Sins game, or are we in the dark until Entrenchment ages a bit? 

Personally, I would like to see a custom race builder in the options menu allowing you to chose a race image (from many images or downloaded) ship style (more than 3 options), a race voice style and the usual color and race symbol options.  IMO these options would allow the game to be immensely more enjoyable and have much more replay value.

 Strange, no one had an opinion on a turn based RTS compound game.  Has anyone here seen or played Clash of Nations Leaders of WWII?  The turn based nature of Galactic Civs with the RTS of Sins would make for a hell of a game.