Sins Community Update

from Sins Forums

I want to extend our thanks to everyone who's been providing feedback so far on the Sins beta test. We've gained a lot of great information from our beta testers and from the Sins community as a whole.  This post is to give everyone an update on the progress of the game and where we're going from here. At the end of this post you'll also find two exclusive new shots from our internal builds to speculate over.

The first thing to expect in the next couple of months is a completely redesigned Sins website. The new site will contain up-to-date information on the game, new screenshots, and more. We'll also be releasing a fan-site kit in the future for those of you who may want to put up your own pages about Sins. In mid-June, everyone can look forward to the Beta 2 release of Sins. Beta 2 will remain TEC only and the focus will be on single-player gameplay dynamics.

At this point, some of you are probably thinking, "Isn't June a bit late for Beta 2 if the game's going to ship in August?" After reading everyone's ideas and feedback so far on Beta 1, Ironclad and Stardock have decided to push Sins' release back to February 2008. We realize this will be a disappointment to some of you, but the simple fact is that we all want to release the best game possible. The extra time will allow us to add more depth and features to Sins, including some stuff we had only wished we had time for previously.  This extended release schedule means there will be two additional betas after Beta 2 that will focus on multiplayer content.

Thank you all for your continued support!

Sins Shot      Sins Shot

134,970 views 132 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Ironclad and Stardock have decided to push Sins' release back to February 2008.


*passes out*
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
disappointed? abit, but we all want the best for sins, so its cool anyways

So more precisely will beta2 be about? what do you mean by gameplay dynamics, as im sure there will be alot of questions about that
ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Hey...April Fools Day was 2 1/2 weeks ago!!!

(Now where did I leave that noose?)
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah, is there anyway you can tell us ahead of time the beta schedule / stage info.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Not precisely no, but I may be able to give out general info soon.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
I see... I see... an unseen faction... wall formation... megaships... jump gates... Holy cow! Game pushed back for 6 months?! Well... it seems you guys want to rework a lot of things considering how advanced the beta is.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Ok I am conscious again! And look what I found...

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

the vasari please...
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
"manly" *hug*, it will be ok!
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
yeah, now we really know that stardock is supporting ironclad 100%

But atleast we can say we got a taste of what to come
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
I think the push back is more then reasonable and warranted. I believe the overwhelming majority of the beta testers will support such a pragmatic decision. In the end it serves to strengthen the brand and title.

I can not begin to articulate how irked and peeved I get when titles get pushed out the door to make some artificial marketing or investment deadline or to garner capitalization benefit from some fad or other such short sighted nonsense. There are many companies I simply will never buy games from again due to such greedy and bad practices.

Activities such as these only serve to hurt the consumer, the developer and ultimately the industry. There are many things out there competing for peoples entertainment dollars and the software industry in general has long taken advantage of and abused consumers to the extent that treating them as "criminals" is considered consistent with industry "best practices", and game developers and publishers have especially refined such practices. The only other industries to try to away with such crap are the movie and music industries - I will not digress however.

It is good to see companies like SD and IG buck the system and try to show they value their consumer base and more importantly respect customers.

This has been a philosophy has has worked well for FrogBoy and company over the years and it appears the thinking has taken seed in another developer - the war is won one battle at a time.
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
Since Yarlen wanted us to ponder those new screehshots, I've taken a second to. Did you guys notice the hyper-space portal in the shot on the right? I also noticed the lack of space lane lines and grav well circle/grid in the other (could just be the angle the shot was captured though)...

I really like the dark, menancing look to the "other" race/faction. I wanna play with those guys!
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
Well since the game is now going to be out next year, it will be one great game. And i thought the beta was good.
For me it matters not how long it takes to make it as long as it comes out as the best game in this genre. I have seen to many good games ruined by their rushed release.
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
Ironclad and Stardock have decided to push Sins' release back to February 2008

this makes me morally outraged. but this:
Beta 2 will remain TEC only and the focus will be on single-player gameplay dynamics

snakes AND a plane upon you!!!


It is good to see companies like SD and IG buck the system and try to show they value their consumer base and more importantly respect customers.

or maybe they are taking a few too many days off...
the vasari please...

...
the vasari are going to come last, if at all multi. get used to it.

anyway I just have to ask; what exactly does pushing this back half a year accomplish? this beta is too well refined in terms of bugs etc, despite running it on a drastically pathetic computer, it runs FINE. now any major adjustments (say, half year worthy adjustments) will screw all of that up, so I dont see where this is going.
Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top
I expected this to occur, not quite a big surprise really.
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
I think this is awesome. theres nothing worst than getting a game and saying, what a shame it had such potential. I hope they do add the gates and mega ships. Good job guys keep up the good work.
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
The new race kinda looks like the Shadows from Babylon 5!!!!
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top
@Sentient
I realize your post is somewhat tongue and cheek but "morally outraged"? IMO Stardock and IronClad's greater obligation is to release a good game...not a game in August. Keep in mind that the beta testers have preordered the game and are primarily the ones posting suggestions and improvements that they'd like to see in SoaSE. Yes, the delay is disappointing but it would be so much worse if SD and IC came out and said "Thanks for all the great ideas but few or none will be implemented b/c we want to hit our launch date. Thank you for purchasing SoaSE...keep an eye out for an expansion pack set to go on sale in the new year. Tentatively titled 'SoaSE: The Way the Fans Actually Wanted SoaSE to be.'"

And did you seriously just say that the game is perfectly optimized?! If that's true, how about giving IC some credit? If they were talented enough to reach this state of perfect optimization they are probably also smart enough not to completely foul it up.
Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top
Your screenshots slightly reduce the pain of not having Sins this year or the multiplayer beta soon!

I wish to express my disappointment. However, I also express disappointment in the build so far. It is good to hear you guys are still thinking of new features to add, but I haven't seen any of the [more important] features that were promised yet, either!

So your news is met with mixed feelings.
Reply #20 from Sins Forums Top

The new race kinda looks like the Shadows from Babylon 5!!!!


ROFL!! My thought exactly. I guess the Vasari are relatives of the Vorlons as well.
Reply #21 from Sins Forums Top
Thanks for the update Yarlen. Dissapointed in teh delay? I would be lying if I said no but on teh other hand I am also excited to see what new depths and content you have instore for us.
Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top
Considering the grounbreaking concept of Sins this new date isn't really surprising. Also it means that the devs are ready to push back the "harvesting" (sales) in favour of a game made far better and to fans' liking. Who knows, perhaps our general dislike of space highways did this. 8)
Reply #23 from Sins Forums Top
I must say this is GREAT news! too many publishers push the release nowadays so they can get their money and we get a halfmade game with tons of errors.

Reply #24 from Sins Forums Top
the vasari are going to come last

yeah im afraid so..

if at all multi.

Ooh but i believe it will come, but not anytime soon.

get used to it.

haha, well no!, i cant. But i have to live with it


I expected this to occur, not quite a big surprise really.


yep same here, the august release seemed somehow to early to me
Reply #25 from Sins Forums Top
I see no reason at all to be disappointed. I support the decision 100%. How many titles have been released the last couple of years that had high expectations, but since they were rushed to meet their deadlines turned out to be incomplete buggy crap games with "maybe" 1, or 2 quick fix patches, and thats all she wrote. Examples: KOTOR2, HW2, Nexus, SW:EaW, NWN2, ST:legacy, and damn near every ST game before that excluding Starfleet Commands 1, and 2, BF-Nam, BF2, BF2142. The list goes on, and on, but you get my drift. Stardock, and Ironclad want Quality. If it takes another year to achieve that quality then so be it. I would rather wait the year, and have a damn good game than whine "whaaah! I want it now"! Then get it only to bitch later on about it being yet another half ass rushed out title with "so much potential" like so many before.

Kudos to SD and IC for showing their love, and support of the game!