Sins of a Solar Empire Preview

I was still largely ignorant of gaming during the heyday of 4x space sims. The Master of Orion series had hit its peak before I even bought my first computer and the only major breakthrough game that I've been around to play at its release was Stardock's Galactic Civilizations, a game that I immensely enjoyed. So when the opportunity to examine another space sim published by Stardock came down the pike I was more than up for it. Perhaps 2007 would be the new 1996 and I could make up for missing MOO2 by being present at the creation of a new 4x masterpiece.

Original Sin

Some members of Ironclad Games apparently worked on Homeworld, (I was around for that one) but the layout of the galaxy in Sins is flat as a tabletop; though the camera can be shifted to accommodate almost any vista. This is frustrating for those expecting the same kind of mind-bending depth of Homeworld but for the most part it works. The mind-bending in this game happens when you zoom out to view the galaxy. The engine created for the game is very scalable and I easily moved from examining the scars on the bulkhead of one of my capital ships to taking in several solar systems at the same time. As you discover more solar systems and planets you can see them as small dots on the zoomed-out map, and it is satisfying in a very visual, immediate sense to see your entire empire all across the galaxy at once. This may beg comparison to Supreme Commander but in this game you spend most of your time not zoomed out to the maximum hurling hordes of little cubes at your opponents, but fighting battles and building infrastructure around planets. 

How about those planets? Sins requires that you colonize a planet before you can build anything around it, and in the game everything is built around planets. Mines supply the resources that build your fleets, shipyards construct those fleets, defense turrets ward off raiders and enemy incursions and trade stations provide a stream of money; presumably in the form of duties. In the far future the free trade lobby is weak. 

The crucial nature of these planets and their relative sparseness provokes fierce conflict between rival factions, especially by mid-game when the planetary systems are more or less all settled and fleets on all sides have grown large enough for some real pyrotechnics. Combat is more or less point-and-click, and most strategy rests in picking a well-balanced fleet before the battle, which is quite a task all by itself. There are several varieties of capital ships with various specialties, from healing to shield deployment, to straight-up bruising. And there are squadrons of fighters, smaller cruisers and destroyers, missile carriers and even planetary bombers that gleefully fire what appear to be nuclear weapons down onto enemy planets teeming with life. Maybe mass murder from space is one of those imperial sins?

The economy of the game is straightforward like the combat. There are only 2 resources (metal and crystal) to worry about and they are collected automatically after mining operations are constructed on the asteroids which contain them. Money is made via taxes and trade on the open market. Crews are required to man capital ships, and you have a very limited supply that is only increased by researching very expensive technologies. 

Final Word

Overall, the game is shaping up to be a hearty plate of intergalactic meat and potatoes. It has a very slick and streamlined resource-management system, riveting and somewhat strategic combat and a vast galaxy to explore. The game just entered its final beta phase, Ironclad is aiming to release Sins in February 2008, and if you're at all interested in 4x or space you would do well to save the date.