Sins of a Solar Empire
Release Date: February 4, 2008
Strategy, science fiction, RTS, in space, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet, LAN
A space real-time strategy game by Ironclad Games, a studio founded by former employees of Rockstar Vancouver. The plot tells a story of the war between the Trader Emergency Coalition and two aggressive nations known as the Advent and the Empire of Vasari. The players can side with any of the said factions which are characterized by different technologies, weapons, and strategies.
Videos and Screens
[3:52] Sins of a Solar Empire Beta 4 Gameplay
[4:37] Sins of a Solar Empire Entrenchment
Sins of a Solar Empire Description
Sins Of A Solar Empire is a space real-time strategy game for PC. Similarly to Homeworld, it is fully three-dimensional. It is the debut project of Ironclad Games, a studio founded by the industry veterans that come from Barking-Dog (Homeworld: Cataclysm, Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon) and Rockstar vancouver. The main inspiration of the developers was an old board game called Buck Rogers – Battle for the 25th Century in which we see a dynamic solar system, have space fleets, heroes gifted with special powers, and an ability to conquer planets. Other sources included movies that are popular lately, such as Babylon 5 and Star Wars, as well as ideas and solutions from the abovementioned games.
Plot
The plot tells of the war between the Trader Emergency Coalition and its two aggressive opponents known as the Advent and the Empire of Vasari. The players can side with either nation and then defeat the enemy. The available faction are radically different — they use various technologies, ships, structures, and weapons. Their mythologies and histories as well as warfare strategies are also unalike. Initially, the Coalition possesses slightly outdated weapons since war is not the essence of its existence. The Advent, in turn, are characterized by extensive psionic abilities, while the Empire of Vasari ave super advanced nanotechnologies and are able to manipulate the space. The goals of the above factions are also different: the TEC simply want to defend its territory, the Advent want revenge and access to raw materials, while the Vasari seek a place to rebuild their species.
Mechanics
Regardless of the chosen side, Sins Of A Solar Empire offers an epic epopee in which the players get to explore vast chunks of the space, fight fierce battles, and conquer numerous planets. However, combat is not the only feature of the title. We can also establish diplomatic relations with the inhabitants of various worlds, build colonies of planets’ surfaces and send satellites to their orbits, and extract raw materials. Generally, all known economic and diplomatic strategies can be used — we may form and dissolve alliances (including secret ones), blockade hostile planets, set trade routes, conclude trading agreements, manipulate the market, and so on. The players can also make use of the technological development system and numerous unit enhancements.
Technical aspects
The game is powered by a special in-house technology called Iron Engine which was designed to handle presenting the space voids. It uses the latest visual technologies, including the capabilities of DirectX 9.0c, Bumpmapping, Shader Model 2.0, Multisampling, etc. Moreover, apart from the single player mode, Sins Of A Solar Empire for PC offers the possibility of playing multiplayer matches for up to 10 players simultaneously. The developers also included a map and a scenario editor.
Last updated on April 10, 2016
Sins of a Solar Empire Summary
Game Series: Sins of a Solar Empire
Platforms:
PC / Windows
Developer: Ironclad Games
Publisher: Stardock
Sins of a Solar Empire System Requirements
PC / Windows
Recommended: Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, graphic card 256 MB (GeForce 7600 or better), 3 GB HDD, Windows XP SP2/Vista
Game Expansions for Sins of a Solar Empire
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Expansion
Strategy
June 12, 2012
A stand-alone expansion pack for Sins of a Solar Empire - a project developed by Ironclad Games, combining elements of real-time strategy with 4X mechanics. The expansion continues the story of the great galactic conflict. A group of citizens starts the titular rebellion, having grown tired of the war. Three groups of rebels are established as each one secedes from the corresponding party involved in the conflict. As a result, three completely new factions were created, each having their own development trees and modified ships, including a new class, called titans, as well as new battleships and corvettes. Similar to the core game, the expansion focuses mainly on multiplayer gameplay, being deprived of any standard single-player campaign. At the same time, the gameplay has been diversified, for the player can now achieve victory by different means. The expansion utilizes an upgraded graphical engine and offers noticeable improvements in terms of visuals.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy
Expansion
Strategy
February 9, 2010
The second DLC for the space RTS game developed by Ironclad Games and released at the beginning of 2008. As the title suggests, the expansion focuses on introducing new diplomacy-related elements into the game. Above all, the player gains access to a new screen containing data on relations between particular factions, which makes it easier to judge whether to maintain good relations with one party or not. Apart from that, the DLC offers a new unit - a diplomatic envoy, who can serve the role of an ambassador, but they can be used to destabilize unfriendly governments as well. Also, the expansion features thirty new technologies. Modifications were applied to space pirates, changing their functioning. Additionally, the DLC allows the player to sign trade agreements and assign different objectives to allied factions.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment
Expansion
Strategy
February 25, 2009
The first of the DLCs scheduled for the space strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire. The expansion takes the player to the setting of the core game, where three rivaling factions are fighting each other. These include the Trader Emergency Coalition, the Advent, and the Vasari. Among the most important features introduced into the game in this expansion, the player can find an ability to establish space bases serving different purposes, depending on the way and direction the player expands them. Interestingly, these can be constructed not only on planet surfaces, but also in previously uninhabitable space locations, such stars or gas clouds. The DLC features new units as well - these were created to destroy the previously mentioned bases. Additionally, the expansion offers new defensive structures and a set of technical improvements re-balancing the gameplay and eliminating flaws noticed in the base game.