Hi All,

Not posted often before, but thought that this stage of the Entrenchment beta would be a good time to do so, with positive "criticism" and praise where due. I basically think that this game is superb - one of the best of the decade, in fact. My thougths are only intended to improve the game, and, as always, I might be wrong!

Just a few thoughts:

• Someone else commented on the design of the starbases - I agree - they are spot on, and each reflects the "flavour" (if that's the right word) of its race

• The idea of 'Entrenchment' - building up a defence - is superb, and makes for much greater games against a weaker opponent - it has to be said that in vanilla Sins, once you'd broken the enemy's back, he was pretty much helpless. But I wonder if the mines are totally fair as they are? Although Scouts can see them, nothing can really combat them. In real militaries there is an awareness of mines and their dangers, and so technologies have been evovled (or are being so) that neutralise them: at sea - minesweepers, and on land - robots. Should we not have a 'Minesweeper' vessel that, in great numbers and while being a bit expensive, can half the damage of a mine field, or something?

• The Starbases, while looking superb, don't have enough of an impact on the game. As the same guy who commented on starbase design said: they don't have the ability to bring enemy fleets to battle if the enemy declines to do so. For example, I thought that building a decently-upgraded Starbase around the game's sun would confer some kind of strategic advantage. In fact, it only conferred an intelligence advantage, which I could have acheived anyway with a scout. If someone invests in building a Starbase, it should have the ability to slow down invading forces much as the Phase Jump Inhibitor thing does (I'm not saying it should be the same, but it should have a similar impact)

• Also, a Starbase built in an otherwise empty gravity well should act like a planet - you should be able, in my opinion, to build anything within a small radius of the starbase that you would in an inhabited star system, but at extra cost (this is a bit like the early USA establishing forts in Montana Territory, or Oregon Country - expensive but worth it to expand your empire...).

• Lastly, all the Starbases, in my opinion, should move, or none. I'd prefer all. It would diminish the uselessness of them (not that they are uselsess, but - as I said earlier - they could be better).

_______________________

• On a seperate note, I'm looking forward to the diplomacy expansion: at the moment diplomacy's too limited for such a good and (potentially) complex game. However, I know that Stardock will do a kick-@ass job of programming and releasing it when they do!

Tod77