The Stars Our Destination — Let's Play Sins of a Solar Empire!

It's time for Sins of a Solar Empire! It'll be a few days before posts start in earnest, so I thought I'd put up a bit of a primer on the game and what you can expect to see here.



In brief: Lots of space ships blowing up lots of other space ships!

The game is a hybrid of real-time strategy games like WarCraft III and 4X strategy games like Galactic Civilizations. It requires (and in fact, allows) much less micromanagement and direct control over the nitty-gritty details of your empire than a 4X, but doesn't call for the brutal adherence to build orders and rushes that many RTS games seem designed to encourage. There is room for both grand strategy and on-the-fly tactics; you can direct your fleets by hand, but your warships are capable enough to handle themselves in a skirmish while you attend to other matters.

The playing field is made up of a number of planets and other celestial features surrounding a star, or several stars (for this Let's Play, we'll be using a single star and a relatively small system). Each planet or body connects to one or more others via space lanes, safe passages along which ships can warp through phase space. Solid planets can be developed to provide resources, ship construction, system defenses and so on.

Colonizing planets and expanding your empire deprives your enemy of the resources you hold, and allows you to use those resources to build a giant fleet. Well, eventually — the fleet starts off pretty small, with a free capital ship of your choice and a couple scouts. It'll get bigger, though.

Capital ships are the backbone of the game; they level up and gain new powers like the heroes in WarCraft III, and are generally the centerpiece of the fleets a player establishes. You may want to put planetary siege frigates in a group with a capital ship that's capable of colonizing planets, for example.

Several complementary, high-level capital ships working in concert can be an incredible menace, but they require support from the wide array of frigates, cruisers and fleet upgrades you can build, research and buy. And there's no way you'll have the time to research and buy everything — decisions, decisions!

There has been talk of an eventual story-driven single-player campaign, but Sins as it exists now is chiefly a multiplayer game — the game provides for matches against the computer, but there's no plot beyond the back story, and the computer tends to resort to predictable computer-y things that can be exploited for victory.

So, myself and `Hrist are teaming up to bring you this Let's Play. We'll be using the most current version of the game, along with the Entrenchment expansion, which introduces a wide array of defensive options to each faction.

The game has three factions — the Trader Emergency Coalition, a human alliance that is really good with resource production and ballistic weapons; the Vasari, an alien race with strong, expensive ships that do things like, oh, suck up the surface of an enemy planet and convert it into resources; and the Advent, a bunch of posthuman cyborg hippies that use fancy little pew-pew laser beams.

The Advent are smelly jerks; we won't be using them! Instead, I'll be playing as the Vasari, trying desperately to defeat `Hrist's TEC before the mysterious, all-consuming threat that destroyed my original glorious space empire catches up with me. It'll be fun!

In our first game, I was thoroughly trounced. My goal this time is, at the very least, to be less thoroughly trounced. Let's Play and see what happens!

Technical difficulties have run us aground for the moment. We will get this ball rolling as soon as possible!

*nunix rants about how the solar systems make no goddamned sense*

On the plus side, getting to field Wing Commander/FreeSpace/BSG-like space carriers with dozens of fighters is pretty fun.

Good, good. Get that out of your system now.

HOW CAN I GET OUT OF THE SYSTEM THESE WARP LANES DON'T MAKE NO SENSE! WHY ARE THERE INTERSTELLAR WARP LANES BETWEEN PLANETS AND GRHH ARGHH THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WHOLE SYSTEM BUT THERE AREN'T EVEN ORBITS AND PLANETS HAVE BIOSPHERES THAT MAKE NO SENSE IN RELATION TO THEIR POSITION AND THE "STARS" ARE MORE LIKE CENTERS OF GALAXIES OR SOME SHIT?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW AGRAGRHGHHH

So frustratin'. MOO2 mastered this, guys, and half a dozen of its freeware clones, why the hell couldn't you?

Anyway, I'm glad this is going to be a two-person LP.. there've been a couple of LP vs AI so far (I did one, Malefor did one.. pretty sure there was another?) and it's interesting but getting able to see both sides of the math will be neat.

To be fair, I don't think there are many video games involving space travel that feature realistic anything. From single-biome livable planets roughly the size of pebbles compared to a real planet to multiple livable planets in the same solar system close to one another (hello gravity wells), to solar systems basically being within spitting distance of one another... And that's just the physical improbabilities, not even taking into account social unlikelihoods such as universal languages, universal currency, single planet-wide cultures, near-identical appearance for all members of a given sentient species, etc.

And the whole thing of combat in space, at space distances and space speeds. This is what the whole "suspension of disbelief" thing is for.

Anyway! As I mentioned elsewhere recently, this game is on the short list of things I want to play as soon as I have a comp capable of playing it. I'm looking forward to this LP!

Sometimes I really miss having a PC. There are just some genres and styles of games I haven't been able to play for nearly a decade.

EDIT: Also, kudos for the Bester reference.

I'm interested in this game, but I've never gotten around to picking it up, so I'm really looking forward to this.

When I first saw previews of this game, I thought it was going to be like Homeworld, and I was disappointed when I found out it wasn't, though.

Our technical difficulties have been surmounted. We'll be putting up posts soon.

I'm excited to watch someone play the game thats been sitting on my hard drive for the last year as I go about doing other things...

I hear this game is like Homeworld confirm/deny?

Confirm in that it features space battles

Deny in that new construction is not taken care of inside a "mother ship," but on a planet

I don't think you can zoom in and out like you can in Homeworld either or that the camera is as free floaty but I don't know for sure

Also there's not really any "resource gathering" in the traditional RTS sense (there is but it's 100% automated and Town Hall-driven), also also the battles take place on many small maps simultaneously with no care about "terrain" or Z levels, also also also you control many planets at once in a space empire and try and gain territory, also also also also there's no single-player story campaign, just team or FFA multiplayer battles (either with people or AI).

They both have a tech tree and have real-time strategy battles. That's really the only thing in common. Not even the battles match up for comparison.

Sins is Civilization (innnnn Spaaaaaaace) + Starcraft, Homeworld is Starcraft + some kind of naval fleet RTS game of which I'm sure some exist but none immediately spring to mind.

mad props for the alfred bester shoutout.

If this ends up somewhere between either of Tom Francis' GalCiv2 blogs and CGW/GFW's classic Tom vs Bruce features (most appropriately, their Star Chamber write-up), I will be as pleased as I can be. /linkmarathon

The GalCiv2 blogs are some of my favorite things ever written.

Unless I have no idea what you mean by this, it is incorrect. You can zoom down to the tiniest fighter and out to a view of the entire star system map in one smooth motion.

YES

Now that I think about it, those blogs might be the first LPs I've ever read. It interests me that despite my affinity for Boatmurdered style in character LPs, I still like those two more.

On topic, how will the LP work? Will we be seeing explanations from both sides? Am I too impatient?

We'll each be posting about our own side of the match, with our own takes on proceedings. And breaking it up into manageable chunks, of course.

Incidentally.

* destroys all of Sarcasmorator's and Kat's bases, since they are obviously off doing something else besides playing the game and writing LP posts and thus vulnerable to sneak attack strike *

Oh was it Thanksgiving this week I hadn't noticed

But seriously I mean to have at least one post up before the weekend is out.

nunix is british; its understandable that he wouldnt know our holidays.

But he lives in Oregon!

What do I care for your suffering? >=(

Only in my spelling. It is a combination of Lone Wolf books at an early age and recognising the inherent superiority of 's' over 'z'.

Pacific Northwest has a metric tonne of British and Irish expats, so it works either way.

I initially read this as "What do I care for your stuffing?"

I'm now especially looking forward to this, since I get to see what the $10 I spent on Impulse will give me!

Incoming Transmission

Vasari attempting to gain foothold in Mirrin System

Proceed to Mirrin. Use all means to sink enemy fleet & capture enemy base

A Brief Introduction to the Trade Emergency Coalition

Welcome to Let's Play Sins of a Solar Empire! My name is Kat, and I'll be commanding the forces of the Trade Emergency Coalition forces in the Mirrin System as well as serving as your guide. My right-hand man in this venture is Commander Bright Noa, whom you might recognize as one of the greatest commanders in the history of space combat. We'll be be checking in on him from time-to-time over the course of our battle with Sarcasmorator's nefarious Vasari.

The TEC Expeditionary Forces

Strategy
The TEC has a massive economic advantage over the other two powers. Our ships are cheap, our trade ports are available relatively early, and we pick up a number of economic bonuses as the game goes on. In the early going, our money and ships are more than a match for the Vasari. However, we're no match for their advanced technology in the late stages of battle. In order to have a chance, we'll have to put the pressure on them early and break their lines before they get access to their advanced weaponry.

The Fleet
A few of the ships you can expect to see over the course of the battle. Special thanks to the Sins Wiki for the images


The Argama - Kol Battleship
One of the best capital ships available to the TEC forces. It's armed with a special defensive shield, flak cannons for enemy fighters and a special rail gun along with a heavy laser and other cannons. It's the only Terran capital ship that can really hold its own against the Vasari and their powerful weapons.


Javelis LRM Frigate
The backbone of the fleet in the early game. They're relatively fragile, but their long-range missiles rip apart enemy light cruisers. The LRM is easy to get, and it's great for defeating the Pirates lurking around the sector's planets. When the mid-game begins, we will phase it out in favor of the Kodiak and other more powerful ships.


Hoshiko Robotics Cruiser
TEC ships sport some pretty strong armor, enabling them to stand up to Vasari Phase Missiles, which largely circumvent shields. The Hoshiko adds to that by constantly repairing other ships in the fleet with its robotics. It can also sabotage enemy ships with the Demolition Bots upgrade. This is usually the first ship besides the LRM to join the fleet.


Kodiak Heavy Cruiser
The most powerful cruiser in the Terran arsenal. It largely replaces the LRM in the middle portion of the game with its durability. Since they take so long to knock out (especially with the help of Hoshikos), they make for great cover for light carriers and other vessels. They can't defeat a Vasari Enforcer one-on-one, but they're cheap enough that they will usually outnumber their enemy counterparts.


Percheron Light Carrier
This ship can hold two squadrons of either fighters or bombers. TEC starfighters are stronger than their Advent counterparts, but have a hard time against the Vasari. The bombers are particularly useful for taking out enemy structures.


Ogrov Torpedo Cruiser
Our answer to enemy starbases, these guys are basically missile silos in space. They fire torpedoes as long as a standard light frigate, but they can't target enemy ships. Most of the time, they'll only enter the equation against starbases, but they're also great for knocking out repair bays and other structures.


Krosov Siege Frigate
Used to bombard enemy planets. Later in the game, it can pick up the Heavy Fallout ability, which has a dramatic impact on enemy population. Siege Frigate are the quickest means by which to knock out an enemy colony.

Expedition Commander's Log: Just arrived at Mirrin. Still adjusting to all the green. Now that we have a foothold in the system, we need to prepare for our campaign against the Vasari. Commander Bright Noa will be taking command of our forces in this conflict. I'm told that he's a veteran of the One Year War and the Gryps Conflict. I'm also told that he's not afraid to enforce discipline among the troops.



Feeling pretty good about our chances against the Vasari. Commencing preparations for battle.

TEC Episode I: Foothold





Time to get started! My headquarters planet is a fairly standard Terran world. Since we got a "Quick Start," I open with roughly 3500 credits, 600 minerals and 200 crystals. I'll need to start by creating a reasonable stream of revenue, building up some research stations and constructing a fleet. When that's finished, I can begin establishing colonies and expanding my empire.



First order of business is to scout the area around my home planet. Having been furnished with a couple scout ships at the outset, it's a simply matter of clicking "auto-explore" and sending them out to do their thing. Later on, I'll want to control them manually so I can get a better look at Sarcasmorator's planets. For now though, I just want to see as much of the galaxy as I can.



I also need to begin constructing my fleet, beginning with my flagship. Most commanders opt for a mothership because they are capable of colonizing planets without the help of a Colony Ship, but the TEC's Akkan Battlecruiser is far weaker than its counterparts, so I opt instead for the Kol Battleship's excellent mix of powerful and defense. I won't be able to colonize quite as quickly, but it'll serve me well against the powerful Vasari fleet. When she rolls off the assembly line, I christen her the Argama and immediately spend money to bring it to Level 2. It's possible to wait for it to gain experience on the battlefield, but with an early surplus I can afford to simply buy the skills I need.





I'll want more than light cruisers for the fleet that accompanies the Argama, so I build two research stations while she's under construction. They will allow me to research Javelis LRM Frigates, which are extremely useful early on. Until I get access to the more powerful Kodiaks and Percherons, I'll be using the LRMs almost exclusively. While I build my flagship and research the weapons I need, my scouts uncover the planets nearby.



Tactical Analysis Time!

Okay, so this isn't good. Ennomos can be colonize easily enough, but Chaonis is volcanic and Agasthenes and Tyr are ice worlds. Human colonists have a troubling aversion to extreme temperatures, so I'll have to construct two civilian research stations if I want to take them. That means fewer planets and less money in the early going.



Yeah, damn humans and their weak constitutions!





Anyway, I decide to dispatch the Argama to Ennomos to begin the colonization process. I haven't started building LRMs yet, but the Argama is more than powerful enough to handle the Pirate frigates that are hanging around in orbit. As Bright embarks on his first mission, I also begin work building a colony ship.



The Argama quickly arrives at Ennomos and engages the enemy forces. While Bright pounds an enemy light frigate, the communication staff back on Mirrin intercepts and translates a transmission by the Vasari commander. Tactical spends so much time puzzling over it that they don't even notice when the Colony Ship jumps out early and flies right into the middle of the fire fight.



The tiny Colony Ship is in no immediate danger, but that's not the problem. The problem is that the Siege Frigate nearby has more than enough firepower to put my fragile new colony in mortal danger. The new colony is quickly established with the help of the ship's "auto-colonize" feature, and the Siege Frigate promptly begins bombarding the helpless colonists. The Argama quickly moves to intercept, but I spend a few tense moments wondering if the colony will succumb and set me back even further.