This sounds nummy.  Can I pre-order it now?  What about now?  Maybe Now?  Or Now?  Now?  Now? 

Check now.

well, I for one don't particularly need new race(s). sure, I won't mind, but the things announced seem more important to me. and don't forget, 4X games have more races, because more often than not, these races are more or less variations of one single framework with an extra tech here, or some racial feature. sins' race balance is more the rts direction with fewer, but more diversified races. both are fine, but just don't expect a huge increase. DoW with sequels is probably one of the rare examples of an rts with more than 3 -4 races.

writing down .... yeah. I'd love to see in the mid future (that is in a decade or two) like a real ai. where you send messages in writing, anything and you would see some sort of intelligent reaction. basically an actual intelligence of sorts. but that's the nerd in me speaking I guess. would also be massively op for games. like the proverbial bazooka for hunting.

Shadowhal,

For example, Sword of the Stars (SOTS) is a turn-based 4x with real-time tactical combat and has SIX races.  Its first release had four factions, and added two more with two expansions.  It would be a great disappointment to me if SOASE doesn't at least get in the ball park of six races/factions.

And quite frankly, the TEC, Advent, and Vasari don't feel different enough as is to warrant the lack of races/factions.  Right now, it feels as if Ironclad's strategy is "just give a different mesh/name for the same frigate, carrier, etc."

It's one of this games biggest cons in my opinion.  I felt the first Dawn of War did a good job creating unique factions, even in the expansions.  I hate that "it's a RTS" and "balance" are excuses for devs to not create multiple races/factions.

I didn't play sots, but I believe you on that point.

we've had the race discussion several time over. unit wise, they may be similar, but most games use some sort of framework to fit in for races and then make manipulations for them here and there. the important point is: do they play differently? do they require different paths to win? I think sins races do.

as for the rest, I can't think of anything more to say from what I did. I won't object to new races, but there's a whole range of things I'd rather see and new races require quite some work to implement. actually, I find more than a handful of races almost confusing, I'd rather have fewer and those with big diversity.

Sure, but you don't mention that the only real difference between them is their appearance and how they move around. The tech tree is the same and that's the only reason it works. They use the same weapons, the same "parts" in functionality, except for a handful of race-specific ones to facilitate the aforementioned minor differences.

Same with the majority of GalCiv.

In Sins, everything is unique. It wouldn't work.

Excuse?  Balance is damn good reason for any RTS that wants to be taken seriously.  DoW 1 was a fun game, but after Dark Crusade it was impossible to mention 'DoW' and 'ladder' without generating laughter.  It takes a lot of time and money from the devs to balance a RTS with more than 3-4 factions, and most companies who try find they can't afford it, leaving a train wreck of balance behind.

I can't think of any RTS with more than 3 factions/races that felt really balanced.  Warcraft 3 was pretty close, but that was only after a full expansion and ~15 more patches after that.  Only Blizzard could afford that kind of support, and even then there are still some standout balance issues with that game.

As of SINS, well the player base is more casual so they could probably get away with looser balance.  Even so if they were to make a new race that played really differently from the established norm, it would require a lot of testing to ensure the new race didn't have a major advantage over the existing ones.  Nevermind that adding 2-3 new races that all play differently, as some people are asking, would require a long time to develop.  You'd need 3 full tech trees + the new defence tree, with unique research options and specializations for each new race.  You'd need 5 unique cap ships (possibly more if a future expansion adds to the existing races) with 4 different and balanced abilities each.  And if you really want them to be different, you need a completely new gimmick to go with each new race.  That's a lot of work, and once the micro-expansions are done will there even be enough interest in Sins to make money on this?  It almost seems more worthwhile to start Sins 2 rather than add a full expansion at that point.

  Congratulations to EvilTesla and ShadowMastif for their "Mode" mod!!!!!   This is quite a feather in the cap!!! Being mentioned by Blair himself in a worldwide interview. Very very very very cool!!!      Congrats again!!!

We are proud and happy you are getting the accolades!!  Nice work!!!

Take care and Keep Modding out there!!!!

-Teal

however they decide to overhaul the diplomacy system, it has to go both ways.  I find it more than annoying where AI opponents expect you to kill X amount of ships from this empire or that, but you can't task your potential allies to do the same.  What the computer is able to proposition you with, you should be able to as well.

If we see other options of aquiring planets they'll likely be through economic, though this might give TEC a unfair advantage with all the revenue they can generate mid-late game, so balancing might involve other factors on whether the AI is willing to sell a planet to you or not.

I'm a bit dubious about any diplomacy overhaul, as this will greatly change how the game is played.  Entrenchment gave some goodies for defense, but you basically play the game same as before.  If the next micro expansion is  changing gameplay, they need to open up the AI.  We're likely left with the same 3 races, a bunch of terrans who can move economies between worlds with ease, an exiled race, Advent, who can bend mind and wills with their psi and beam weapons, and the warlike Vasari who would likely still shoot first and talk trade second.  Does anyone else see how diplomacy has little to do with the back story between each race.  I think customized AI, at least for diplomacy is essential for any diplomatic overhaul to work.  It doesn't have to be anything fancy, even if it's just a set of sliders that determines how each empire reacts to the other based on certain conditions, and adjusting the level of trust when you start a new game.  I won't hold my breath for changing combat AI directly, but without the ability to customize diplomatic AI for each game, Ironclad might as well jump to their next micro expansion and put an actual campaign together for each race.

  I could be wrong here, and this is just an opinion mind you, but StarCraft, also by Blizzard was one heck of a game that had very different races, the Zerg being my favorite. But that said, Sins has in my mind a wonderful difference in that the races although being different, aren't TOO different, by that i mean going from one race to another requiring me to completely re-learn how to play.

But yes, difference and more races would be nice in my book, but maybe not too many. And the importance will be to have the racial differences be strong enough to play out interestingly.

Say a race of Diplomats? That attack with culture and intrigue and behind the scenes backstabbing/politics/influence buying without ever raising a fleet above small size. Perhaps they can't raise a fleet above small size. This could allow players who are very much into that kind of thing to play, and win in scenarios against the vasari, or tec or advent. Perhaps the influence could "turn" a forthcoming raid/invasion on its head and stop it. Something the other factions do not have the ability to even attempt.

Or Trade race, where trade ships and purchasing/selling to the market, or to each race is the prime point. Where fleets of tradeships are "guarded" by the advent or vasari, or tec, depending on what is being shipped and where. This wouldnt mean not losing any ships at all, but the "guards" or the pirate "buyout" could mean a mostly hassle free shipment of goods from one place to another. Perhaps in this scenario, the Trade Repulblic would only "win" in alliance with the faction that they pin most of their trade to, while "starving" the others, but that might be a decision late game after playing "all of the factions" in the beginning to determine which way the war is going.

Biological race, where "grown" ships (perhaps in the manner of Zerg or perhaps not) give them an edge in certain aspects of battle. Perhaps Giant ameoba that draw /absorb weapons fire from attacking ships and ultimately dies, but gives the small more fragile fleet the chance to sneak in and either "corrupt" planetmodules or ships, "infect" them so to say, rendering them either slow decay and erratic behavior or converting them, i would prefer the former as we already have a conversion ability in the advent, and it would be nice to see some difference from that. But with enough infected ships, modules, planets it could be a way where any of the other factions have the ONLY choice of losing vast amounts of low end ships or targets in order to overcome the relative at a distance killing of these infectors. This could mean warfare with this race in a more "indirect" approach, instead of stand off fight to the death weapons fest that we have now. It could bring a new approach and tactics of course, and by doing so could make the game more interesting.

What im saying here, is not just to introduce ANY race, or random-quick drawn thrown into the game kinds of races, but races that have distinct and very obvious and "Playable" differences. The ones i note above are only ideas, but my thrust here is to create a different kind of "play approach" when playing them.

Anyway, just some ideas and thoughts, take care and keep modding!!!

-Teal

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:

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!!!!!